by Nancy Jundi as originally published by CinemaEditor Magazine
The irony of the show being called “Happy Endings” while hanging in limbo is not lost on me. Whether the series will return is anybody’s guess. With ABC sticking by the critically acclaimed, but ratings dismal series for three seasons, USA has been rumored to be interested in the free agent. With Netflix finding success in it’s own revival of the long cancelled, fan favorite “Arrested Development”, as well as original programming in “House of Cards,” anything is possible. Even Hulu resurrected ill fated day time dramas like “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” which leaves a lot of doors open for shows with a cult following. Having stars like Elisha Cuthbert and Damon Wayans Jr. only helps the plight of Happy Endings.
Filling the long open gap left in my line up of a “Friends” like sitcom, here was “Happy Endings” set in Chicago with six wacky friends all at different stages in life. Dave had just been left at the altar by his fiancée Alex (played by Cuthbert) whose sister Jane (played by “Scrubs” alumni, Eliza Coupe) has been happily married to Brad (played by Wayans Jr.) for years. Penny, the air headed and quirky publicist, and Max, the gay, often out of work limo driver, rounded out the motley crew. Coupe and Cuthbert’s relationship as sisters often lead to tremendous back-stories that welcomed numerous flashback opportunities in addition to the ones brought on by their college years together as a group. While long time fans were able to follow the nuanced story lines, new comers to the show were always able to relate to the every day dramedy that played out each week. Whether that was one of Penny and Max’s short-lived romances or Dave’s attempts at rejuvenating his steak sandwich truck with the help of Tom Hank’s son, there were laughs to be had. Okay, maybe that last bit wasn’t so relatable, but it made for great TV.
Jeffrey D. Brown and Ken Woodburn both served as First Assistant Editors on the show under Steven Sprung, A.C.E., Sandra Montiel and Richard Candib. “Ken and Jeff worked on alternating episodes” said Editor and Director Steven Sprung, A.C.E. “For example, 301 was Ken, 302 was Jeff, 303 Ken, etc. The editors also alternated the shows (i.e. 301 Sandra, 302 Steven, 303 Richard, etc.), so we ended up switching first assistants each episode. Jesus Huidobro worked as our Night Assitant, digitizing and scripting the material, which supported both day assistants in their jobs.” With the amount of funny packed into each line, let alone an episode, it’s not surprising. The tone of the show is of such a quick wit that several viewings generally ensued of one episode just to catch each laugh.
While we all wait to learn the gang’s outcome, the finale (which they declined to call either a season or a series finale) made no promises one way or another. Meeting the never mentioned, but incredibly plausible, eldest sister of Jane and Alex at her wedding was a fantastic send off if we never get to hang with them again. In the mean time, I’m excited to introduce you to half the First Assistant team that made so many of the memories come alive. Jeffrey D. Brown is Who’s On First!
1. Where did you grow up and did that background lend to an interest in film or editing in particular?
I grew up in Springfield, Missouri. My background didn’t lead directly to an interest in editing, but I’ve always enjoyed movies, like most people do. My father was always sure to have a great home theater system and family movie nights were common. However, it wasn’t until my last year in college that I really thought I’d end up working in television and film.
2. How did you get your start in editing?
It’s kind of a long story. It goes back to when I was seven. My parents took me to a symphony concert with a solo violinist, and I loved it! So much so, that within a week, I had my own violin and they had scheduled lessons. When I got to Missouri State University, I intended to be an engineer. One college calculus class later, I changed my mind.
I was part of the college symphony, but I knew that if I stuck with music, I would end up teaching, so I decided to branch off into music recording and engineering. That led to an interest in film sound design, and my last year in college, I sound designed and composed the music for a 40-minute short film, APOLLO. That was 2008, and I knew job prospects at that time would not be great, so I decided to go back to school and made a last minute application to Chapman University in Orange, California.
I was accepted to Chapman’s graduate film production program as a sound designer, where I was also required to take the editing classes taught by Paul Seydor, A.C.E. I fell in love with the editing process, and both cut and sound designed several short films while I was there.
3. Is there one scene in television or film that you can remember having given you an appreciation for what an editor does?
Ever since I got involved in editing, I’ve appreciated what the editor does. I’m a big fan of “Breaking Bad”, and there was one scene last season where the characters are robbing a train. I remember watching it for the first time and feeling so much suspense the entire way through. When I went back and watched it again, I realized how many elements came together to create that sequence, from directing to editing to sound design. Everything the characters did had its own shot: every time they moved a hose, every time they opened a door, every little thing they had to do to pull off the heist. Those elements combined with the cutaways to the train engineers created a real sense of urgency; so much has to go right, they could be spotted at any time, and there was a real chance of failure. I was glued to the screen the whole time.
4. Is there something you’ve cut or worked on that you’re especially proud of?
I didn’t cut it, but I’m still especially proud of the first short film I worked on, APOLLO. I came in with no real sound design or music composition experience, and finished all that work for a 40-minute film by myself in less than a week. There was an overwhelmingly positive response to this film, and after it screened several people came up and admitted that it made them cry. I’ve done better work since then, but it’s so memorable to me because it was my first experience with the medium, and served as a launch pad to get me to where I am now.
5. Is there a scene in television or film that you would love to go back and put your own spin on or see the raw material?
I’d like to take a look at footage for older movies, say from the 40’s and 50’s. Movies were shot and cut differently back then, and I’m curious how the material could be handled with a modern editing system.
6. What platforms are you familiar with?
I’m most familiar with Avid and Pro Tools. I’ve used Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere a little bit, but to say I’m “familiar” with them would be dishonest.
7. Technically speaking, what have you found to be your system’s best feature?
With Avid, I think the strongest feature is the customizability. Every key and button can be remapped to do almost anything you want it to do.
8. What feature are you hoping to see in the future?
As an assistant, I have to spend a lot of time working with the script feature, manually syncing every take of dailies to a line in the script so the editor can work efficiently and effectively. It is my understanding that this feature has not been updated in quite a while (as of version 5.5.3). For instance, you can’t type directly into the script. So if you want to add a line, you have to type it in a different program, then copy/paste it into the script. Any time we want to choose a different color for a script marker, we have to click into one of the menus to do it because that’s one of the few things you can’t bind to the keyboard in Avid. Those are just two little things that add quite a bit of time to the scripting process, and I’d love to see some improvements to the script feature as a whole. I’d rather spend more time cutting than working on dailies!
9. Is there one person in the industry, living or dead, be it director, editor, or otherwise would you like to work with?
Honestly, with my musical background, I’d like to work with John Williams. He’s a legend in the industry, and I’d love to see how he decides what music goes where in a film score, and how he uses various musical elements to create different moods and tones.
10. What television show, other than your own, do you really look forward to?
Right now, I’m looking forward to the new “Arrested Development” season that comes out this May. However, I tend to look forward to dramas more than comedies. “Breaking Bad”, “Game of Thrones”, and “Sons of Anarchy” are a few that I never miss.
