Is there a piece of advice you found yourself giving over and over?
I’ll ask, “How about you cover this?” If I feel like something might be missing, I suggest ways to cover things. And sometimes you may shoot something because you feel you are running out of time and you want to have that shot. But sometimes you do it and then don’t get the performance. You’ve got to build your story with the performance. So one thing I ask is, “Are you sure you’re getting what you want from this? Are you getting the reaction, action, or the delivery you want?” As an editor, that’s where I focus.
What did you see directors thinking they needed upon arriving at the labs compared to what they actually needed?
They’re very anxious to get things right. They all have some experiences. They have the knowledge to do it. But I want to make sure that they’re getting to tell the story in their very particular way. We tell them, “Just put your personality in it. You’re not doing it for us. You’re doing it for yourself.” We try to understand what it is that they want. There is a lot of conversation about script.
In your professional career, how early on are you involved in the process of making a film? Are you on set often?
It depends. Most of the directors that I’ve been working with for a long time, once they have a script, they send it to me, I read it, and we talk about it. Then when they’re shooting, I can start working on the film. But there are directors that want to hold off, like Chloé [Zhao]. She finishes shooting, and then she does a pass of the film herself and then we work together. Jonas Carpignano, I’ve done three films with him and that’s the way we do it, too. So it’s really up to the directors how they like to work. And I kind of adjust and adapt, according to the way they like to function.
What kind of stories are you drawn to?
Probably more character-driven stories, but I like everything. I love comedies, horror, westerns — any good story. So, I don’t have a preference. I happen to make more dramas, but it’s not because I’m saying, I just want to work on those. Most of my films are independent. I usually choose based on the script and the filmmaker that I’m working with. If it’s somebody that I’ve worked with before, probably 100% of the time, I’m going to say yes. But it’s really based on the script and the filmmaker and their work up to that point.
Many of the films you’ve worked on, from Beasts of the Southern Wild to Cassandro and Peter Hujar’s Day, have been defining Sundance Film Festival successes. After meeting the filmmakers at the lab this year and in previous years, what do you hope they understand about the journey that comes after the labs?
I hope they stay with the feeling that they had at the lab. It’s such a collaborative process, and you become really tight with your team, with your crew, and I hope they stay with that feeling. And just say what they want to say. Their [point of view] is important, whatever they have to say is important. Remember that.
