by Nancy Jundi as originally published by CinemaEditor Magazine
Have you ever gotten lost in a wormhole of TED Talks? If so, you already have a good idea of what it’s like to attend the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival. Since 1987 Austin, Texas has been home to an ever-growing conference that welcomes creatives from around the globe. Originally only a showcase for musicians, SXSW recognized the burgeoning interest and diversification in their city and added the Film and Interactive components to the festival in 1994. Lest you think they simply added a few films and interviews with the cast and crew, what has evolved is a media mega brand that connects tens of thousands of attendees, as well as countless virtual attendees who can live stream panels as they happen and visit satellite theaters to see films playing during the festival. The SXSW Trade Show, which dominates the main floor of the Austin Convention Center during the Festival, is a four-day exhibition marathon of innovation. The stamina it would take to tackle the performances, panels and product launches held on the floor alone would be enough for one person to juggle, but it’s really just a fraction of the experience. With the SXSW app for mobile devices, festival goers can schedule their panels, films and concerts while tracking the next shuttle they’ll need to get there as it moves and check in 15 minutes prior to start so they can network with others in attendance while they’re waiting. It’s a modern marvel of technology and inspiring organizational accomplishment.
To say it’s an honor to see editors represented and embraced in such a big way at this festival is an understatement. The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship (KSFEF) is awarded to an Editor each year during the closing ceremony of the SXSW Film Festival. It was created in 2010 in honor of editor Karen Schmeer who was only 39 years old when she died after a hit-and-run accident. Schmeer was not only passionate about the craft of editing, but in raising up the next generation of editors. She was most celebrated for her documentary work and was often noted as an inspiration for other documentarians because of such films as “The Fog of War,” “Fast, Cheap and Out of Control,” “Bobby Fischer Against the World”. The Fellowship, first awarded to Erin Casper in 2011, aims to identify an up and coming documentary film editor and enhance their network of professional relationships through a year long series of opened creative doors. The Fellow is introduced to mentorship opportunities and given passes to multiple film festivals and screening series, as well as a $1,000 cash reward and a $250 gift certificate to Powell’s Books in Portland, which was Schmeer’s favorite bookstore. It’s in no small thanks to American Cinema Editors’ (A.C.E.) partnership and support that Karen’s legacy is carried on through these Fellows. In 2012 the Fellowship was awarded to Lindsay Utz who recalls Karen as “a truly ground breaking editor whose exacting standards in craft, vision and creativity” inspired her deeply.
Jim Hession is the 2013 KSFEF Fellow and has been in postproduction for over 10 years. He was the co-editor of last years’ acclaimed feature documentary “Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present.” He is a graduate of Tufts Unversity, which is where he was first acquainted with Schmeer’s work during his “Experimental Journalism” class. “Our first assignment was to watch ‘Fast, Cheap and Out of Control,'” remembers Hession. “And our second assignment was to watch ‘Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.’ Of course, both of these films were edited by Karen, and I can honestly say that if I had never seen them, I may not have pursued a career in film.” While at SXSW the KSFEF held a celebration to honor and meet Jim where I got to chat with him about the year he has ahead. “The Fellowship is truly a wonderful, noble and unique award,” said Hession. “I’m obviously honored to be this year’s recipient. Personally, I can’t think of a better way to honor the memory of a remarkably special editor and person while also extending (much needed!) breaks and opportunities to emerging editors who are trying to establish themselves in this crazy business. It’s really a one-of-a-kind award, and I wish that there were others like it out there.”
Part of being chosen as the Fellow is to maintain a blog on www.karenschmeer.com, which chronicles the experience of the year of festival and film panel traversing. “I never thought that I’d have a ‘blog’ or a Twitter account, but thanks to the Fellowship, I now have both.” Which really speaks to the fit of this Fellowship into the hyper connected lives of most SXSW attendees. Both Casper and Utz also logged the miles they traveled thanks to the generosity of the KSFEF. Utz, who just passed the Fellowship torch has been greatly impacted by Karen’s memory and the doors that her generosity opened. “Being the Schmeer fellow this past year was an invaluable professional experience that came at precisely the right time in my career as an editor” said Utz. “Beyond the most immediate benefits of the fellowship – including full access to numerous festivals and workshops – the most lasting impacts of the fellowship have been things that can’t be quantified, especially the relationships I formed, friendships that have become collaborations and acquaintances that have become allies. One of the most important aspects of any young editors career is whom you know – and the Schmeer fellowship opened up a world of creative contacts for me.”
For all of the shows, films, panels, talks and awards that occur at SXSW, it’s a touching moment to witness editors being celebrated. While A.C.E. continues to push for greater recognition of the editorial process during festival celebrations around the globe, it’s incredibly refreshing to see the very goal and passion that Schmeer represented displayed at one of the biggest festivals of the year. Hession and his predecessors embody all that Karen hoped to impart during her career and mentorship. Hession sums it up best in his appreciation of being chosen as this years Fellow, “Karen’s work has been enormously influential in my life, and it is consequently very sobering for me to have been granted the opportunity to play a small role in helping keep her memory alive.” I look forward to keeping up with the continuing blog and in celebrating her memory and the Fellows to come over the years.
