Literally UP IN THE AIR with Dana E. Glauberman, A.C.E.

by Nancy Jundi as originally published by CinemaEditor Magazine

The irony of my writing this article while currently 10,000 feet up in the air is hilarious, but it couldn’t go without mention – especially since Glauberman also answered her questions whilst aboard an aircraft! This trip marks flight 21 for me in just under 9 months. While that’s barely even a fraction of what George Clooney flies in UP IN THE AIR, it’s still easy for me to relate to the films opening sequence and introduction to Ryan Bingham (Clooney). In the time it would normally take you to remove your belt and shoes at airport security Dana E. Glauberman, A.C.E. introduces us to a man who’s emotional make up is both as simple and as complicated as his travelling habits. Glauberman constructed an incredibly well paced film that balanced what, from the outside, could be considered a wildly chaotic life and what, from the inside, was actually one very calm eye of the storm.

And that storm was passing through to terminate your job.

It’s normally years, if not decades, after an era that we tend to hear clear voices pull through what we’ve gone through in our history. Right now America is struggling with a deep recession, the largest loss of jobs we’ve seen since the 80’s and families torn apart by those effects in growing numbers every day. Seems hardly the fodder for jokes, right? Well, you’d be surprised.

The last time I interviewed Dana was after she cut JUNO for Jason Reitman. Juno was a teenage girl, pregnant and looking for a suitable family to adopt her child. In the process she was ridiculed by her peers, hit on by the potential adoptive father and suffered the highs and lows of partnership with the biological father. That doesn’t sound much like a comedic event either.

There’s a certain magic in what Glauberman and Reitman have pulled off over the years. First in THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and then JUNO and now UP IN THE AIR, this is a team that’s managed to, almost effortlessly, chronicle very real portions of today’s America.

In what has been an intensely busy year for Glauberman (she also cut LOVE HAPPENS and recently received Hollywood Editor of the Year Award from the Hollywood Film Festival and Movieline’s Behind the Camera Awards) she carved out some time to share her experience on this incredible film.

Does Jason know how much this movie is going to mean to most of the nation?

Honestly Jason and I have not really discussed what this movie is going to mean to much of the country, though I can only imagine. I do know, however, that Jason started writing this film many years ago when the economic state of our country was much different than what it is now, but I’m sure it’s in the back of many of the film makers minds – just how close to home this film will hit for hundreds of thousands of people. Keep in mind though, there is much more to the character of Ryan Bingham than firing people for a living … yes, that’s his job, however behind this corporate downsizing expert is a man who is really searching for a connection … he has no true relationships beyond with those people whom he fires.  And throughout the journey of this film, we realize with him, that he does find that there is more to life than ten million frequent flier miles.

Did you ever worry about some of the scenes in the movie and if they may hit a little too hard for some people?

The only scene that I did have some concerns with was when Ryan fires Bob (played by JK Simmons).  Bob goes off on how being let go is going to effect his family, in particular his children, how his daughter has asthma and he won’t be able to pay for the medication.  For some reason, while watching dailies and trying to find the perfect moments in his tangent, it did cross my mind of perhaps being a little too harsh.  In the end, however, I am very happy with what we used, and it is quite a powerful scene because of it. In fact, it turns out to be one of my favorite scenes (among many others) in the film.

I felt a change in the editing style after Ryan went on the road with Natalie (Played by Anna Kendrick) – am I crazy or was that a point when everything slowed down a bit?

If there was a change in editing style, it was not really intended on my part – or at least it wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision.  Perhaps the natural progression of the story may have led the editing to slow down a bit.  In many scenes throughout the film between Ryan and Natalie (the co-worker Ryan is assigned to show the “road ropes” to), we have sort of a ping-pong style going – quick cuts, constantly bouncing off of and challenging each other.   When Alex (Ryan’s love interest played by Vera Farmiga) is introduced, we also play that style up quite a bit.  Even when Natalie and Alex are comparing their ideal man (through the eyes and mind of a 20-something year old – Natalie, vs. through the eyes and mind of a 30-something year old – Alex), we also play that style up a bit.

Although this film is a drama with many comedic moments, it does take a pretty dramatic turn at several moments, in particular when Natalie has her first real experience in firing someone through her idea of video conferencing.  Not only do we experience how devastating being fired can be for someone, especially an older man, but also it’s a pretty rough experience for a young 20-something girl to have that responsibility of actually letting someone go.

There were a few “gotcha” moments that didn’t necessarily surprise me and they didn’t feel as though they were supposed to. Was it the intention to make them flow into the story rather than build into a shock?

Absolutely. Our intention was not to build a story looking to surprise anyone or hide a twist. The realities of life can lead anyone to similar shocks and these were certain realities our characters faced. Those moments are why stories are told, really.

I understand you had real people telling their stories of being laid off or reacting the way they had or wish they had. How did you find these people and then choose the material that made it in the film?

