#This is just me trying to summarize what Lucas said in all his interviews and speeches

[david-talks-sw]

What's 'Star Wars' about?

A while ago I got an 'Ask' that concluded with "what is Star Wars about, if not the Jedi, right?" And weirdly enough... I have to disagree.

I mean... to me? Yes. Star Wars is about the Jedi. A Jedi-less, Sith-less, lightsaber-less Star Wars movie or series will struggle to get me on board (which is why I was surprised that I loved Andor so much).

But if you read everything George Lucas said, if you think about the Jedi's place in his two trilogies... they're not front and center, right?

Sure, there's Luke Skywalker... but he's a learner, in the Original Trilogy. Same goes for Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, in the Prequels. They're going through character arcs.

Otherwise, the Jedi are either used as mentors to the protagonist...

... or to deliver exposition...

... but they're mostly vectors Lucas uses to present his thesis.

Functionally-speaking, the Jedi are important in that they embody the Buddhist philosophies the movie's themes are based on.

But when it comes to the plot, they're secondary. That's because the the themes of these films are bigger than the Jedi themselves.

So the question becomes... what's are the themes?

The primary goal of the Star Wars films is to inspire kids to start thinking outside the box and teach them a set of values and psychological motifs that have been passed down through mythology and fairy tales.

These values can be summed up in the dichotomy between greed and compassion / selfishness and selflessness / pleasure and joy.

We all have both aspects and need to strike a balance between the two. After all, being greedy ultimately comes from fear and being afraid can happen to all of us. Problem is, unchecked fear can lead to anger, hate and a whole lot of suffering.

The more selfish you are, the more you want things and the more you're afraid that you'll lose everything you have, you'll get angry when someone tries to take it and that will hurt everyone around you.

In other words, fear is the path to the tempting/addictive Dark Side.

Thus, seeing as we'll be inevitably tempted by the Dark Side and give in at some point (because nobody's perfect), we should aim to be as selfless and compassionate as possible for our own good... but also for the greater good, because we're all connected to a life energy. You can call it Qi or God; in Star Wars it's known as the Force.

As such, we all form a symbiotic circle and working with that in mind is better than putting ourselves first and draining from everything and everyone around us.

But we also need to be careful because there will be people who give in to that selfish side and will try to control everything. When the time comes, we must stand up for what's right.

So that's Lucas' thesis.

If I had to sum them up, the six movies illustrate it as follows:

The Prequel Trilogy is about the consequences of greed, explored through Anakin on a smaller scale and the Senate on a larger one.

The Original Trilogy shows the triumph of compassion, through Luke, Leia & Han and the Rebellion's fight against the Empire.

Lucas talked about it multiple times, the Prequels are about how Anakin becomes Darth Vader and how the Republic becomes the Empire, and in both those cases, it happens because they're greedy.

The Senate is greedy in the more classical sense. They could give a shit about "symbiosis", no they're taking bribes, letting corporations dictate policy, using loopholes to keep themselves in power and halting any meaningful progress out of fear that the new status quo will conflict with their own self-serving goals.

Anakin's greed manifests in a different way. He turns to the Dark Side because of his attachment. He wants to stop Padmé from dying... but not because he wants to save her, rather he wants to save himself from feeling the pain of loss again and will do anything to not have to live without her, her own wishes and the natural cycle of life and death be damned.

In both cases, they cave under pressure orchestrated by Palpatine, but nobody puts a gun to their head. They make a deliberate choice that comes from a selfish place, and neither one takes personal responsibility for it, they blame others, the Separatists in the case of the Senate and the Jedi in Anakin's case.

The Republic becomes an Empire with thunderous applause, betraying the people it was meant to protect.

And when faced between doing something he knows is right and giving in to his selfish desires...

... Anakin elects to do the latter, thus betraying his family and leaving the Force in darkness.

These selfish choices impact the galaxy as a whole, including the only characters in the trilogy who were doing their best to be compassionate and live in symbiosis: the Jedi, Padmé and Bail.

These champions of the Light Side are stuck playing catch-up or helplessly witnessing the events unfold, throughout the trilogy. They're playing by the rules and Palpatine uses this to his advantage.

Thus, as the galaxy tears itself apart because of Palpatine's manipulations, the Jedi and Bail are ignored and gradually weakened until they're either rendered irrelevant or killed.

A new order is born, one built on blood, lies and greed: the Empire.

But a new hope remains.

While before, the Jedi and people like Bail stood alone as everything around them became willfully corrupt... now, a Rebellion inspired by their legacy has banded together to overthrow the current order. But they don't fight for power or personal glory, they fight for altruistic, compassionate reasons. There's a sense of general responsibility that moves them, they're all doing their part.

On a larger scale, we focus on the Rebels, who are tired of seeing people suffer and decided this needs to stop. They have gone from being passive, to proactive.

On a more personal scale, we see the evolution of Luke, from naive farmer to a hero, and guess what? More and more selfish people - like Han or Lando - are inspired to join the Rebellion, after seeing the exploits of Luke, Leia, or even Ben.

It all culminates in the final film, wherein:

The Rebels band together with the Ewoks - literal teddy bears whom the Empire, in their arrogance, never even considered to be a threat - to destroy the Second Death Star and free the galaxy from imperial tyranny.

At the same time, Emperor Palpatine pressures Luke, who is tempted by the Dark Side like his father was.

But instead of giving in to his selfish desire to kill Darth Vader for all the horrors he's done...

... he finds the strength to rise above it, instead showing compassion for his father, which, in turn, inspires Anakin to do the same.

He faces a choice, like he did in Palpatine's office, two decades prior...

... and this time he chooses right.

