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.
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More