Things I’ve Learned As A Moviemaker

On Breaking Into the Film Industry

One piece of advice I give to people of both sexes
in this business is don’t let anyone abuse you-life is too short.

On the Number of Women Working in Film

I am frustrated at how poorly represented women
are in the film industry. I don’t know how to change that. Many
more qualified and stronger women than I have tried and failed.

On Balancing Roles

As an editor, one only sees one dimension of the
process and doesn’t have access to the shooting or writing. So
until I started producing and writing, I didn’t really get behind
the scenes. I would say The Straight Story was the richest
experience in this respect, and additionally so because it was
so simple but had to be done in exactly the right way… which
David did.

On the Downside to Digital Technology

I worry that people trained as editors on AVID and
other digital systems will not work material as hard as it can
be worked. There seems to be a tendency to make quick decisions
and quick changes. The process seems to be less thoughtful and
have shorter attention spans. [It] feels more restless to me,
more agitated.

On Collaborating With David Lynch

David is a strong filmmaker. He shoots very close
to the script, and the coverage he gives me for a scene indicates
what he’s looking to do: where he wants close-ups, etc. I always
make a first assembly that doesn’t really reflect choices I might
make, but is as close a reading of his intentions as I can get-and
I’m not always right

On the Five Films Any Aspiring Editor Should
Watch

1. Battleship Potemkin
2. Nosferatu (1922)
3. Just about any Hitchcock film, but especially North by Northwest
4. Bonnie and Clyde
5. The Usual Suspects