Children teach you compassion. Anakin lets go of his fear and anger, and saves his son at the cost of his own life, finally bringing balance back to the Force.

Good triumphed over evil. Its champions achieved victory by being selfless, hopeful and fighting together / helping each other.

And that's it, that's how the movies thematically tie together.

As you can see, the Jedi aren't that directly impactful on the overall plot, because it revolves around Anakin, Luke and the respective factions/institutions around them.

But what the Jedi do bring to the table is their ability to teach and inspire others, both in-universe and out. They're spiritually impactful.

The Jedi are the epitome of compassion, and it's partially through them that George Lucas teaches his values to the audience.

#to be clear: Star Wars doesn't HAVE to be about all this #This is just me trying to summarize what Lucas said in all his interviews and speeches #The post-Lucas Star Wars transmedia franchise made the Jedi more central than they were originally meant to be; especially in the Prequels #You see this in interviews from current SW creators /writers #but also small stuff like renaming the Prequel era “Fall of the Jedi” when it was originally named the “Rise of the Empire” era #meta #george lucas #star wars #jedi order #the force #anakin skywalker #luke skywalker #prequel trilogy #original trilogy

[munsons-maiden]

I'm so scared that now that we get the book Eddie really won't be back and all the hints and teases were bc of the book bc Joe is on board with that and what if he meant that? 😭

I see where this is coming from but I absolutely don't think that the book means Eddie won't return

Look at the other characters who got books so far (novels, not graphic novels):

Suspicious Minds - Dr Brenner

Darkness On The Edge Of Town - El and Hopper

Runaway Max - Max

Rebel Robin - Robin

Lucas On The Line - Lucas

There's a very clear pattern here: every single one of these characters is an important recurring character who's been in at least 2 seasons.

And all of these books, including Eddie's, feature said recurring character's backstory. Even if we ignore the first two books and only focus on Runaway Max, Rebel Robin and Lucas On The Line, it's clear that these books offer a deep-dive into each of these main characters' pasts.

Which places Eddie once more on the same level as the recurring main characters of the season.

I've always said that Eddie is a main character based on this post by @strangerthings4theories which perfectly sums up the differences between main characters and supporting characters and from which we can clearly see that Eddie is the new main character introduced this season (and not Argyle or Dmitri etc) PLUS by the level of marketing and promo Eddie got before and after the season aired (Netflix even comissioning an artist to create an "Alive in the Upside Down poster" and so so SO much more) and the way Joe was doing more promo than the actors playing recurring characters combined.

If anything, this book is another big reason to believe that Eddie will return.

Which brings me to my second point.

2. Eddie is not just a fan favorite; he's THE fan favorite. Which makes him Netflix's personal favorite, I suppose. An Eddie novel will bring a lot of money - and imagine how much more money he'll bring them if he returns on screen, which yeah a book is nice but we want him back on screen. Alive and thriving. And they know that, Shawn Levi has said so himself (remember that "We know you love him, so do we, we know you want him back, we heard you"-interview on that red carpet).

Which means that:

3. They KNOW what they have with him, and they've been relentlessly showing us that with said promo, special comissioned posters, etc. They've been doing that looong after Vol 2 had aired: Oh and remember that crop circle?

What I'm trying to say is, even if Joe's winks and I-know-something-you-don't-know smirks were because he already knew there'd be a novel and that he'd be involved in that novel (btw he's the only actor involved in the creation of his character's novel) that still doesn't mean he doesn't know more (he said himself that he knew stuff about ST5 in that interview with Jamie, which in itself is super sus because actors leaving huge popular shows like ST usually don't know what'll happen in the next season if they're not part of it anymore. To put it in relation - Jenna Ortega, who played a fan favorite on Netflix's You for two seasons wasn't even told how the season would end beforehand so she wouldn't be able to spoil anything, and You isn't as big as ST.)

And all that Eddie promo Netflix dropped...for a novel? I don't think that makes sense, considering the novels are a nice little treat on the side but the actual business is the season, the things on screen, not on a printed page.

4. The book's release date is set nicely right between seasons. Screams "hey remember that guy, hm? Hm? ;)" for the general public. Means, keeping the hype going for the general public.

5. The author of the book is Caitlin Schneiderhan, who's one of the writers of ST4. No other ST novel has been written by a ST writer. My thoughts on the matter are summarized here.

6. And finally, the topic of the book will make neither his return nor a spin-off for him redundant because we learn about his past but only some of it (it'll be set in his first senior year in 1984 and likely explain what happened for him to be held back the first time).

So in conclusion,

Eddie will be back and him getting his own novel is only further reason to believe it.

#kiki answers #eddie munson #stranger things 5 #stranger things

[dornish-queen]

GQ MEXICO - PEDRO PASCAL 2021

It seems that Pedro Pascal is in all possible universes. Here and there. In the past, in the present, and in galaxies far, far away. Today, the actor is considered the great entertainment reference and one of those in charge of saving a franchise that seemed lost. Enough reasons to talk exclusively about discipline, gastronomy, creeds and how he traumatized his father in 30 seconds.

The RAE defines 'creed' as the set of ideas, principles or convictions of a person or a group. For example, by creed, one can leave his country and be in exile. It happens that one can leave the loved one behind. Or simply live in another reality. And also one can put on a helmet to pretend never to take it off again. If that is the path to follow, the creed says that it must be done with the profession of faith and without stopping to look. Turning the pages of the script for The Mandalorian , the Disney + series that revived passion and nostalgia for the Star Wars franchise , Pedro Pascal came across this definition in every dialogue and moment, and reflection carved his way.

