By Kavishna Wijesinghe
Ken Blackwell is known for his editorial skills in Hollywood and he has been associated with a lot of popular films of varying genres including, I Shot a Man in Vegas (1995), The Last Sentinel (2007), Friday the 13th (2009), The Expendables (2010), Conan the Barbarian (2011), Ouija (2014), The Nun (2018), and The Grudge (2020). Ken spoke to Junkyard Theory last week about his extensive career in film editing.
Entering the business
Ken revealed that he started small after graduating from New York University, mainly as a cinematographer for a bunch of student films, before he interned for Barbara Kopple: a documentary filmmaker who directed and won the Academy Award for Harlan County USA back in 1976. Ken continued working as a PA editorial intern for Barbara Kopple and revealed that he had many experiences there.
Editing and testing
Ken stated that editing is not a fast process and you need to have a lot of patience to become an editor. “There’s a lot of experimentation processes and ideas because what’s on paper might not work well in the actual situation. The eye for figuring out ways to organise and connect everything is essential.”
He mentioned that he regards his job as a help to the director and the production, as he gives another point of view to enhance the overall quality of the production/ film. Ken said: “It’s always good to have a second set of eyes take a look at something.” It is due to that reason why studios hold preview screenings to determine what works in a movie and what doesn’t.
Ken was the Assistant Digital Effects Editor on Hancock (2008) starring Will Smith. The original beginning of that movie had Will Smith in a bar and two women came in and he took one of them home, where later Will’s character discovers that she’s not even 18 years old. This was changed because of a comment made by a person in the focus group, because a joke that may be funny to some may not be to a lot of other people.
The process of cutting
Ken revealed that they usually have free reign to edit the materials and there are no restrictions put on them by the higher ups per se. He added that editing visual effects is a collaborative process with the VFX department, since they send the clips over, and the finished material they get sent back could sometimes have a few frames at the start or end that could be adjusted to fit the edit if they are good. He also added that visual effects are only included if it is purely required for the scene, but not to appear cool in front of the audience.
When questioned about music, Ken said that it has a special ability to enhance a scene or cover up a scene that might not necessarily work. Generally, when editing, music comes afterwards, but Ken’s goal is to make the scenes work without music, so that it is successful.
He explained that he begins each movie with a clean slate irrespective of the genre. He reads the film a couple of times before starting and then breaks it down into chunks. He claims that he has always kept in mind to fit the director’s vision and adding his perspective has always been to make it come to life or to add something more to it, never to stray away from it.
Also, he mentioned that as a team they assured to preserve the quality of the whole genre of The Conjuring series when they edited The Nun (2018) so that it would stick to its genre and people would enjoy it.
Joining a production
Ken stated that joining a production may differ based on the production and its situation. For some productions, they get called in immediately and for others, it’s weeks after they’ve started shooting. Ken also states that it’s important to think ahead of time and call an editor, because the process would be much easier and it will benefit the whole production. When working with co-editors, they divide the work among them and work on it together while preserving the overall feel.
Advice for youngsters
Ken encourages young enthusiasts who love editing to start out from wherever you are, and seek out film schools, as they hire people to edit their student projects, which is a good start place.
Also, it is important to “keep doing it”. Learning new skills and adjustments would enhance your quality of work. Therefore, keep practicing! Meet new people and extend your network.
The full interview with Ken is available on the Junkyard Theory YouTube channel.
Junkyard Theory is Sri Lanka’s first and only film education platform that brings on veteran filmmakers from Hollywood as guest speakers. Their webinars, hosted by Akash Sunethkumara, have been recognised on industry sites such as ‘No Film School’, and the team now runs film courses for upcoming filmmakers in the country.
Ken Blackwell is known for his editorial skills in Hollywood and he has been associated with a lot of popular films of varying genres including, I Shot a Man in Vegas (1995), The Last Sentinel (2007), Friday the 13th (2009), The Expendables (2010), Conan the Barbarian (2011), Ouija (2014), The Nun (2018), and The Grudge (2020). Ken spoke to Junkyard Theory last week about his extensive career in film editing.
Entering the business
Ken revealed that he started small after graduating from New York University, mainly as a cinematographer for a bunch of student films, before he interned for Barbara Kopple: a documentary filmmaker who directed and won the Academy Award for Harlan County USA back in 1976. Ken continued working as a PA editorial intern for Barbara Kopple and revealed that he had many experiences there.
Editing and testing
Ken stated that editing is not a fast process and you need to have a lot of patience to become an editor. “There’s a lot of experimentation processes and ideas because what’s on paper might not work well in the actual situation. The eye for figuring out ways to organise and connect everything is essential.”
He mentioned that he regards his job as a help to the director and the production, as he gives another point of view to enhance the overall quality of the production/ film. Ken said: “It’s always good to have a second set of eyes take a look at something.” It is due to that reason why studios hold preview screenings to determine what works in a movie and what doesn’t.
Ken was the Assistant Digital Effects Editor on Hancock (2008) starring Will Smith. The original beginning of that movie had Will Smith in a bar and two women came in and he took one of them home, where later Will’s character discovers that she’s not even 18 years old. This was changed because of a comment made by a person in the focus group, because a joke that may be funny to some may not be to a lot of other people.
The process of cutting
Ken revealed that they usually have free reign to edit the materials and there are no restrictions put on them by the higher ups per se. He added that editing visual effects is a collaborative process with the VFX department, since they send the clips over, and the finished material they get sent back could sometimes have a few frames at the start or end that could be adjusted to fit the edit if they are good. He also added that visual effects are only included if it is purely required for the scene, but not to appear cool in front of the audience.
When questioned about music, Ken said that it has a special ability to enhance a scene or cover up a scene that might not necessarily work. Generally, when editing, music comes afterwards, but Ken’s goal is to make the scenes work without music, so that it is successful.
He explained that he begins each movie with a clean slate irrespective of the genre. He reads the film a couple of times before starting and then breaks it down into chunks. He claims that he has always kept in mind to fit the director’s vision and adding his perspective has always been to make it come to life or to add something more to it, never to stray away from it.
Also, he mentioned that as a team they assured to preserve the quality of the whole genre of The Conjuring series when they edited The Nun (2018) so that it would stick to its genre and people would enjoy it.
Joining a production
Ken stated that joining a production may differ based on the production and its situation. For some productions, they get called in immediately and for others, it’s weeks after they’ve started shooting. Ken also states that it’s important to think ahead of time and call an editor, because the process would be much easier and it will benefit the whole production. When working with co-editors, they divide the work among them and work on it together while preserving the overall feel.
Advice for youngsters
Ken encourages young enthusiasts who love editing to start out from wherever you are, and seek out film schools, as they hire people to edit their student projects, which is a good start place.
Also, it is important to “keep doing it”. Learning new skills and adjustments would enhance your quality of work. Therefore, keep practicing! Meet new people and extend your network.
The full interview with Ken is available on the Junkyard Theory YouTube channel.
Junkyard Theory is Sri Lanka’s first and only film education platform that brings on veteran filmmakers from Hollywood as guest speakers. Their webinars, hosted by Akash Sunethkumara, have been recognised on industry sites such as ‘No Film School’, and the team now runs film courses for upcoming filmmakers in the country.