The engine rooms of the ASE have been humming with activity, with a big focus on improving training and conditions for our editing community.
 
 A panel of five ASE members were engaged in a focus group to help AFTRS refine their teaching agenda to ensure it is relevant for current industry needs. There was discussion on the need to not just train editors, but also give good technical grounding, which is essential for those wishing to launch as professional assistants and for those working on independent films.
 
Within the committee, the mentorship guidelines have been refreshed, and I encourage new members, and those who wish to transition to the next stage of their career, to check the website for details of how the mentorship program can help.  It was great to see support for new editors and assistants in Victoria, with the New Editor’s Night held in Fitzroy in March. Also look out for the Post Production Seminar in Perth being held with the support of ScreenWest which will look in particular at the role of the Post Production Supervisor.
 
Awards have been on the agenda big and small, with discussion on ensuring that there is clarity within our ASE award categories, particularly within the definition of documentary, reality and factual. KidzFlix has provided us with the opportunity to support them by presenting their editing award and we will be supporting the WOW (World of Women) festival in the near future with an editing award.

You will notice you can no longer access the draft wages and conditions. The many responses are now in consideration. Thank you to all who sent in valuable feedback, which we will reference in order to produce a final document along with accompanying notes by the end of June 2016.
 
You should have received notification of the Motion Picture Benevolent Fund (MPIBS) appeal to industry colleagues to donate. The MPIBS provides financial and emotional assistance to industry workers who have fallen on hard times, which more recently was expanded to include those in the post-production sector.
 
Donations can be made by direct deposit to the MPIBS's ANZ bank account, BSB 012-010 Account Number 86 43764. (Please note - please e-mail Bruce Leonard at brunard@optusnet.com.au with your mailing address so he can send you a receipt for tax purposes.)  Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
 
I urge you to donate.
 
And finally, we are looking forward to seeing more pictures and stories from your cutting room. Melanie Sandford with her  snapshot of editing on a sheep property in Victoria, was the recipient of last month’s Aussie Classic DVD, picking up a copy of Rolf de Heer’s “Dingo”
 
Have a great month, happy snapping.


Fiona Strain ASE

The ASE is important because... It facilitates interaction between members, to exchange knowledge and experience. In addition, it enables editors to have a voice within the film industry.

 

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Member Interview: Mark Warner ASE

ASE NSW committee member Bin Li hooked up with Mark Warner ASE, who is currently in New York working
on a feature film directed by Taylor Hackford called 'The Comedian'. It stars Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Danny DeVito, Patti LuPone and Leslie Mann. 

Have you worked with Taylor Hackford before?

Yes, this will be the 5th film I've done with him. We’re shooting and finishing it here, taking advantage of the New York City’s tax rebates.
 
There are a lot of major stars in this film, what's it like getting the dailies and watching them?
 
They shot it in about 30 days, shooting 2 or 3 cameras constantly. Taylor Hackford has an ability to produce a lot of material really quickly. It's been hard but good, the story, script and acting are all really good. 
 
Who's in your team there? 
 
MW: Because it's a low budget film, I only have one assistant and that is Brett McCarthy who is a native
New Yorker. We have a post supervisor, Rhonda Moore, who is also a New Yorker. So it's a very small crew,
but a good, solid one.
 
Describe your working day starting from beginning.

I've been working pretty much 6 days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day. New York is an incredible city but I haven't been able to see much of it, I usually get up in the morning have some coffee, a quick breakfast, then hop on the subway and ride it to work, get in and work all day. So it's an incredibly mundane existence, but it will change once I get this assembly together and start collaborating with the director.  

 Are you putting in temp music and sound effects as you go, and is there much of it given it's a comedy?
 
It's a completely dialogue driven movie. I'm putting in some temp effects to help and putting Band-Aids over some of the audience reaction sounds, so I'm doing a lot of crowd additions to smooth things out. I'm not, at this point, putting in any temp music. The temp music Taylor wants to put in the film will be Blue Note jazz standards from the fifties and 60s. It'll be fun to do but we have to research those famous jazz players.
 
Are you on for the sound mix and grade for this film?
 
Unlike what is normally done in Australia, in the United States they usually keep the editor on not only through the sound edit and mix, but through the colour grade as well. That's one good thing about working in United States.
 
 So far, what are the pros and cons about working in New York?
 
The pros are it's probably one of the most vibrant cities in the world and it's incredibly exciting to be here. The cons are that it's far away from my home in Australia and my family.
 
Can you give me a brief description of the food you've been eating.
 
It ranges from microwaved frozen things in my apartment to cooked hot dogs from vendors on the street here in New York, all the way up to beautiful and wonderful five star cuisine in some of the finer restaurants. This city has everything.
 

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