More than two decades have passed since the Chilean-American, Pedro Pascal, began his acting career and today, named as the great reference of 2020 , he misses the theater and it still hurts him not to have the discipline to exercise and maintain a diet sana while acknowledging the irony of having the best year of her career in the midst of one of the worst in recent history. But even in physical solitude, the man who carried the best-selling Christmas baby rescues many positive things and shares his vision of the universes he has traveled through, his passion for distant galaxies and how to traumatize your family with a simple scene of TV. In an interview, the Mandalorian of Latinamerica.

IMDB named you the 2020 benchmark in entertainment, a year in which the world took refuge in fiction. How was living your best time locked up and what do you rescue on a human level from it?

The strength of family relationships and friendship. For them, we endure this physical loneliness. I do find it ironic that in 2020 I received projects so well received by the public, although they were carried out before the pandemic and their impact was during it, and that year I was isolated and alone. But I must emphasize that this loneliness is a privilege when many people had to continue working, surviving and maintaining the functioning of the world. We only had to be alone, but they more than that and you must value it too.

Among the activities you have missed, how much do you miss the theater?

Much indeed. It's something that I miss the most and being with people without being afraid. See a play and return to those experiences of being with people doing and living things in common. That is what I need most, in addition to my loved ones.

Disney fully entered streaming and its strong letter has your face, what do you think of the discussion of platforms against movie theaters?

There are incredible things in streaming and many people develop great projects that they did not have access to before. The diversity of voices is gaining ground and it is important to recognize that opportunities grow exponentially and boundaries change. It is incredible the availability that we have to very well made content and how creative people can share their work in different ways. But I also want to be honest: limiting the experience of watching content only on our gadgets or at home is a mistake that affects the stories we can tell. You have to achieve a mix of opportunities and challenges.

You jump between the fictional universes that mark the last decades until you reach the universe of universes. What is your first Star Wars memory and how do you summarize the essence of this legendary story?

For me, Star Wars is nostalgia itself. It is one of the primary things in my memory, of my childhood. I came to the United States with my Chilean family when I was less than two years old and one of my first memories is going to the movies with my dad to see the saga ; it becomes one of those romantic childhood things that opens your mind, so imagine how special it is to participate in this project. I think the creators of The Mandalorian perfectly understand this nostalgia and that power, and they managed to count on that element as a great ally for the world of Star Wars and I couldn't be happier to be part of it. (From which we expect the third season The Mandalorian)

The Mandalorian exploits the power and nuances of your voice, did you have that letter on your resume?

I didn't know I could do it, but I resorted to my theater preparation, which was very physical on all levels and feelings. There are elements that have to do with and that are essential to create a role, and they teach you that the voice is something primary, something you have to start with and you cannot hide. Now I have learned much more about the importance of that, and how to use it economically. The body also has to do with that, because something very subtle communicates something. In The Mandalorian , I had a great time figuring out how to do it, they gave me the opportunity to develop it in different ways. The opportunity to be very intense at it.

What happens to the ego when someone works under a suit and a mask?

In the conversations about the project, before doing it, we were communicated the idea and the concept of the entire season , so I clearly understood what it was. I wanted it to be the most powerful version of what they were trying to accomplish, so there was no point in involving my ego, you know? It was already very clear what the project meant, so I knew about the character , the piece that it represented for him and the opportunity that it was for me, so I was only focused on executing in a better way the part that touched me in everything this. In the theater, I worked several times under a mask and it helped me develop the experience.

It seems that The Mandalorian has a very theatrical base ...

Exactly, and thanks to the physical experience of working in theater, doing a play a few times a week, discovering how your body and your voice communicate , being part of a whole image, and how you will tell that story visually, I achieved this character. I never imagined that it would be something I would have to use on such an important Star Wars project .

On the list of entertainment greats, there are names like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, do you think John Favreau should be added to the list?

I think your name is already included. Without a doubt, it is in that category and it is incredible. His vision fascinates me. I remember an episode in the second season , and I had some boots and I walked so much in the snow, it stuck to them. He figured it out, so he talked to the art department about the kind of boots you need when you're out in the snow. They approached me and gave me new ones that fulfilled the idea I was looking for. He noticed it in an instant. It is such a wonderful detail and it is repeated to scale in every session with him. He thinks of absolutely everything and his vision of the use of technology is admirable. He is someone who makes you feel motivated and always sees how to achieve the goal.

One of the reflections in the series is on how and under what circumstances a man can break his creed and way of life. What makes you break with your beliefs?

I think that you must follow your heart so as not to regret anything; Although sometimes it brings pain or conflict, deep down when you look back, everything is worth it because it was what you heard in your heart. I am very afraid to deny that feeling or not to attend to it. I am 45 years old now and I cannot believe I have a finer philosophy. Make it more disciplined. It's ridiculous, but I'm trying to accept that I am and it's all I can say, "follow your heart." Although, you know, I'm not on a good diet yet, I still have trouble sleeping or exercising.

Still good at Chilean empanadas?

Yes, I couldn't stop. And also how good that I do not live in Mexico City because I would only spend it eating. I could move my whole life to defe just to eat.

I want to deviate and ask you, with whom did you see the chapter of your death in Game of Thrones and what traumas did you cause in your family?

For me, no trauma. I separate myself well from the characters , although I fully understand that if I were a Game of Thrones audience and loved that character, it would make an incredible impression on me. Thank you that it was not. I had to interpret it and there was a model of my head to be crushed that way with the tubes and the fake blood, you know? Me lying there, with pieces of my meat, it was funny in the end. But not for my family. For them there is nothing funny but traumatic. My dad's voice changed completely when we saw the episode, he turned around and said: “I didn't like it, Pedro . No, Pedro , not this ”.

