Shuts Us 2 Editorial, Which He Co-Founded With Editor Bonora.
D. J. Dole, executive producer/partner at Us 2 Editorial, has opened Switchblade, a postproduction service offering offline and online editorial as well as graphic design for commercials, feature films, episodic television and the Internet. Switchblade will primarily facilitate freelance editors, though Dole envisions possibly adding a staff editor or two.
Dole said that he and former Us 2 partner, editor Elisa Bonora, agreed to dissolve their company after six years in business. Dole related that an industry movement toward freelance editors prompted his decision to shutter Us 2 and launch Switchblade. He said that his split with Bonora was amicable, as evidenced by the fact that they are currently sharing space in the same building that had been home to Us 2.
Bonora continues to edit and at press time was in the process of putting together a deal to open up a West Coast office for an East Coast editorial house. She said she wasn’t yet at liberty to publicly discuss details of her pending venture.
Dole, meanwhile, serves in an executive producer’s capacity at Switchblade, which currently has a pair of Avid 9000s, an Avid 8000 and an Avid 4000 system. "My overriding reason for forming this company was to support the growing freelance market," he explained. "If a freelance editor has a big project, he or she can come here and gain full support. We can provide resources, produce and help execute the job and handle the client. On the other hand, if a freelancer has a smaller job and just needs a room, they can get that here as well."
Dole added that it’s become more common for agencies to directly hire freelance editors. "The cost savings can be dramatic," he said. "Specific staffing can be put in place based on the project. No overkill, no waste, which allows a lower markup and lower creative fees. Agencies are also looking for a place [like Switchblade, with technical resources and support] to house the editors they hire."
According to Dole, the caliber of freelance talent has risen exponentially. "Many editors like to pursue other projects that don’t have a large budget," he said. "Because these editors have been under contract, it is up to the company they work for to decide if they can do the job. Generally, the companies want editors to focus on the big, money-making work. But editors need different creative outlets. Being confined to one kind of communication limits their talent and ability. … So they have decided to freelance. They prefer to remain unattached while handling a diversified set of post projects."
Switchblade has already facilitated jobs for several freelance cutters, including former Us 2 staffer David Brooks, who edited a Mild Seven spot for the Japanese market. Also bringing work to Switchblade is editor Kevin Connolly, a freelancer who had been working primarily via Us 2. Connolly and freelancer Scott Canning cut different spots in a campaign promoting the "Rod Stewart @ The Rio" show, slated for New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. Additionally, freelance cutters David Winter and Arturo Escobar worked on a corporate video for Internet search engine Alta Vista. Escobar also wrapped a corporate piece for Internet routing systems firm Cisco.
Dole has initiated talks not only with freelance editors but also with graphic artists and sound designers to explore possible collaborations with Switchblade. "I chose the name Switchblade to symbolize an editorial house that will not always feature the same editors," said Dole. "We will have a collection of different, talented freelancers."
Review: Writer-Director Adam Elliot’s “Memoir of a Snail”
It's not your typical stop-motion film when characters name pets after Sylvia Plath and read "The Diary of Anne Frank" — or when the story's inspired by a quote from existentialist thinker Søren Kierkegaard. And it's certainly not your typical stop-motion film when you find yourself crying as much as the characters do — in their case, with huge droplets leaking from bulging, egg-shaped eyes so authentic-looking, you expect the screen to get wet. But those are just a few of the unique things about Adam Elliot's "Memoir of a Snail," a film that's as heart-tugging as it is technically impressive, a work of both emotional resonance and great physical detail using only clay, wire, paper and paint. One thing Elliot's film is not, though, is for kids. So please take note before heading to the multiplex with family in tow: this film earns its R rating, as you'll discover as soon as young Grace, voiced by Sarah Snook, tells us she thought masturbation was about chewing your food properly. Sex, nudity, drunk driving, a fat fetish — like we said, it's R-rated for a reason. But let's start at the beginning. In this, his seventh "clayography" (for "clay" and "biography"), the Australian writer-director explores the process of collecting unnecessary objects. Otherwise known as hoarding, it's something that weighs us down in ways we can't see, for all the clutter. Elliot also argues that it helps us build constrictive shells around ourselves — like snail shells, perhaps. Our protagonist is Grace Pudel, voiced with a quirky warmth and plenty of empathy by the wonderfully agile Snook. We first encounter Grace as a grown woman, telling her long, lonely life story to her pet garden snail, Sylvia (named after Plath), at a moment of deep sadness. Then we flash... Read More