Make It To Air in Style With the Iconic Music Editing of 'Saturday Night'

Saturday Night Live is a special show. As a 50 year-running comedy variety show it isn't without its critics, but I'd hope even they can appreciate the amount of love and care that goes into a show this challenging to pull off (for 50 years!)

We might take that for granted nowadays, which is why I was a big fan of the choice to frame the production nightmare leading up to the premiere episode of SNL in Jason Reitman's ode, Saturday Night.

Saturday Night is told in realtime, and very much a vibe. From the grainy visual aesthetic to the energetic ensemble cast, once it gets going it doesn't stop until our heroes get to air. One of the key elements of this chaotic vibe was the intricate score and music editing that thread the needle through the breakneck story.

Something particularly cool is that Jon Batiste recorded the score live on set during production—a feat that is both insanely impressive and certainly challenging (i.e. vibe). Between this and studio sessions, there was reportedly over seven hours of music to work with in post. How do you manage to integrate and collaborate with so much music?

Enter Music Editor Chris Newlin.

We were lucky enough to chat with Chris about the art of music editing and some of the extremely interesting challenges that arose working on Saturday Night specifically. Find your llama and check out our interview below.

Cast of 'Saturday Night' as the cast of 'Saturday Night Live'

Editor's Note: the following interview is edited for length and clarity.

No Film School: What was your approach to editing the music for Saturday Night?

Chris Newlin: First and foremost, I asked myself—how do I support and tell this story with Jon Batiste’s amazing score, while keeping the tension and pacing up without it ever becoming too much or getting in the way? That started with finding the optimal way to organize and utilize Jon’s tracks so they could best be applied to picture.

Jason Reitman, our director, also wanted as much control over the score in the edit as possible. Being that there was microphone bleed due to all the instruments being recorded mostly live on set in Atlanta, I decided to go through all of the tracks that Jon recorded and build “toolkits” that could be utilized while working with Jason. These toolkits, combined with the original takes, allowed for further shaping of the score to story and picture. The sessions in Atlanta, combined with sessions in New York and LA, amounted to over seven hours of material.

NFS: Did you work closely with the editor and composer? Tell me a little about this collaboration if so.

Newlin: The music editorial was a very close collaboration between myself, both picture editors (Nathan Orloff and Shane Reid), and Jason—who had a very clear vision of what he wanted the music to sound like and accomplish in this film. Jason worked closely with Jon on set and in the recording sessions to achieve that sound compositionally. It was then my job to help facilitate what worked best where and to help shape the music to picture with Jason, Nathan, and Shane. There was some trial and error, particularly at first.

But really, we all quickly settled in and got on the same page, as it was clear that Jon’s music just wanted to jump right on to the screen. Watching Jon work in the recording sessions was like magic. His talent, vision and innovation cannot be understated.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

NFS: Considering so much of Saturday Night's story is driven through is the claustrophobic nature of the sound design, how did you approach this to enhance the tension?

Newlin: With this film, it all came down to tempo and feel for me. I never wanted the music to be too polished or precise, and it was important to maintain some of the rough edges and imperfections that made it feel both live and alive.

That said, there isn’t a frame of music that wasn’t carefully considered or thought over. The nature of the score Jon recorded also allowed for sound and music to work in tandem, as it was mostly percussion driven and not too dense. All of this was further enhanced by Tom Ozanich and Will Files, our dub mixers. The mix is so dynamic, immersive, and fun, and I love the hand offs we have between music and sound. Particularly in scenes like when Neil Levy gets high and is looking for John Belushi. It allows all that chaos to exist without ever losing sight of the story or drive to the goal…make it to air!

NFS: Out of curiosity, are you an SNL fan and did your relationship with the show contribute to your process?

Newlin: I’ve been an SNL fan my entire life. I remember watching a lot of the early cast sketches along with the “Best of Eddie Murphy” on VHS and reruns with my family (particularly my Dad). I was way too young to get half or more of the jokes, but I loved James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub, Blues Brothers, Land Shark, Mr. Bill, and of course both the house band and musical guests.

I later grew up watching the Sandler/Farley years and crossing into the Ferrell and Wig eras pretty religiously. And I still watch the current seasons today. I would have to imagine that all of that history and lore seeped into my process in some way? It certainly made me appreciate the care and detail that Jason and Gil put into the script, and the passion the entire cast and crew brought in their respective roles—all of which was incredibly inspiring and pushed me to bring that same energy and effort from my end.

NFS: Outside of Saturday Night, what is your typical workflow when music editing for features?

Newlin: Every project comes with its own unique set of tasks, workflows, and challenges. But generally, it’s a similar process. Will I be temp scoring? If so, then I start to build a library based on the script, footage, and/or conversations with the director and producers, or composer (if one has been hired).

If I’m coming on to support the composer, then I build a cue database for the music team to utilize and keep track of the process and become the liaison between editorial and the composer’s team, as well as weighing in on what themes and motifs can be utilized throughout the film. There are also times when I come on closer to the end of post production, where my main job is focused on getting the music prepped and over the finish line through the dub mix process.

Every job is some version of that, with specific variations and circumstances that force you to think outside of the box. It’s part of the reason I love this job. It never gets dull or boring!

'Saturday Night' post team

NFS: Were there any particular challenges on Saturday Night that were irregular?

Newlin: Saturday Night certainly was one of the most unique projects I have ever been lucky enough to be a part of in terms of process; notably in the fact that Jon scored the film live on set, as mentioned, and how that music was applied to picture.

Also, our final score was essentially our “temp score”. From the start of post, the picture editors and myself were able to work with Jon’s music, and it quickly became part of the DNA, informing the story, picture cuts and more. It really is the pulse of the film…part of the ticking clock that is our villain in the story.

NFS: What was your relationship with Jason Reitman working on this project?

Newlin: This was my first time working with Jason, and he was fantastic. As I stated earlier, we thankfully seemed to be on the same page right from the start. I am so lucky to have been able to help facilitate his vision for the music of this film, both with Jon’s amazing score and the incredible needle drops we have in the movie—most (and possibly all) of which Jason found by the way! He has fantastic taste and a very musical ear/background. It really felt like he not only trusted my sensibilities from start to finish, but also valued my input and contributions, which is everything you could ask for when working with a director.

Hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity to do it again sooner, rather than later.

Chris Newlin cutting in the dock of his bay

NFS: Any advice for aspiring sound editors?

Newlin: If you want to edit music, know as many film scores as possible (or music in general to be honest). The bigger the library is in your head, the better you’ll be at this job. Know story and how to tell it through your craft. Reach out to people working in the business - ask good questions, find ways to be helpful and know how/when to not get in the way.

And, most importantly, you’ve got to love film/tv. This industry is not for the weak of mind, body, or spirit, and it will try you in every way! That said, I love it and don’t know what else I could/would do.

Oh, and know pro tools.