{"id":18527,"date":"2021-10-05T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cceditors.ca\/?p=18527"},"modified":"2021-10-05T17:49:17","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T21:49:17","slug":"episode-0053-in-conversation-with-terilyn-shropshire-ace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cceditors.ca\/fr\/2021\/10\/episode-0053-in-conversation-with-terilyn-shropshire-ace\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 053: In Conversation with Terilyn Shropshire, ACE"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Episode 53: In Conversation with Terilyn Shropshire, ACE<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Today\u2019s episode is the online master series with Terilyn Shropshire, ACE that took place on October 13th, 2020.<\/span>
<\/span><\/font><\/p>

<\/p><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

This episode was Sponsored by Final\u00e9 Post: A Picture Company, Annex Pro\/ Avid, Vancouver Post Alliance , IATSE 891 & Integral Artists<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Terilyn Shropshire, ACE provides an in-depth look at her stellar career and her collaborations, which include a 20-year working relationship with director Gina Prince-Bythewood, as well as with notable directors Kasi Lemmon, Catherine Hardwicke, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Ava DuVernay.<\/p>

From feature films (THE OLD GAURD, MISS BALA, THE SECRER LIFE OF BEES, LOVE & BASKETBALL, EVE’S BAYOU) to network television (WHEN THEY SEE US, Marvel\u2019s CLOAK & DAGGER, SHOTS FIRED, and QUANTICO) Terilyn has had a hand in crafting some of the most revered stories on screen.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

This talk was moderated by filmmaker V.T. Nayani.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Listen Here<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEPISODE 53 Transcript<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

The Editor\u2019s Cut – Episode 053 – Terilyn Shropshire, ACE<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

When you think about it, we all edit everyday in our lives. We’re making decisions constantly in our lives,<\/p>

whether how we move, or how we dress. I know for me, when I was in high school and English was one<\/p>

of my favorite classes, and writing. And writing is rewriting, and writing is editing. And so I think in some<\/p>

ways once I really understood how it applied to film, it made me realize that in some ways, I’ve been<\/p>

preparing for this career.<\/p>

Sarah Taylor:<\/p>

This episode was sponsored by Finale Post a Picture Company, Annex Pro Avid, Vancouver Postal Lines,<\/p>

IATSE 891, and Integral Artist. Hello, and welcome to The Editor’s Cut. I’m your host, Sarah Taylor. We<\/p>

would like to point out that the lands on which we have created this podcast, and that many of you may<\/p>

be listening to us from, are part of ancestral territory. It is important for all of us to deeply acknowledge<\/p>

that we are on ancestral territory that has long served as a place where indigenous peoples have lived,<\/p>

met, and interacted. We honor, respect, and recognize these nations that have never relinquished their<\/p>

rights, or sovereign authority over the lands and waters on which we stand today. We encourage you to<\/p>

reflect on the history of the land, the rich culture, the many contributions and the concerns that impact<\/p>

indigenous individuals and communities. Land acknowledgments are the start to a deeper action.<\/p>

Today’s episode is the online Master Series that took place on October 13th 2020, in conversation with<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire, ACE. She provides an in depth look at her stellar career, and her collaborations which<\/p>

include a 20 year working relationship with director Gina Prince-Bythewood, as well as with notable<\/p>

directors Kasi Lemmons, Catherine Hardwicke, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Ava DuVernay. From feature films,<\/p>

The Old Guard, Miss Bala, The Secret Life of Bees, Love & Basketball, and Eve’s Bayou, to network<\/p>

television. When They See Us, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, Shots Fired, and Quantico, Terilyn has had a<\/p>

hand in crafting some of the most revered stories on screen. This talk was moderated by filmmaker, V.T.<\/p>

Nayani.<\/p>

[show open]<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

I’m V.T. Nayani, I go by Nayani, and so grateful to be here tonight for this conversation, this necessary<\/p>

conversation with Teri. I’m so glad to everyone for joining us from home, from wherever you are, and<\/p>

choosing to be with us tonight. We’re so grateful to have you here in this conversation. I think as Teri said<\/p>

just before we started, which you guys weren’t privy to, but obviously it’s still important to gather and<\/p>

celebrate each other, and to continue to dream forward and move forward. I think this is part of a larger<\/p>

practice. It\u2019s a difficult time for all, we acknowledge that, and honor that. But it is wonderful that we can<\/p>

still find ways to gather. I’m thankful to be gathering with you, and to be in this conversation, and to<\/p>

have people at home join that conversation a little bit later. I’ll start with asking you how you doing<\/p>

tonight? I love to do a little check in before we start. I guess for you it’s 5:00 PM in LA, right?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

It is, yes. And the sun is just setting. So you’ll probably see it start to go that way.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

You have a good glow right now, we’ll see it’s set with you. I wanted to get right into it if that’s cool with<\/p>

you. Last night, we had a lovely conversation. And I’m so grateful to be moderating this, or having this<\/p>

conversation with you. Really, it’s a conversation. I don’t want to look at it as a moderating a panel of one<\/p>

person, but really just two artists, two people who are working in film sharing and talking. I’ve watched<\/p>

your film, I mentioned it the first time we talked but I’ve spent my years watching your films growing up.<\/p>

Some of them having a really deep impact on my early childhood girlhood. And still going back to them,<\/p>

but also seeing your more recent work which we will speak to and have a chance to watch.<\/p>

Something that stuck was me last night… And for those at home, we’re going to go more into the<\/p>

storytelling aspect, we can get into the technical, and we will, but as a director, I often see the editor as<\/p>

an integral part of the storytelling unit, you have the writers or the writer, the director or the directors,<\/p>

and then you have your editor and without any one of them, we can’t get our job done. And it’s actually<\/p>

my favorite part. I’m going to interview you or ask you questions from the perspective of a director who’s<\/p>

really interested in your process, but also who you are as a storyteller.<\/p>

Again, last night we spoke and the conversation still sitting with me because you spoke tenderly<\/p>

about women’s empowerment, and agency, and giving characters agency through your work. And I<\/p>

wanted to start there tonight. In this conversation between two of us who are two women working in<\/p>

film in different capacities. What does that mean to you when you approach your work, and you’re<\/p>

thinking about women’s empowerment and agency and in the editing process specifically?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

Yeah. I’m really fortunate that the writer directors that I’ve worked with are people who are interested in<\/p>

telling, obviously, a wide spectrum of stories and bring to the world a large spectrum of characters. I<\/p>

think that part of their responsibility or choice as artists is to do that and to choose projects where they<\/p>

see themselves reflected back. And in part, so do I. And so it is one of those things where when I’m on<\/p>

those journeys, and I can be part of creating that reflection, and through the director’s lens, it’s always a<\/p>

privilege, and it’s always appreciated. I think that as movie goers, we love to just immerse ourselves in<\/p>

other worlds in other people’s worlds and cultures, lives, and in many ways our way of expanding our<\/p>

world is through education, and travel, and meeting other people and experiencing other stories. I feel<\/p>

really fortunate when I can be part of that.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

