Laura Zempel - Editor
Job title - TV Editor
Experience - 10+ years
“My advice is just say “yes,” then call a friend, or find a YouTube tutorial to figure out what you don’t know. I think a lot of women, specifically, are worried they won’t be the smartest, or the most technical, and that fear stands in the way of ever getting started. ”
Tell us about your job role and the kinds of projects you work on;
I’m a freelance editor in Los Angeles who works primarily in scripted TV, but am currently working on my first feature. I’ve worked on HBO shows such as Euphoria, and Room 104, as well as AMC’s Dispatches from Elsewhere.
What does an average day look like in your post-production working world?
I usually like to be one of the first people in the office so I can make coffee and get settled before I get to work. If I’m in dailies, I like to touch base with my assistant and see what came in, and decide what order I want the scenes prepared. From there I watch everything but usually in reverse order, so I watch the last take of every set up first and then watch backward to take 1. I had an editor point out that usually, the last take is when they felt comfortable enough to move on, so I like to see what they were working towards and watch the progression of takes with that in mind. I’ll pull selects into a separate timeline as I watch, and then start assembling. Once I feel good about the scene I’ll find music if it needs it, and then show it to my assistant and have them fill in sound effects to make it feel more polished. After that, it’s a lot of building scenes together and seeing what works. I really like the collaborative nature of post, and I think that’s why I’ve gravitated towards TV. I like having other editors and assistants nearby to bounce ideas off of and to learn from.
How did your career in post-production begin?
I started playing around with video editing software in middle school, and then took a TV production class in high school. I realized very quickly I hated filming football games and pep rallies and would make deals with my classmates to cut their projects if they would shoot mine. This was around the time I was applying to college, and I thought maybe I could turn this into a career. I ended up going to film school at Chapman University in Orange County, and knew early on editing was the right fit. After college, I participated in the American Cinema Editors internship program which was how I met people in the industry and was able to build a network. My first assistant editing job came from a friend I made through the internship program. He had applied to a reality show but was booked on something else by the time they got back to him. He graciously referred me, and I was able to work on that show for 102 days which was enough to qualify for the union. Once that job was over, another friend from the internship told me an editor from Dexter was looking for an assistant on a non-union feature. Even though I had enough days to qualify for a union job, I thought maybe if I did the feature and the editor liked working with me he could bring me onto Dexter with him. As luck would have it I got the feature, and they had an opening on Season 6 of Dexter, and that was my first union assistant editing job.
What about your most pivotal moment in editing?
Aside from the ACE internship, which was certainly the most pivotal, the next would be the only job I ever quit. I was banking on a show I had assisted on coming back for another season, and when it wasn’t I panicked and took the first job that came along. I was wanting to make the leap to editor but realized the show I was assisting on was not the kind of story I wanted to edit. I thought to myself “I’m not going to assist on shows I wouldn’t want to cut anymore.” I had every intention of finishing the show but got a call from my old producer offering me a job that sounded insane. She said it was an anthology series for HBO called “Room 104.” The series would be 12 half-hour episodes, with 3-day shoots for each episode, 2 editors, and I would be the only assistant. Not to mention it paid significantly less than my current job. But if I took it, they would give me an episode to cut! I really loved working with that team and was ready to prove myself as an editor, so I decided to take the leap. I was nervous to tell my current job because I am a people-pleaser, but thankfully they were very understanding and I was able to train my replacement. It was a scary decision, and one of the most ambitious shows I ever assisted on, but deciding to quit that job is what allowed me to become an editor full-time. It would have been much easier to stay put and wait for an opportunity with better timing, but if I had waited there’s a very good chance I would still be assisting.
Tell us about a career highlight;
I grew up loving teen coming-of-age comedies, and I still do. I wrote my college admissions essay on why Clueless was my most influential film. Working in this industry I’ve always said my dream project to edit would be “A teen drama or comedy that defines a generation.” I recently said that to a friend, who responded with, “Well isn’t that kind of what Euphoria is?” It was a very humbling moment to realize how lucky I am to do what I do and to be part of a show that will hopefully have an impact on the next generation of creatives. Seeing so many Euphoria costumes on Halloween and this clip were definitely moments where I had to pinch myself: https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1153828055766294528?s=20
Which women in post do you admire?
I always really looked up to Sally Menke. I heard her speak a few times, and I loved that she studied behavioral psychology before becoming an editor. I think a lot of editors are expert people watchers, and I constantly think about the overlap between psychology and editing. I’ve been lucky to form an incredible network of women in post, and am always leaning on them for advice and support.
Favourite piece of work?
One of my favorite scenes I’ve cut is a small scene with Rue and Jules in episode 103 of Euphoria. Rue is helping Jules take sexy photos of herself, and Rue is reckoning with her growing feelings for Jules. It was one of the first scenes I cut on the show, and I took a gamble and put in Blood Orange’s “Champagne Coast” which is one of my favorite songs, and it stuck! One of my greatest joys is when a song I choose makes it to the final, and I chose that song because it echos the scene so well. It feels innocent and breezy on the surface but is filled with sexual desire underneath. Hunter and Zendaya are both so good in that scene, and you really feel Rue struggling to suppress her attraction to Jules. I love cutting dialogue scenes where the subtext is more important than the dialogue, and that scene is easily one of my favorites. The way everyone in our office responded to that scene made me feel like my instincts were good, and I could trust them going forward. It was such a confidence boost, and it carried me through the season.
What advice do you have for other women wanting to start a career in post?
I have a lot to say here, so I’ll try to break down some of the best advice I’ve gotten over the years -
•Network with people at your level. Are you wanting to be an assistant editor? Then you should see who the assistants are on shows you like, and reach out to them. Do you need to get your union days? Email assistants on non-union shows and ask them how they got their start. These are the people who will hear about jobs you’re qualified for, and maybe they’ll refer you. Every single one of my early jobs was a referral from another assistant. If I am unable to take a job, I always try to respond with “Hey, I’m booked at the moment, but here’s my friend’s resume who’s amazing.” That way I’m staying in good graces with the job I’m turning down, and helping my friends get work.
•Say “yes,” even if you’re not ready I’ve felt underprepared for every job I’ve ever taken, but I do know I’m resourceful and a hard worker which is how I’ve made it this far. For example, the first non-union feature I assisted on was in English & Spanish, and the editor spoke zero Spanish (I had some high school Spanish, but not much!) In my interview, the editor told me he had an idea to use Avid’s ScriptSync to load the English script, and asked if we would be able to match it with the Spanish dialogue. I had never used ScriptSync before, but I said I could figure it out. After the interview, I immediately called a friend who recommended a book on ScriptSync, and I figured it out and it worked great! The editor told me later that even though I had the least experience of anyone he interviewed, I was the only one who said I could do the ScriptSync translation, and that was why he hired me. So my advice is just say “yes,” then call a friend, or find a YouTube tutorial to figure out what you don’t know. I think a lot of women specifically are worried they won’t be the smartest, or the most technical, and that fear stands in the way of ever getting started.
Be someone others want to be around for 8+ hours every day Once I started working as an assistant I realized it’s not about how technically skilled you are, it’s about how enjoyable you are to be in a room with for 8+ hours a day. I am definitely not the most technical, but I can roll with the punches and read a room. People want to hire someone they get along with, and as long as you have a good attitude and are resourceful you’ll be great!