UP IN THE AIR was shot entirely on location in five cities … St. Louis, Detroit, Omaha, Miami, and Las Vegas.  While in St. Louis and Detroit – two cities that were hit hardest as far as job loss goes – production put ads in the Help Wanted sections of the local papers stating that they were shooting a film on job loss and were looking for people who were willing to talk about their experience.Hundreds of people auditioned for it, and although I am unsure of how they whittled the hundreds down to about 60, the people who did get chosen had to go through a mock firing.  Michael Beugg, one of our Executive Producers, did the firing, and the “real people” (as we often referred to them as) had to react.  They were asked to respond either the way they responded the day of, or the way they had wished they responded the day of.

Much of the material (at least nine hours worth) was truly heartbreaking and devastating to watch.  I had one of my assistants, Maria Gonzales, go through the material and make a selects roll.  There were often times when I would walk into her room, and she would have tears in her eyes.  To which I would watch a clip, and start crying as well.  One particular story that stands out to me is a woman who stated that she spent $10,000 on her MBA and was planning on taking it off of her resume because it made her over-qualified for jobs. Another woman actually broke out into hives while sharing her experience.

Choosing the material for the movie was difficult … especially since there was so much great stuff to choose from.  We started with longer pieces in each section, however we found that by using too much material before getting back to our people, almost took the viewer out of the film.  So we kept cutting it down until it just felt right.

Are there any plans for the remaining footage?

There has been talk of doing a documentary using a lot of the remaining footage of these real people interviews.  There were many who did not make it into the film, so we have a lot more to use.  And like I said – so much of it is so good, that it would be too bad if we didn’t do something with it.

You also recently worked on a PSA about the Congo which featured real life stories. What did you take from that experience and working with material?

GIMME SHELTER, the Ben Affleck directed public service announcement for the UNHCR was a wonderful experience.  Not only did I get to work with an extremely talented person, but also I got to learn more of what the UNHCR does and how they do it.  Both of these experiences with documentary like footage were quite moving and often emotional to watch and witness.

UP IN THE AIR gives us a George Clooney viewers haven’t seen before. He was pushed by everyone – his two female leads, his director and most notably himself in the bus scene when he’s confronted by Natalie regarding marriage. How many takes did that require and how many ways did he approach the scene?

If my memory holds true, there were maybe three takes in the wide, and five in the close-ups on George.  Mostly, he played this scene pretty straight, as it is in the movie.  What I’ve found about George is that he likes to have a good time – and truly loves what he does.  There were often times when I would just crack up while watching dailies, simply because he loves to goof off.  As genuine and charming as he appears on screen, he is even more so in person.  He is truly a dream to work with.

THANK YOU and JUNO were often regarded as Comedies with dramatic undertones. UP IN THE AIR is a drama with comedic overtones. This felt like a change in storytelling for Jason. Did you approach this film any differently? When you got the script and began to see dailies, did you feel that change in tone?

Jason has a way of taking serious, real life situations and portraying them on screen utilizing his comedic nature.  Whether it’s a tobacco lobbyist as seen in THANK YOU FOR SMOKING, or teenage pregnancy as seen in JUNO, he has a natural talent to bring these situations to the screen.When I approach a scene for the first time – in any film – I often use the natural timing of the actors and then cut it down from there.  So my initial approach to cutting a scene in this movie was no different than any other film that I have worked on.  I knew from the script stages though, that this was going to be a much heavier film than the previous two that Jason and I did together, but I also saw a lot of heart in the script – which Jason is so good at.

There were many points in the film where your decision to hold on a face after their lines had finished that made strong impacts on a performance. Was this always planned or was this something that organically occurred through deliveries?

Holding on a face after a line was delivered was both intentional and also organic – if that is even possible.  Of course it depended on the scene, and the material.  All of our actors were so good in this film that it was often difficult to cut away, even if I wanted to.  The emotional impact of holding on someone’s face in a dramatic scene just seems like the right thing to do in order to make an impact on the audience.  However there were often times when one of our actors just had a glint in their eye, or offered a wonderful look, that just added to the scene.

The music here was well thought out and beautifully placed, but still seemed to let the characters drive. What lead to this, how did it help or was this even conscious effort?

This film was actually quite difficult to find the right music for.  It took a lot of time with trying various options out before finding the right piece.  Music is very important to Jason – he often thinks of it as another character in his film.  Normally, I leave song choices up to him, as he is so particular in what he likes and usually has a sense of what he wants to use – even during his writing stages. Rolfe Kent was our composer on this, and was very keen on our characters and the story, which ultimately lead to a beautifully written score – exactly what the job of a composer is.  HELP YOURSELF, an original song written for our movie by Sad Brad, plays during the wedding montage, and just puts a smile on your face when watching the images go by.

You also edited LOVE HAPPENS this year, which was also about an isolated man who hit one of life’s most prevalent wake up calls – love. However, they have very different journeys and outcomes. How did you transition between these stories that could have easily tempted you to craft them in the same vein? What gave each film it’s own voice?

Although LOVE HAPPENS and UP IN THE AIR both have a lonely man dealing with his own life, the two films are quite different – even from the get-go.  In LOVE HAPPENS, we have Burke Ryan, a self-help guru played by Aaron Eckhart who, thru his own loss and in writing a book, helps others with their loss.  Ultimately, he is able to let go of his past with the help of a quirky young woman, Eloise (played by Jennifer Aniston), and in finding love.

