Making the Jump From Assistant Editor to Editor
Minority Report editor Tyler Cook and Empire editor Zack Arnold discuss what it takes to make the jump from assistant to sitting in the editor's chair.
“The Force Awakens” Associate Editor Julian Smirke
About Episode
Editor Julian Smirke is convinced that he ended up being an assistant and then associate editor on Star Wars: The Force Awakens because of sheer luck and nothing more. But I don’t believe in luck. I believe that luck should be redefined as “when hard work meets opportunity.”
In this episode Julian and I talk all about his path from starving and unemployed artist to working on the largest film franchise in cinema history. I break down every step of his journey and show you how anyone can take a similar path if they are willing to put in the work.
Episode Highlights
- How Julian got his start with Mary Jo, Mary Ann and J.J. Abrams
- Why he moved from a PA on set to post-production
- It’s not about luck, it’s about hard work
- The steps Julian took to getting his “big break” on Mission Impossible 3
- How the time Julian spent unemployed affected his work ethic
- Why Julian didn’t give up after being unemployed for 15 months
- Every project is a learning experience–even if it sucks!
- Success happens when hard work meets opportunity
- What the day-to-day looked like on Star Wars
- What the “bad days” were like
- What Julian’s responsibilities were as an assistant editor/associate editor
- The Star Wars post-production schedule (they had one full year just for post!)
- Julian’s process of going from first assistant editor to associate editor on this feature
- Building trust between editors and assistant editors
- What an assistant editor can gain from cutting scenes and being a part of the creative process
- What it was like to work with J.J. Abrams
- Julian will be an additional editor on his next project Passengers
Useful Links
About Guest
Find Julian on social media
- Twitter: @juliansmirke
Julian Smirke just completed work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens as an Associate Editor. Originally from Perth, Australia he grew up a world away from the film industry. In 2001 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue editing work in feature films. Some of his assisting credits include: Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Super 8, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Star Trek Into Darkness. Julian was the Additional Editor on Endless Love and he is currently working as an Additional Editor on a new film called Passengers.
Episode Credits
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, the show notes were prepared by Natalie Boschan, and this show is executive produced by Kanen Flowers. We are a member of the THAT STUDIO podcast network.
The music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Dorian Cheah from his brilliant album ARA.
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