I want to thank you for sharing. I wanted to ask you a question. I’m not going to get into all the reasons<\/p>

why you got into editing, because we’re going to focus on your work. But I did want to start with having<\/p>

this one question for you, which is, for me, I know I’m a director, but I didn’t necessarily know I was going<\/p>

to be a director. I loved films and TV growing up which I think all of us who work in this industry love. We<\/p>

have a love for the craft, and the stories that had a lasting impression on us as we were growing up. But<\/p>

there were so many different pathways to get me to this point. And I’m wondering with you, how did<\/p>

editing become an interest? How did it become something that you thought, “Oh, man, I could really go<\/p>

for it, I could really explore that. That’s a thing I can do.” Do you remember that that moment, or that<\/p>

inception? Or if there were multiple moments that led to you becoming that storyteller in post?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

No, it’s a really good question because I didn’t grow up going\u2026 I mean, I would love to meet someone<\/p>

who grows up thinking, “Oh, I want to be an editor when I grow up.” I want to be that person.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

I know.<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

I really didn’t think about that while I was growing up. I was a movie watcher. Spent a lot of time in dark<\/p>

theaters watching films. I also had a dad who seemed to always have a camera in his hand, or have a<\/p>

Super 8mm in his hand, but as far as realizing the editing aspect of it, it wasn’t something that I focused<\/p>

on. I don’t think that I really, really understood what it was about until I was in college. And I was literally<\/p>

editing my first film that I shot, which was part of the requirement, that you had to both… I was a double<\/p>

major, I majored both in journalism and film. So we have something in common.<\/p>

And even in the journalism classes, and when you switch over to broadcast journalism, you had<\/p>

to do everything. You had to write, you had to shoot and get on the studio and do all of that. And I think<\/p>

it was really when I started to have to bring the material back into my personal space and figure it out,<\/p>

did I really appreciate and truly understand what that meant. And yet, I have been watching it all my life,<\/p>

but I’ve been watching the result of effortless storytelling in a sense. And I think that when you think<\/p>

about it, we all edit everyday in our lives. We’re making decisions constantly in our lives. Whether how<\/p>

we move or how we dress, or how we do. And I think even when we were… I know for me when I was in<\/p>

high school and English was one of my favorite classes. And writing and writing is rewriting, and writing<\/p>

is editing.<\/p>

And so I think in some ways, once I really understood how it applied to film, it made me realize<\/p>

that in some ways, I’ve been preparing for this career, because I love to write, and I also was a person<\/p>

that when I was in school, my friends would bring me their papers and say, “Read this, and tell me what<\/p>

you think.” And I would read it and I would give them suggestions, “Maybe if you move this sentence<\/p>

here.” And I never thought about it as how it would relate to the career that I’m doing now. But I really<\/p>

started feeling an appreciation for it when I actually had to become the problem solver, and try to figure<\/p>

out how to fix the things that I had not maybe done right when I was out shooting.<\/p>

And then when you’re in school, you also are working with other people. So then you start to<\/p>

edit their material. And I just found that was the most organic and instinctive to me. And I could spend<\/p>

hours doing it, and still want to get up the next morning and do it again. And I didn’t necessarily feel that<\/p>

about directing.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

I’ve tried my hand at editing and I definitely don’t… I feel that way about directing, but I think editing is…<\/p>

I started from the roots. I’m always talking about the editors I work with, because it’s so fun to work with<\/p>

the editor, I think you get… everyone says it, but when you’re in the edit, when you’re in that room with<\/p>

someone you know what it feels like. You get a chance to retell the story, to reimagine it really, because<\/p>

you have it on the page, and it’s one thing, and whether you wrote it or not is one thing as a director.<\/p>

And then you shoot it and there’s all these questions and feelings that come up, and you don’t really<\/p>

know where it’s going to go, you’re tired. You’ve got long days. You know there’s footage but you don’t<\/p>

know what’s going to happen with it.<\/p>

And then you get to the edit room, and there’s so much trust that you put in the editor that you<\/p>

collaborate with. We’ll speak to some of the relationships that you’ve had with the directors you work<\/p>

with. But I almost want to shout it from the rooftop every time that people don’t ever see the editor. It’s<\/p>

not somebody you necessarily see all the time. But without them we have nothing. We actually don’t<\/p>

have… and it’s like with any other role, and we can say that about an ACU for the focus, we can say that<\/p>

about costume, but everybody’s integral, but the editor is a storyteller.<\/p>

And when you mentioned being… I think there\u2019s something at some point, obviously, we don’t<\/p>

have to do it tonight, but to say about people who end up in film who really love writing or English. They<\/p>

love their creative storytelling classes in high school, or growing up, they loved reading or writing. And I<\/p>

think you’re speaking to… you doing those rewrites for friends, which I was also that person, speaks<\/p>

directly to the fact that you are a storyteller in this process. So, thank you for sharing that. \u201cWhen They<\/p>

See Us\u201d directed by Ava DuVernay, all of us know on Netflix, and we know the story and we’ve read the<\/p>

news, and we’ve heard the stories for years, and then the weight of rewatching it on set is one thing.<\/p>

There was so much content, and they filmed for quite a bit of time, a couple of months and it’s a<\/p>

huge cast. I can’t imagine actually how much footage there was, especially for episode one. And I think a<\/p>

lot of people that I’ve spoken to have shared that they struggled getting past episode one, because it’s<\/p>

the inciting moment, is when everything happens. The journey that these men have been on. My<\/p>

question for you is, being on set and seeing how it was being filmed, and then you getting all that<\/p>

footage, what was your first reaction? I mean one, what brought you onto this project, I can imagine<\/p>

from what you’ve already shared why you decided to come on board, that as well. But what was your<\/p>

first reaction when you received this footage? How much footage did you receive? And how did you not<\/p>

only start to process and move through it all as an editor, but also as a person to sit with that content?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

As you know, it all starts with the script. I remember when Ava called me to ask me to be a part of this.<\/p>

And then she sent me all four scripts, and I read them back to back. And I just remember being… by the<\/p>

time I got to the last one, I was just completely devastated. And it’s always a privilege when you can take<\/p>

a journey where you’re also learning about things. I knew the story, obviously, but to the depth that the<\/p>

writers have really gotten into it, it was quite extraordinary. And so when the dailies started coming in<\/p>

and the way that Ava was shooting, she was shooting multiple scenes for different parts at the same<\/p>

time.<\/p>

I was responsible for part one, Spencer Averick, did part two and four, and Michelle Tesoro did<\/p>

three. We came on a gradual even though Spencer was starting to receive his dailies for two, he wasn’t<\/p>

quite official, he was actually working from home. And so I was looking at all the dailies and then getting<\/p>

back to production and Ava just tried to send a message every day to let her know what I was seeing. I<\/p>

feel that the first time you watch dailies is the most important, it should be the purest and hopefully, you<\/p>

can allow yourself to take it in for the first time as the audience would take it in for the first time.<\/p>

I really don’t like to take a lot of notes the first time I watch dailies, I like to just\u2026 If I have the<\/p>

time to do so, I like to just be able to experience it because I will never have that experience again. And<\/p>

all editors know that. And so I just remember first of all, being incredibly impressed by the young men<\/p>

who were playing the characters and because I had the five men as boys, I have the actors that were<\/p>

playing the younger version. And every day I just became more and more just stricken by how beautifully<\/p>

they were portraying these characters. And yet I had to focus on the characters because that’s ultimately<\/p>

the stories I have to tell. So, It was never an easy day on dailies. The dailies were pretty tough, and you<\/p>

had to be able to take those in and then, again, I go back and then make notes about the things that<\/p>

were particularly effective to me.<\/p>

I started in a very broad sense, and then you narrow things down. And then the script itself, at<\/p>

least part one, there’s a tremendous responsibility because in one, you have to set the stakes, you have<\/p>

to set the conflict. As an audience, they have to get to know who these young men were, as well as their<\/p>

parents, and what everybody was going through so that you’re invested in them enough to want to<\/p>

continue on the story. And so the script itself for part one was a bit more on the linear side than what<\/p>

the ultimate version of the cut ended up being. It was shot in such a way, and conceived in such a way<\/p>

where you went into each voice story. At the beginning, you get a sense of them going back and forth<\/p>

and getting to know them before they go into the park.<\/p>

But once you’re in the interrogations, there was a lot of going into each young man’s room, and<\/p>

hearing the detectives question them, and then you go back to the detectives room, and you hear them<\/p>

talk. And as we started to build it, it became very apparent that even though these boys were going<\/p>

through some incredibly horrific experiences in their individual rooms, collectively, they were sharing the<\/p>

same thing. They were basically being pitted against each other. They were trying to get one to, to<\/p>

implicate the other. And they were in those rooms for a very, very long time. And it became very<\/p>

apparent in working with the material and working with Ava, that we needed to give everybody a sense<\/p>

of how even though these young men did not really know each other, ultimately Yusef, and Korey knew<\/p>

each other, but it was one of those things where they were all experiencing the same hell, so to speak.<\/p>

How to build that, and how to make you feel as an audience that the viewer is trapped in that<\/p>

sense, as they were, and also to be able to really show what the detectives were doing in order to build<\/p>

their case. And that’s very much the scene that you watch, this happens towards the end of part one,<\/p>

after the boys have been interrogated for hours, and most of them without their parents, and now they<\/p>

finally let their parents in. And you’re seeing the weight and the gravity of what’s happening.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Thank you for sharing. Yeah, I know you had mentioned that it was very linear. And in the edit it becomes<\/p>

what it does. And I just wanted to understand a bit more of that process. And I guess my other question<\/p>

was, how long did you guys work on that particular episode? And you got your dailies they came in,<\/p>

you’re determining how you’re going to tell the story. What did that process look like as it got to the end,<\/p>

because I’m interested also how it is working with the different… you’ve worked with incredible<\/p>

directors, what is like working with Ava to really lock that and decide, “Okay, this is what we’re going to<\/p>

do.” What did that process look like near the end, having it come together?<\/p>

And half of that, the men were on set a lot of the time you saw Korey, and Yusef, many of them<\/p>

stopped by, did they get to see a cut before it ended? And it’s going to go into my next question as well<\/p>

with the next clip, but it is their story, were they involved at any point, or was it just you and Ava, for the<\/p>

most part?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

Those are good questions. While Ava was shooting, I was cutting simultaneously. And again,<\/p>

communicating with her. I don’t remember really sending a lot of things forward. I think I sent her a few<\/p>

scenes forward, but because she was… the schedule is pretty, non-stop. But there was also the benefit of<\/p>

having the other editors around, because we could work off each other. As far as the part one process,<\/p>

part one was the first and I think part one was probably one of the last ones to finish. And I think part of<\/p>

it was, it was again, the weight of what it had to do for the rest of the other parts. Because one is<\/p>

introduction to the young characters, and you do see them, you do see them in two.<\/p>

But again, you have to be able to understand what’s going on in one. We spent a lot of time in<\/p>

one, and we spent a lot of time editing and re-editing and also getting a lot of feedback from the other<\/p>

editors in terms of… because the other thing too, is it was really important for me to be able to<\/p>

communicate to them because we were handing off the character batons to them, and so it was<\/p>

important for them to see what we were doing in one, and then ultimately we ended up finding<\/p>

ourselves swapping footage. Footage that maybe was intended for one, but it seemed as if it was going<\/p>

to work better and two, or a flashback, or something.<\/p>

There were there were images that I had fallen in love with, with just… you know when you\u2026<\/p>

you know stock footage of New York and that time of the movie where suddenly I have this great image<\/p>

and Ava would be like, “Oh, no, let’s leave that for two.” And you’re like, “Okay.” There was a lot of that.<\/p>

But Ava is just… she is so clear with her vision, and very, very specific. So what’s great about Ava is just<\/p>

that… and she had to move around a lot. And so in some ways you had her for a certain amount of time,<\/p>

but that time that you were with her, she was so laser focused. So you could have been working on<\/p>

something for hours, and then Ava would come in and go, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And you’re like,<\/p>

“Oh, of course. Yes. Okay, we could do that.”<\/p>

That part of it was great. And figuring it out. I love the problem solving part of what I do. And<\/p>

with something like this, it wasn’t as if we were running into a problem. But we were running into that<\/p>

realization of as you go into each room, and you keep hearing the same young man… or a different<\/p>

young man say the same thing. “I didn’t do it. Who are you talking about? I don’t know who that is.” And<\/p>

so in a sense, there was a rhythm to each scene that allowed you to say, “Okay, look, if we keep going<\/p>

through each room, and they keep saying the same thing, at a certain point, the audience is going to be<\/p>

ahead of us.” They know that these boys are going to… they’re going to deny what’s going on, and the<\/p>

police are going to press them about that. So, why not create an environment where we’re moving<\/p>

where one person starting a sentence, and the other person’s answering it.<\/p>

Or where we disorient you in a way that you don’t know where we’re going to take you next.<\/p>

And you also needed to understand and be clear that these guys did not know each other. They lived in<\/p>

the same neighborhood. And like I said, two of them, and they might\u2019ve passed each other on the street,<\/p>

but you really need to understand that they were being categorized a certain way. And this wilding, and<\/p>

this mentality that they all went out together. It took time to find the right rhythms and whose room<\/p>

were you going to go into next? And how to how do you build that story where you understand that even<\/p>

from the standpoint of someone like Raymond, who was completely just… he was with his grandmother,<\/p>

and they took her out.<\/p>

And he was in that room alone with those guys. And ultimately they were forcing them to<\/p>

implicate the other. To answer your question, I think one took the longest, which made complete sense<\/p>

that it would, and I think that with… as far as how Ava decided to show it, at a certain point towards the<\/p>

end of our process, she did screen it for the actors, the young actors to see it. And then she made a<\/p>

decision to screen it for the actual men. I think she flew them in actually, to watch it because she knew it<\/p>

was going to be really important for them to be able to see it a certain way, and see it privately, frankly.<\/p>

She was very, very respectful because as hard as it was, for us to make it and be a part of it. We were<\/p>

trying to honor what they lived and what they went through. And it was always very sensitive and strong<\/p>

about the story, and protecting their right to experience it.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Thank you for sharing. I’m going to go to the next film, \u201cTalk To Me\u201d the MLK clip, I’m thinking about<\/p>

both pieces, both pieces of storytelling, and they are about real people and real lives lived based on real<\/p>

men’s lives and what they’ve been doing, their story and their journey, but also within the larger social<\/p>

political context within bigger movements. One of the questions I had was how does that factor into<\/p>

your process of preparing and editing, but I think you spoke to that earlier. And so, I would love to<\/p>

discuss what we had a conversation about briefly, which is the pacing. We’re going on this journey of<\/p>

emotion, feelings, and there’s so many beats in there. Was that something that was on the page, and<\/p>

even if it was or it wasn’t, how did you build that? What goes into crafting something that takes us<\/p>

through so much as an editor?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

Thank you. Well, the thing about that clip is, it speaks to tone. And when you’re working on a particular<\/p>

film, where you’re going between moments of lightness and brevity and also dealing with serious topics<\/p>

within the story of somebody’s life. This was a movie about a real person, Petey Greene, who was a radio<\/p>

personality at WOL at the time, and this was based on his life. And he was a character. And he was<\/p>

known as such. Dewey Hughes is also a real… was a real life character, this movie is about the<\/p>

relationship between these two men who actually came from the same background. And ultimately,<\/p>

their lives went in different directions, and yet their lives came back together. And they became very<\/p>

dear friends.<\/p>

The reason why I like this clip, in a sense is it speaks to, as editors, how we have to sometimes<\/p>

navigate between something that is purely slapstick, or comedy, and then be able to make that shift. And<\/p>

how do you do that? How can you do it in such a way that hopefully it feels organic, and feels natural to<\/p>

what really happens in life, because in one minute we can be laughing, and something tragic can happen.<\/p>

And life shifts on a dime, it shifts quickly. And so within that scene, it’s not even so much, really, again,<\/p>

the cutting part of it, because really, the first shot is one shot. We take you all the way in until the fight<\/p>

starts to happen. But it’s really about being able to bring something so crazy happening into a place<\/p>

where these people are suddenly hearing one of the most devastating pieces of news that black people<\/p>

heard in their history.<\/p>

And so I felt like I was helped a great deal by the music and Terence Blanchard\u2019s score, and<\/p>

Tainted Love, which is the original artist, and Gloria Jones. Yeah, actually made a note on that. And being<\/p>

able to go from something like that to then have Terence be able to help bring us in to what’s really going<\/p>

on, because I think even when… I remember when people first started to see this scene, when you start<\/p>

to see the station manager come in played by Martin Sheen, people are still laughing in the theater. It<\/p>

was one of those things where even in seeing him come in, they were still in the head space of, “What is<\/p>

happening with this fight?”<\/p>

And just to even feel that shift happened in the audience was palpable, really. And then<\/p>

ultimately, to then go into something that’s a lot more watching these people have to work, to continue<\/p>

to do their jobs amidst this horrific information. The clip is shorter because it goes into a whole… even<\/p>

more of the riots and more of ultimately… it then shifts into a whole musical section. So yeah, I think<\/p>

that it’s one of those things where when you’re first starting out and trying to figure out your way in<\/p>

terms of storytelling, part of that muscle you try to hone in on is how to be able to make those shifts in<\/p>

storytelling. And how, as an editor, can you hopefully facilitate that, the way that you juxtapose the<\/p>

images and emotions and that type of thing.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

We also have two questions that are about \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d, usually with fight scenes, or I feel like I<\/p>

especially in the pandemic where I had the opportunity to pull everything back and rewatch things<\/p>

multiple times. I always feel like I’m anxious and I’m caught up, and I’m missing things. Involved action<\/p>

happening so fast, the tendency to cut it that way. I’ve seen in a lot of work, and what I felt about this<\/p>

was I felt I was a part of everything, I saw every part of that fight. I didn’t feel like it was rushed. I didn’t<\/p>

feel like I missed anything. It’s almost like I was a pilot, I was there and playing with them. And so yeah,<\/p>

what was the process of editing that? Was that intentional that way? How did you approach this<\/p>

particular fight scene?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

It was extremely intentional from the standpoint of how Gina, how she and the DP Tami Reiker<\/p>

envisioned the fight. Her conversations with the fight coordinators and stunt coordinators, and obviously<\/p>

the choreography ultimately, and the training that both actors did Kiki Layne, and Charlize Theron, did to<\/p>

be able to have the scene work the way it did. Gina has always… her mantra was always that she wanted<\/p>

everything to feel real, to feel authentic. And she wanted to feel these two warriors taking each other on<\/p>

without a lot of bells and whistles. And they purposely even within the plane, they built the plane in such<\/p>

a way that they there were no walls that you could move out. They were in the fuselage working on the<\/p>

fight.<\/p>

And so from my standpoint, it was just really important that I honored that. Fortunately, you had<\/p>

two very committed actors who really trained hard, and worked the choreography, and really made my<\/p>

ability to let them do their thing much easier. It was structured in such a way that each part of the fight…<\/p>

there were different stages of the fight. And so in a sense, as they were actually shooting it, and Gina<\/p>

directing the fight scenes, they were done in such a way that, “Okay, we’re going to go from here to<\/p>

here.” And then ultimately work on that part until they got that particular part of the fight done. It was<\/p>

very much like a dance and choreography.<\/p>

And then moved on to a different part of the fight. And so it was created in such a way that at<\/p>

least the actors, if you can imagine, it’s a lot for them to take on, if you were to try to do the whole thing.<\/p>

It was definitely divided into sections. And then it was really about them continuing to do a particular<\/p>

move. And until they felt like they had the right look of the punch being thrown or being received, or any<\/p>

number of those movements. And so within a take, I would actually have a lot of resets. Ultimately was<\/p>

about going through and really looking at what was working, and just picking the best of the work that<\/p>

they did. But it was a fun scene to work on. And it was great because there were things that ultimately,<\/p>

you get a pre-stunt piece, that’s done by two of the stunt people that shows you what the choreography<\/p>

of the fight is going to be.<\/p>

But it takes on a completely different life when you have two actors taking on that, because they<\/p>

bring their performances and their personalities, and the characters, and what the characters are going<\/p>

through. And being able to capture that. And that’s part of it too, is that the whole idea of being able to<\/p>

have a fight scene is it’s got to have a purpose. There’s a reason why we’re moving through it. And when<\/p>

you say yeah, it’s not just about these two women punching each other out, they both have a goal,<\/p>

they’re both trying to achieve something in this fight, and not just take you down the other.<\/p>

This is the beginning of this master-student relationship. Nile is a warrior, she’s a Marine. She’s<\/p>

going to have a certain education, a fighting styles based on how she was trained. Andy’s lived for<\/p>

millennia. She’s learned every possible fighting style, she could have taken Nile down at any point. But<\/p>

that wasn’t really the point of a fight, was it? For her, she’s about to bring somebody into her family and<\/p>

to her team. And she’s got to see what this person’s made of. That was a fun part, was being able to let<\/p>

them both have… where you get a little bit more of a window into each person’s personality within the<\/p>

scope of the fight.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Thank you. One of the questions that they had was how did you land that job? I know you have a<\/p>

relationship with Gina, so maybe that’s… how did you get that job, how did you sign up for that job? And<\/p>

what was the best, and the most negative and positive, or the best and most challenging, maybe,<\/p>

takeaways from working on \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

I landed the job because I’ve know I’ve worked with this director for 20 years. And as artists we have<\/p>

done, I think this is our sixth project together. As artists, we’ve grown together. I’ve been fortunate<\/p>

enough to have earned her trust. And so when she was going to take on this project, she asked me if I<\/p>

would be her editor. And of course, it was something that I ultimately, of course wanted to be a part of.<\/p>

As artists, we always love to keep moving and navigating ourselves through different stories. As people,<\/p>

we love living different stories and experiencing different stories and it’s no different when you’re an<\/p>

editor. I was very fortunate that Gina asked me to be a part of it. I would say that as far as, I guess, what<\/p>

was it the best part of it, the journey itself and the people that I got to work with-<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

And the most challenging.<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

Most challenging. The most challenging was… and this is not unique to \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d, but there was a<\/p>

lot of footage. And so there was a lot of footage to get through. And for me, I watch everything. So it was<\/p>

a lot of time spent in a room with a lot of footage. But I think the other thing that I would have to say,<\/p>

and I’m sure there are a lot of people that can relate to this right now, was having to finish a film of this<\/p>

caliber at the level that Gina and I work, and everybody else works in a pandemic. And that I found to be<\/p>

the biggest gauntlet that was… we have other gauntlets, but the one that really said, “Okay, how are we<\/p>

going to navigate through this and be able to continue to work and make collaborative art?” Which is<\/p>

what filmmaking is, “In a place where we have\u2026 a space where we have to isolate from one another.”<\/p>

And I had the most amazing crew. And my crew just rose to the occasion, every single time. Even<\/p>

though we were apart, we were a connected unit, obviously, Zoom, and Evercast, and Source-Connect,<\/p>

and TeamViewer all of these things that kept us moving forward. And I think the thing that was also… the<\/p>

thing that was hard, just at the point when I feel like sometimes as an editor, you’re still working, but<\/p>

you’re starting to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’ve gone through the production, and all that’s… the<\/p>

drama that happens with that. And then you finally you’re close to locking. And now it’s time to work<\/p>

with the sound people which I love. I love working with sound, and music, and scoring and all those<\/p>

things where you get to move into other people’s rooms, instead of them coming into your room.<\/p>

You get to go park to the scoring session, all of that went… we had to find a way to do all of<\/p>

those things in a different way. And we did it, and I’m really proud that we got through, but that part was<\/p>

hard. I love scoring, I love being part of hearing the score actually being recorded. And we did, we were<\/p>

on Source-Connect. They were literally scoring in Iceland, and I was getting up at… I find myself like<\/p>

falling asleep and waking up at three or four o’clock in the morning just to listen to the score being done.<\/p>

But that part was challenging. And then not being able to see… I got to see it in Gina, and I got to see it<\/p>

on the big screen, which was amazing just before, as we were doing our final checks. But when you saw<\/p>

it finally at theater, it was extraordinary. And I keep hoping that we’ll do \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d drive-in<\/p>

because I really would love more people to have seen it on the big screen.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Yeah, I was watching it on my laptop, but I just don’t feel like it’s the same as being on the big screen so I<\/p>

hope we all get to see that sooner than later. People that watched \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d before this, then you all<\/p>

know that there’s a long history of her being in stories that explores supernatural and the mystical<\/p>

forces, I guess, so to say. On your approaching… we talk about things that are about real people. And<\/p>

then you have a film like this that explores family secrets, the rituals, and spirituality and other kinds of<\/p>

practices. I’m always interested in that kind of stuff within my own culture. And so as an editor, as an<\/p>

artist, as a storyteller, coming on board, documenting and putting together something that reflects<\/p>

things that are so sacred for real communities. What’s your approach in that to edit something that does<\/p>

mean something and does have a history, and indigeneity, and a sacredness to so many communities?<\/p>

How was that?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Because \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d was set in a world where it’s its own ecosystem in a sense<\/p>

within the film. It’s this Southern Gothic world where there’s a lot of tradition, and one of the things I<\/p>

loved about the script, again, all starts with the script. And Kasi’s approach to it was the idea that if you<\/p>

think about it, \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d was made, and I’m going to age myself and I look at Young Journey and I’m<\/p>

watching Lovecraft now I continue to be blown away by this young lady. I was blown away the first time I<\/p>

worked with her, and she carries… not carries the film, but it is her… this movie is about… it’s her story,<\/p>

it’s her point of view. It’s like we journey through journey.<\/p>

And so what was amazing about this was\u2026 part of this too, was just based on Kasi’s life, and<\/p>

how she grew up and the people that she grew up around. And be able to reflect that back in film is<\/p>

something that we’re not always able to do. And certainly was much more difficult to do it back then.<\/p>

And that’s what it was so refreshing about \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d. Was that you were able to take these traditions<\/p>

that our culture have grown up with, and many other cultures have grown up in different ways, but share<\/p>

the same type of traditions and having parents who live at home, with grandparents who live at home<\/p>

with us. And kids who were basically disciplined a certain way, and beautiful women who… and black<\/p>

men who were professional doctors.<\/p>

This is the way that I grew up. And these are the type of people that when I read the script, and<\/p>

ultimately started to work with this movie with Kasi, we were just reflecting a part of our lives that we<\/p>

were familiar with. But yet it was considered different to people who maybe had not seen this type of<\/p>

family. And so the mysticism part was, what was really great about this story was is that there were<\/p>

these traditions, but if you can imagine it through the eyes of a young girl who, for her, it’s all both<\/p>

exciting and scary, and she doesn’t clearly quite understand what’s going on. And then ultimately, she<\/p>

realizes that she has this something special that’s been passed on to her from her family.<\/p>

And so it was always fun to respect the magical part of the story, and to make it feel… because it<\/p>

was real to these people, it was a real thing. And to be able to do that in a non-campy way and yet to<\/p>

find both humor in it, but also within Eve’s mind, it was something very serious, she feels that she killed<\/p>

her father with Voodoo. Like, “How do I kill my father with Voodoo?” But yet to actually have that loss, I<\/p>

don’t know what kind of therapy she went through for the rest of your life. But yeah.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

We do have a question from someone who says \u201cLove & Basketball\u201d is one of their favorite film. I find<\/p>

that, and I mentioned this, we always focus on the love story, which is at the height of this film, and<\/p>

watching those journeys unfold together and apart. And it’s one of my favorite films growing up. And it’s<\/p>

so nostalgic, it takes you back to particular moments, particular time in your life. But I often find, and I<\/p>

think this also comes from Sanaa, talking about her experience, prepping for and being in this film, we<\/p>

forget about the process of her getting ready for it and becoming Monica, and the journey of becoming<\/p>

Monica. And her story on its own, and her journey in its own.<\/p>

I picked this clip, because it focuses on her, and is not necessarily we woven together with the<\/p>

story of him and them together. And he talks about giving back agency in your work, and I see it here<\/p>

with this scene… even if it’s one woman in the film, it’s about her journey. It’s about her story from her<\/p>

perspective. What was it like working on this scene? And how did you cut that together? It’s such a<\/p>

emotional moment, there are these beats there for her, and it leads to so much. What was that like, and<\/p>

how did you carve space to tell the story of the individual characters, but also focus on the lightest story<\/p>

of Love & Basketball?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

I know, it all starts with Monica, doesn’t it? And I think that we all have a little bit of Monica in us. It’s not<\/p>

the athletic part. But it’s the part of someone who’s struggling to find her place, to prove herself, to not<\/p>

be limited in a world that wants to put you in a certain box, or tell you what you can’t do. And I think<\/p>

that’s why we all relate to Monica, and I think that’s why we root for her because at any given point you<\/p>

can be identified if you’re strong, or if you’re overly athletic, or you move a certain way… you’re basically<\/p>

pigeon-holed, or people decide who you are, when sometimes you’re still trying to figure out who you<\/p>

are.<\/p>

I think that that’s why people really connect, aside from the fact that it’s a love story. And<\/p>

because you’re in a situation where, again, this is centered around a young person, and it’s important<\/p>

that… and Sanaa, again trained so hard for this, and she wasn’t a ball player, and she encompasses<\/p>

Monica. And so I think that to Gina’s credit, it was also about trying to allow us as an audience to not<\/p>

necessarily have each basketball game… yeah, each basketball game had to have a purpose. It wasn’t<\/p>

just about showing that Monica could play, but also showing that Monica was vulnerable, and that she<\/p>

didn’t always make the right decisions. And so what I loved about creating this game and building this<\/p>

game, and Gina deciding to create it as a POV was what could I do to try to balance the time that you’re<\/p>

with Monica in her head, basically going through what she was going through?<\/p>

Initially, I didn’t have the voice, that was something that was recorded while that ultimately it<\/p>

was… So it was trying to figure out building the actual POV part of the game, and when I was going to<\/p>

take you in and out of that. At what point do you choose to step out of Monica in a way that he or she<\/p>

would react. She would react to a buzzer, she’d react to a whistle. You go out in those moments, and yet,<\/p>

even her stepping onto the court, it’s like… I was a swimmer in high school, and I remember when you<\/p>

would come out to get ready to go off the blocks, and you’re walking to the blocks. And yet, you’re<\/p>

somewhat aware of who’s in the stands, if your parents are in the stands.<\/p>

And so I think that we all can connect to those feelings of what is it like. The boy that she has a<\/p>

crush on is in the stands. All of that, that part of it was… it was kind of it’s always like putting yourself in<\/p>

the position of where do I want to be as an audience? I think that the best thing sometimes you can do<\/p>

as a technician, as an editor, is to remember go back to your roots, go back to what made you want to be<\/p>

part of film. What it felt like to experience things, and try to approach your work that way. It’s hard<\/p>

sometimes because you have to step in, and you have to be technical, and you have to figure it out. But<\/p>

you have to sometimes get out of your own head space and become a viewer again, and re-experience.<\/p>

That’s why I say forget what you know and try to allow yourself to have some degree of perspective as an<\/p>

audience to what you’re working on whenever you can.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Thank you. There’s two audience questions. Speaking of audience, there’s two audience questions, and I<\/p>

want to make sure we get to them. Again, Jennifer, I’m just going to read it word for word, “Love &<\/p>

Basketball is one of my favorite films, what was the process of editing that final one-on-one screen<\/p>

between Monica and Quincy? There’s so many quick little moments that were captured so perfectly.<\/p>

How did you bring it all together?<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

That’s so funny that Jennifer asks that, because that’s usually the clip I show, actually.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Yeah.<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

But I felt like I should maybe show something different to this evening. Look, that game was… it was,<\/p>

gosh. There was so much riding on it. I remember reading it, and I remember literally holding the script<\/p>

like, “Oh, my God, what’s going to happen…” And so you want to honor that. You want to honor the first<\/p>

time you experience it. That was a scene that was scheduled to be shot over two nights. And I think it fell<\/p>

somewhere. I don’t know, it was somewhere… I don’t think it was toward the end of the shoot. But I do<\/p>

remember… I don’t tend to always go to set. I have feelings about that, and there are some films where<\/p>

I’ve been on set more than others. And it’s usually because there’s some choreography or something<\/p>

going on, or playback, or something where I feel like it’s helpful for me to be there. But usually, I like to<\/p>

keep a certain degree of filter, between what’s happening on set and what’s coming in to me as an<\/p>

editor.<\/p>

And so this was a scene where I remember seeing the early rushes of the stuff that was coming<\/p>

in. And I could definitely feel that the game between Quincy and Monica. Originally, it was supposed to<\/p>

be a much longer game. And then I think in the course of them choreographing that, they realized that it<\/p>

was going to need to be a short… plus they were shooting this at night, and anybody who has shot at<\/p>

night knows that you only have a certain amount of hours. Anyway, it came in, and I felt like both of<\/p>

them by this point they both have the physicality of the game. And clearly, it had nothing to do with the<\/p>

game. It was really about what was at stake at the game.<\/p>

And I did feel as I was starting to put it together that I was wanting a little bit more of what the<\/p>

game meant physically from an emotional standpoint, if that makes any sense. Yes, Monica would miss a<\/p>

shot here, and Quincy would get a shot here. But I really wanted to feel what they were both going<\/p>

through in the game. And I think that we had about 85% of it, but there was a 15% that I was missing. I<\/p>

remember talking to Gina about it and saying that… because they were going to have to go back and<\/p>

finish the game. It was one of those things where I did ask her, I showed her an early cut of it. That’s the<\/p>

other thing. It’s like, when you suddenly have to cut something very quickly for a director, and you may…<\/p>

and it may not have been a scene that I really wanted to cut right away, but I felt like I had to because,<\/p>

again, there was an instinct where there was certain things I wanted to see.<\/p>

I wanted to get more of the fight, get into the game of… And so what was great was is that we<\/p>

looked at it together, and we found certain areas that we felt like she could go in and pick up some<\/p>

things. And so when you watch it, it’s like some of this stuff is like just when they’re grabbing each other,<\/p>

or he’s pushing her hand away, or a couple… I think we have like just a couple more close ups of them in<\/p>

terms of relating to one another that really had nothing to do with the actual game itself. But the<\/p>

internal fight that they were both going through.<\/p>

And so then we put it together, and then the challenge becomes how do you take a scene like<\/p>

this, and underscore it? Do you use score? Do you use source? What do you use as far as… what is going<\/p>

to be the musical language of a scene like this, because so much of it’s at stake. And I remember,<\/p>

because a lot of times when I’m editing, I will start to… Gina usually has a playlist when she’s writing, she<\/p>

usually passes on the playlist to me, and I start listening to what she is listening to. And then I’m always<\/p>

listening to a lot of different types of music. And it happened around the time that we were cutting the<\/p>

scene, Meshell Ndegeocello’s album Bitter came out.<\/p>

And I remember listening to it on my way in to work one day, and the song came up, Fool of Me.<\/p>

And I was like, wow, this is our movie in a sense. This is what’s going on right now. And so when I got to<\/p>

the cutting room, I talked to Gina about it, and we put it in. We had a cut of the scene, and I literally<\/p>

dropped it in. And it was amazing. It just fell. Those happy accidents are rare. Often you have to<\/p>

maneuver the music to… but it just, it was so emotional. We got so excited. I think we were running<\/p>

around that editing room. It’s like we found the voice, the vocal voice of what we wanted the scene to<\/p>

be. And so that was really exciting.<\/p>

And yeah, it’s the scene that where you do have the cutting style of yes, the game. But then<\/p>

there are times when you want to slow it down, and you want to feel what these characters are feeling.<\/p>

And I think that that’s the balance of trying to have a certain momentum. But don’t lose the emotion in<\/p>

the momentum. There’s a reason why this game is going on. And if they were just playing basketball, and<\/p>

you were focused on the action of the game, the scene would have never worked.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Yeah, I saw the story of how the track was taped because that track is… I think when anyone thinks<\/p>

about that movie, they think about that particular song, I think anytime they hear that song, it takes<\/p>

them back to that movie, if you watch that film. Good to know the story behind you listening to the<\/p>

album and suggesting it. It’s going to be my little bit of fact history that I can share with like, “Did you<\/p>

know that actually, this is where the song came from?” We have two more questions, and one of them,<\/p>

I’m going to… there’s one from your cousin. Your cousin Patricia. Patricia asks, “The Old Guard was so<\/p>

very different…” I’m going to read her whole message. “The Old Guard was so very different it seems<\/p>

from your other movies and work. Did it feel this way to you? Are there any common threads in the<\/p>

movies, do you have edited you feel?” And then it says, “This silly question is from your cousin, I am so<\/p>

very proud of you.”<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

Thank you. Oh, my goodness. Look, \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d, what I loved about doing \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d was it<\/p>

was a perfect example of being an editor and wanting to be considered that you’re capable if you’re<\/p>

really working on your craft, and you’re working on your skill, as an editor. You have lots of tools in your<\/p>

toolbox, just as a director does. There’s a lot of muscles that you want to try to just stretch when you’re<\/p>

an artist. And I think that sometimes when you’re working in commercial art, people want to tend to<\/p>

limit you or pigeon-hole you into, again, saying what you can’t… not that they’re not saying that you<\/p>

can’t do it, but they tend to want to go with what is tried and true, or the person that’s tried and true in<\/p>

a particular area.<\/p>

And they may be tried and true because they’ve been given the opportunity. Ultimately, us being<\/p>

able to be our best selves is when people don’t try to limit us and try don’t try to tell us what we can’t<\/p>

do, or don’t allow us to showcase our work. What was great about \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d is that everything<\/p>

that I’ve done before has prepared me for The Old Guard, it’s a different type of storytelling, but it’s still<\/p>

storytelling, there was no reason for me to think I couldn’t do \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d. Whereas at the same<\/p>

time, I still had to go into meetings with the studio and educate them as to why wouldn’t I be able to do<\/p>

\u201cThe Old Guard\u201d. But I had to be able to do that in a way to assure them that I was the right person, even<\/p>

though this was a choice of Gina’s, but there was still the necessity for them to meet me, which happens<\/p>

on most films where, of course, the people that are giving you the money to make the film, are going to<\/p>

want to know who have you chosen to take this journey with?<\/p>

But what I would say about in terms of things that are similar, what I love about all of these films<\/p>

is that they’re either telling you… they’re bringing you into a world that maybe you’ve been aware of,<\/p>

maybe you haven’t certainly when you look at something like \u201cWhen They See Us\u201d, and you look at \u201cTalk<\/p>

to Me\u201d, these were based on true stories of people you… I mean there are a fair amount of people that<\/p>

knew about Central Park Five, but there are people that didn’t really know the story. With movies like<\/p>

\u201cLove & Basketball\u201d, and \u201cThe Old Guard\u201d, and other films that I’ve done with directors, especially the<\/p>

female directors, and not to say that male directors don’t empower women, of course they do.<\/p>

But being able to tell a particular story, or show a particular character through a specific lens, the<\/p>

people that I’ve been fortunate to work with, really are trying to empower and show the strength of<\/p>

their characters, whether they’re male or female, and vulnerability. And that especially in terms of<\/p>

working with Gina, where you have women that have agency, and they’re trying to find their place in the<\/p>

world. I’m just fortunate that the directors that I’ve worked with Ava, Gina, Kasi, Bob, if I start<\/p>

mentioning I’m going to miss somebody. They really have a strong voice, and they want to reflect the<\/p>

world that they want to see. And it’s not necessarily the world that we always are living, But I feel like<\/p>

they’re trying to give us a different perspective and a different lens, and allow us to think and feel and<\/p>

maybe see the world in a different way.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Patricia said, “Well, you knocked it out of the park.”<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

Thank you.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

One last question for tonight. I know it’s getting late on the East Coast… late depending on who you are.<\/p>

I tend to stay up late, I think that’s a lot of artists. And this is about \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d, we’ll wrap with this. “Is<\/p>

there a part you would have cut that remained in Eve’s Bayou because the director wanted it? I read the<\/p>

book a long time ago, but it was my favorite for many years. So is there anything left in that, that you<\/p>

would have cut but it stayed in the film?”<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

That’s funny that they asked me about that \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d and none of other movies. But no, seriously,<\/p>

with \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d, there was actually something that we didn’t want to cut that we had to take out. And<\/p>

so it was actually the opposite happened, because in the original \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d, which you can still find<\/p>

because ultimately there was a director’s cut that was released on \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d. But the original \u201cEve’s<\/p>

Bayou\u201d was there was a character named uncle Tommy, who lived in the house with Eve and her brother,<\/p>

her family. And he was actually based on a character and a memory from Kasi’s childhood, again where<\/p>

often in cultures in the past, families lived together in the same house.<\/p>

Uncle Tommy was a character who had… I don’t remember whether it was cerebral palsy or<\/p>

whether he had had a stroke. He was someone who was not able to speak, and he was in a wheelchair,<\/p>

and they cared for him. Kasi’s memory as a young girl was having to go upstairs. Her parents say go<\/p>

upstairs and say goodnight to Uncle Tommy. And for her, that that character, the idea of young kids<\/p>

having to go up and say goodnight to \u201csomething\u201d that they didn’t necessarily understand. Was a little<\/p>

bit daunting to them. But yet, within Kasi’s writing and making a film, Uncle Tommy was actually a very<\/p>

integral character because he ended up being the mute witness to what had happened that night that<\/p>

Cisely and her dad there was a fateful evening where something happened and it changed the course of<\/p>

their lives.<\/p>

And that’s part of what the movie about. And yet, in the original, what you discover is, is that<\/p>

you have two versions of what happened. And as we all know, again, memory is a selection of images.<\/p>

That’s how we begin the movie. And our memories are different, like you and I could have an argument<\/p>

and our memory of that argument is going to skew towards… But yet, within this particular movie, there<\/p>

was somebody who saw what happened. But he doesn’t have the ability to say what happened. And so it<\/p>

was a very layered character. And ultimately, when we… we had finished the film, and I don’t want to go<\/p>

too far into it because we don’t have a lot of time. But we finished the film, and then we were told that<\/p>

we had to remove that character.<\/p>

And it was a big deal for Kasi, as you can imagine, as a director, to cross the finish line, and then<\/p>

somebody pulls you back from the finish line and says, “No, you’re not done.” And it was the studio<\/p>

decision to remove this character. And then it became my responsibility, or our responsibility together to<\/p>

remove this character, and yet deliver a story and a film where you never knew the character was there.<\/p>

Yeah, it wasn’t something… I don’t remember anything where I said, “Oh, this has got to go.” But I do<\/p>

remember someone telling us that some character got to go.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Yeah, I remember Kasi being in Toronto at a screening of \u201cEve’s Bayou\u201d, I guess, was last year sometime,<\/p>

but I don’t know what time is anymore. But I remember her sharing that story. And I remember being an<\/p>

audience. Do you remember what that feels like to be in an audience? And we were all like, “What?” And<\/p>

it was a collective… especially not a filmmaking audience, in my mind that sometimes some of the<\/p>

decisions it’s hard. It’s hard because we’re artists and, especially, I think for a story that’s so personal,<\/p>

and comes out of your experience in some way. Yeah, I remember the collective gasp, so thank you for<\/p>

sharing that story.<\/p>

Thank you for tonight, thank you for making time to chat with us. Again, I was so excited to<\/p>

speak with you. And I’m so glad that I know you a little bit. And I hope we can continue the conversation.<\/p>

Just for making your time and being open and willing to share because this is how we learn. And this is<\/p>

how we grow. We’re a community, for those who are filmmakers here and those who aren’t, and who<\/p>

are just film lovers. Film never gets done. And you said it earlier, film never gets done on our own. And<\/p>

we’re all integral to the process. I’m excited to see what you work on next. But it’s been a beautiful<\/p>

career to watch. And I know there’s so much more to come, so thank you again.<\/p>

Terilyn Shropshire:<\/p>

Well, thank you. And I’m looking forward to seeing what you do next as well. And I really want to thank<\/p>

you for taking the time to get my work, and ask such great questions and steer us through this. I want to<\/p>

also thank the Canadian Cinema Editors for this honor of being able to talk with your group, and we’re all<\/p>

in this together. So I really do appreciate it.<\/p>

V.T. Nayani:<\/p>

Thank you, Teri. Have a good night everyone, take good care, and I’m just wishing health and wellness for<\/p>

everybody.<\/p>

Sarah Taylor:<\/p>

Thanks so much for joining us today, and a big thanks goes to Terilyn, and V.T. for taking the time to sit<\/p>

with us. Our special thanks goes to Jane MacRae and Nagham Osman. This episode was edited by Alex<\/p>

Schead. The main title sound design was created by Jane Tattersall, additional ADR recording by Andrea<\/p>

Rusch. Original music provided by Chad Blain and Soundstripe. This episode was mixed and mastered by<\/p>

Tony Bao.<\/p>

The CCE has been supporting Indspire – an organization that provides funding and scholarships to<\/p>

Indigenous post secondary students. We have a permanent portal on our website at cceditors.ca or you<\/p>

can donate directly at indspire.ca. The CCE is taking steps to build a more equitable ecosystem within our<\/p>

industry and we encourage our members to participate in any way they can.<\/p>

If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell your friends to tune<\/p>

in. \u2018Til next time I’m your host Sarah Taylor.<\/p>

[Outtro]<\/p>

The CCE is a non-profit organization with the goal of bettering the art and science of picture editing. If<\/p>

you wish to become a CCE member please visit our website www.cceditors.ca. Join our great community<\/p>

of Canadian editors for more related info.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t