The media found similarities between your villain in Wonder Woman: 1984 and Donald Trump. When playing a character with characteristics like this, do you humanize him or do you understand him?

The project had nothing to do with the former president. They always told me that my character in Wonder Woman: 1984 was emotionally messy, and I took that and took that as far as possible. Instead of creating it with images or certain inspirations from life, it was more to work with what was on the page. Personally, what made sense to me is the size of the story that is being told and there is always more, and we all want more. Creatively, if this makes sense, that meant "blowing her out of the park." Connect a hit with the character and be committed to telling his story faithfully, in a way that was true to me. So all the exterior elements found their way.

What a way to start 2021 with the theme of the Capitol ... How do you perceive that moment?

I am not a politician and it is not that I do not have an opinion about this type of event; however, it is not necessary to state the obvious. My opinion would be very simple compared to that of a person who studied this, who knows how to act in these kinds of scenarios; I believe that I am next to the majority who experienced this, which is the logical result of what we have experienced during these years and we are all horrified . It was distressing to see this violence.

If you had the monolith in your hands, what would your wish be?

My wish would be… it's impossible, really (laughs). I think it is to be together again, with less fear and that people have the opportunity to connect.

What is your position on the reality that Chile has experienced in recent years and how has the relationship with your country been since exile?

It is something that I am developing and I continue to do in my life, trying to understand that it is my home. To be in Chile is to be at home, but my life has been very nomadic, living different things and having many influences; so it is strange, I do not feel with the title of a complete Chilean identity nor with an American one.

Neither here nor there?

In a sense, but I'm also completely both. My parents are Chilean , my brothers were born there before my parents traveled, and I came back sometimes because my family is very large; in fact, my parents came back. It has always been there, it continues to develop, and it will be a part of me. I don't know if it answers your question, but it has a lot to do with who I am.

What is your relationship with Latin American cinema? Are you interested?

Much, it has invaded me in life like American cinema. The movies that I carry in my heart, seeing something like Y tu mama was also something that changed me; I also love the work that comes out of Chile , and the only thing I can say is that it is a cinema that needs more access and projects.

Today you have a comedy with Nicolas Cage on the door, can you tell us something?

It's my first shot at comedy , as a complete story within the genre. Speaking of American influences , in the 80s I saw all the films where Nicolas Cage appeared , he came into my life and it's great to be his partner after seeing all his performances.

How is the relationship you have with the comedy genre?

I love it, I have done a lot of comedy in the theater, what happens is that in film and television issues , I was always part of drama castings . And in the cinema, you go where the doors open; Although I identify with one or the other, I think that being an actor , one goes and does what one has to do. Comedy is something unique, it is very challenging because it must be very real to be funny, you cannot hide or use normal tricks. I was very excited to have this challenge in front of a camera.

Finally, Pedro, after going through so many fictional worlds, literally, what do you dream about when you sleep?

I dream that my bathroom is dirty, that I haven't done my math homework, that the oven is on and all that stuff. Sure, there are times when I close my eyes and see myself in all these projects , although my conscience is with the anxieties of the day that you can imagine.

Without a doubt, Pedro Pascal is a particular type .

English Tranlation: Google Translate

SOURCE:  GQ MEXICO

#pedro pascal #jose pedro balmaceda pascal #gq mexico #Articles

[judgement-free-sideblog]

Salt and vinegar

First of all, thanks to everyone who read my first attempt at the first person writing, I always struggled with that.

I must say I didn't plan to write a second part to Cakes and accidents because I am a sucker for one shots with open endings, but I actually had a clear idea in my head about how it should continue, and I found a spark of inspiration so here is the part II.

And thanks to @tholland96 @jillanaholland for commenting.

Also part of the inspiration came from this interview in case you want to check it out.

Tom Holland x reader

One shot

Warnings: Fluff, cursing, poor table manners.

The message was bright and clear in your cellphone screen, but still you had to look at ti three more times to make sure what it says, and once the idea had sink in your head you tossed the device away in the laundry basket you were supposed to do that night as if it had somehow offended you. That wasn't real, it was a cruel joke of destiny that Tom Holland, actually Stanley, said the voice in your head, invited you to have dinner with him.

And of course you didn't want to read much into it, you have been talking in an amicable way for the last three days and he was probably trying to be friendly with you. But if you had to sit next to that charming smile and those breathtaking eyes that make you smile like an idiot just by thinking about them, for more than 20 minutes you will end up making an awkward mess of yourself and he would probably feel uncomfortable and would run away scared.

You pick up the phone and ignore the text to call your sister, she may be younger but the list of broken hearts in her past made her the perfect person to give advice, and since it was almost 8 at night she may be free in her new home all those mile away.

"Well he clearly enjoys your company" The voice of your sister told you in the phone after you briefly summarize how you meet him "Y/N why are you doing this? This Holland guy is clearly interested in you, what the hell if he said is name is Stanley or Lucas or Wenceslaus" She made a pause to let you laugh, she always did that, even when she was angry, making jokes was a second nature for Y/S/N "If anything it only means he wants to have a more normal discret experience as a young adult, and trust me it that is hard to find, you should see the blokes out here, they feel like just because they have a couple thousands followers in IG I should be kissing the floor they walk on"

"I suppose you are right, but I haven't done this in so long what if I mess it up?" You said with a voice a little more desperate than you hoped for.

"Then at least you have had dinner with a handsome lad, and you will move on. Look you are not sure if this is a date right? Then take it that way just two friends eating, a normal conversation, maybe a beer and please big sister put on a bloody dress" she said before you start lecturing her on how little you cared for gender specific clothes and she talked some more about her new school. By the time you hung up it was 9:00 and you sent the answer to his text.

