editing

Interview with Emmy-Winning Editor Geoffrey Rowland

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Geoffrey Rowland has worked in the film and television industry for over 50 years. We chatted on the phone for 2 hours with topics ranging from our mutual love for baseball, life lessons, being Canadian, and of course film and editing. He was a pure joy to chat with. Enclosed are the highlights of our conversation:

Matthew: “The Young Messiah” was the last film you worked on. How was your experience working on the film?

Geoffrey Rowland: Terrific experience. I worked 77 straight days editing that film. It became a part of me. I gave it my all and I think it’s a very good film.

PHOTO: Still from “The Young Messiah” with actress Sara Lazzaro. Geoffrey called her one of the finest actresses he has ever edited. “Amazing eyes”. He praised. 

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MT: You’ve worked on over 80 productions as an editor in the last 40 years. Do you have a favorite experience? What film/TV episode are you most proud of?

GR: There was a “Cagney & Lacey” episode in 1984 called “Heat”. It was about a hostage situation. The producer of the show called it a movie that was also a TV episode. I’m very proud of that episode because the director Karen Arthur won an Emmy for it. The first time a female won a Best Directing Emmy.

There was a scene where someone gets shot in the episode and instead of showing them get shot down, I focused on the reaction of the husband and let the sound of the gun and his face tell us what happened. That’s editing!

PHOTO: Tyne Daly in “Cagey & Lacey”. Geoffrey edited multiple episodes of the series and considers working with director Karen Arthur as one of his finest working experiences:

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MT: I have to ask about your experience working on “Rocky” early in your career as an assistant editor. The film ended up winning the Oscar for Best Picture. What are you memories working on the film?

GR: I was an apprentice editor for Richard Halsey on the TV series “Peyton Place”. One day as I was driving home from work on a show I was assisting for, I realized I forgot my wallet and had to go back to the Production Lot. I ran into Richard who was looking for an assistant editor for this film called “Rocky”. The only reason I got the job was because and I was lucky to run into Richard at the exact time he was going to hire someone. I wasn’t his first choice, but because I was eager to do it, he went with me. That’s faith! If I remembered my wallet my career could have gone in a different direction.

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MT: You then moved onto “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. You worked on an Oscar winner to Steven Spielberg! What were your duties working on that production?

GR: I watched, assembled the dailies, and organized the footage. From Memorial Day 1977 to the fall of that year, I had two days off. We worked tirelessly on that film.

Steven was a terrific guy. It was all about the film. That’s what made the working relationship great. No one needs to know anything about you except what you know about the film. A sole focus always leads to the best relationships.

MT: You won an Emmy for the “Path to 911” mini-series. I had a few friends working on that production in Toronto, so I visited the set for a few days. Every shot, no matter what, had at least three cameras rolling, sometimes 4-5 cameras. I remember thinking that the editor and his team are going to have SO much footage – it’s going to be a nightmare. What were your experiences working on that film? You must have had a big team of assistant editors to go over all that footage.

GR: There was almost 3 million feet of film shot on that production. Yes there was a lot of coverage – which is amazing for an editor because you have choice and can really dig into the story.

We had 5-7 editors at a time working on the project editing scenes. The trick on that film was to make it look like it was edited by just one person when it came all together. That was my job. The director David L. Cunningham is a brilliant guy. Shoots the film like it’s a documentary in a very unique style. He reminded me of a young Spielberg.

We were proud to receive the Emmy but it wasn’t us who won it, but the entire production and people who worked on the show.

PHOTO: Still Shot from the mini-series “Path to 911”. A controversial series when it premiered in September 2006. Geoffrey wins his first Emmy after 5 previous nominations: 

path_to_911.jpg

MT: What’s the key difference between working on a TV episode in comparison to working on a feature film?

GR: TV is a Producer’s medium. That’s who you’re working with. They know the show and how the episode needs to fit into the context of the entire season and series. Film is a director’s medium. The director knows the film better than anyone else. In TV, it’s a faster process versus working on a film.

MT: What is an editor looking for in their director?

GR: Hand ons. Hands off. Instense. Casual. They are all different and you always learn a ton from them. As long as they are passionate, that’s all that matters.

MT: What is a director looking for in their editor?

GR: Do the job and don’t bring your ego to the film. A director has one focus (to finish the film) and has a 1000 things going on in their head. They want you to be professional. Don’t cross boundaries and tell them your life story or anything for that matter that’s not about the film. When you finish working with them they’ll know whether they want to work with you again and vice/versa. You don’t have to say anything more about it.

In professional situations and when putting a film together, less is always more.

MT: What film, besides the ones you’ve worked on, have you seen the most times in your life?

GR: The Immortal Beloved. Probably seen it 2 to 3 dozen times. When I want a good cry, I watch it.

Great films leave an impression. My daughter Brooke was 15 years old when we went to see the film together. She just quit the piano weeks before, but went right back to it after she saw the film because she was so inspired. And stayed at it. When Gary Oldman (who played Beethoven) heard that story, he wept.

Stories like that is the reason why most of us get into the business. It’s all about leaving an impression in this world.

MT: What type of film would you love to edit that you haven’t worked on yet?

GR: The next project. Whatever the next project is.

