International editors provided varied perspectives during EditFest Global 2022, a two-day American Cinema Editors (ACE) event which wrapped this past weekend.
The Editing for the World session–moderated by German editor Alexander Berner, ACE (whose credits include Cloud Atlas, Resident Evil and Babylon Berlin)–featured French cutter Jean-Daniel Fernandez Qundez, ACE (Lupin and The Witcher), Ahmed Hafez who hails from Egypt (Moon Knight and Paranormal), Danish editor Kasper Leick (Borgen and Royal Affair), and Melissa Perry, SAGE (South Africa Guild of Editors; with credits including Queen Sono and Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star).
Perry noted that artisans in many countries, including South Africa, have long had the skillset to turn out top-drawer work for global audiences–but often not the platforms to do so. Streamers, though, have played a game-changing role in providing the financial wherewithal, resources and outlets to showcase talent from assorted markets. For example, the South African crime drama series Queen Sono premiered on Netflix in 2020, demonstrating what the nation’s talent, including editor Perry, is capable of delivering to viewers worldwide.
Similarly Hafez cited Paranormal, the first Egyptian series produced by Netflix, for which he edited multiple episodes.
And on a major global stage for Hafez, there’s the Disney+ series Moon Knight, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Moon Knight centers on Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift shop employee who becomes haunted with blackouts and memories of another life. He discovers that he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt. Oscar Isaac stars as Steven/Mr. Knight and Marc/Moon Knight, making for a character study in which a person and his alternate ego’s realities collide. The cast also includes Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy. Hafez got the chance to show his editing prowess on Moon Knight, working in the U.S. and sharing the editing workload with Joan Sobel and Cedric Nairn-Smith. Moon Knight afforded Hafez the opportunity to work closely with Sobel and Nairn-Smith, translating into an educational and enjoyable experience.
Netflix too had a hand in Leick’s career as the streamer contributed funding for a return of the series Borgen to Danish television. This time around, Borgen tackled a “bigger story than before,” according to Leick, presenting him with new challenges and a gratifying creative experience.
Moderator Berner asked if editing for a bigger audience thanks to major streaming platforms in some way impacted the process and approach to cutting material. He conjectured that by having to consider appealing to a larger international or global audience, an editor’s approach or concept of editing could be affected. Fernandez Qundez didn’t think that was the case generally, observing that you “don’t edit for the world” but rather make decisions relative to pacing and otherwise based on story, the directorial vision for a show and whatever rings true for the characters. At the same time Fernandez Qundez acknowledged that cutting for a global audience may cause an editor to on occasion be a bit more “didactic or to explain things a little bit more” to make sure viewers have a handle on something that might be particular to a market or culture with which they are not familiar.
The virtual Editing for the World panel discussion on Sunday (8/28) came after a previous day of in-person EditFest Global sessions (also livestreamed) at Disney Studios in Burbank. This hybrid approach marked the return of EditFest to face-to-face roundtable dialogue, technology demonstrations and breakout conversation rooms.
