Amelia Allwarden- Editor
Job title - Editor
Experience - 7+ years
“I’ve found that curiosity and caring - really truly caring - has gotten me in more rooms than any Avid shortcut ever did. ”
Tell us about your job role and the kinds of projects you work on;
I’m a picture editor who works mostly in television right now. I try to diversify my resume by working in many different genres - I’ve edited comedy, drama, sci-fi, and horror on streamers and premium cable such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu, and Showtime. I edit studio union shows, but I do dip into the indie world for the right project.
What does an average day look like in your post-production working world?
If we’re in production, I’m watching and cutting dailies. My assistant editor preps and organizes my footage each morning, and then alerts me when the bin is prepped. I watch all the takes while referring to the script supervisor’s notes. I then do my rough assembly of the scene, and pass it back to my assistant editor to start on sound design and visual effects. I repeat this process until I’ve watched all the footage they shot the day before (called “keeping up with camera”). This is important so that I can alert the director if there is a performance or coverage issue that we may need to pick up or reshoot.
As I start building an episode, I look at how scenes connect to one another, and recut them based on how one scene flows to the next. I start to see the big picture for pace, flow, and performance. As I get larger groups of scenes that come one after another, I’ll start scoring these chunks. I repeat all of this until I have a full episode assembled. I send this cut to the director (called the editor’s cut), and then I start collaborating with them on their director’s cut. During this time, we try out everything the director envisioned and meld our ideas to create the director’s cut. This cut goes out to producers, and this process repeats with producers, the studio and then the network until we lock picture. After that, I attend the sound mix and see it all come together.
What has been your career highlight?
In 2018, I was called to interview for a new show on Hulu called Pen15. I watched a 10 minute pilot presentation for the series, and read a script. I instantly fell in love. I met Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle that summer and was so glad they wanted me to join their team. I had never connected with a show so deeply - a connection that only grew more and more as I watched dailies and assembled scenes. It was a small show - I could only hope that people would find it somehow and connect with it in the same way I did. Thankfully, Pen15 found its audience and we were able to do three seasons (seasons 1, 2A, and 2B). Female coming-of-age stories, or stories about female friendships are hard to come by. Few and far between are the stories that show the full picture - the emotional complexity, heartache and gravity of our experiences. I was so moved by the way Maya and Anna wanted to tell these stories with humor and grace and weight all at once. I’ve never sobbed and laughed simultaneously as much as I did when watching dailies and editing Pen15. I smile from ear to ear when I talk about Pen15 and I could go on and on. But I’m just so grateful that it exists and that I was a part of it.
How did your career in post-production begin?
I was incredibly honored to intern with American Cinema Editors (ACE) in 2015. The ACE internship taught me everything - not only the technical aspect of assistant editing but the etiquette and unspoken rules of the cutting room. I was devastated when I didn’t get accepted into film school, so I went to a liberal arts college where I created my own major (an independent study called “Visual Communication in Film”), combining film theory, visual arts, and communications courses. After I completed my bachelor’s degree, about 6 months later I was selected to be an ACE intern. The four week internship with ACE became my real film school. After ACE, I got my union days working as an assistant editor on behind the scenes content for blu-ray extras. Once I gathered my days and was ready to join the union, I was fortunate to get a call from Hunter Via, ACE, who hired me for my first union assistant editor job on a show called Damien on A&E for Fox Television. I met Hunter during the ACE internship when I shadowed his team editing The 100. My experience working on Damien kicked my Avid and assistant editor skills into high gear. I had to learn everything I didn’t know (which was a lot) quickly and efficiently. I was lucky to have a kind assistant editor, Matt Smith, who was working on Damien alongside me. He filled the massive gaps in my assistant editor knowledge in a way that I’m still grateful for today.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your career;
The first time I got bumped to edit an episode of television was huge for me. I was an assistant editor working for Doc Crotzer, ACE. We worked together on the pilot and both seasons of Good Behavior on TNT from 2015 - 2017. During the second season, there was one episode that didn’t have an editor yet for scheduling reasons. Doc was an incredible advocate for me, and he put my name forth to cut the episode. At that time, I felt like I was ready to be in the editing chair, because Doc had let me cut scenes for him, get feedback, address notes, and sit in on every director and producer session in his office. I always tried to cut as many recaps and gag reels as possible, and I knew Good Behavior’s tone and style incredibly well since I was involved with the series since the pilot. Editing that one episode of television became a huge launchpad for me. I’m forever grateful for the mentorship Doc showed me (and continues to show me to this day!). I wouldn’t be where I am without him.
Which women in post do you admire?
Sabrina Plisco, who was my mentor during the ACE internship. Kristin Valentine who has been my cheerleader from day one and who told me to read ‘Make the Cut’. Shelby Hall, Esther Sokolow, and Shari Mead. Thelma Schoonmaker of course. My assistant editor Iman Ahad. Anna Hauger’s editing career is my dream. I could go on and on.
What advice do you have for other women wanting to start a career in post?
Being a kind and passionate person will open so many doors. You don’t know what you don’t know. You have to always be open to learning how to do something in a new and different way. I can teach anyone how to press buttons on Avid. It’s difficult to teach someone how to have an open and passionate mind. I’ve found that curiosity and caring - really truly caring - has gotten me in more rooms than any Avid shortcut ever did.