ROAD HOUSE editor Doc Crotzer ACE got his first real studio feature film experience cutting Doug Liman's Sci-Fi/Fantasy film, CHAOS WALKING (2021).  Three years later Doug would tap Doc once again to take the film fight game to another level for Liman's latest entry in the action genre.

Directed by Doug Liman and produced by Joel Silver, this remake of the 1989 cult classic sees ex-UFC fighter Dalton take a job as a cooler at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.

A filmmaking Swiss Army knife, Doc has directed, produced, and edited studio feature films, award winning television series, and immersive documentaries. He draws from his wide-ranging experience in production and postproduction to tell cinematic stories that remain grounded in human emotion, regardless of the medium. His encyclopedic knowledge of editing allows him to shoot efficiently and creatively, while inspiring confidence from collaborators on both sides of the camera. His favorite part of filmmaking is collaborating with actors and crew to create something in which the sum is truly greater than any of its parts. Doc’s instincts and work ethic are trusted at the highest levels, often quietly working as a “fixer” on studio films and TV shows that need fresh eyes to reach their fullest potentials. A musician himself, Doc has edited over 100 music videos and excels at bringing stories to life that incorporate music and visual effects.

Doc was nominated for an Emmy® for his work directing a web series and nominated for ACE and HPA awards for his work on the TV show Glee. He is a proud member of the Director's Guild of America, American Cinema Editors, and the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences.

In our discussion with Road House editor Doc Crotzer ACE, we talk about:

• Being "Bourne" again with Doug Liman
• Giving fight scenes the ol' Hollywood pass
• Taking 25% of a beating
• The battle in front of the bands
• Managing big personalities on screen and off

Visit Extreme Music for all your production audio needs

See the Rough Cut come to life over at the Frame.io blog

See the latest new features in Avid Media Composer

Hear Doc discuss his work on CHAOS WALKING and SHOTGUN WEDDING

Listen to director Doug Liman share his thoughts on filmmaking

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

STORMY editors Inbal B. Lessner, ACE and Ben Kaplan each brought their considerable experience in unscripted storytelling to this timely and unique perspective of a woman who dominated the headlines throughout and following the presidency of Donald Trump.

Directed and produced by Sarah Gibson, STORMY follows Stormy Daniels as she navigates being a mother, artist, and advocate working hard to reinvent herself following the Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal.  Judd Apatow serves as an executive producer under his Apatow Productions banner.

Inbal B. Lessner, ACE is an Emmy-nominated and Eddie-winning producer and editor. Prior to her work on STORMY, Inbal was most well-known for such true crime hits as Starz' Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult (2020) and Netflix's Escaping Twin Flames (2023), both of which she co-created alongside her filmmaking partner Cecilia Peck.  As executive producer, showrunner, and editor, Inbal steered both shows towards nominations for Best Edited Documentary (Non-Theatrical) at the ACE Eddie Awards, nabbing a win for the latter. She was previously Eddie-nominated for her work on the "Can We All Get Along" episode of CNN's The Nineties (2017).

Inbal has worked in the cutting rooms of directors such as Davis Guggenheim, Nancy Schwartzman, R.J. Cutler, Kelly Duane, Tricia Regan, Jeremy Simmons, and Tracy Droz Tragos, as well as Natalie Portman's feature directorial debut. A member of the AFI Conservatory faculty, she has also been a Visiting Professor of Film Editing at UNCSA Film School and is a mentor in the Karen Schmeer Diversity in the Edit Room Program.

A multi-award nominated documentary editor with over a decade of experience in the edit suite, Ben has worked on projects for CNN, Peacock, ABC/Hulu, Viceland and MAX.  When he's not cutting docs, he's usually cutting up ingredients in the kitchen, perfecting his favorite dishes.

In our discussion with STORMY editors Inbal B. Lessner, ACE and Ben Kaplan, we talk about:

• Making the most of the Miro board
• "If you can't sum it up, you must cut it out".
• Motorboating your way to authenticity
• Deconstructing one documentary for another
• Stringing together the spine of the story

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Check out the Frame.io blog for an enhanced transcription of The Rough Cut.

Watch the ACE Invisible Art - Visible Artists Panel

Hear editor Inbal B. Lessner ACE discuss cutting SEDUCED: INSIDE THE NXIVM CULT

Learn all about what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY editors Mags, Brenna and Matt had never worked together prior to uniting under showrunner Issa López for the fourth season of the HBO MAX anthology series, but you wouldn't know it from talking to them.  The camaraderie between the three and the fun they have is in stark contrast to the dark and dangerous tone of their hit show.

TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY is set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska and follows the investigation behind the mysterious disappearance, and even more mysterious discovery, of eight men from a research station.  Leading the investigation are two law enforcement officers who share a troubled past, Detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis).

Editor Matt Chessé, ACE often finds himself cutting with frequent collaborator, director Marc Forster.  The pair have been working together since 2000 and have joined forces on such films as; MONSTER'S BALL (2001), FINDING NEVERLAND (2004), THE KITE RUNNER (2007), QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008) and CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (2018).  Matt also cut TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY star, Jodie Foster's film MONEY MONSTER (2016).

Mags Arnold entered the film industry in 1993 as a trainee sound editor, crossing over to picture editing as second assistant editor in 1994. She was promoted to first assistant editor in 1995, working on films such as HIGH FIDELITY (2000) and CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN (2001), both under celebrated editor Mick Audsley. Following her work as an assistant, Mags has cut shows such as WITCHER (2023) and BIG LITTLE LIES (2019).

Brenna is the lone editor on "Night Country" who has past experience with showrunner Issa López, working on the series BRITTANIA (2019) together.  Despite her cheerful demeanor, Bren could often be found in the cutting rooms of horror genre projects like STARVE ACRE (2023), FATHER OF FLIES (2021) and HOST (2020).

In our discussion with TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY editors Mags Arnold, Brenna Rangott and Matt Chessé, ACE, we talk about:

• Fun with field trips
• When the editor is the scene stealer
• Keeping things light when the story's so dark
• Playing the paranormal against the practical
• How "clumping" is better than cross cutting

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Check out the Frame.io blog for an enhanced transcription of The Rough Cut.

Learn all about what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

ANYONE BUT YOU editors Tia Nolan, ACE and Kim Boritz reunite and meet cute once again for a film that has been an absolute box office smash.  In an era where prevailing "wisdom" says that you can't get audiences out to the theaters for a romantic comedy, Tia and Kim's little 25M film has racked up over 200M worldwide!

Loosely based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, ANYONE BUT YOU was directed by Will Gluck, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ilana Wolpert.  The film stars Glen Powell as Ben and Sydney Sweeney as Bea.  Despite having an amazing first date, Bea and Ben's initial attraction quickly turns sour.  When they unexpectedly find themselves at a destination wedding in Australia, the pair pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances.

A seasoned editor in the world of comedies, Tia Nolan has cut such films as FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (2011), HOW TO BE SINGLE (2016), I FEEL PRETTY (2018) and THUNDERFORCE (2021).  Tia's storytelling skills can also be found in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; as an editor on DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2021) and an additional editor on AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2019) and AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2022).

Prior to editing alongside Tia on ANYONE BUT YOU (2023) and THUNDERFORCE (2021), Kim sharpened her skills as an assistant on CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019), THE MEG (2018) and ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016).

In our discussion with ANYONE BUT YOU editors Tia Nolan, ACE and Kim Boritz, we talk about:

• Surviving spiders
• Keeping your leads likeable through conflict
• Breaking the box office with a romcom
• Nailing down the needle drop
• The Richard Marks connection

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Check out the Frame.io blog for an enhanced transcription of The Rough Cut.

Learn all about what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Although ARGYLLE editors Lee Smith ACE and Tom Harrison-Read have never worked together before, they do have a mutual connection in the Matthew Vaughn universe.  It was Eddie Hamilton ACE, Smith's co-editor on Vaughn's X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2011) who recommended that Tom, his former assistant on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION (2015), join the cutting crew for ARGYLLE.  Alongside editor Col Goudie, Smith and Harrison-Read collaborated to realize Vaughn's vision for an action-comedy where the quips come as fast as the cuts.

Known for his work with directors such as Christopher Nolan, Sam Mendes and Peter Weir, Australia-native Lee Smith won an Oscar® and an ACE Eddie award for his work on Nolan's DUNKIRK (2018).  Smith also received Oscar® nominations for his work on MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (2004) and THE DARK KNIGHT (2009).

Prior to his work on ARGYLLE, Tom also edited such features as TOMB RAIDER (2018), IN DARKNESS (2018) and CHILDREN OF THE CORN (2020).  In addition to his work as an editor, Tom has worked as an assistant in the cutting rooms of such notable editors as Anne V. Coates, Kevin Tent ACE, Conrad Buff ACE, Eddie Hamilton ACE, Pietro Scalia ACE, Paul Machliss ACE, Chris Rouse ACE, Rick Pearson ACE and Matt Chessé ACE.

In our discussion with ARGYLLE editors Lee Smith, ACE and Tom Harrison-Read, we talk about:

• Revisiting Chaos
• Cary Grant...action hero?
• How fun wins every time
• A tentative approach to head stomping
• Putting your wrong foot forward

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Check out the Frame.io blog for an enhanced transcription of The Rough Cut.

Learn all about what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

ANATOMY OF A FALL editor Laurent Senechal has been working as an editor since the early 2000s and is well known for his collaborations with Oscar® nominees Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, collaborating with Justine four times (three narrative features, one documentary) and Harari five times (two narrative features including Onoda, 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, opening Un Certain Regard in Cannes 2021, and three shorts) over the course of his career.  For this latest film, Laurent had the pleasure of working with both Triet and Harari, with Justine as director and Arthur as co-writer.

ANATOMY OF A FALL tells the story of a celebrated writer who is put on trial when her husband falls to his death from their secluded chalet.  What starts as a murder investigation soon becomes a gripping journey into the depths of a destructive marriage.  The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, where it won the Palme d’Or.  Anatomy of a Fall also received Oscar® nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay, and won two Golden Globes for Best Non-English Language – Motion Picture and Best Screenplay.

After spending his entire school career in Africa (Congo, Chad, Benin), Laurent studied cinema at the University of Paris 8, where he met director Arthur Harari.  In addition to his Academy Award® for Best Film Editing nomination, he has been nominated for the BAFTA Award and the ACE Eddie for Best Editing, won the European Film Award for Best Editor, and won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Editing.  His other notable work includes Claire Burger’s comedy-drama film Real Love, which won Best Film in the Venice Days section at the 75th Venice International Film Festival in 2019, and Berni Goldblat’s drama film Wallay, which won the European Film Academy’s Young Audience Award in 2018.

In our discussion with ANATOMY OF A FALL editor Laurent Sénéchal, we talk about:

• Joining Justine
• Influencing the audience for unseen characters
• Turning a thriller into Kramer vs Kramer
• Putting a point of view on the flashbacks
• VFX for vomit

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Check out the Frame.io blog for an enhanced transcription of The Rough Cut.

Learn all about what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

The GRISELDA editing team of Joaquin Elizondo and Chris Cavanagh didn't have an easy time finding work when they first made their way to Hollywood, but through a mentor/mentee relationship built on a foundation of trust, they would eventually join forces on another drug war-themed Netflix show, NARCOS: MEXICO.  That NARCOS crew would go on to form the foundation of the team behind GRISELDA.

GRISELDA is directed by Andrés Baiz, produced by Eric Newman and Sofía Vergara, and written by Doug Miro and Ingrid Escajeda.  It stars Vergara as Griselda Blanco, a notorious Colombian drug lord.  The story follows her rise in the Miami drug scene and her pursuit of power and wealth.

Joaquin Elizondo has over 20 years of experience as an editor. He currently works in the world of scripted television shows in Hollywood. His most recent editing credits prior to Griselda include Narcos: Mexico (Netflix), The Hot Zone: Anthrax (NatGeo) and Dark Winds (AMC).  Before arriving in Los Angeles, Joaquin worked in unscripted television for several years in New York City. There he edited content for HBO Sports, NBC, Telemundo, and was the lead editor on Bravo’s late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.  Joaquin majored in Film & Video Studies at the University of Michigan. He grew up in the San Diego-Tijuana border region where he began his career cutting a wide range of projects. They include news, promos, commercials, and documentaries.

In the last few years, Chris has been pursuing his passion for editing scripted stories.  Prior to his work on Griselda, Chris recently served as an editor on NARCOS: MEXICO Season 3 for NETFLIX.  Before that, he was editing as an assistant editor and mentored by top-shelf editors on COBRA KAI for NETFLIX, STAR TREK for PARAMOUNT+, and DARK WINDS for AMC.  Before moving to LA to work in scripted entertainment, Chris edited dozens of unscripted TV shows, documentaries, and indie films in NYC.  When he's not in a cutting room, Chris is playing with his two kids, cooking dinner with his wife, or attempting to complete one of the 7,942 daily tasks required to exist as both a professional and a parent in the 21st century.

In our discussion with the GRISELDA editing team, we talk about:

• Not making NARCOS all over again
• Letting go of the facts to keep things fresh
• Real-time language translation before its time
• Making the most of mentorship
• Doing the director's cut during the assembly

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Read the Rough Cut multimedia blog at Frame.io

See what's new with Avid Media Composer

Get FREE STUFF from Joaquin's Hollywood Editing Mentor program

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

MR. AND MRS. SMITH editor, Greg O'Bryant was not just joining the biggest project of his career with this new Amazon series, but he would also be the "new guy" on a well-oiled machine of storytellers from the tv series, ATLANTA.  Taking the chance really paid off for Greg.  Not only did he get to try his hand at action, but he got to have his name in the credits twice (Greg also co-produced)!

Turning the premise of the 2005 feature film inside out, here John and Jane are two strangers-turned-partners who carry out their spy-like duties under the cover of being married software engineers.  Taking their orders from an unseen task master they call "HiHi", the two learn the ropes of being "Smiths" while learning to love, and somewhat trust, one another.

Prior to working on MR. AND MRS. SMITH, Greg first began his partnership with writer/director Scott Z. Burns on the latter's political drama, THE REPORT (2019).  Greg would also edit an episode of the series, THE LOUDEST VOICE (2019) that Burns helmed.  Most recently, the two collaborated on the Apple TV+ series, EXTRAPOLATIONS (2023).  In addition to his work with Scott Z. Burns, Greg is also a frequent collaborator with show runner, Nick Antosca.  Their partnership first began on CHANNEL ZERO, a SyFy Channel anthology series based on the popular Internet "Creepypastas" Candle Cove, The No-End House and Butcher's Block.  Subsequent projects with Antosca would include Hulu's original series, THE ACT, as well as the Netflix series, BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR.  Greg also edited the tv series, THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE, adapted from the film by Steven Soderbergh.

In our discussion with MR. AND MRS. SMITH editor, Greg O'Bryant, we talk about:

• Using score as your "tonal buoy"
• Turning the tables on the 2005 film of the same name
• Making a relationship sandwich
• How film is a director's medium where tv is a writer's medium
• Where a grumpy p.a. can influence the work

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

View the "augmented reality" version of The Rough Cut at Frame.IO

Check out the free trial of Media Composer | Ultimate

Hear Greg discuss his work on the Netflix series, BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR

Listen to Greg detail his experience cutting the Apple TV+ series, EXTRAPOLATIONS

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Most of the VFX and editing team from Seth MacFarlane's Peacock original series TED should have known what they were in for when they signed on for the show.  Editor and assistant editor Tom Costantino ACE and Justin Ulrich had already been across the universe with MacFarlane for his cult sci-fi favorite, THE ORVILLE.  And VFX and puppeteering vet Blair Clark was the guy behind the bear for the TED feature films, as well as VFX Super for Seth's A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST (2014).  Newcomer Allie Mitchell was not only taking her first tour of duty with Seth, but she was also learning VXF and puppeteering on the job, relying on her background in dance and theater.  Together, the four brought a feature-level quality to Ted's reintroduction on the small screen.