Alternately, in UP IN THE AIR, George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man who seems to be very content with his life as it is … due to his career, his ultimate goal in life is to reach ten million frequent flier miles, because that’s all he has.  He is distant from his family, he has no friends, and his apartment is like that of a dreary hotel room.  However, he ends up realizing through two women who play completely different roles in his life, that there is much more than what he has, and he seeks to find it.

On a side note, some very interesting similarities that I often laugh about with another one of my assistants Omar Hassan-Reep and my production assistant Michael Underdown (who were on both films with me), LOVE HAPPENS has Burke Ryan … UP IN THE AIR has Ryan Bingham.  Both characters talk for a living – Burke Ryan in seminars, with trying to help people recover from loss and grief … Ryan Bingham is a smooth talker who travels around the country to fire people, and helps them realize that this is not a horrible thing.  Burke Ryan has a cardboard cut-out of himself … Ryan Bingham carries a cardboard cut-out of his sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law to take pictures around the country.  And finally, Brandon Camp and Jason Reitman both grew up in the business and both do phenomenal work as writers and directors.

I heard a familiar voice in the film…one that sounded an awful lot like an editor I’m interviewing right now… Will you make it into the final film?

Funny you should mention that.  In the first version that you saw, I played an American Airlines agent who Ryan calls at one point in the film.  This was recorded in the cutting room and was strictly used as temp, and never intended for use in the final film.  In the final film though, you still heard my voice – as an American Airlines agent announcing “final boarding call” for a flight. You will also find my name, along with others from post, on an itinerary.  But you have to look closely and carefully.

I love doing stuff like this … it’s a fun little addition to tell people about.  My voice was in TYFS – as the hotel operator telling Nick Naylor that there was a package waiting for him. It was also in SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS – I was Anne Heche’s scream as she jumps off the cliff!

You worked in HD on this film, correct? Do you ever think you could go back to cutting in SD? Have you encountered any issues or surprises, positive or negative?

This is my first film cutting in HD and honestly, I can’t imagine going back to SD.  Although the DNX-3600 is still a compressed image, it is so much better than what I have used in the past.  We did a temp dub for all of our previews and screened off of an HD-cam SR tape. Mode HQ often set us up to screen directly out of the Avid, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

What was the schedule like on this film?

UP IN THE AIR started production towards the end of February and wrapped production May 14.  We had a 17 week post production schedule in order to make our desired premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.  However that schedule was cut by a week so that we could make a sneak screening at the Telluride Film Festival just one week prior to Toronto.  JUNO had a similar schedule only in the sense that we started production in mid-February and screening in Telluride and premiered in Toronto.  The difference was that JUNO shot for only 30 days, while UP IN THE AIR shot for 50.  Thankfully, Jason flew home practically every weekend in order to work with me for at least a day.  This was really the only way we were able to catch up and make our schedule.

American Airlines plays a large role in this film, but never an obtrusive one. It only made this story all the more real and relatable. I’m always impressed by product placement that genuinely fits and compliments a story the way this did.  How did their involvement effect any of your choices or experience?

I am actually answering these questions as I sit on an American Airlines flight on my way to the UP IN THE AIR premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival!

American Airlines does play a huge role in this film.  Although I was never on set during production, they were there to help with any questions production may have had.  As far as post goes, they were very helpful in getting us the information we needed for green screens on the plane in the beginning of the film and during the scenes where Ryan checks in at the airport, as well as the flight announcement, among many other things.  If we had a question, we had a person to contact.  Ultimately, they had to see the film before we finished, so that they could make sure everything was accurate to their company’s standards.  And we did a good job with that, as they did not have many things to fix or change.

There was such a beautiful parallel between Natalie and Alex. They were quite different in age, approach and views, but the scene in the hotel lobby was such a coming of age for all of them. How did you approach the relationship between them?

That scene in the hotel lobby between Natalie and Alex is another one of my favorite scenes in the film.  I have to say that I did not really approach their relationship any differently as far as my editing style goes than many of the other scenes.  I found that Jason and our actors did that for me.  Everyone really delivered outstanding performances, and gave me such great stuff to work with, that all I really needed to focus on was cutting the scenes and making them seamless and enjoyable.

There were a great deal of characters in this movie that all needed to have their story told. Even if they were on screen for just a few minutes, I didn’t walk away feeling cheated by anyone’s story. How do you manage this?

It’s always a decision that the director and I decide together.  None of the characters in this film were cut down – they were all pretty much as scripted, with the exception of a line here or there.  In general, as I assemble the movie during production, I never cut anything out unless the director tells me to do so.  It’s really when the director joins me in the cutting room though, that we end up deciding together what works best for the story and the progression of the film.  Often times there is a scene that both the director and I are in love with, yet it doesn’t propel the story at all or it’s already been stated previously so it seems like a double beat.  As far as UP IN THE AIR goes though, there were many characters who, although were important characters in the film, didn’t have much more than what you see.  Jason’s writing is brilliant in that he knows how much to have a character on screen as to never overstaying their welcome.  You should always leave wanting more.