by Nancy Jundi as originally published by CinemaEditor Magazine
Let’s have an honest conversation, shall we? We’re in a fickle industry with more than a few hurdles and gauntlets set up to ensure you’re made of a certain caliber of honed skills, sharp wit and thick skin. Luck tends to help quite a bit, too. It’s no great secret that I have an affinity for the assistant editor. After all, flip a few pages over and you’ll find a regular column dedicated to them. I see them as the Alfred to an editor’s Batman. We all know that it’s Batman who goes out there night after night making the tough calls and difficult saves, but it’s Alfred that patches Bruce Wayne up, keeps him honest and provides him with an anchor to reality. Everybody loves Alfred; he’s the unsung hero and true epitome of a safety. Alfred is the solid, no questions. Forgive me, but super hero references just tend to be my go to.
So one has to wonder exactly what it takes to play shadow to the big show. How do you find your way into such a trusted and coveted role? As suspected, it’s not easy. I like to think about who it is that’s reading these articles. I often picture editors I know reading the issue in their edit bay as a means of escape during a moment of artistic blockage. However, thanks to a few Barnes & Noble clerks I know around the country, it’s also quite likely that you’re a college student who stole this from one of the magazine racks. That’s right, we know about you, kid. Not cool, but we do understand your passion and desperation. Here’s the thing, my criminal friend, there are no easy entries, but there is an incredible loafer you could wedge in the door of opportunity.
The A.C.E. Internship Program, overseen by editor Lori Jane Coleman, A.C.E., serves as an opportunity for assistant editors to receive a full six-week intensive on what it means to be the backbone of an editorial team. “The heart and soul of the editing room is the assistant editor,” said Coleman. “This is about patience training, the unwritten rules of etiquette and learning from one another in a brotherhood.” Each year A.C.E. chooses three interns, one international applicant and two from the United States. New in 2012 is the addition of an Outreach Program, which will run in tandem with the standard internship. The Outreach Program will accept applications from members of the U.S. Armed Forces to offer a comprehensive Post Production internship to Veterans looking to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Each of the four interns will participate in a six-week course study focused on the responsibilities of assisting an editor in the motion picture industry. The Outreach intern will also receive an extensive introduction to music/sound editing and design, as well as visual effects.
Starting with a three night lecture series that welcomes all of the applicants to attend, Coleman moderates panels focused on getting started in Hollywood, navigating the etiquette of an edit room, an AE’s tasks – dailies to online, and finally, an evening with dynamic editors sharing their stories on how they got started and what they look for when hiring an assistant. “These panels are all about networking and introduction for the interns” noted Coleman. Former panelists have featured A.C.E members including Steve Rivkin, Maysie Hoy, Matt Chesse, Alan Heim, Michael Tronick, Diana Friedberg, Angus Wall, Stephen Mirrione, Bonnie Koehler and many more. The following five weeks are spent immersed in different editorial rooms learning from assistant editors and there is also a week dedicated to post production facilities. They are introduced to a lab, telecine, VFX, and sound houses in addition to music editorial, ADR and the dub stage. They learn what each vendor expects from the assistant editor and gain hands on, real world experience and see how it differs from their time in the classroom.
This is the first year the internship will be occurring in September and October. Prior years correlated with the A.C.E. Eddie awards, which take place in February. This shift allows students to be more widely involved in a larger host of dedicated activities and still affords them the opportunity to be a part of the awards excitement. Come January of the following year, the interns will help facilitate the Blue Ribbon panel, Nominee Cocktail Party, Eddie Awards and the Invisible Art/Visible Artists Symposium that honors the years Academy Award nominated editors. Their time as interns is rounded out by a thank you dinner with their hosts, a Luau honoring new A.C.E. Board Members, the Primetime Emmy Award Nominees Reception, The A.C.E. Retiree Luncheon and the Annual Editfest weekend. Finally, each intern will also write an article for this very magazine recounting their time with the program, what it has meant to them and how it has shaped their outlook on being an assistant editor.
Having been the inaugural member of the international internship program, assistant editor Carsten Kurpanek remembers his time as an intern fondly and remains incredibly thankful for the experience. “The A.C.E. internship has opened my eyes and many doors,” said Kurpanek. “When I was first introduced to the world of A.C.E. I literally felt like Harry Potter when he was let into Hogwarts! Every single job I’ve had I got through professional and personal connections I’ve made due to the internship program and being involved with A.C.E. I owe A.C.E. a great debt for jump starting and fostering my career. I am deeply thankful for that – especially to Lori Jane Coleman, my mentor and friend who put her trust in me when I was selected to be the intern in 2008 and when she hired me as her assistant later on.” Kurpanek has gone on to assist on BURLESQUE (2010), THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011) and First Assist on MACHINE GUN PREACHER (2011). He’s one of many alumni who feel indebted to this program and the opportunities it’s afforded them. Not least of which is the brotherhood is places them in. It’s a sort of family that continues on long after their obligations end. They have regular get-togethers, recommend one another and continue to learn from each other’s experiences. It’s a team mentality that has served them incredibly well.
It’s an elite team of Alfred’s all built by a group of people you’d look to as your own personal Batman any day of the week. The opportunity is incredible and the lasting family and opportunities that come along with it are rarities in our field. If you’re interested in the program you have until August 6th, 2012 to get your application (a resume, two letters of recommendation, and a personal application letter stating one’s ambitions and views of editing) into the A.C.E. office. For further information, visit the A.C.E. website or contact the office. I look forward to meeting this year’s new crop of Alfred’s and to the series of panels that welcomes them into the fold. Best of luck to all those who apply and jam your best foot forward into that door.
