Editors Take Center Stage at The PrePros Meetup

As some editors like to say about their edit suites, ‘that’s where the magic happens.’ So leave it to the pros at The PrePros to pull back the curtains on this mysterious process and let some seasoned experts explain it to their younger colleagues. That was the theme of the most recent meetup held by this grassroots creative initiative, which took place at the New York offices of BBH. 

With the headline “Cut to the chase: How editing can make or break a story,” a quintet made up of a senior creative director, a film director and three acclaimed editors explained their approach to the creative editing process and offered real-world tips and observations that the audience seemed to eat up. 

The event, co-sponsored by The Howler, unfolded in front of a boisterous and energetic standing-room-only audience. Making the intro was Tasha Cronin, BBH New York’s Head of Production, who noted that “I love to spread the love of production, and I like it when people ask questions and be open to learning.”

Leading off was Alex Booker, Head of Creative at BBH USA, who addressed the topic of how a project comes together in the edit. He warned the audience of mostly junior level creatives and producers that “the first edit is always terrifying. It’s where the shit gets real, and it gets real real quick.”

He urged the audience to remain open-minded during their screening of the editor’s first cut. “A lot of questions are going to flood your mind. Don’t expect to see the finished product, there’s still lots of finessing to do. It’s a jigsaw puzzle, with countless possibilities, so start with a macro view, and then go into it deeper and fine tune the details. And when you work with an awesome editor, they’ll bring their spin to it. They see things with a different eye.”

Booker also offered a tidbit that got everyone else on the panel nodding their heads in agreement: “An edit starts long before you get into the edit; it starts in pre pro,” he explained. “Options are important; you live and die by them. Give yourself ways in and out of scenes.” When it comes to dialogue? “Buy a stopwatch. Time it again and again. And make it quicker.” And finally, “Be nice. Relationships are everything.”

Alex Pirrone, an editor at  Arcade Edit and a regular collaborator with Booker, spoke about the anxiety of showing that first cut from the editor’s perspective. “Post is a massive machine,” he said, “so knowing what to expect and when is really important for you.” 

Pirrone went on to list additional useful bits from his perspective: he noted that editors typically will focus on story first, then on getting the look just right. He said young creatives should think about how the scenes work together, and urged them to be efficient in their approach to the edit. “Doing so beforehand gives you extra time to explore ways to make the work better.” He offered up an old post adage: “You’re never done editing, you just run out of time.”

The legendary comedy kingpin Ian MacKenzie of MACKCUT addressed the issue of cutting comedy with the question, if comedy is all about timing, how much can an editor help make a spot funnier. He showed some examples of his own work, including a classic SNL commercial parody starring Adam Sandler and Chris Farley, and noted how one little mistake made in the edit suite ended up making the final cut funnier. 

Next up was Dylan Edwards of Cabin Edit, who shared a story about having to rework a Super Bowl spot after the client’s CEO gave it a thumbs down on the Thursday night before the big game. How’d they fix it? “We let it flow for itself,” he said. “Editing is a huge grind, for everyone involved. You question yourself all along, until the moment that you crack it.”  

Additional speakers on the panel included Park Pictures director J.M. Harper, whose film, “Soul Patrol,” debuted at Sundance this winter where he won the US Documentary Directing Award. His commercials work includes spots for brands such as Rivian, ON running, WhatsApp, Gatorade, and Allianz. Additionally, he’s an accomplished editor, with four features to his credit. Harper told the audience that often, editors and creatives are the last line of defense when it comes to protecting the spot. “Directors, we’re the first line,” he said. 

Also sharing insights from the agency producers’ POV was Kimberly Kietz, an Executive Producer at BBH whose work includes spots for brands like E*Trade, GE, Volvo and Pepsi. 

Rachel Frederick, a freelance ECD / AD and a co-founder of The PrePros, says the response to The PrePros has been nothing short of encouraging. “It feels good to play a role in bringing people together, for free, celebrating the craft, community, and art of production and post,” she told The Howler. “ “Learning from our talented panelists is a huge part of why the meetups are so special, but I think the even bigger thing is the great energy everyone brings to the room and walks away with.”

In addition to Frederick and her fellow PrePros co-founder, Patrick Burke, a freelance CD and Writer, the full PrePros team includes Danica Rosen, Sr. Producer; Maria Elena Lopez-Frank, Executive Producer & Experiential Strategist; Tori Mortenson, CD / AD; and Dicky Abedon, Consultant / Partner at Uncle Lefty.

The editing convo was a follow up to The PrePros’ first session, titled “Production 101,: which was held at Mischief in New York in late March. That panel was recorded by sponsor company Sonic Union, and has just been released in podcast form. It can be found on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Music and on The PrePros’ website: https://www.theprepros.pro/podcast.  A recording of the BBH “Cut to the Chase” event will be joining it at a later date. Additional events from the gang at The PrePros will be announced later this summer. 

“Cut to the Chase” was made possible due to the support of its sponsors; in addition to Sonic Union and The Howler, Simian and Reel.io, the list also included BBH USA, Bacardi, Arcade Edit, Cabin Editing Company, Park Pictures, MACKCUT, ARC Creative, Sonic Union, Uncle Lefty and Monte Isom Photo. 

For more information on The PrePros, follow them on IG at @The_PrePros or at www.ThePrePros.pro.