Keeping Louisiana Beautiful and Editing Experimental with Chris Breault

Now an editor at New Orleans post house Cadence Post, Chris Breault shares that his interest in film stems from the world of music videos. The MTV show ‘Total Request Live’ would air videos from the likes of director Spike Jonze, whose short stories for some of the ‘90s hottest artists instantly captivated a young Chris.

“The music video for the song ‘Sabotage’ by the Beastie Boys is one of my favourites because it is fun and engaging,” he says. “[Spike] used zooms, whip pans, and other fun production and editing techniques to keep the viewer engaged throughout the video.”

This early interest led him to the world of cinema, and one of Chris’ editing heroes – the frequent Martin Scorsese collaborator, Thelma Schoonmaker. Listing ‘Raging Bull’, ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘The Departed’ as some particularly iconic examples from the duo’s shared filmography, he describes Thelma’s editing style as “precise and emotional” – attributes that help “enhance the narrative through subtle visual cues and juxtapositions.”

Above: Chris' Editorial Reel

By analysing how these powerful films evoke emotion with each cut, Chris has been able to develop that side of his own craft. Combined with a thorough understanding of story mechanics and a rhythmic use of visual and audio cues, he is able to craft engaging narratives that effectively weave together themes, characters and emotions in a meaningful and memorable experience.

After absorbing all he could from his favourite music videos, Chris spent much of his youth attempting to create his own. “I took the song ‘Float On’ by Modest Mouse and did my first ever stop-motion animation video using a DVC-HD tape camera I got for Christmas when I was a teenager,” he shares.

“I spent tons of time doing magazine cutouts of imagery. I used a poster board and created a collage of images that I used as a backdrop for the set. At the time, I was trying to figure out how to mimic editing techniques and create rip-off music videos for fun that had my twist. That was my introduction to animation.” 

Despite never formally training in animation or VFX, instead studying media arts at college, Chris has continued to develop that part of his skill set over the years, alongside his editing. Consistently picking up new animation techniques over time, Chris has become proficient in motion graphics, which he says is a daily part of his work and resonates with him much more than the often “overwhelming” technical aspects of visual effects. 

In fact, a moment of significant personal and professional development came as a result of his motion graphics work. While working as a digital producer on ‘American Idol’, the lead editor instilled a lot of confidence and pride in Chris and his work. While making graphics and social media content for an episode, they praised Chris’ graphics which subsequently made it to air. “It was amazing to see my GFX featured on national television,” he says. 

Another discipline that contributes to his editorial finesse is photography, something he picked up as a young man which gave him “a better eye for composition”. This collection of skills culminates not only in his day-to-day at Cadence Post, but in his passion projects outside of work, often bringing his creativity to the production side of things when he gets the chance.

But wherever his multifaceted skills are being put to use, Chris’ favourite part of the job is pushing himself into experimental new areas, encouraging other editors to do just that. “As an editor in the US, I feel I'm allowed the opportunity to experiment with different editing techniques and get creative,” he says. He’s currently applying this philosophy to a project that involves re-envisioning older work to revitalise it as new again. “I love this type of challenge because I need to concept out, experiment with, and execute a new creative direction.”

Regardless of how experimental a project is, however, Chris always starts with one thing in mind: inspiration. “Finding out the project's topic and who the target audience is are always my most important identifiers,” he says. “Then, I search for inspiration that aligns with the project's goals, gathering multiple sources to spark creativity and guide my approach.”

“With most of the ad work, I generally have to think how I can fit this into a 30-second spot,” he adds. “I still want to use those technical skills and storytelling principles in the world of editing a commercial, but the challenge is length, production schedules, and creative restraints.” 

These challenges only get tougher as he observes commercial projects increasingly asking for shorter and shorter cutdowns of longer-form content – cutting a 30-second film into 15-second, or even five-second, social clips. 

“There have been several notable trends and changes in commercial editing over recent years, regarding the audience attention span,” he says. “This can be frustrating because it's hard to tell a story in five seconds.”

He continues, “With social media platforms now ubiquitous in our culture, there is a trend for shorter format ads. For example, six-second bumper ads, 15-second pre-roll ads, and 9x16 ads optimised for social. To me, this trend can present itself as challenging for an editor, but it also gives us the chance to learn ways to capture attention quickly and be successful in the changing times.”

After spending a decade in post-production, adapting to every change that’s arisen, Chris says that he’s excited to now be entering 2025 and to continue exploring new editing techniques – like the “fun and light-hearted” fine-cutting work on his recent ‘Keep Louisiana Beautiful’ video. “This was something I’d never done before and allowed creativity to flow,” he says.

Specifically looking to elevate his long-form narrative and commercial work in the year ahead, he adds, “I’m hoping to further develop and foster my experimentation and creativity. The sky is the limit.”