MT: What suggestions would you have for people in high school and university who would like to get into the industry as an editor?

GR: Learn subtext. A great way to do learn is to listen to classical music. Listen to the instruments and how it all comes together. It’s the same way when editing a film.

Get your foot in the door and be a sponge. You have to be obsessed with editing. Nothing else matters.

Also, buy the book: http://www.CUTTINGITINHOLLYWOOD.com

And remember when editing – it’s all in the eyes!

PHOTO: Banner of the book “Cutting it in Hollywood”, where author Mitchell Danton interviews the great film editors, including Geoffrey Rowland. 

cuttingitinhollywood

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK DAILY Fesitval held online and in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.

Interview with Oscar Winning Editor Alan Heim (All That Jazz, Network)

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Alan Heim is an Oscar & Emmy winning editor. Many will say that he’s one of the greatest editors in the history of cinema. All you need to do it watch “Network” (1976), and “All that Jazz” (1979) to see the uniqueness of his talent. If you haven’t seen those films I highly suggest you do because they are timeless in their themes and character studies. It was an honor to chat with Alan about his career. A career that’s still going strong  at 80 years of age.

Matthew Toffolo: In recent years you’ve worked with director Nick Cassavetes in collaboration (The Notebook, My Sister’s Keeper, The Other Woman, Alpha Dog). How did you first meet? What makes your working relationship so strong?

Alan Heim: I believe Dede Allen (Editor: The Hustler, Bonnie & Clyde) suggested I cut “The Notebook” and Nick and I have gotten along together very well since. He likes my honesty in assessing the material and I love his rather rebel ways.

MT: You won the Oscar for the amazing “All That Jazz”. A film that still holds up today. How were your experiences working on that film? How did it feel when you went up to accept your Academy Award?

AH: All That Jazz was wonderful to work on because the material was so unusual and Fosse and I had a wonderful collaboration. Every day was a challenge and filled with discovery. Bob had written many of the structural things we had found in the cutting room on ‘Lenny’ into the script of “Jazz” but we discovered that we still had to struggle with certain areas to make the film work as planned.

As far as the Oscar, I was thrilled, as any winner should be. I even forgot to kiss my wife when they called my name. It was also very rewarding to share the stage with so many of my coworkers on the film.

PHOTO: All that Jazz starring Roy Scheider:

allthatjazz

MT: What is the key to editing a musical?

AH: The key to editing a musical is to always keep an eye on the story and always try to make the audience follow the flow of the dance. A good script keeps the musical numbers integrated into the structure of the film.

MT: You also worked with Bob Fosse on “Lenny”. How was your working relationship with the iconic musical Choreographer/Movie Director? “Lenny” also appears in “All that Jazz” too! It’s almost like you edited “Lenny” twice!

AH: Bob and I worked together well because we both wanted the very best we could get out of the film. I love working with directors who won’t settle and always want to reach for perfection. I feel the same way about Nick Casavettes.

As far as editing “Lenny” twice….I always like my films to be an adventure of discovery and I’ve been pretty lucky this far.

MT: The film “Network” is a masterpiece that really was ahead of its time. It’s a film with themes and settings that still ring true to today’s world and situations. What are you feelings and memories working on the film as it approaches its 40th anniversary?

AH: “Network” has always been one of my favorites. Paddy Chayefsky was a brilliant, prescient polemicist and wrote a near flawless script, beautifully acted and directed perfectly by Sydney Lumet. What more could an editor want? Except for some unfortunate clothing choices and sideburns, the film can be released today with great pride and timeliness.

PHOTO: Peter Finch is “Mad as Hell” in Network:

network

MT: You also edited (and won the Emmy for) the landmark TV mini-series “Holocaust”, which premiered in 1978. It stars a young Meryl Streep and James Woods. Were you aware when editing this series how important it was going to be for the education of many people watching?

AH: I only worked on one of the four episodes and I had to re-edit it. It was the first time I ever “doctored” a film and basically put it back in dailies form and totally recut it. It was very meaningful for me and I’m happy for whatever it has done to retain the Holocaust in people’s memories.

MT: What is an editor looking for in their director? What is a director looking for in their editor?

AH: I think the answer is the same to both questions. Editors and directors should both try to find a person that they can spend a LOT of time with in close quarters working to get a vision on the screen. One hopes for it to be the same vision or herd will be a lot of tension in those close quarters.

MT: Is there a type of film that you would love to edit that you haven’t edited yet?

AH: I’m very happy to have worked on the type of film I’ve worked on, mostly films with emotional reality on a fairly small scale. Few fights and those mostly with fists, not lasers.

MT: What film, besides the ones you’ve worked on, have you seen the most times in your life?

AH: Probably “Citizen Kane”, “Casablanca” and lots of older comedies.

MT: What suggestions would you have for people in high school and university who would like to get into the industry as an editor?

AH: If you really are devoted to becoming an editor try to hang around cutting rooms, look at lots of movies and practice cutting wherever you can.

Don’t neglect reading, listening to all kinds of music, seeing plays and art shows and generally opening your mind to all things cultural. It all helps when you’re trying to tell a story and that’s what editing is all about..

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 20-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK DAILY Festival held in downtown Toronto and online daily. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.