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The Art of Action Editing Student Interview: Jeremy Pitard

Film Editing Pro is pleased to present Jeremy Pitard, a graduate of our training course, The Art of Action Editing.

Jeremy joined Film Editing Pro in February of 2016. He submitted his finished piece for review and we thought it was excellent and wanted to share it on the blog. Viewing the work of an editor who has taken the time to add a high level of polish to a cut is a great way to improve your own craft.

Final Edited Scene by Jeremy Pitard

Below is Jeremy’s cut, after completing The Art of Action Editing.

Meet the Editor

FEP:  Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where are you from? What do you do for a living? What got you into editing?

JP: My name is Jeremy Pitard. I live in Paris, France. I’ve been an editor for 15 years. I’ve worked on tv shows as an editor and short films as an assistant editor. I’ve edited a dozen short films since 2008. Some of them were successful at various festivals, which always encourages me to continue my work. Editing films is what I love most. I haven’t edited a full-length feature yet but hope one day I will have the opportunity. One famous quote I always keep in mind is “Never give up, never surrender”.

FEP: How did you approach the cut? Did you follow The Art of Action Editing outline or use your own method?

JP: Actually I used both. First I focused on the tutorials, not the story told by the footage. I wanted to get acquainted with and understand the Film Editing Pro method. I put aside the story first but my sequence wasn’t satisfying (creatively speaking). So, I cut the sequence again and focused on the story, building upon what I learned before. Mixing my methods, tips and tricks with those of the course.

I have to say both are quite similar. What you call “The Rough Cut” is what I call the structure of the sequence and what you call “The Fine Cut” is what I call the rhythm. Like Film Editing Pro, I always work the structure before the rhythm. I think it’s the best way to make a good sequence. While you work the rhythm you can modify the structure and vice-versa. Both are connected.

I also thought seeing how another editor works, such as interacting with the timeline, fixing problems and building a sequence was really interesting. For me, it’s the real process, like being with someone in the cutting room.

A snapshot of Jeremy's finished timeline
A snapshot of Jeremy’s finished timeline

FEP: What difficulties did you run into?

JP: The same ones I run into each time I edit, making the best choices to complete the cut.

FEP: What did you find the most fun/interesting about the cutting process?

JP: Making sense of the footage, telling stories and building emotion. It’s the most fascinating part of the cutting process, you can create so many different things.

FEP: Was the anything new that you learned from the course that helped you create such a great cut?

JP: There were a lot of new things. It’s hard to choose just one, but I would say how to use sound design to enhance the atmosphere of a scene.

FEP:  Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us, Jeremy! Do you have a website or contact method you’d like to leave for people who want to get in touch with you for work or otherwise?

JP: If you want to know more about me you can check out my website www.chefmonteur.com, follow me on twitter @EditorSince2002 and instagram @cuttingmoods.

Wrap Up

Thanks so much for joining us today! I hope you enjoyed this interview with Jeremy Pitard, a recent graduate of the Film Editing Pro training course, The Art of Action Editing.

Thanks for reading!

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