Peer Review: Stacy Peterson

Who are three contemporaries that you admire?

Joi McMillon, who went from working on reality TV to editing breathtaking work with director Barry Jenkins – proof that you never know where the universe might take you. Extra shoutout to her editing on the wild fever dream ride that is the movie Zola.

Editing is a collaborative art, and I’ve learned over time that you need to know when to flex your ego and when to check it at the door.

Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall. The meticulousness of their work with David Fincher is both intimidating and awe-inspiring.

At the risk of sounding maximum-cheese, I’m also going to say my fellow editors at Cut+Run are some of the most creative, intuitive, and hilarious people on the planet.

Above: Aftersun, “Under Pressure” scene. 

Please share 3-4 pieces of work that exemplify great editing. 

Aftersun, “Under Pressure” scene:

The whole movie is brilliant at manipulating memory and revealing truths, but over the past ten or so years, I’d struggle to name a specific moment that devastated me more than this one. Blending the heart-wrenching last dance of a girl and her dad with a harsh strobing rave nightmare, the scene pays off the film to such great effect that it almost feels like a minor miracle.

(Although it stands strong on its own, I recommend not watching this for the first time outside of the context of the full film.)

Who would hire a kid they’d never heard of based on a fax from their dentist? I gave him my resume anyway. Several weeks later, I started as a runner at Final Cut.

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

Documentaries are written and shaped in the edit bay, and this series is a landmark of the medium. Voices of residents, activists, artists, politicians, and reporters layer together, creating a Greek chorus of sorrow and anger. It’s a love letter to New Orleans. It’s a primal scream. It’s a funeral dirge. What impresses me most is how the series tackles such a sprawling array of topics, from the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to racial and economic disparity to moment-by-moment governmental failures, even indulging in conspiracy theories, without ever losing touch with humanity. And that humanity is where the editing soars.

Goodyear, Still commercial:

Sometimes an edit just oozes swagger, and this is it, man. The music, the pacing, the starts-and-stops turn decades of archival footage into a sixty-second monster. Honestly, I imagine the creative process was painful at times, yet it doesn’t matter. I’ll forever be envious I didn’t cut it myself.

What was your journey to becoming an editor?

I could talk about the movies I watched growing up or the sleepless nights spent on the sofa watching music videos. Instead, I’ll tell you an absurd but true story: After college, I moved to

New York with zero plan. First, I worked at a hole-in-the-wall video store (until I got robbed at knife-point). Then at Lee’s Art Shop on 57th Street (RIP). One day, I woke up with a toothache, and my flatmate recommended his dentist. The dentist asked me what I hoped to do for a living. I told him I wanted to be a film editor. Turned out he had several clients from the same edit house and said if I brought in my resume, he’d fax it over. Which I thought was hilarious. Who would hire a kid they’d never heard of based on a fax from their dentist? I gave him my resume anyway. Several weeks later, I started as a runner at Final Cut.

In every film I work on, I take it as a great responsibility to honour the story I’m telling and the people in it.

What do you like most about the work that you do?

Making someone feel something through the art of storytelling. Can’t beat it.

AboveL Stacy Peterson

Where does your passion for telling human stories come from?

I felt like an alien for most of my childhood. Movies, television, music videos, books – those were the places I felt seen. In every film I work on, I take it as a great responsibility to honour the story I’m telling and the people in it.

What is one thing all editors need?

Editing is a collaborative art, and I’ve learned over time that you need to know when to flex your ego and when to check it at the door.

Editors remain in constant dialogue with directors, agency creatives, and clients.

Who was the greatest editor of all time? Why?

This is an impossible question, made worse by the fact that I’m terrible at picking favourites. Best meal? I could list dozens. Greatest movie? Changes daily. But since David Lynch has been on my mind lately, I’ll say Mary Sweeney. Her deft tonal juggling helped birth a cinematic language all of its own. The slow, patient building of dread. Using pacing and performance to mix surrealism, comedy, and horror. I probably think about Mulholland Drive once a week. Ask me this question again tomorrow, though, and I’m certain I’ll give a different answer.

Above: Scene from Mulholland Drive.