On The Spot asked its readers and members of the commercial production industry to identify the top editors working in the business today. After tallying the results of an e-mail poll, plus considerable consultation and a lengthy debate among OTS staffers at the bar at the Four Seasons Hotel, Andy Attalai, Mick Griffin, David Hicks and David Baxter were identified as the top four editors in commercial production. OTS reporter Laura Bracken spoke to the four to find out what it takes to become the best of the best editors.

The finest editors in Canada are storytellers and music lovers, they thrive in a collaborative environment, have a genuine passion for their work, and most have been working in post long enough to remember using grease pencils.

ANDY ATTALAI

Andy Attalai’s contagious enthusiasm for his job has not dwindled in more than 25 years working in the business. He attributes much of his success to an ‘endless fascination’ with both the craft and the intricacies of the industry.

‘The business requires hard work, but also an almost endless amount of creative input and that’s extremely satisfying,’ says Attalai, a partner at Blue Highway in Toronto.

Attalai says his most important skill as an editor is storytelling, which manifests itself in other aspects of his life. When he’s not in the edit suite, Attalai is focused on his writing, or taking photographs on the shores of Lake Simcoe. He says both pursuits are essential to his craft and have helped develop his storytelling techniques by enhancing the visual and narrative aspects of his work.

Attalai was born in Europe, grew up in Argentina, then moved to the States before coming to Canada in his 20s to become a photographer. He ended up working in the lab at a Toronto production company called Art and Design Studios.

‘I was working on the first floor and I noticed they seemed to have a heck of a lot more fun on the second floor where the film department was,’ says Attalai, who after volunteering his services upstairs on weekends became a projectionist, then spent a decade editing at ADS Film.

Andy has watched the editing process progress from film, to tape, to digital. He even edited on a moviola and says he ‘may be the last editor in the city who still remembers how to lace one of those things.’

From Attalai’s perspective, the technological revolution in post-production fundamentally changed the nature of the industry.

‘When I think back to the crappy little things that we could do 20 to 25 years ago compared to now, it’s an astonishing evolution visually,’ he says. ‘In that sense the technological revolution has freed us creatively, and because the technology continues to change, you’re constantly having to learn, which keeps your enthusiasm for the business at a very high level.’

* * *

Paper, rock or scissors?

Rock.

What is your favorite room in the house?

The kitchen. I cook and I listen to the opera on Sundays and, much to the chagrin of my family, I sing along.

What book is on your bedside table?

It’s a Sharpe’s historical novel, Sharpe’s Trafalgar.

Which place in the world would you most like to visit?

India, it remains a place of endless fascination to me.

Where do you go to relax?

Into the woods to take pictures. I like to go up to the shores of Lake Superior, which is a mystical place.

What is your favorite genre of film?

Noir.

What music gets you in the mood?

I’m kind of omnivorous about music, but if it comes right down to [it], it would have to be classical.

Would you wear socks with sandals?

Never! I would never wear socks with sandals.

MICK GRIFFIN

Mick Griffin, partner at Flashcut in Toronto, always takes a spot one step further and has the communication skills to convey his vision clearly to creatives and clients.

‘It is such a political ball game. I spend a lot of time validating what I’ve done or why I’ve done it in a certain way,’ he says. ‘You have to be a smooth political operator, but you don’t want to be seen as operating the room either, you just have to be relaxed and make people feel comfortable.’

For Griffin, a finished project is only almost done. ‘[He] will always go after the best something can be,’ says Mary Beth Odell, one of Griffin’s partners at Flashcut, who explains that his strength as an editor comes from always adding something fresh to a project.

‘We show a spot to the client and they’re happy with it, then they leave for four or five days and I still keep fiddling,’ says Griffin.

Griffin studied film at Ryerson University in Toronto and always wanted to direct or be a cinematographer, but it was the dual nature of editing, part solitary, part social, that drew him to the craft.

‘I like to spend my time cutting the story and I do a lot of things in my cut that are unexpected,’ says Griffin.

Although Griffin has won awards for spots that are visual, like his work for Black Label, he has become known as more of a storyteller throughout his career.

‘I started to excel at storytelling because people would give me stories and I would bring something new to them,’ he says. ‘I like being a storytelling editor because it makes the whole decision process much more finite.’

* * *

Paper, rock or scissors?

Scissors.

What is your favorite room in the house?

The back deck or the living room.

What book is on your bedside table?

The God of Small Things.

Which place in the world would you most like to visit?

Ireland, I think, or Nepal.

Where do you go to relax?

Potash Lake

What is your favorite genre of film?

I used to be into experimental film, but now I’m really enjoying what’s happening to the narrative in some recent films like Memento.

What music gets you in the mood?

I really like all kinds of music, anything with a groove and emotional impact.

Would you wear socks with

sandals?

No, I never would.

DAVID HICKS

After 15 years in the commercial production industry, David Hicks, president of School Editing in Toronto, is one of the country’s most talented editors, but if it wasn’t for developments in digital technology, he might have ended up a chef.

‘I struggled a bit in the tape world because you had to commit to your ideas as you were going along,’ says Hicks. ‘I was [about] to quit. Then Avid came along and I thought, great, this is how my brain works.’

It takes more than the right tools to excel at the craft. On top of being able to read creatives and directors, staying in touch with emerging trends and having confidence, Hicks says a good editor also needs to be able to collaborate well with all sorts of people.

‘It’s a balancing act. Editors kind of walk the line between director and creative team and that’s a very challenging part of the job,’ says Hicks. ‘You could be a great editor, but if you don’t have the personality to go with it, you’re not going to make it in the advertising business.’

Hicks quickly progressed from an assistant at The Partners’ Film Company to starting his own company, Panic & Bob, with partners Andy Ames and David Baxter in 1996.

Hicks’ insight into social predilection drives his comedic style and he attributes much of his success to a keen sense of changing trends.

‘I think we all have the idea that we’re going to have to reinvent ourselves a little bit as we go,’ he says. ‘I’m 40, I don’t feel old at all. I’ve got another 10 years left, but you have to stay current, otherwise you’re done.’

* * *

Paper, rock or scissors?

Rock.

What is your favorite room in the house?

The kitchen.

What book is on your bedside table?

The Last Guide – about the last fishing guide in Algonquin Park.

Which place in the world would you most like to visit?

I would love to go to Nepal and see the Himalayas.

Where do you go to relax?

The cottage, which is just north of Bancroft. I’ve been going there since I was eight years old.

What is your favorite genre of film?

I prefer comedy, I really do. I like What About Bob?

What music gets you in the mood?

The Big Night soundtrack.

Would you wear socks with

sandals?

No.

DAVID BAXTER

David Baxter, who has 16 years experience as an editor, started his own successful editing house six years ago and was honored with the Bob Mann Award for excellence in post-production at the 2002 Bessies, says some parts of the job never get any easier.

‘Still to this day I’m nervous as hell about presenting everything that I do,’ says Baxter. ‘I figure if you lose that, you’ve lost your edge.’

Baxter assisted Mick Griffin for three years at Partners’, where he stayed for 11 as an editor before starting Panic & Bob with Hicks and Ames in 1996.

Moving away from the in-house facility enabled Baxter to work with directors outside of Partners’, which not only helped develop his craft and career, but also altered the focus of his work.

‘Forming Panic & Bob was the biggest turning point in my career. I think getting out into the open market helped elevate my profile in the city and as a result I started to get better work,’ says Baxter. ‘But the best part of the job still is the creative side of cutting, and sometimes you can’t concentrate on that as much as you’d like when you’re trying to run your company as well.’

Baxter tells an entire story through the simplest gesture, like the turn of a head or slight eye movement. For Baxter, the most important skills an editor brings to the craft are attention to detail, the creativity to pick out little movements that drive a story, and a respect for the work.

‘You have to have that ability to hunker down and really put in the hours and give every job its due,’ says Baxter, explaining that editing requires both technical and communication skills. ‘A good editor has to be able to synch with agencies and directors.’

* * *

Paper, rock or scissors?

Scissors.

What is your favorite room in the house?

The deck. I love the outdoors and I love to barbecue.

What book is on your bedside table?

The World According to Garp, I love John Irving.

Which place in the world would you most like to visit?

Italy. I just got footage in today from Italy on a spot that they were shooting there and I’m looking at it thinking, I want to go.

Where do you go to relax?

I run about 50 to 60 k a week [and] find that relaxing.

What is your favorite genre of film?

I actually like the big Hollywood kind of movies…a good classic piece of Hollywood storytelling.

What music gets you in the mood?

I listen to anything from Sting to classical to jazz. Part of the reason I have such a diverse taste in music is the job. We have thousands of CD’s in our library and I’ve gone through all of them.

Would you wear socks with sandals?

No. In fact I’m wearing sandals as we speak and there are no socks to be found anywhere.