Finely Sliced: Getting Great Narrative Foundations with Christian Whittemore
Christian Whittemore is a LA-based editor passionate about creating attention-grabbing, high-end visual experiences. He’s worked with clients such as Lincoln, Delta, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz to develop exciting, kinetic, and sonically driven edits that bring a memorable 'pop' to any project.
LBB> The first cut is the deepest: how do you like to start an editing project?
Christian> Before I sit down at my desk, the real editing begins in conversation. What can I learn from the client to understand what our edit needs to be? How should it feel? It extends beyond the project scope, I want to understand the director's inspirations, tendencies and biases. I need to establish trust. Accomplishing all of this before any computer is involved is the key to starting strong. This is all non-technical, but vital. Like any part of the industry, post production is relationship-driven, and it’s good to recognise that before hopping into the edit suite. Additionally, I’ll always take the opportunity to work in pre-production with the director to view treatments and influence them. Having the ability to 'pre-edit' in that way can be a game changer, allowing us to begin cutting with a great sense of confidence.
LBB> Non-editors often think of editing just in technical terms but it’s integral to the emotion and mood of a film. How did you develop that side of your craft?
Christian> It comes from sources of inspiration. Some people joke that working in film can ruin the experience of being an audience member, but I find the opposite true. It makes watching a story unfold both entertaining AND educational. The length of a shot, or the positioning of a subject when cutting can completely transform the intention of a scene. I’m looking for that with every film I watch, and I'm keeping it in mind when I tackle my own projects.
LBB> How important is an understanding of story and the mechanics of story?
Christian> We do our writing three times: in pre-production, on-set, and in the edit room. We accomplish this writing in technically different ways, but we’re ultimately telling the same story. So having a great narrative foundation is key for any project, especially in editorial. In post-production, the words and actions have already been scripted, but editors get the chance to dictate the pace and (consequently) the tone. That has the power to completely re-contextualise the footage, and requires a great understanding of narrative.
LBB> Rhythm and a sense of musicality seem to be intrinsic to good editing (even when it’s a film without actual music) – how do you think about the rhythm side of editing, how do you feel out the beats of a scene or a spot? And do you like to cut to music?
Christian> Editing to music is plain fun. I think it’s no coincidence that a lot of editors I know happen to be musicians too. I think having a great sense of rhythm is a quality that subconsciously pushes us to become editors, and pays off when matching our picture to a great song. Sometimes that 'song' is no song at all though. It’s the tension in the air before a motorcycle rips, or the silence in the room after a difficult conversation. This is rhythm without the use of traditional instruments, and it tells us everything we need to know. Depending on the project, I’ll sometimes cut silently for a while before introducing sound effects. I’ll rely on the power of visuals to test myself: What can we accomplish without any sound to start? And then, how can we amplify that?
LBB> Tell us about a recent editing project that involved some interesting creative challenges.
Christian> I cut a series of spots for Celsius that were fun and challenging. These spots feature college football players that Celsius partners with, highlighting their personable charm. What resulted is some of my favourite work to date, but required me to adapt to a looser style than I was used to. We had a ton of great footage that wasn’t heavily storyboarded, so a lot of the storytelling was invented in the editing room. There was a lot of room for experimentation, and we created something that distinctly feels like the brand with some fun innovations that I brought to the table.
LBB> In the US we know that editors are much more heavily involved across the post production process than in Europe - what’s your favourite part of that side of the job?
Christian> I enjoy having my hand in the finishing process of my work. Modern editing software allows us to implement many 'small touches' that can spruce up a piece, but those elements can be lost in translation when handed over to a separate party for finishing. So I love to be the last person to export when colour/sound/VFX are done. I love participating in the conversation for colour and sound too. I have a lot of respect for the work those artists do, and I enjoy interfacing with talented people working in post. I also do a lot of temp colour and sound work in my editing; sometimes I'll even make choices that the director and I want to preserve and “upgrade” in the finishing process.
LBB> What’s harder to cut around – too much material or not enough? (And why?)
Christian> Not enough material, but too much can be detrimental too. Modern technology allows us to roll cameras with few physical limits, which is incredible. But every second of footage needs to be evaluated and considered in the editing room, which can significantly scale up the task at hand, especially on documentaries. Being trigger-happy with the camera can become a problem for the editor, but it is still preferable to a small amount of material. Any project without enough footage begins asking the editor to essentially 'invent' new shots, which is never desirable.
LBB> Which commercial projects are you proudest of and why?
Christian> As previously mentioned, those Celsius spots were a blast to work on. Another favourite from a while back is a spot we did for Omaze, 'Boredom’s Nightmare.' I had the chance to collaborate with our composer prior to editing, so we had an awesome sonic base for the project that I was able to take advantage of. I love how that spot came together through the melding of sound and picture.
LBB> There are so many different platforms for film content now, and even in advertising something can last anything from a few seconds to a couple of hours. As an editor, are you seeing a change in the kind of projects you’re getting from brands and agencies?
Christian> As social media has grown to be more important, many projects have reduced the length of their scope in favour of making a quick, sudden impact. Recent trends ask for editors to make increasingly bold, visually memorable choices that are a ton of fun to cut together.
LBB> Who are your editing heroes and why? What films or spots epitomise good editing for you?
Christian> One of my favourite spots is Nike’s ‘Awaken the Phantom,’ cut by Paul Watts and assisted by Patrick Walsh. It epitomises everything I love in commercial editing. It’s powerful, snappy, has awesome music, killer visual effects, and most importantly, is tied together by a good story. It works in perfect doses of humour, too. Balancing those tones is a huge accomplishment that takes expert technical and storytelling prowess from post. More recently, I’ve been inspired by the live-action editors at Remedy Entertainment, Antony Bentley and Anssi Määttä. Their use of jump-cuts, blend effects, and non-linear storytelling is next-level and super unique.
LBB> How does editing in the commercial world differ from the film world and TV world?
Christian> The biggest advantage we have in film/TV over commercial projects is time. Having the time to experiment is incredibly valuable in film, but many commercial projects have accelerated timelines and are (often) heavily storyboarded. It can be nice to take those projects, because much is figured out ahead of time, but it makes you miss the room to explore, make mistakes, and create the happy accidents that you can sometimes see in film and TV.
LBB> Have you noticed any trends or changes in commercial editing over recent years?
Christian> A greater shift to exciting, quickly cut moments that can only be done in post. It’s nice to let the footage speak for itself, but recent trends ask editors to extend what was shot to bring more power to the moment. For me, that's a very exciting task and allows me the opportunity to invent new looks and tricks with every project.
