Jay-Z for One Day

August 6, 2009

I edited a commercial spot and short film with filmmaker Spike Lee for Rocawear featuring hip-hop performer and entrepreneur Jay-Z.

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Evolution of a Criminal

June 30, 2009

Finally back from the June Sundance Labs and I’m hoping back into producer/editor mode on this amazing project below with close friend and collaborator Darius Clark Monroe.

Evolution of a Criminal Trailer from CuriousEdit on Vimeo.

The film is being directed by Darius Monroe and was shot by Daniel Patterson.

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Attending Professional Editor Panel/Workshop

June 2, 2009

I’ve been invited to attend a really exciting workshop/panel for professional editors. I’ll be attending June 12th and 13th. It looks really amazing and they’ve assembled a great group of editors for the panels. Here’s an excerpt from the website below:

Presented by American Cinema Editors (ACE) and Manhattan Edit Workshop (Mewshop), EditFest NY will deliver vital insight into the role and process of the editor as a critical part of any creative team…

…Oscar winners. Oscar nominees. Emmy nominees. Emmy winners. Comedy Editors. Box Office mega-hit editors. Dramatic editors. Action editors. They’ll all be at EditFest NY – interacting with an audience of working professionals, motivated students and rising stars who have embraced EditFest NY as a key learning opportunity.

The President of ACE, Randy Roberts, ACE, will be traveling to New York to emcee the event. Randy is an editor and producer (Law & Order, SVU,) as well as a leading voice in ACE.

Here’s a list panel topics:

“Breaking Into the Editing Business”

“What’s so Funny: The Art of Cutting Comedy”

“The Documentary Edit: The Process of Discovering the Truth”

“Small Screen, Big Picture: Editing Television”

“From Dailies to Delivery: Feature Editing”

Confirmed panelists:

Michael Berenbaum (Sex and the City, the series and the motion picture) – Emmy™ Winner

Scott Brock (Blue Road, Twisted Dreams and Assistant Editor – The Departed)

Robert Eisenhardt (Valentino: The Last Emperor, Shut Up and Sing) – Oscar™ Nominee, Emmy™ Winner

Ken Eluto (30 Rock, Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street) – Emmy™ Nominee

Tom Haneke (American Dream, The American Experience) – Emmy™ Winner

Brian Kates (The Savages, The Woodsman)

Anna McCabe (Possible Side Effects, Adventureland)

Craig McKay (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) – Oscar™ Nominee

Bill Pankow (Carlito’s Way, The Untouchables)

Lee Percy (Boy’s Don’t Cry, The Believer, Taking Chance, Maria Full of Grace)

Sam Pollard (4 Little Girls, When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts) – Emmy™ Winner, Oscar™ Winner

Jay Rabinowitz (Requiem for a Dream, I’m Not There, 8 Mile)

Meg Reticker (30 Rock, Big Love) – Emmy™ Nominee

Stephen Rotter (Enchanted, The Right Stuff) – Oscar™ Winner

Kate Sanford (The Wire, Kings)

Karen Schmeer (The Sketches of Frank Gehry, The Fog of War)

Thelma Schoonmaker (The Departed, Goodfellas, Raging Bull) – Oscar™ Winner

Larry Silk (Pumping Iron, Marjoe, The Burning Wall) – Emmy™ Nominee

Tim Squyres (Rachel Getting Married,Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Syriana) – Oscar™ Nominee

Troy Takaki (Fool’s Gold, Desperate Housewives, Ally McBeal, Sweet Home Alabama)

Chris Tellefsen (Capote, Kids, Gummo)

Jeffrey Wolf (The Longshots, Cecil B. Demented, Billy Madison)

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“Do Right” 20 Years Later

May 26, 2009

Looks like the “Do The Right Thing” blu-ray DVD will be released soon. The LA Times just posted an article where they used a lot of the quotes from the special features documentary I edited with Spike. If you get a chance check out the article and/or DVD and let me know what you think about the doc.

Here’s the link to the LA Times article.

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Sundance Screenwriters Lab

April 27, 2009

I’m extremely excited to announce I’ve been selected to attend the upcoming Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters Lab with my feature film script, The American People in June.

Deep in the heart of Alabama Wiregrass country, a woman haunted by visions of the future struggles to find hope when a shattering loss fractures her family.

The script is based on true events and will be my feature film writing/directing debut.

excerpts from the press release:

“Since 1981, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (FFP) has supported more than 450 independent filmmakers whose distinctive, singular work has engaged audiences worldwide…

…Each year, up to 25 emerging filmmakers from the U.S. and around the world participate in a year-round continuum of support…

…ongoing creative and strategic advice, significant production and postproduction resources, a rough-cut screening initiative, a Screenplay Reading Series, and direct financial support through project-specific grants and artist fellowships…

In many cases, the Institute has helped the Program’s fellows attach producers and talent, secure financing, and assemble other significant resources to move their projects toward production and presentation.”

“Over its 28 year history, the program has supported an extensive list of leading independent filmmakers and films including Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre, Sophie Barthes’ Cold Souls, So Yong Kim’s Treeless Mountain, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s Half Nelson, Josh Marston’s Maria Full of Grace, Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry, Walter Salles’ Central Station, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight, Tamara Jenkins’ Slums of Beverly Hills, and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.”

complete Labs Alumni List.

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Script Workshop/Reading for “The American People”

April 19, 2009

I’m working on my 2nd draft and wanted to bring together a group of friends/actors who have some experience with good old fashion table work.

I’m not sure how many film writer/directors choose to work this way but I really enjoy it and find it valuable to allow actors to bring their process of script analysis forward and help me look at the script in a fresh way.

I’ve acted with many of these people in the past, we had a good read and then I took us through a detailed discussion about the characters and also the story. I’m shaping the new draft now and hope to bring them together again for a new read later this summer.

Some pics from the night.

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Do The Right Thing – 20 Years Later

March 27, 2009

I’ve been working with Spike Lee and 40 Acres on a special feature on the 20th anniversary edition of Do The Right Thing which will be released soon on Blu-Ray DVD.

Previous editing collaborations with Spike include HUMANITY, billed as the world’s first social film and the short documentary, 11-04-08, detailing the national voting day and the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States of America.