Sorry, busy doing laundry. Sure mate! 6 works for you?

"Oh Y/N why did you say mate?" You asked yourself outloud, you really were bad at this.

And here I am, being useless. You are such an adult. 6 works perfect, I'll pick you. Sweet dreams mate! 😉

His text came in within minutes and you let go a relief sigh, before start thinking about what you should wear, but Y/S/N was right, you had to take it as calm as you could, and he was in fact a charming friend, worst case scenario you still were going to have dinner with Tom Holland, that couldn't be bad, and with that in mind you finally went downstairs to do the bloody laundry.

"Looking good Bristol" he said once you open the door at exactly 6:00 pm the next day. "Good thing Tessa is not coming today, will be a shame to get grass and dirt on that dress" he add pointing down to the skirt of the flowy summer dress you finally picked, looking at you for one second to long. So maybe it is a date your mind said happy.

"Oh that's too bad, I actually got her something" You said picking out something from your purse "So she won't be out there chasing innocent british pastries" You said giving him a chocolate cake plush toy. And following him out to his car.

"This is adorable" He said again smiling with his whole body, and you wonder again how does he do that? "Sorry I forgot to tell you to don't posh up, I'm actually just coming out of the gym" Actually never mind. Your mind told you since he was wearing again a simple black tshirt and dark blue jeans, and then you could notice his hair was wet, he probably had just taken a shower ... don't go there. "And I'm actually starving, chips sound good?"

"Sure, I actually didn't like the ones in Bristol so it would be nice to eat them here." Yo said trying to shake your thoughts away from the danger zone and putting on the seatbelt "Isn't it late for being at the gym? I hope you are not an excercise addict"

"I don't think I am" he said with a little laugh "But what do you think is this too much" He said with an obvious pretend innocence flexing up his arms making the tshirt rise on his abs. That's obscene sir, sorry girl you are on your own. Said your inner voice shutting down all logical thinking

"No, you look quite... healthy" You said finally looking to the left, never finding a review mirror so interesting.

"Good I would hate to be too big" he said and you could hear the amusement in his voice, and somehow the fact that he was aware of your obvious crush on him make you confident enough to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"Obviously, period pieces never look good on beefcakes and you can't be spiderman forever" you said casually and he turn at you a bit astonished.

"When did you knew?" He said and thankfully his tone was not anger nor embarrassment just genuine curiosity "And I would love to do a period piece, what about Heathcliff ?"

"Well I don't believe there is many Staffordshire bull terriers around named Tessa" You started "But I actually recognized you when I saw you" You finally confess, feeling the pressure lifting off your shoulders "But I thought since you were not comfortable giving out your own name it wasn't my place to say anything. And Heathcliff is overrated Linton on the other hand is more of a challenge"

"Oh don't be so harsh on yourself, I didn't mind giving my name or not, it just seemed something funny to do at the time, and Tom or Stanley I actually enjoyed talking to you" He said while he found a place to park. "Do you mind walking from here? Is a nice place but doesn't have and actual car park".

"Not at all, as long is not more than 5 blocks, I am getting hungry" you said with a smile while he maneuver to park his Audi.

"O'Neill's Kingston upon Thames" He said once you were both on the ground and he once again offered you his arm "Have you ever been there? Great food"

"I actually never been there, but sounds fine, let's go" you said gladly taking his arm and walking by his side and a couple blocks later you were finally at the Irish Pub.

"A pint of Guinness and cod and chips" He said returning the menu to the waiter.

"And the lady?" He asked while you struggle to not take forever to decide what you wanted, an old bad habit that your mother have tried to change constantly.

"The Bacon cheese chips and a pint for me as well" you said finally putting the menu away.

"My kind of girl" He said and winked at you, clearly not realizing that your legs will stop working because of it "So when do you go back to bristol?" He asked and that honest interest encouraged you to speak.

"By mid September, my mother is actually about to toss my train ticket in the trash since I didn't came back for spring vacations, but I had so much work that I couldn't."

"I totally get it, whenever I'm away my dad makes such a big deal about it" he said letting go a little laugh "I mean is not the same since I didn't go to college but is sweet"

"Oh but you cross the Atlantic, they have reasons to be worried. I'm just one train away" you said and a small spark of pride shine in his eyes, was he self conscious about you being in college? No that was ridiculous. "Anyway I actually needed this, my friends from uni are in their houses and my friends from high school are too happy with their boyfriends and girlfriends to hang out with me." There I'm a loser now we are even.

"And your sister is gone, been there. I have the feeling Harry is going to break up with me when he gets a real girlfriend" he said and make you laugh, a bit louder and more nasal than you wanted.

"That's some laugh" he said laughing too but instead of making you shut up or get embarrassed you laughed louder causing the waiter to look at both of you like you were crazy while holding your food.

"Yours is no better sunshine" Yo said finally and giving a I'm so sorry look at the guy that kept looking at you and he finally put your food on the table. "This looks delicious" You said taking out one of the chips making a cheese string to extend from the hot plate.

"That's like too much cheese" He said making a funny disgusted face, and then proceeded to add more vinegar and salt to his chips.

"And that's like too much vinegar" You teased back at him, and then taking a big sip of the Guinness.

"No darling, this is too much vinegar" He said taking one of the complementary pickled eggs on de table and giving it a big bite.

"That's actually fucking disgusting..." you started but ironically and unplanned you were betrayed mid sentence by the beer and a loud and horrifying burp came out of your mouth, and the shame and the look on other people faces made you want to be swollen by the floor "Oh shit, I'm so sorry, that was so awful, I'm so gross..." The apologies start bubbling in your mouth while your face turned red and you dare to look at him, and the serious look on his face could have broken your heart in the very moment because you could almost hearing him say how you should end the dinner for once.

"Oh you wanna get tough" He said instead and took a sip of his beer and let go an even bigger burp and then looked at you with the brightest smile yet and add "Beat that baby" and he raised his opened arms as if he had won. You only smiled and nodded and you kept talking about other nonsenses until two beers and a order of onion rings later he was waiting at the door for you to came out of the bathroom to walk back to his car.

"Sorry I take forever, I went back to give a bigger tip to the waiter, we were so awful" You said at him.

"You were awful, I was being completely charming" He said and this time he didn't offer his arm to you instead simply took your hand without saying a word and before you noticed you were already walking holding it tightly.

"Of course you were, the guy put two more picked eggs at the table for you and kept looking drooling" You said and he laughed.

"Sorry sweetheart I can't turn off this pretty face" He said pointing at him when you reached the car, you couldn't agree more.

"Well he must be in love, that's a lot of vinegar to want to kiss someone" You said, again before you could think better and stop your tongue, he stood still and you questioned yourself if you had offended him, since he didn't say anything you let go of his hand and try to walk to open the door, but before you could do it he grab you by the wrist, and you froze immediately.

"That's actually quite disappointing you know?" He started no smile, but no anger either, just an honest tone, he let go of your wrist but you remained in your place "But I have never think it's okay to try and kiss someone in the first date so I figured it would be okay"

Your feet were still on the ground but for a moment your head was miles and miles away in the sky screaming of happiness and incredulity, it was a simple four letter word yet it felt like the most beautiful poem in his lips, and at the same time your logical thinking brought you back to the ground in a millisecond, you needed to be certain of what he had said.

"Well I was not aware this was a date, otherwise I wouldn't have ordered the extra onion rings" you said and give him a timid smile.

"Then I must be terrible at this" he said opening the car door for you "Although I wouldn't mind, but as I said it's a first date so I just want to take you home safely.

"Well that's really sweet of you" you started and he start the car to get back to your home "And since apparently I'm incapable of behaving like a decent person in public when I'm with you next time you should come to my place".

"I like your indecency" He said "And I would love too, are you going to tell me that you can cook too? Because in that case you are officially annoyingly adult"

"Of course, my speciality is reheated pizza in the microwave" You said and he laughed, there was a narcissistic pleasure about being able to make him laugh.

As a perfect gentleman he walked you at your door, there was so much that you wanted to tell him, but the idea of going out with him again soon was so powerful that you almost didn't mind watching him leave.

"That was the funniest and more amazing date I ever have"

"Oh stop it" You said blushing again "I'm going to start believing you and it would get to my head"

"Believe me, I almost run to the drugstore to buy a toothbrush" He said and give you a devilish wink that make you thank your door for being behind you holding you still.

"You know how unfair this is when you look like that?" You said desperately looking at your feet "And for what is worth I have an amazing evening too, and if I'm honest I wouldn't have mind at all too" You said and dare to touch his arm softly before turning your back at him to get inside.

He suddenly grabbed you by your waist and turned back to him, planting a quick soft kiss on your cheek, and you could see the fun grin on his face, he was not being considered he was torturing you with anticipation, and you love it.

"Goodbye then" He said and with one last wink he walk away and got in his car.

You stood ther for solid five minutes touching your face where he had just kissed you and watching the street, then you finally get inside thinking about how happy and uneasy this force of nature of a man made you feel, he would be the end of you, but you wouldn't change it for the world.

#tom holland is adorable #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland #tom holland fanfiction #first date #funny #fluff #tom holland fluff #London #fish and chips #beer #Guinness #tom holland interview #part two #romance #fanfiction

[lorrainecparker]

ART OF THE CUT with “TWIN PEAKS” editor DuWayne Dunham

DuWayne Dunham’s filmography is so extensive and impressive that trying to summarize it in a paragraph just doesn’t do him justice, so I’d advise checking out imdb for more. But a quick summary is: Assistant editor on “Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Editor on “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” “Blue Velvet,” “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” the original TV series “Twin Peaks,” “Wild at Heart,” and “K-11.” He is also a director, including on the original TV series, “Twin Peaks” and the features “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey” and “Little Giants.” I spoke to Dunham about editing David Lynch’s return to “Twin Peaks” on Showtime.

This interview was transcribed using SpeedScriber. (Transcribed in under 10 minutes with no wait for a transcriptionist.)

If you’re interested in watching Twin Peaks or checking out some of the episodes Mr. Dunham mentions, you can sign up for a free month of on-line Showtime. You can also watch the first part (episode) for free on Youtube.

  HULLFISH: Tell me a little bit about the style of the show. It’s very stylized, for those who haven’t seen it. Does that make it difficult to edit?

DUNHAM: It doesn’t add any sort of complication. It just makes it a lot more fun. It may open certain doors to try things. David (director, David Lynch) is such a visionary. His material is just different to begin with. So it’s a real pleasure to work with.

HULLFISH: You’ve worked with him on many things of course. You did the original TV series and also Blue Velvet. Tell me a little bit about your relationship and how you guys came to work together and how you’re able to contribute to his vision.

DUNHAM: The first thing I did was Blue Velvet for David. We did some commercials together and then Wild at Heart. Actually, it was the pilot for Twin Peaks, but while we were finishing that, he went off to do Wild at Heart. And about that time, we got picked up for the first seven episodes of Twin Peaks. And I started directing on the series and doing other work as well.

