The Rough Cut

Editor – Greg O'Bryant Tuner editor Greg O'Bryant returns to the podcast to discuss cutting a film that is part crime thriller, part romance, part character study, part music movie and part very compelling argument for keeping your ears covered in New York City. Directed by Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher, Tuner stars Leo Woodall as Niki, a gifted piano tuner whose hypersensitive hearing makes every day sound almost unbearable. That same extraordinary hearing also gives Niki an unexpected talent for cracking safes, pulling him from a quiet life of tuning pianos into an increasingly dangerous criminal world. The film also stars Dustin Hoffman as Harry, Niki's mentor, Havana Rose Liu as Ruthie, a young composer, along with Lior Raz, Jean Reno and Tovah Feldshuh. One of the biggest challenges on Tuner was the sheer amount of footage. Roher shot a large volume of material over a short production schedule, giving Greg and his assistant a mountain of performances, musical material, safe-cracking details and improvisation to shape into the final film. Greg discusses how he approached that process by focusing on subjectivity — using the edit to put the audience inside Niki's experience rather than simply moving through the plot. Sound was another major topic of conversation. Because Niki experiences the world through hyper-sensitive hearing, the editorial and sound teams had to build a language for when the audience enters his point of view. Which meant figuring out how much of that experience to hear, and how to make the effect clear without making it punishing. O'Bryant also talks about working with sound designer Johnnie Burn, composer Will Bates and executive music producer Marius de Vries to balance the film's sound design, live music and score. GREG O'BRYANT Greg O'Bryant is an editor whose credits include the feature film The Report, as well as the television series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Extrapolations and Brand New Cherry Flavor. A frequent collaborator with filmmakers including Scott Z. Burns and Nick Antosca, Greg's work often explores stories with complex tone, subjective experience and ambitious sound and visual design. Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs. Hear Greg discuss his work on BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR. Listen to Greg detail his experience cutting the Apple TV+ series EXTRAPOLATIONS. Hear Greg talk about cutting the Amazon Prime Video series MR. AND MRS. SMITH. Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode. Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube.

Spider-Noir Editors – Jennifer Barbot, ACE; Tirsa Hackshaw, ACE; Eric Kissack, ACE and Geraud Brisson, ACE Although the editors of Spider-Noir may have all arrived at the series through different paths, they quickly found themselves working toward the same goal: shaping a superhero story that functions first and foremost as a noir detective tale. For Jennifer Barbot, Tirsa Hackshaw, Eric Kissack, and Geraud Brisson, that meant balancing 1930s atmosphere, modern pacing, dry comedy, stylized action, and the very particular energy of a Nicolas Cage performance. Created by Oren Uziel for MGM+ and Prime Video, Spider-Noir stars Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York who is pulled back into his former life as the city's only superhero, The Spider. The series also stars Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Jack Huston and Brendan Gleeson, and is presented in both "Authentic Black and White" and "True-Hue Full Color" versions. For the editors, that dual-format release created one of the show's most interesting creative and technical challenges. The editors primarily cut in black and white, leaning into the shadows, contrast and classic noir language of the series, while visual effects reviews often revealed the same scenes in color. The result was a show that could feel emotionally different depending on which version was being watched, even when the underlying performance, rhythm and story remained the same. JENNIFER BARBOT, ACE Jennifer Barbot is an editor whose credits include Your Honor, Raised by Wolves, The Man in the High Castle, Jessica Jones and Dope Thief. On Spider-Noir, Jennifer was drawn to the show's mix of noir style, superhero mythology and emotional character work, as well as the opportunity to help establish the tone of a world that had to feel both period-inspired and contemporary. TIRSA HACKSHAW, ACE Tirsa Hackshaw, ACE has worked across a wide range of television and film projects, including One Piece, Kung Fu, Jupiter's Legacy, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and The Punisher. Having previously worked with Steve Lightfoot on Marvel's The Punisher, Tirsa came to Spider-Noir with both a love of the noir genre and a deep appreciation for the Spider-Verse, making the show a natural fit for her interests as an editor. ERIC KISSACK, ACE Eric Kissack, ACE is an editor and director whose work includes The Good Place, Veep, Black Monday, Rutherford Falls, Pam & Tommy and The Studio. He has also edited feature comedies such as Role Models, Brüno, Cedar Rapids, The Dictator, Horrible Bosses 2, Daddy's Home, Instant Family, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar and Bottoms. On Spider-Noir, Eric was especially interested in the show's dry, organic comedy and in finding a rhythm that allowed the humor to breathe without undercutting the detective story. GERAUD BRISSON, ACE Geraud Brisson, ACE is a French-American film and television editor whose credits include CODA, The OA, Counterpart, This Close, Shantaram and Lessons in Chemistry. Having previously worked with Steve Lightfoot on Shantaram, Geraud was excited by the chance to explore a superhero-oriented story through the lens of noir. His work on Spider-Noir included sequences that blended action, subjective sound, visual effects and classic film references into the show's distinctive style. Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Hear Eric discuss his work on THE STUDIO Listen to Geraud discuss cutting Best Picture Oscar-winner CODA Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Editor - Brian Philip Davis Hokum editor Brian Philip Davis teams up once more with director Damian McCarthy. Prior to this film the two joined forces to craft McCarthy's supernatural thriller, Oddity. This time out, they double down on the dread and jack up the jump scares to keep audiences on the edge of, and often a few feet above, their seats. Written and directed by Damian McCarthy, Hokum stars Adam Scott as novelist Ohm Bauman. When Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents' ashes, he's consumed by tales of a witch that haunts the honeymoon suite. Soon, disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront dark corners of his past. BRIAN PHILIP DAVIS Brian Philip Davis is known for his work in genre cinema, with films showcased at major festivals including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, TIFF, FrightFest, and Fantastic Fest. He has a strong ability to work across multiple genres—from horror to comedy—bringing a confident balance of tone that allows each project to feel cohesive, engaging, and distinctive. In addition to Damian McCarthy's Hokum, Brian's upcoming working also includes The Incomer, a folk comedy (starring Domhnall Gleeson), written and directed by Louis Paxton and winner of the Sundance Film Festival NEXT Innovator Award 2026. Additional titles include Oddity, Bad Day for the Cut, Boys from County Hell, The Occupant, Here Before, and The Devil's Doorway. He is a member of Irish Screen Editors, British Film Editors, and BAFTA, and is represented by UTA. Visit Extreme Music for the new Extreme Music extension for Avid Media Composer See which Avid Media Composer is right for you Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Editor - Evan Schiff ACE Frankenstein editor Evan Schiff ACE first began his journey as an assistant editor on Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (2006). Over the next, nearly two decades, Evan would establish himself as an action movie editor to be reckoned with. He would flex his cutting chops on films like John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) and Bob Odenkirk's action debut, Nobody (2021). Evan would also drop by the MCU to cut The Marvels (2023). But to hear Evan tell it, it was hardly his skills as an action editor that would prompt Del Toro to hire his former assistant editor to cut Frankenstein. Produced, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, and based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein stars Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, and Christoph Waltz. The film follows the life of egotistical scientist Victor Frankenstein whose experiment in creating new life results in dangerous consequences when his monstrous creation comes to life. EVAN SCHIFF ACE (In Evan's own words...) Originally from Syracuse, NY, I started my career in the film industry at the age of 16, between my junior and senior years of high school, with an internship at Stan Winston Studio (now Legacy EFX). After graduating from high school and being accepted into USC's film production program, SWS hired me back to do tech support as their Systems Administrator and eventually their in-house VFX Editor. I worked there part-time for all four years of college and full-time for one year after. While at USC, I got bit by the editing bug. I found that, even more than creature or visual effects, I loved sitting in the editing bay for hours on end putting my student films together. So a year after graduation, and five years after starting my job at Stan Winston's, I started to pursue editing full-time. It was slow at first, but eventually I got my first few jobs as an assistant editor, and things took off from there. The Credits Visit Extreme Music for the new Extreme Music panel for Avid Media Composer Hear Evan's interview for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum See which Avid Media Composer is right for you Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Editor - Andy Jurgensen One Battle After Another editor Andy Jurgensen came into his new film already "battle" tested with director Paul Thomas Anderson's unique film-based workflow. Shoot film. Print film dailies. Screen film dailies. Create digital workprint. Cut in Avid. Conform negative. But Paul loves a challenge, so he decided to not only make "One Battle" the first IMAX film presented entirely in the 1.43:1 ratio, but he also resurrected the VistaVision format for the first time in sixty years. Luckily, Andy loves a challenge too. One Battle After Another stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob, a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis, Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn), resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts. ANDY JURGENSEN Andy Jurgensen has worked with director Paul Thomas Anderson since their time together on Inherent Vice (2014). At that time, Andy was first assistant editor to Leslie Jones ACE. From there Andy served as associate editor to Dylan Tichenor ACE on Anderson's Phantom Thread (2017). Andy finally got his big break as a lead editor for Anderson's