For several years local chapters of the Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and more recently in Toronto and Dallas, have given assistant editors (and occasionally other editorial house staffers) an opportunity to showcase their talents by cutting trailers for famous movies, often against genre, in Trailer Park Festivals. For the past two years the Detroit chapter has deviated from the Trailer Park model to celebrate assistants and their spot-cutting abilities. In the most recent event, the 2005 competition that took place last month, assistant editor Carmelle Flanagan of Kutz, Farmington Hills, Mich., won for her spot “Scream.”
The rules for the 13 entrants were simple: cut a :30 or :60 spot for a real or fictional product using footage from the following feature films: Rashoman (1950), Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Sideways (2004). Flanagan combined images from these films to relate the advantages of drinking decaffeinated Sanka.
As “Scream” begins, a question appears on screen asking, “Feeling stressed?” Then main characters from the movies are shown, one hectically running around, while two others seem quite nervous. “On edge?” the questioning continues as tension from the music builds around the footage. As the characters demonstrate that they are indeed at the end of their ropes, the heightening drama subsides with the statement, “Try Decaf.” Now the music becomes soothing and imagery shifts to peaceful images of the films’ characters with a crawl below the action relating messages like, “Side effects may include calmness, serenity, clarity of thought.”
LIKE MINDS
Like Trailer Park, the goal of this competition is to give assistant editors an opportunity to demonstrate their cutting skills and open the doors of opportunity for them. In Detroit, explained AICE Detroit president Stewart Shevin, an editor at Mad River Post, Royal Oak, Mich., the decision to have entrants edit commercials was because “in Detroit we all cut spots, we’re not cutting features. So we thought this would take the basic concept of Trailer Park [creating trailers] and adapt it or make it a little more our own.”
There was a tie for second place between Zach DuFresne of Griot Editorial, Southfield, Mich., for “Best Buds” and Carrie Shepherd of Mad River Post for “IPatch.” DuFresne’s spot models MasterCard’s priceless approach–A Samurai Movie: $11, Wine Country Tour: $350, Five-Star Restaurant: $200, Falling in Love — Priceless.
Shepard’s spot features a fictional item, the iPatch. With this eye patch, the wearer has a virtual experience with images that are playing inside the patch from popular films. In this case the images are from Moulin Rouge. Paul Giamatti’s character in Sideways, Miles, is the lead character in the spot and a voiceover suggests he is lost, lonely and uninspired. Then when he puts on this high-tech Moulin Rouge iPatch he suddenly seems to have one-on-one experiences with Nicole Kidman’s character Satine in Moulin Rouge. His confidence grows and he is finally able to pursue the real-life woman of his dreams. The first place winner took home a $300 cash prize while the runners up split the $150 second place prize.
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
The AICE Detroit chapter has been in existence for about three years and like the Filmspotting contest, the overall chapter efforts have enriched the editing community in the area, Shevin related. “A lot of [the focus of this competition] is just about camaraderie and normally these companies, we don’t get together. Detroit was a very sectarian market as far as us being competitors and we didn’t talk to each other and now with AICE we talk to each other a lot more. There is a lot more cohabitation.”
Regarding the Filmspotting competitors, he laughingly noted, “The assistants, they never knew each other really before and now they get together and they all get to complain about their bosses.”
The judges for this year’s event were from local agencies with the exception of Anthony Garth, director, Avalon Films, Farmington, Mich. The remaining judges were: Linda Kemp, executive producer, Campbell-Ewald, Warren, Mich.; Lisa Nagro, executive producer, BBDO Detroit, Troy, Mich.; David Vawter, creative director, Doner, Southfield, Mich.; Brad Phillips, creative director, J. Walter Thompson, Detroit; Jim MacBeth, creative director, The Berline Group, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; Daniel Hennessy creative director, Leo Burnett Detroit, Troy, Mich.; and Skip Holloway creative director, Young & Rubicam Detroit, Dearborn, Mich. The judges’ critiques were compiled and given to each assistant as a learning tool.
Though this year’s competition was a success, next year’s event will be different, though the specific changes have not yet been determined. It’s possible that AICE Detroit will host a competition that more closely resembles the popular Trailer Park festivals. Shevin proposed that the process of cutting a trailer might be more entertaining for the participants and their audience. “Change is good,” he remarked.