Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum

Situation with BBM's Film Editor

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serious crayons:
That's interesting, Mero, and welcome to BetterMost!

You know when you're cooking, all those parts you throw into the garbage disposal or compost bin -- the stems and peels and pits and carrot greens and ends of the onions and stuff like that? I wish after Ang was done cooking, he would have given those to me!

whiteoutofthemoon:

--- Quote from: opinionista on July 10, 2006, 07:50:16 pm ---A friend of mine is a film editor. He usually works for small independent movies, but lately has had the opportunity to work for bigger movie productions. According to him the editor does not cut the film all by himself. He is not allowed to make decisions. The director is 99% of the time sitting at his side, telling him what to cut and where. If the director is absent for any reason, instructions are left for the editor and the director has to see and approve whatever was cut during his absence. That's what he told me. I don't know now Ang Lee works. I suspect the goofs on BBM have more to do with lack of budget than anything else. Sometimes they make mistakes during filmmalking that are noticed in the cutting room. If they have the money to reshoot they do it, if not they try to fix it with the editing.

--- End quote ---

I guess that would make sense, since the Director has the final say and the content is his/her responsibility.  If that were the case, though, then why in the world do they give an Oscar to "Best Editor", when it seems from this description that all they function as is the person who operates the cutting room machine while the Director tells them what to cut/not-cut?   And furthermore, wouldn't the award for Best Editor be synonymous with Best Director, and hence whoever wins best director should logically be the same film as for Best Editor?  Boggles the mind.....     the Oscars suck. 

opinionista:

--- Quote from: whiteoutofthemoon on July 11, 2006, 12:02:23 pm ---I guess that would make sense, since the Director has the final say and the content is his/her responsibility.  If that were the case, though, then why in the world do they give an Oscar to "Best Editor", when it seems from this description that all they function as is the person who operates the cutting room machine while the Director tells them what to cut/not-cut?   And furthermore, wouldn't the award for Best Editor be synonymous with Best Director, and hence whoever wins best director should logically be the same film as for Best Editor?  Boggles the mind.....     the Oscars suck. 



--- End quote ---

I don't know the technicalities, but the director has a lot of saying during the editing of the movie. However, it doesn't mean the editor's job has no merit in the filmmaking. It's a job, just like acting is a job. Actors cannot do what they like, they have to follow director's instructions, just like the editor. There are technical stuff only the editor knows how to do, but he follows director's instructions. It's a collaborative work I guess.

Brown Eyes:
So, I finally received my copy of the Story to Screenplay book in the mail from poky Amazon today.  I don't even want to talk about how long I had to wait for it.

Anyway, as those of you with the book know, the entire end credit sequence is printed out at the back of the book.  And, it broke my heart to see the very last credit line (before all the logos, etc.) says "In Loving Memory of Geraldine Peroni."  Wow.  That really is sad.  It adds even a little more weight to this movie for me.  It's hard to think of someone committing suicide (is this really true??) in the middle of editing such a beautiful movie... and one that means so much to me. 
 :'(


ps. The Oscars have been steadily losing credibility for me too... BBM's loss was certainly the last straw for me.  I take comfort in the fact that Citizen Kane didn't win best picture either.  But, that Brokeback did win 71 major film awards (when you add in the Oscars) with 51 additional nominations... is just astounding.  Has any other film ever won that many awards/ nominations?   Amazing.

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