Set in 1993, in between the opening sequence in the feature film, TED (2012), the series depicts the early life of a sentient teddy bear toy named Ted, as he lives with John Bennett and his family in Framingham, Massachusetts.  In addition to John and Ted, the Bennett household includes John's father Matty, his mother Susan, and his cousin, Blaire, who is living with them while attending a college nearby. Ted is soon forced to attend school with John, getting him bullied and in all sorts of trouble.

Editor Tom Costantino is known for his work on; 48 HOURS (2004-15), SCARRED (2007), CSI: MIAMI (2010-12), AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR (2014-15), 9-1-1 (2018-19) and THE ORVILLE (2017-22).

VFX Supervisor and puppeteer, Blair Clark is known for his work on Seth MacFarlane's feature films, as well as HELLBOY (2004), THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (2008) and CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG (2021).

Allie Mitchell is a singer/actor/dancer/silk aerialist/writer/yogi/vegan/brunette/dog-loving native of Austin, TX. Prior to plying her significant performance background in the world of VFX and puppeteering, Allie earned a BFA in Contemporary Musical Theatre and Film.

Aside from being the "secret VFX weapon" in the cutting room, Justin's assistant editing duties can be seen on HOUSE OF CARDS (2018), NOS4A2: GHOST (2019) and THE ORVILLE (2022).

In our discussion with the VFX and editing team from the series Ted, we talk about:

• Looking Back to the Features
• Stuffies and stunt stuffies
• Chrome balls, laser pointers and the trouble with eyelines
• Being a contortionist on set and in the cutting room
• How Stu the Key Grip saved the day

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

See The Rough Cut come to life on the Frame.io blog

See what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

MAESTRO editor Michelle Tesoro is no stranger to cutting movies directed by actors.  In fact, it was while she was working with actor Sean Penn on his film FLAG DAY, that Penn turned to Michelle and told her that he just texted friend Bradley Cooper that she was a "goddess in the cutting room".  Clearly that pitch worked as Cooper entrusted Michelle with the editorial duties for his much-anticipated biopic.

MAESTRO chronicles the fearless love story and complicated lifelong relationship between music legend Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

Michelle Tesoro's most notable works include Netflix's Emmy-winning limited series THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT (2020), directed by Academy Award-nominated Scott Frank, for which she won the 2021 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Tesoro's versatile slate also includes Ava Duvernay’s WHEN THEY SEE US (2019), Sean Penn's FLAG DAY (2021), Focus Features' biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ON THE BASIS OF SEX (2018), and Netflix's Emmy-nominated series by Scott Frank, GODLESS (2017).

Tesoro was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  She graduated from Whitney M. Young High School, studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.  Michelle currently resides in Los Angeles, California and is an active member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE). She is Co-Chair of ACE’s International Relations Committee for which she co-founded ACE’s International Partnership Program. She also sits on the 2023-2025 Board of TEMPO, a federation of international film editors associations.

In our discussion with MAESTRO editor Michelle Tesoro, we talk about:

• Putting together a proof of concept
• When Sean Penn texts his friends about you
• Taking notes from Spielberg and Scorsese
• Quietly doing sound design
• Who the real Maestro is

Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs

Check out the Frame.io blog for an enhanced transcription of The Rough Cut.

Hear Michelle talk about her work on the Netflix hit series, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT

Learn all about what's new with Avid Media Composer

Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode

Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube