By VANESSA LANGDON
News Editor
Editor of television, film, and music Maisie Weissman spoke to communication majors on Friday, April 1. Weissman spoke about her experiences in the industry and answered questions from the intimate group of about five students eager to hear about her foray into reality television editing and work with such legendary directors as Spike Lee.
“I’m just envisioning this to be a very informal talk about the practicalities of my day-to-day life,” said Weisman at the start of the talk.
Weissman, originally from New York City, attended Brown University and then made her way upstate to the Capital Region with her husband Daniel Nester, an English professor at the College.
“At first it was unthinkable,” she said of the move. “It’s just very expensive there. I was happy for a change. I like the natural aspects – being able to go outside.”
While Weisman left the metropolitan area she did not leave her career behind, but now works from a home office. Weissman and Nester have two children, 6 and 8 years old, but she finds it easiest to work from home.
“It’s just incredibly flexible,” she said of her work. “You definitely have to keep focused and have the flexibility.”
Weissman has earned that flexibility afforded to her after working in the industry for more than 15 years. First in the music part of production, creating scores for films, before transitioning into film and then settling into editing for television. In television, Weissman has found her niche, something she advises is necessary in the highly saturated market – for her it’s reality television.
“We’re kind of in the B-list celebrity and home improvement area,” she explained. “Find a formula and stick with it.”
She spends her time in her home office taking raw footage and creating stories. An hour long show – which has an actual run time of about 42 minutes – takes anywhere from six weeks to two months to complete.
The nature of the editing is something that Weisman explains is learned on the job.
“You want to learn concepts, rather than the latest technology – you learn that on the job,” she said.
While at Brown she didn’t get a lot of hands-on studio time but instead her program focused on the theory.
“You’re a problem solver,” she said of editing. “Really it’s just making a story out of raw footage and meeting deadlines and being self-sufficient to make something out of it.”
You take what you’re given and create something new, according to Weissman.
“I don’t think of it as an art, but more of a craft; you actually build something,” she said. “I think that’s fun.”
That fun was palpable by those in the room as Weissman discussed what it’s like in the industry through her words and of course some clips. She screened clips from movies where she worked on the music as well as showing raw footage and then a final result of an HGTV show she edited.
One student in attendance asked about how an aspiring editor can stand out from the pack.Weissman advised that your work will speak for itself.
“There are a lot of people doing it, but a good editor is always in demand,” she said. “If you deliver one good show you will have more.”
The way to get that one good show is through internships or apprenticeships – getting your foot in the door is important, according to Weissman.
While editing positions may not be as prevalent in the Capital Region, Weissman suggested reaching out to advertisement agencies that may have an editing department.
“Film schools allow you to bring a film to completion, but to be an editor it’s not necessary,” she added.
Junior communications major Kim van Vloodorp-Taylor attended the discussion as an aspiring editor interested in sports, but had an added bonus – extra credit.
The student took notes during the talk for a report she would write later for extra credit in her economics class.
“Basically I’m going to talk about how money affects this industry,” she explained.
A transfer student from Canada and a member of the E-board of the newly created Saint Rose TV station, van Vloodorp-Taylor thought Weissman was very informational.
“It was neat just to see how you can jump around in different aspects of the industry,” van Vloodorp-Taylor said.
Jumping around has been a major part of Weissman’s life but now she’s settled and still fascinated by her job.
“You’re in the nuts and bolts of it,” she said. “You get fascinated. It’s not a job you phone in.”