Licorice Pizza (2021). In addition to his work with Paul Thomas Anderson, Andy has also served as an assistant editor on a number of films with director Jay Roach, including The Campaign (2012), Trumbo (2015) and Bombshell (2019). The Credits Visit Extreme Music for the new Extreme Music panel for Avid Media Composer Hear Andy's interview on Licorice Pizza See which Avid Media Composer is right for you Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Editors - Julie Cohen ACE and David Rogers ACE The Paper editors Julie Cohen and David Rogers first began collaborating on another Greg Daniels series, Space Force. Although that series was not in the same "mock doc" format as The Paper, David's first show with Daniels was. And that series was The Office, where he served as both editor and director. Both Julie and David felt at home with The Paper's faux documentary format however, with David having worked on The Office and Julie receiving multiple Emmy nominations for her work on the unscripted series, Project Runway. The Paper follows up on the story from The Office, as the documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch discovers a disappearing Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters. This mockumentary follows the daily lives and struggles of dreamers in love with journalism, and their less-than-competent co-workers, trying to deliver accurate news without the resources or training to do a great job. JULIE COHEN ACE Julie Cohen "loves to edit!" and considers herself lucky to have done it a lot over the last twenty years. She's edited across genres: documentary, reality, comedy, drama, sometimes all at once. Highlights include Project Runway, On Becoming a God in Central Florida, and Space Force. Most recently, she edited a bunch of episodes of Hulu's Tell Me Lies, starting with the pilot and including both season finales. DAVID ROGERS ACE David Rogers wanted to be a director since seeing Superman The Movie at the age of 8, and shot videos and films throughout high school and college. Following that he would move to L.A. and work as an Assistant Editor and then Editor on such shows as Seinfeld, NewsRadio, Andy Richter Controls The Universe, Entourage, The Comeback, and The Office. David started directing on The Office and directed shows like Parks and Recreation and The Mindy Project, where he also served as Co-Executive Producer. David is also the owner of a huge Superman collection and a Knight Rider replica which he's currently in the process of modifying. The Credits Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Enter AGBO'S No Sleep 'til Film Fest Competition Check out what's new with Avid Media Composer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube

Director, Richard Shepard and Editor, Adam Lichtenstein FILM GEEK isn't just another notch on the IMDB belts of director, Richard Shepard and his friend and editor, Adam Lichtenstein. This is the story of Richard's cinematic "life" and the mysterious father who was his guide into that world. Deftly incoroporating clips from over 200 movies of the 70's and early 80's, FILM GEEK chronicles Richard's introduction and absorption into films both classic and forgotten, between the ages of 6 and 18. From there, Richard would make the transition from amateur 8MM auteur, to being an "all-in" film student at NYU, where he would begin his over thirty-year friendship and collaboration with Adam. And it is Adam whom Richard credits as drawing out the more personal aspects of his journey in FILM GEEK, most notably the story of his complicated but caring father. RICHARD SHEPARD Richard Shepard is an Emmy and DGA-winning director/writer whose feature films include the Golden Globe nominated The Matador starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear, Dom Hemingway starring Jude Law and Richard E. Grant, and The Perfection starring Allison Williams and Logan Browning which was named one of the best horror films of the year by Rolling Stone, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and New York Magazine. In his career, Shepard has directed ten television pilots to pick-up including Criminal Minds, now entering its 17th season; Ugly Betty for which Shepard won the Director's Guild award and Emmy award; the Golden Globe and Emmy nominated Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist; and Acapulco for Apple, now in its third season. Through its six seasons, Shepard directed twelve episodes of the Golden Globe winning HBO series Girls, including the controversial "American Bitch" episode for which Matthew Rhys received an Emmy nomination, as well as several Emmy nominated episodes of The Handmaid's Tale. He recently directed the final two episodes of the multiple Emmy nominated Welcome to Chippendales a Hulu limited series. Shepard's short film Tokyo Project starring Elisabeth Moss and Ebon Moss-Bachrach premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was bought by HBO, and his HBO documentary I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale was nominated for an Emmy award. ADAM LICHTENSTEIN Born with a natural love for time code, Adam showed an early preference for non-drop frame, then rose through the editorial ranks pretending to enjoy sports, overusing terms like "shots on goal", "swish", "in your face" and "that's what I'm talking about" without the slightest idea what he was talking about. The Credits Visit ExtremeMusic for all your production audio needs Listen to Adam's podcast about the post workflow for Jury Duty Check out what's new with Avid Media Composer Subscribe to The Rough Cut podcast and never miss an episode Visit The Rough Cut on YouTube