So, on Blue Velvet, we would cut up in Berkley, in the Bay area. I was over at LucasFilm in Marin, and it’s a small film community up there and I’d finished cutting Return of the Jedi and then another movie called The Mean Season (1985) and David called and asked if I’d cut Blue Velvet and I said, “Maybe you ought to meet me first.” I flew to LA to meet with David and we shared a couple of “Gee whiz” and “Aw shucks” and we got along pretty well in that way and you learn a lot about a person’s thought process and their working process and whether you can work with them.

So I cut Blue Velvet. The first cut was 3 hours and 57 minutes long and I was a little nervous. David was sitting next to me. There were only about four of us in the theater that night. The screening finished and the lights came on and after a minute he says to me, “I liked it. I like it just the way it is. But one problem…” and I thought, “well, this is going to be easy.” And he said, “I only get to have final cut if the film is under two hours.” So there we went trying to cut down an almost four-hour movie, which we did.

And then the experience with Wild at Heart was so crazy because I was finishing the pilot episode. as well as an alternate ending for that. And I knew that was coming to an end and I knew David wasn’t going to do anything else for a while. I loved the pilot. I still love the pilot. I think it’s one of the best movies around. We were able to screen that pilot episode at DGA one time and I’ll never forget it. It was like liquid gold on the screen, it was just beautiful. That pilot has a pacing and a rhythm to it that I think David and I seemed to be on that same kind of wavelength. I asked David at the end of the pilot what he was going to do and he said he was going to take some time off and I said, “OK, then, I’ve got to look for another job.” And I did. I told another studio I would be free after I finished the last few weeks on Twin Peaks and before that happened, David walked back in and he said, I’m going to direct Wild at Heart and I want you to cut it, so I told him that he’d said he wasn’t going to do anything else, so I booked another job. It was May and I asked him when he was going to shoot it, and he said, “July,” and I asked if he had a script and he said, “More or less.” I told him, “David, I feel terrible, I want to work with you but I took another job and I cannot trade one editing job for another.” He thought for a little while and he said, “OK, we just got picked up for the first seven episodes of Twin Peaks. You can direct the first episode and a couple more. So will you cut Wild at Heart for me?” And I said, “Sure.”

So David went off shooting Wild at Heart. and I started editing Wild at Heart while scripts were being written for Twin Peaks and sets were being built. I wanna say it was around August or the beginning of September. I took a break from Wild at Heart to go direct the first episode of Twin Peaks and I finished seven days later, which was exactly the same day that David finished shooting Wild at Heart. So we met back in the cutting room and now we have the feature Wild at Heart and the first episode of Twin Peaks and David was prepping to direct the second episode of Twin Peaks so in the process of cutting Wild at Heart we were both doing the first season of Twin Peaks. A lot’s going on and it was crazy and David is in and out of the cutting room.

And while all of this is going on, David asks if we can have Wild at Heart ready for Cannes and it’s already November and that cut was almost four and a half hours long. So we put our heads down and finished up Wild at Heart and the first seven episodes of Twin Peaks. David took Wild at Heart to Cannes and won the Palm d’ Or.

HULLFISH: Wow. So you are cutting a Palm d’ Or-winning feature film while you’re directing episodes of an iconic TV series. Did you hand the editing of your directorial episodes over to someone else?

DUNHAM: A little bit of both. It was crazy, because I had my own editing set-up. We had a supervising editor, but I pretty much cut my episodes. Jonathan Shaw had been with us on Blue Velvet. He knew David and David knew him and he was familiar, so John came on and he was our supervising editor on Twin Peaks because there was so much work to be done and then ultimately there were a couple more editors, but basically, I would cut my stuff and David’s stuff. And direct.

HULLFISH: Wow. That was the season of your life that sounds very filled out.

DUNHAM: I jokingly tell this story that during that time I lived on the west side, so I’d drive from Hollywood at night at midnight, one, two in the morning and I would just hope that I would come across a red light because at a red light I could close my eyes. And then twenty years later, on Twin Peaks again, I’d again be hoping for another red light! Because this Twin Peaks was huge.

David and I had another project we were talking about and it was something I would just direct. And he calls me and asks me to come over for a chat, so I drive over, thinking we were going to talk about that and he says, “I’m going to do Twin Peaks.” And I said, “Why?” and then asked when he was going to start and he said, “I want you to cut it for me.” And I said, “David, I haven’t edited for someone else in nearly 25 years…” I’d been directing and doing my own stuff. But I always said that in my career there were two guys that I was blessed to work with: David Lynch and George Lucas was the other. And I said, if either of those guys called and asked me to work with them I would do it because I love working with them. Unique talents but so similar and you learn so much from both of those guys because it’s not just cookie-cutter. You’re tasked with going deeper and you want to go deeper.

And so I asked how many episodes and he told me, and I laughed because I know his stuff. He told me nine and it turned out to be 18 hours. Pretty cool hours. But it was just an extraordinary experience With David. You’re never ever apprehensive of going to work that day. You don’t want to leave at night and you want to get back in the morning and get after it. And we pretty much cut for a year.

HULLFISH: Was the first time that you directed Twin Peaks?

DUNHAM: Yes. It was the very first episode of the original seven.

HULLFISH: And did he know that you had aspirations to direct? Or did he figure that your editing skills would lead you to be able to direct?

DUNHAM: When you get in a room together, you’re pretty quick to suss out what kind of tools is this person carrying. Just before Blue Velvet, I had a project that David was very much aware of because I was kind of putting him off. He knew I wanted to direct this project of mine, but I was having trouble getting the money and it was slow going, and I told him I couldn’t give him an answer today. And that went on for about two weeks before I’d agreed to do Blue Velvet, and he finally called and said, I’m leaving and I need to know right now. I was weighing three or four offers and I thought, “Well, who can I learn the most from?” and of course, it was David. So he was aware, but he did want me to edit Wild at Heart and we’d had a great time on the pilot for Twin Peaks, a REALLY great time. David wasn’t in the cutting room that much because obviously, he was off shooting, but that first seven episodes, to this day, any one of those cast or crew members, the pilot episode or the first seven episodes, it’s a very close family.

