Advertisement
Cutting and Painting with Editor Michael Berenbaum
The Career of Michael Berenbaum (So Far)
 |
In his career as an editor, Michael Berenbaum has shown a tendency to collaborate with directors who look to film as something other than a commercial vehicle. He has worked with actors John Turturro (Mac) and Al Pacino (Chinese Coffee) as they've looked to make the leap from acting to directing, and has assisted Julian Schnabel (Basquiat) in his transition from painting to moviemaking. When not working on features with such celebrated directors as Francis Ford Coppola or Milos Forman, Berenbaum edits for television. His most recent work can be seen in Ed and Sex and the City. In an interview with MovieMaker, Berenbaum talks about starting out in the industry, the differences between television and film, and his plans for the future.
MovieMaker (MM): Your resume is extremely eclectic. You’ve worked with such highly acclaimed directors as the Coen Bothers and Milos Forman, you've helped out successful actors who've attempted to direct features, and then turned around and edited some successful television series. What criteria do you base your professional decisions on?
Michael Berenbaum (MB): Well, when the phone rings for a job and I'm not working, that's usually the next job I take [laughs]. But I've been extremely lucky in that I've done jobs that have led to other jobs and, along the way, have met people who have hired me somewhere down the line. It's been one fantastic ride after the next. For instance, I had just interviewed with Al Pacino to do his film Chinese Coffee when I got a call to cut this TV pilot called Sex and the City. I hadn't heard back from Al Pacino, and the Sex and the City people wanted to hire me, so I took that job. A week later, Al called me up and wanted to hire me too and I said, 'You know, I just took this four-week job' and he said 'No problem, do that and then you'll do this movie.'
MM: What are the major differences between editing for film and editing for television?
MB: People say there's a difference between editing TV and editing movies. I haven't necessarily found that to be the case. TV's played more in close-ups, and features are played more in wider shots, because the images are much bigger on the screen. But I deal with the material on an individual basis.
MM: Do you have a preference as far as medium is concerned?
MB: It depends on the people you're working with. I've been lucky in that the people I've worked with have been great and it's always a pleasure to go to work. On a feature, you're usually dealing with one person-the director. You establish a rapport and get in sync with that person. Between the two of us, we create the film. On a TV show it's much more political. The director is really just hired to shoot the show. It's a producer's medium. You do your editor's version of the cut as they're shooting it, and then you spend some time with the director. But when the director's gone the producers can come in and do whatever they want. It's interesting that on the two TV situations I've been involved in, the producers brought in their thoughts and we've actually made it better.
MM: Your first paying job was on the set of The Cotton Club. Did the controversy surrounding this film ever make you question your choice to work in film?
MB: In a way, the controversy sort of landed me that job. I was an intern at the Kaufman Astoria Studios when I learned that Coppola was going to be shooting a film there with Richard Gere. Since my internship was actually for the executives of the studio, they wanted me around the administrative offices. But I went down to the set for hours at a time and hung out with the extras and the dancers. There was a great deal of tension between the studio people and the film people. One day I was told that I was no longer allowed to go down to the set.
MM: But how did you go from snooping intern to paid editor?
MB: I found an internship in the editing room on a film called Alphabet City. This editing room happened to be at Sound One, the epicenter of where most features in New York are edited and mixed. Just by being there I met a lot of people. Coincidentally, The Cotton Club was one of the films being edited there. When Alphabet City was finishing up, I walked around the halls with my skimpy resume. A week or two later I got a call asking if I was available to work as an apprentice sound editor on The Cotton Club. Maybe they thought the fact that I had "interned" on the set would give me an added advantage.
MM: You have worked on three films with Joel and Ethan Coen, two men who are famous for storyboarding every scene in their films. As an editor, how does this affect you?
MB: Joel and Ethan Coen have a great ability to visualize their scripts and go out and shoot exactly what they need. That's not to say that there aren't changes along the way and sometimes re-shoots, but they really do know what they want. This, of course, makes an editor's job easier. The puzzle pieces are more clear-cut. When you've reached their vision, there is very little tinkering left to do.
MM: People often note that Milos Forman is very generous when it comes to allowing cast and crew the opportunity to experiment with their skills. Did you witness this at all?
MB: I was brought onto The People vs. Larry Flynt as a second editor to help move the process along while Milos was finishing the first pass with Chris Tellefsen, the main editor. I was given specific notes on certain scenes where Milos told me what he wanted, but he also told me to just go through the whole film scene by scene, tighten where I could, and go through the dailies to see if any great moment had been inadvertently overlooked. Once the first pass was finished, Chris and I would keep swapping reels, reworking scenes and tightening the film based on each other's ideas. It was a great experience; I had tremendous freedom to try many things.
MM: Tell me about your work with Michael Moore on Canadian Bacon, and the impact that John Candy's untimely death had on that film's production.
MB: I replaced an editor that was leaving that job and worked with Wendey Stanzler to continue cutting. Michael is very smart and has a great sense of humor. There were some very funny scenes in Canadian Bacon, but there were some structural problems we were hoping to fix with re-shoots. Unfortunately, John Candy passed away before we were able to do this. We went through with the re-shoots with the rest of the actors and a body double and completed the film.
MM: You've worked with Julian Schnabel on both Basquiat and Before Night Falls. Considering that Schnabel was a painter before turning to moviemaking, does he approach the editing process differently than someone with a theatrical or cinematic background?
MB: Julian is a really interesting person. His approach is different from anyone I've worked with. He comes at it from a different angle. He has an abstract vision of what he wants the movie to be, and he's extremely knowledgeable about movies. While he works with his abstract vision, I'm always trying to maintain the narrative and pace and I'm a bit more conservative in my approach. Working with him always takes you into these different worlds.
MM: What kind of projects do you see yourself working on in the future?
MB: As long as Sex and the City stays on the air, I'd like to stay with that-;it's been such a great experience. Beyond that, my main interest is features. It's where I started. I'd certainly like to do some bigger budget films, maybe some action films. The great thing about working as a freelancer is that you get to work with so many different people. You never know who you're going to get involved with. When that phone rings it's always a surprise.
MM: Do you ever feel like getting outside the editing room?
MB: Actually, my brother David is a screenwriter and we have plans to direct a film together at some point. And my wife, Susan Malfitano, who's a wonderful actress, has a great story she's developing for a feature project. We're very excited about that. There's always kindling burning in the corner, but right now, editing takes up much more time than I have.
SHARE THIS STORY |
TAGS |
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Del.icio.us
Reddit
YahooAdvertisement
COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
This story was sponsored by
Latest from the blog:
Jaman Launches “Movie Channel for the World”
Jaman.com announced the availability of instantly streamed, HD-quality movies—for free.
With nothing more than a simple click, cineastes can watch one of 100 ad-supported titles from the online distributor's collection of more than 3,000 films at no cost. Alternatively, those viewers who are less inclined to "pay" for the free films by watching the ads can pay just $1.99 to watch them commercial-dree. “By offering a free streaming media service along with our current rental and ownership download options, we are anticipating the future of digital cinema," says Jaman founder and CEO, Gaurav Dhillon. "With streaming, we provide our community with a quality viewing experience that is free and for our advertisers, we deliver a unique audience and premium and targeted placement opportunities.”
Posted 05.15.08 | News/Commentary | 1 comment
Other recent posts:
Posts people are talking about:
SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS
