Sundance films are among the strongest independent offerings each year, but the 2016 lineup was particularly noteworthy in terms of editing. We put together a powerhouse group of editors to discuss their craft, including Marco Capalbo (Reveries of the Connected World, directed by Werner Herzog); Matt Hannam (Swiss Army Man, co-directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan); Jeanne Applegate (Dark Night, directed by Tim Sutton) and Nels Bangerter (Cameraperson, directed by Kirsten Johnson). In this video, we discuss working with directors, the difference between an invisible and a visible edit, and advice for editors starting out. (Part 1/3)

Nels Bangerter on communicating with a director:

"There is something to be gained from a little genial disagreement."

Marco Capalbo on pacing:

"There's only so much information you can take in and you need to find the points where the audience can just absorb it. You can't keep hitting them over the head with stuff."

Jeanne Applegate on audience participation:

"Any time you can encourage people to make connections on their own rather than leading them from here to here to here...I feel like people like to do a little work — I hope — when watching film."

Matt Hannam on watching handles:

"I try to pay attention to any directions I can catch after they cut or before. I try to catch what's changing because that tells me what they were trying to do."

No Film School's Sundance 2016 Editors Roundtable(L-R): Micah Van Hove, Matt Hannam, Nels Bangerter, Jeanne Applegate, Marco Capalbo


For more, see our complete coverage of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

Sundance 2016 Blackmagic Design

No Film School's video and editorial coverage of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival is sponsored by Blackmagic Design.