Joan Gill Amorim - Editor
Job title - Editor
Experience - 10+ years
“It’s been a male-dominated place for so long it’s so great to see more and more women’s names on the rosters at post houses, working freelance, and being recognised. It’s long overdue and there are so many hard-working women who paved the way for myself and future generations.”
Tell us about your job role and the kinds of projects you work on;
As an editor, your job is to ensure the best version of the story is told - you are one part storyteller, one part problem solver, and one part detective. It’s so much more than simply putting images and audio into a sequence: you work alongside the director and client, come up with creative alternates and compromises for tricky sections, and bring to life the director’s vision, with your own input/twist on it.
I work mostly in films and documentaries, as well as short-form and content.
What does an average day look like in your post-production working world?
A typical day depends on how far along in the edit I might be as well as what I’m working on. At the beginning of the project, I like to triple check I’ve got everything I need before starting off and that it’s all been synched, grouped, and re-sped as needed. I take another look at all relevant boards and scripts before starting to select to ensure I’m in the right frame of mind, and if I’m not selecting dialogue it’s important to have some great music on to keep you motivated. Selecting can get tiring after a few hours, so it’s important to go for a walk, have a chat with someone, and take a few minutes away from the computer every so often. Also, make sure you have access to lots of coffee or tea!
If I’m cutting a sequence, I’ll start by watching what I cut the day before, then just dive in! I prefer to cut a version of what the director and I spoke about, and then duplicate it and start trying new things. Sometimes the sequence stays the majority the same as what we envisioned, other times a few key changes can transform the sequence.
When I’m cutting dialogue on a documentary, I put all the sound bites I selected for a particular subject matter into one long sequence and listen to it on repeat. I move bits around to be grouped by common subject. I cut a few out each time - has this already been said in a better way? Do we need another voice speaking here? Is this superfluous information or necessity? The sequence starts at 20-40 minutes and gets whittled down to a few minutes of essential information by the end. Then you can start playing with coverage, but I find knowing exactly what you want to say first is a good starting point.
It’s important to not get hung up on a sequence. If you’re struggling with a certain section, leave it for a few days. Show it to another editor and discuss what you’re finding difficult. Move onto other things and come back to it. Most of the time you’ll find you’ve come up with another way to solve it. I love working in long-form because I think it’s very important to have time to be able to process all the information you’ve been taking in for days. You need to let it sink in, to dream about it, to jot down ideas. While you can still do that in short form, it’s obviously a much quicker deadline.
When working on a documentary I’ve found having an extremely large bulletin board in the room is essential. I go over to it dozens of times a day - to review timelines, to get inspired by quotes I’ve pulled out, and to remind me of the overall structure and aim of the piece. I also love to be fully immersed in the subject matter - I read books and articles on it on the way to and from the office. I think it’s important to be the most knowledgeable person on the subject while you are cutting it and to know every point of view. It will only make your film better.
At the end of every day I make sure to write down what I’ve done that day, what I need to do the next day, and any thoughts I’ve had throughout the day for things to try. It’s so important to do, no matter how tired you are or how late it is. It’s amazing what you will forget overnight, so coming in and looking at your notes from the day before the first thing in the morning sets you up for another successful day.
How did your career in post-production begin?
I began my career in editing as a runner at The Assembly Rooms. I worked my way up from runner to assistant to editor at the same place, which has been a great experience, getting the guidance of more experienced senior editors and being given the opportunity to work alongside some of the best names in the industry.
Tell us about a career highlight;
Editing my first feature documentary, Uprooted - The Journey of Jazz Dance has definitely been the highlight of my career. It was a subject on which I knew nothing about when I was pitched it but immediately found myself immersed in a stack of books. The director, Khadifa Wong, is an incredibly passionate and talented woman that I immediately hit it off with. When I saw her pitch film I knew this story was much more than the story of dance - it was the story of hope and joy, but also the story of oppression, appropriation, and an art form currently at a crossroads. It was such an important story to work on, and it was a dream to work alongside Khadifa every single day. The film has been in festivals for the last year and has been so well-received both within the dance world and outside of it, and we’ve gotten write-ups in The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, and The New York Times to name a few, and have taken home several jury and audience awards. But most importantly, we were able to tell the stories of so many people who have been voiceless for far too long.
What do you love most about editing?
It’s so amazing to be able to put a story together from scratch - with documentary in particular I love finding the story. I’ve always loved the fact that if you gave 10 editors the same exact set of rushes and brief, you still will get 10 completely different pieces of work. It’s great when a director trusts you with their work in your hands and it’s so satisfying to overcome tricky problems. Being given the opportunity to give a voice to incredible people and subject matters that have previously been untold and underrepresented is such an amazing feeling.
Which women in post do you admire?
I always find it interesting that film editing was actually female-led during the silent era - it was seen as ‘sewing’ or 'weaving’ together with the story which was considered feminine, but with the advent of sound it became ‘more complicated’ and men took over.
Because of this, I honestly admire any and all women who are working in post. It’s been a male-dominated place for so long it’s so great to see more and more women’s names on the rosters at post houses, working freelance, and being recognised. It’s long overdue and there are so many hard-working women who paved the way for myself and future generations. However, we still have a long way to go. We need more diversity, more voices sharing previously unheard stories, we need to make sure more people feel welcome in our industry, and we need to create a better balance and environment for working parents. It’s up to us to keep pushing for these changes.
If I have to pick a specific name of a woman I admire of course Thelma Schoonmaker immediately comes to mind. Particularly the multiple times she’s been asked over the years if the violence in Scorsese’s films bothers her and she has to remind the dear interviewer that they aren’t that way until she lays her hands on them.
What is your favourite piece of work?
One of my favourite pieces I’ve cut was with another amazing female director, Natasja Fourie. We put a piece together for Nowness called Between Man And Child which was a beautifully shot, sentimental piece looking at the changes a woman undergoes - physical and emotional - upon becoming a mother. It was amazing to edit at the time, but even more so now that I’ve become a mother myself!
What advice do you have for other women wanting to start a career in post?
Go for it - be prepared to work hard and long hours at times, but if you’re passionate about telling stories it’s so worth it. Seek out a mentor (or two or three) that you can learn from, and practise as much as possible. I used to play with pieces other editors did after they were already out but without seeing them so I could compare my version with theirs. It was a great exercise in seeing the choices they made, how they solved problems, and what we chose to do similarly. I think there’s no wrong way to get into the industry, there are so many routes - traditional post house, freelance, assisting for someone, or making your own stuff. It’s important to just immerse yourself.
And remember, you’re never too old to start your career. I started as a runner when I was 27 and I was 5 years older than the person who trained me. At times it was disheartening to see people my age so much further along in their careers, but it was worth it in the end.