Ep. 57: Understanding the Art of Film Editing

TIFF Long Take

Editing is one of the most integral parts of any film, yet a good editor often doesn’t receive the level of recognition that a director, cinematographer, or composer would. To take a closer look at the often unappreciated craft Rob and Geoff sit down with one of the best film editors working today, Tatiana S. Riegel. Over her 30 year career Riegel has worked on a number of beloved films including Pulp Fiction, There Will Be Blood, and Lars and The Real Girl, and recently won an Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for an Oscar for editing I, Tonya.

Riegel talks about how she fell into the business of editing, her collaborations with filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Craig Gillespie, and why being a successful editor comes down to being able to navigate a lot of very different personalities.

She also discusses why audience screenings are so crucial to her job, and why, despite a large disparity, women have historically had more opportunities in the field editing than they have in other disciplines like cinematography or directing.