by Nancy Jundi as originally published by CinemaEditor Magazine
Reality shows have come a long way in the past 20 years. The sensationalism we all use to scoff at and condemn is now something we can either comfortably ignore or outright embrace. This years’ Eddie Awards introduced the first Eddie given to Best Edited Reality Program which went to “Cops.” Fitting since it was the very first reality show TV had seen. It came out of the writers’ strike in 1988. Those of us who weren’t around the industry twenty years ago are now acquainted with what a writers strike can do to television and the how and why of reality televisions’ birth. Thankfully not every reality show is about someone telling their spouse they cheated on them or a group of people living in a house having their mental and emotional breakdowns taped. That’s not to say that those shows aren’t entertaining – the ratings on them would argue otherwise. My personal preference is for the shows that can teach you something. Bravo has certainly filled that niche the past few years with shows like “Top Design” which showcases interior design, “Project Runway” which focuses on fashion design and dress making, “Workout” which focuses on nutrition and fitness, and “Top Chef” which showcases recipes and creating meals. While “Project Runway” and “Top Chef” might not be the Discovery Channel, I can honestly say I’ve learned how to make a fabulous pasta puttanesca from “Top Chef” and a fierce wrap around dress compliments of “Project Runway”. Kevin Leffler, editor on both shows and a producer on “Top Chef” suffered my unending series of fan girl questions in order to help us see how reality really works.
Being that you’re on the west coast and the shows are shot on the east or mid west, how do you receive your dailies?
Most of our shows are shot well in advance. So the footage is brought back shortly after it is shot. There are occasions when we are shooting a week or so before the airdate. In that case, we have someone bring the footage back quickly so we can get it into the system and start editing right away.
How much footage do you receive, on average, per show?
It’s around 150 to 200 hours per episode.
Are there times when you need more coverage or for something to be re-shot? If so, can you accomplish that or do you just have to work with what you get?
The shooting is amazing. Paul Starkman, our DP, is incredible. They get more than enough footage. And yes, you have to work with what you’ve got. You can’t expect them to get every single shot, but there’s always enough. In fact, there is no way an editor can go through all the footage that is shot. There’s not enough time. The story department goes through most of it, and the editors try and do the same. Rarely do we ever have something re-shot. In fact, it’s practically impossible to re-shoot anything. We’re cutting these show months after they wrap. So there isn’t anyone or anything around to shoot.
Do you ever order transcripts for the material?
Always. We rely heavily on the transcriptions so the story department can start building their string outs. With the short turnaround that we have for putting a show together, the story editors become an integral part of the process.
Did the writers’ strike effect you and/or the shows in anyway?
It didn’t actually. The shows aren’t traditionally scripted, so we were able to keep going.
What’s the turnaround time for each episode?
The turnaround time depends on which series we are working with. For “Top Chef”, “Project Runway” and “Top Design”, we usually allow for a ten-week edit schedule per episode. With two to three editors working on part of the episode, we can lock a show in six weeks. Of course, other companies may work differently, but Magical Elves, which produces “Runway”, “Chef” and “Design”, have developed a post-production schedule that has worked well over the years.
With 14 episodes, how is a 6 to 10 week edit possible? That would be 84 – 140 weeks of editing…did I misunderstand something?
Sometimes you forget that not everyone is working in the reality television world. It’s a little confusing and took me about three seasons to understand, but an edit week = 1 editor working that week. If there are three editors working on the same episode for a week, then that counts as three edit weeks.
Here’s a one-episode example:
Three editors work on the first rough cut for two weeks (six edit weeks).
Two editors work on the second cut for a week (two edit weeks)
One editor works on the third cut for a week (one edit week)
One editor locks the cut on the final week (one edit week)
So that’s five weeks of editing but 10 edit weeks.
And keep in mind; episodes are always overlapping each other. An editor will lock one episode, and the following week another editor will lock the next episode.
“Top Chef”, for example, started post-production for season four at the beginning of the year. We are now editing the finales, which just finished shooting last week. That’s around 140 “edit weeks” or 20 – 30 calendar weeks (depending on holidays or shoot schedules). We shot season 4 of “Top Chef” months ago. The chefs compete for a month. They come back at a later date for the finale. So the chefs that make it to the finale have a few months in between the initial shoot and the finale. Once post receives the footage from the initial month long shoot, the story department works on it for a few weeks before the editors start. We have been working on the season the last few months, and we are now locking the last two episodes before the finale. The finale was shot May 4th – 12th, and that leaves us about three calendar weeks to lock Part I. On Monday (May 12th), we started five editors working on Part I. This week (May 19th), we’ll move some of them on to Part II, which airs in four weeks. It’s crunch time. We have very little time to cut together these last episodes, and it’s a lot tougher on the editors since there is no time for the writers to put together any string outs!
What kind of notes do you receive and from whom?
Within the ten edit weeks, the editors receive notes from both the production company and the network. Executive Producers of Magical Elves see the first rough cut. Once they’ve seen the cut and made their notes, we send it to the network, Bravo. The editors then send a few more versions back and forth based off of Bravo’s notes and our own internal notes until we lock picture.
What lead to you becoming a producer on “Top Chef”?
I’ve worked on “Top Chef” since the first season. During the third season, the previous lead editor, Steve Lichtenstein, moved on to another project so I took over. When we started up the fourth season of “Chef”, I was promoted to producer. I’ve worked closely with our amazing co-executive producer, Gayle Gawlowski. She leads post-production team – the story department and editors – to build and finalize each episode.
Becoming a producer has allowed me to take on different responsibilities including working with the production team, story department, the graphics house and the music composer. I’m able to work with all of the editors on the show, which I find to be the most rewarding. Each of the editors on “Chef” brings their own creativity and viewpoint to the show. I find myself learning more editing tricks, new styles and story-telling techniques when watching the different editors’ episodes.
You’ve edited a number of films, but many reality shows like “Celebrity Poker Showdown”, “Queer Eye”, and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” in addition to “Top Chef” and “Project Runway” – do you have a preference for reality?
It was timing really. Reality television was hitting its peak, and I happened to be there when it did. Jobs were everywhere and independent films were not available on every corner in New York, especially for a young editor just out of school. I was lucky enough to find a company that was in need of an editor, and I was very grateful that they would hire someone without any television experience. From there, I was hired by Picture This Television, where I worked for a few years, and the next thing I knew they had a popular poker show on the air and were winning an Emmy for “D-List”. I was very proud to be a part of their team. Then after moving to LA, I was even more fortunate to land a job with Magical Elves, who have been nominated for numerous Emmys.
The shows just kept popping up. Once the ball started rolling, I definitely felt like I understood it more. Each show had a different learning curve and I definitely learned a lot. Looking back, the shows became more and more challenging, each in their own way. By the time I had finished a few seasons of “Top Chef”, I realized that maybe I did have a preference for reality. I’ve really enjoyed working on the competition reality shows recently, but I do miss the docu-reality shows like “D-List”.
Bravo has lent itself to making reality programs more educational than exploitative. The drama comes from cast friction, internal battles and meeting deadlines, but come on…there’s been some romance over the seasons, no? Is it a firm decision never to show anything of that nature?
Are you kidding? If there were romance, then it would be in there. If we kept that out of the shows, Bravo would have our necks! When it comes to drama, we pack it in. We wish we could put everything in. Cutting time out of the shows is one of the most painful parts of the editing process, but believe me, if there was any romance, you’d see it.
Both competitions appear very intense – are the contestants in a challenge every waking moment or do they get days off?
I don’t know how the competitors stay alive. Not only are they always working, but they also get very little sleep. Work all day, show your stuff, get beaten down by the judges, and repeat. Somehow they fit a few hours of sleep in there.
With “Top Chef” taste is such an imperative factor in judging. How difficult for you is it to find ways for the viewer to connect with smell and taste being kept from them?
It always makes me laugh when I hear how much people love the show. Who would have thought that we could make a competitive reality show about cooking so popular? Of course, if you think about it, there is one thing we all have in common…food! Cooking it, eating it, craving it, we all share that. Food is relatable. Throughout the season, you’ll always find something that you like. Working on the show, and having to watch all of the food, it can sometimes be difficult to cut the show on an empty stomach. The close up footage we use, also known as “food porn” are so beautifully shot it would make anyone salivate, but it isn’t just the food, it’s the chefs; the stories behind them, the chemistry between them and, of course, sexy Tom and Padma. Watching the chefs create a gourmet dish in ten minutes with ten bucks is truly remarkable, but what is even more compelling is who is doing it and how they get it done. The “cheftestants” are a unique bunch and if we can get the viewers invested in their lives, stories and how they relate to one another, that’s when we’ve got a show. Whether you root for a chef to win, or you can’t wait for them to pack their knives, you’ve got to have some sort of connection with them. You’ve got to care what happens to them. That comes first. The food is the dessert.
“Project Runway” is often kept under tight wraps due to the Fashion Week reveal. How do you (and the show) keep it secretive? Are you editing in a guarded room, like another nameless reality show?
It’s not that bad. The editors and producers of Magical Elves all want to keep it a secret. It always cracks me up when someone finds out that I work on “Project Runway”. “Oh my god!” they say, “Tell me everything! Who wins?!?!” I ask them, “Do you really want me to tell you?” And the answer is always, “No. I guess not.” I mean do you want to watch an entire season, get completely invested and then have someone ruin it for you? I suppose some do, but I don’t get those people.
Both “Top Chef” and “Project Runway” do an amazing job at bringing their respective cities into play as an additional cast mate. How do you manage that and why is it important to the show?
For “Project Runway”, it’s always been New York and having lived there for twelve years, I get it. It’s the cool, fashionable city that knows it’s better than everyone else, so it fits. For “Top Chef”, you want to be all over the country. There are different types of food everywhere you go and you can’t ignore that. You want to bring the flavor of the city into the show. Take Chicago being well known for its deep-dish pizza. You can’t ignore that, so we put it right into the first show, the very first challenge, in fact. It was amazing to see sixteen different deep-dish pizzas.
Do the judges for either show ever look at behind the scenes footage or use it to form their decisions?
No. For me, that was one of the attractive things about working on these shows, the integrity. It would be so easy to bend a couple of rules, or look behind the curtain, but I think one of the reasons that the shows work well and why they are successful is because the producers keep everything very real.
When a contestant blames how their actions are negatively perceived on editing, how do you take that?
Surprisingly, I don’t hear that a lot. We show the contestants for who they are. If they’re hot headed and obnoxious, that’s what we’ll show. If someone says “I like Ryan. He’s a good cook.” I’m not going to add in a “don’t” or a “not” and make them say something they didn’t say. That’s the beauty of the show. You don’t have to bend the truth or exaggerate these contestants. They pretty much lay it all out on the table.
Now that “Project Runway” has sold to Lifetime, do you foresee any changes to the show?
It’s hard for me to say. With new network execs, you never know what their take on it will be. Moving to Lifetime will bring changes I’m sure, but right now we still have to get through season 5, which is still on Bravo.
With Nina Garcia having left Elle, will she be back on “Project Runway” next season?
She’s definitely on this season, but you’d have to ask her what her future holds.
How did switching hosts after season one of “Top Chef” effect the show, if at all?
I’m assuming for the viewers it took a little getting used to, but everyone seemed to adjust. Since the show was so new, it was hard to say what kind of effect it had. I’m sure it would be different now if we were to switch, as Tom and Padma have become staples of the show. They have a huge fan base, and I feel the viewers would be disappointed if they were gone.
What, in your opinion, really differentiates these shows from other reality programs?
Compared to other reality shows, “Project Runway” and “Top Chef” strive for compelling story and great character development. If you want something that is gritty and captivating and doesn’t have the “over-the-top” cheesy factor to it, then tune in. Otherwise, you can go watch a program where someone tries to find the love of his or her life in two weeks.
How do you feel your editing style changes between the shows?
Both “Project Runway” and “Top Chef” are similar in editing styles. The main goal is telling a great story. There is a ton of footage the editor is sifting through in order to create a well-paced story. In a sense, the editors are forced to become producers, and now they’re calling us “pre-editors”. Compared to non-competition reality shows like “D-List”, the styles are different. With “Top Chef” or “Project Runway”, you need to get a lot of information across in a small amount of time. Music drives the show, whether it’s a fast paced montage or a dramatic cue to find out what the next challenge is and the interviews are key to telling the viewer what the chefs are thinking and doing. “D-List”, on the other hand, tries to fill the show with as much documentary footage, or verite, as possible. The idea is to feel like the viewer is a part of Kathy Griffin’s life.
It’s a tough job too. I’ve seen a lot of editors with lengthy resumes struggle with this genre. It’s a completely different type of editing and storytelling, but it goes both ways. No editor is going to be able to walk into a studio and get an editing gig on a sitcom or drama just because he or she has an impressive reality television resume. The two genres are worlds apart.
Any favorite contestants from either show over the years?
I always liked Steven Asprinio from “Top Chef: Season One”. He was the eccentric wine sommelier that no one could stand. He was practically a cartoon character that I couldn’t help but root for and I didn’t know why. We cut together the entire series with his snooty obnoxious attitude, always wearing a suit – even to sell street food. Then I was blown away when he showed up to the reunion show in jeans and a tee shirt, only to apologize for being such a jerk. I felt so proud.
Have your wardrobe or kitchen sensibilities changed thanks to being inundated with these shows?
Sadly, no.
