by Nancy Jundi as originally published by CinemaEditor Magazine
The main reason I began writing this column was to give the often overlooked assistant editor a bit of praise where there generally is none. In an industry where a good deal of celebrity interviews are postulating and eager to pat their own backs it was quite odd to have to beat answers out of someone. Rob Malina, while incredibly talented and as reliable as the sun rising in the morning, wants none of that hi-fiving for a job well done. If anything, he’s spent more time heaping the honors on his hard working THOR crew. “Without everyone’s top professional work, this process could never happen,” stressed Malina. He was surrounded by assistant editors Rich Conkling, Eric Osmond, and apprentice editor Tommy Aagaard in addition to VFX editors Danny Rafic and Jeremy Bradly. There was more than an air of camaraderie and magic in the room when I visited the Marvel offices. While they were all hurried, they were all happy – rushed, but not frantic. “Working with Marvel has been great,” Malina said. “It’s like a big family; lots of chaos and creativity. Sometimes I feel like a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent working with the Avengers.”
Hired on over a year ago, Malina was the one out in the New Mexico desert with director Kenneth Branagh screening dailies in a trailer off of PIX, which editor Paul Rubell, A.C.E. impressed that “Rob was highly overqualified for that job.” Malina, however, as you’ll see below just doesn’t have that chip on his shoulder. It’s more about getting the job done and getting it done right. Even if it involves fish… Once the team returned to their facilities in Manhattan Beach, CA, Assistant Editor Rich Conkling would run the dailies for Branagh and producers and Rubell would be at the sessions to get Ken’s reactions first hand. “Ken would sit with Paul to go over cuts,” said Malina “then he would sit with me and I would run the dailies so he could pick different performances, which I would turnover to Paul so he could incorporate them into the cut. Ken would also do most of the temp ADR in my room; it was always fun to watch him imitate the characters from the film. I recorded the ADR with a little Zoom H2 to SD card, which works great for me and it is fast to get the info into the avid.”
While the quick pace of their schedule didn’t much lend itself to Malina having a chance to cut scenes of his own, he did mention that “Paul would hand over his first cuts and I would polish the production tracks and do a complete LCR SFX pass. Every film has it’s own sound challenges, but this one was exceptionally difficult because the imagination of a comic book world is so different. I thought my temp sound was pretty good and then we got to the stage and I heard Richard King’s final. I thought ‘Ohhhh! That’s how it’s done!’” The guys’ humility is almost infuriating when you look at his list of credits (or try to interview him). He’s been on some of the biggest and funniest titles of the past decade, but you wouldn’t know it unless you looked him up yourself. He’s like that old Harry S. Truman quote: “It is amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.” With that, I give you Rob Malina.
1. Where did you grow up and did that background lend to an interest in film or editing in particular?
I was born in Hollywood, so I guess if this were a coal-mining town, I would have black lung by now. If I had been born in Detroit I would probably be on the auto line.
2. How did you get your start in editing?
I started out doing every job I could from grip and light to camera and post PA. Then I got a job as assistant to director Garry Marshall. I worked for him many years and I was very fortunate that he is involved in almost every aspect of entertainment – TV, film, theatre – so I got an opportunity to see many sides of the business.
I started going to the Los Angeles Recording Workshop night program (as I worked on set during the day) where I was learning how to record/mix and at the end of the program I took their avid courses. From there I was able to start an apprenticeship with Bruce Green, A.C.E.
3. Is there one scene in television or film that you can remember having given you an appreciation for what an editor does?
If I had to pick one film that stood out to me for editing style it would have to be Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rope.” It’s seamless.
4. Is there something you’ve cut or worked on that you’re especially proud of?
I am proud of all the projects I have worked on. Even when I was the fish wrangler on Mark Palansky’s “The Same”
5. Is there a scene in television of film that you would love to go back and put your own spin on?
The Odd Couple’s spit takes.
6. What platforms are you familiar with?
I started out on film and then transitioned to Avid. I have a Mojo Dx HD SDI at home and really like it. I cut little projects here and there on FCP, but I don’t really prefer it.
7. Technically speaking, what have you found to be your system’s best feature?
The shut down button.
8. What feature are you hoping to see in the future?
I would like to see more audio integration like Pro Tools. The shows I work on are always sound effects heavy and I am the one who does the initial temp sound pass. It would be nice able to monitor more that 16 tracks. Version 5 is getting closer but in v5 we loose tracks dedicated to audio suite, which is both a blessing and a curse. So maybe with v6 they will make the next big step.
9. Is there one person in the industry, living or dead, be it director, editor, or otherwise you would like to work with?
If I had to make a list it would be most of the people I have worked with in addition to Michael Kahn, Joel Cox, David Fincher.
10. What upcoming film, other than your own, are you looking forward to?
Captain America.
