As chronicled in SHOOT last month (12/14) and in this week’s issue (see separate story), spotmaking artisans are set to make their mark on this year’s Sundance Film Festival, slated for Jan. 17-24 in Park City, Utah.
Among them is editor Jinx Godfrey who cuts commercials via bicoastal FilmCore. Godfrey edited director James Marsh’s Man On Wire, which was selected for Sundance’s ’08 Cinema Documentary Competition. The film tells the story of a young Frenchmen, Philippe Petit, who in 1974 walked on a wire suspended between the towers of the World Trade Center, 1,350 feet off the ground. He “danced” on the wire for more than an hour and crossed it eight times before being arrested in what was termed “the artistic crime of the century.”
Godfrey is no stranger to collaborating with Marsh and scoring on the film festival circuit. The two earlier teamed on The King, an ’05 feature which gained recognition at Cannes, and on the documentary Wisconsin Death Trip, a ’99 film that gained exposure at the Venice and Telluride fests and went on to garner a best cinematography honor for DP Eigil Bryld from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. But this is the first time that Godfrey and Marsh have scored a Sundance slot.
“It’s a very prestigious festival,” said Godfrey of Sundance, adding that the festival “holds considerable weight” in the commercial industry, with production houses, for example, perennially scouting filmmaking talent at Sundance. “It’s also a great place for a film to get exposure and distribution, helping to extend its reach to a larger audience.”
Over the years, Godfrey’s spot credits include work with directors Spike Lee on Nike, Errol Morris on American Express and Dante Ariola on Levi’s. She also cut a short film promoting New York City tourism that was helmed by Mike Figgis.
Godfrey enjoys being able to cross over from commercials to shorts and features and is grateful that FilmCore accommodates her forays into disciplines beyond spots. She said that the flexibility afforded her by FilmCore enabled her to edit Man On Wire. “I’d take two weeks here, two weeks there and eventually completed a total of 10 weeks of editing on the film–FilmCore made some cutting room space available and we also edited in London [at facility Molinare].”
Godfrey related that her experience in commercials has helped her longer form endeavors–and vice versa. “One experience informs the other,” she said. “And documentaries stretch you creatively. With movies and commercials you have a script. But a documentary is distinctly different and it’s an experience that helps you to grow as an artist. And it helps me if and when I’m called upon to do a documentary-style commercial, for instance.”
In addition to the Sundance debut, Man On Wire also represented another first for Godfrey–her initial experience cutting on Apple’s Final Cut Pro. The opportunity to work and experiment on Final Cut Pro helped Godfrey to grow creatively.
However, there’s one logistical downside to crossing over between short and long-form fare. Godfrey won’t be able to attend Sundance next week because she’s scheduled to edit a spot project at FilmCore.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More