Final Cut has added comedic editor Phil Hignett to its roster. His exploits span advertising, feature film and television. Hignett has previously worked closely with the team while cutting hit comedy Sex Education at Final Cut’s dry-hire facility, The Lofts, in London’s Fitzrovia district.
Hignett first discovered his love of editing and the art of making people laugh while at university, when a friend asked him to help cut a loose homage to This is Spinal Tap. Getting his industry start at Marshall Street Editors, Hignett worked his way up to editor, collaborating with directors such as Nick Jasenovec, Keith Schofield, Jake Szymanski, Jeff Labbé and Rhys Thomas. Hignett’s commercial showreel includes projects for clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Barclaycard, Virgin Media, KFC, British Airways and BT.
With the support of long-time collaborator Ben Taylor, Hignett ventured into the world of longform in 2019, working with the director on the critically acclaimed Year of the Rabbit, starring Matt Berry. Hignett’s work on Sex Education earned him awards for editing at the BFE Cut Above Awards and Televisual Bulldog Awards, with the most recent season winning Best Comedy at the 2023 International Emmys. Other longform credits include the multi BAFTA-winning hit series Stath Lets Flats and upcoming Disney+ series Renegade Nell.
“As a little boy growing up in Australia, I always dreamed of joining Final Cut,” said Hignett. “That was the name of the barbers down the street. But this is just as good. Probably better.”
Final Cut U.K. managing director David Webb said, “Phil has a remarkable sense of comedic timing–both in the edit and in life. He’s a great editor and a wonderful human being.”
“After hosting Phil on numerous longform projects at The Lofts, we’ve become accustomed to having him around,” said Final Cut executive producer Michelle Corney. “We’re chuffed to bits that he’s decided to join the Final Cut team for commercial representation.”
Final Cut maintains offices in London, New York and L.A.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More