The feedback from editors serving on the blue ribbon judging panel for the first annual Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) Editorial Awards has been extremely supportive of the inaugural show and what it means to the editing community (see "Peer Perspectives," p. 22).
While bullish about a showcase that gives recognition to editors and their craft, several judges have honed in on what the AICE competition means for young, aspiring talent.
"There are a lot of young editors coming up, and if this show develops as we hope and think it will, it will give these young people something to strive for," related Billy Williams of New York-based Moondog. "Young talent deserves to be recognized, and hopefully this show will do that and help the industry discover new editors."
Already, prior to next week’s (11/7) inaugural awards ceremony, judges are thinking of what might be done in years to come to help nurture up-and-coming editors.
"My hope is that down the road this show becomes a much broader venue—not just for editors from AICE companies, but for all editors," said Chuck Willis of Crew Cuts, New York.
Larry Bridges of Red Car, Santa Monica, noted: "My only disappointment is that the show was restricted to work that aired. This year, I found some incredible student and spec work. Brilliant editing can occur at any level of production, and I think we need to recognize this by having the show include all deserving work; especially to encourage younger careers and give new blood equal access to the awards so it isn’t a matter of judging career achievement instead of craft."
This supportive orientation was also reflected in the wish of Steve Shepherd, who’s at Minneapolis-headquartered cutting house Spotnik. "As I was screening the thirty finalist spots, I thought to myself how I would love to see some early rough cuts. I’d love to see where it all started and where the work went. In that respect, I hope the show helps trigger more discussion among editors so that we push each other farther. … Even though the nature of this business is so competitive, this is an occasion for us to come together, compare notes and to try to advance the craft."
For Gordon Carey of FilmCore Santa Monica, the judging process proved energizing. "The range of work [among the finalists] went from fairly simple comedy spots executed very well, to some nice work with dialogue, to some emotional montage pieces. Overall, it was a very strong field of finalists. I watched the finalists’ DVD several times—the first time to get an overall feel. And then I went back to hone in on things to figure out how I wanted to vote. The process of being alone with the work helped in scoring and judging the field. … It also made you feel good about the business and the caliber of work that can be done."
That sense of pride is evident in the comments of other editors/judges. "I’m happy to be part of the judging panel," related Ian MacKenzie, of MacKenzie Cutler, New York. "It’s an honor to be part of a show that is designed to give some recognition to editors."
"At some point, I’d like to see some categories in the show: comedy; music editing; visual/ graphic editing," suggested Willis. "I’d also like to have some fun with it—how about the best spot edited under the most duress? But this show gives us a good foundation; something we can really build on."