Kyle MacLachlan in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

HULLFISH: It’s amazing that all those things were going on at the same time. Let’s talk a little about editing this new Twin Peaks series. I was really intrigued by the sound design throughout. There’s a great example in the first episode where you’re cutting between two different surveillance cameras and each one of them has its own little sound.

DUNHAM: Sound design is due to two words: David Lynch. When I cut — my style — and I learned this from Lucas (George Lucas) — I cut silent, even for dialogue, I’m not listening to the dialogue, I’m looking at picture. My number one rule when I go into the cutting room – I only have two rules and I tell all my editors that I work with this — The first thing is to throw the script away and the second rule is — while we’re shooting, call the set every day and just say everything looks great, keep going. Unless there’s a REAL problem. So that’s what I do with David. On this Twin Peaks, I had to make an exception to my first rule. This is the only film where I kept the script in front of me because it’s so big.

And I work with cards — little index cards. Again, that’s a Lucas trick, but it worked really well for David and me on Wild at Heart. It was so big and we did an awful lot of restructuring of it. So we could quickly move cards around so, David uses that system and my entire room was full of cards. It started at one end of the room and moved all the way down the wall, down the side wall and the back wall. He’s shooting out of order and of course, you’re cutting out of order. and you develop a system.

So I cut silent. I rarely cut with music, I wait till my scene is cut and then I’ll add music.

David loves every single step of filmmaking. Every single one. Sound design is a big one. I did add SFX in the beginning, knowing we were on such a tight schedule and I would put certain SFX in, very sparse, just the things that needed something… an accent. Because with David’s material, it doesn’t need much. It’s so inherently interesting. Sound simply amplifies, and you can’t say that about too many people’s work. So sound design was always left more to David and I cut certain scenes in the beginning. He’d say, don’t put a single thing in — maybe some air — the sound of wind through trees, but nothing signature.

When he was done shooting, he sat down for a week to watch what we’d edited — and I muted my sound channels, but he said to turn them back on. So all I put in it was the barest sound work, just enough so it had some life.

I learned an important lesson from David on Wild at Heart – the deadline for that project was so tight, It was 12 ten minute reels. David was doing the mix up at Skywalker and eventually he caught up to me I was still cutting the end of the movie — reel 12, and we even broke reel 12 in half and I gave him the first five minutes of reel 12 while I worked on the last 5 minutes. That’s how tight that schedule was. When he finished mixing reel one of Wild at Heart, he called me in and we did a playback and I was thinking “Wow, this is really something.” By the time we got to reel 4, I understood what he was doing. He’s painting with sound. You can’t interrupt that. You can’t say, “You need a little more blue over here.” You let it go, because at that point it’s got its own life. I never would have approached the sound design for Wild at Heart that way, but what David was doing was so unusual. it’s so great that you just automatically stand back and support it as best you can.

Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern and David Lynch in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

HULLFISH: While we’re talking about characters one of the things that struck me watching the episode and of course previous work from David is that those performances are stylized. Is choosing performance when the performances are that stylized any different than choosing performances when you’re working with other directors?

DUNHAM: David, typically does not do a lot of coverage and David is very specific about what he’s going after. I was reminded of your question almost every day doing this version of Twin Peaks because I seem to understand his material and I know what David would want to do with it. We had to put a bunch of additional editors on this to help with the crunch, and they’d bring tough scenes to me and I’d send them back with notes: This is a David Lynch scene. and it’s not done until you can feel it. So take it back and find the groove.

HULLFISH; Does understanding what that groove is… does that come from knowing his other material so well?

DUNHAM: I don’t think so. Some people can just interpret the material better. Billy Wilder said something really great and it pertains to editing and directing as well. He was asked, “What makes a great director?” and he said, “Some people walk into a dark room and bump into things and trip over furniture and other people just seem to see better in the dark.” I think that’s true. Some people can just see it. With David, it’s always in there. He digs down very deep to some emotional beat.

HULLFISH: You said he doesn’t shoot a lot of coverage. Does he shoot a lot of takes?

DUNHAM: No. No.

HULLFISH: Is that because it’s so well rehearsed or because he’s communicated with the actors so well?

DUNHAM: He communicates very clearly. Also, he gives everyone — actors, crew — so much freedom. He’s very good with the specifics of what he wants and he’s very nuanced with delivery or whatever. And the other thing is that he knows when it’s working. A lot of people don’t know when they have it and they just keep going. If David can get it in one, then boom, let’s move on.

HULLFISH: To get back to choosing performance in editing. When I’m choosing performances, my biggest clue is what feels real and honest in my world. Twin Peaks is clearly not the world that I live in. In the first episode, an insurance guy comes in and talks to the sheriff’s receptionist. How do you choose the moments that feel real when you’re looking for something other than total realism

DUNHAM: It’s interesting that you would pick that little vignette. Honestly, that scene didn’t work that well. For whatever reason, it wasn’t fully formed. I cut it, and then David came back from shooting and he tried a few things and we both worked on it to try to make it something more. The obvious guiding light is what’s the scene about, and whose scene is it? How do you make this character interesting?

HULLFISH: You mentioned restructuring. It almost sounded like you were describing the entire series as one big long movie.

DUNHAM: Absolutely.

HULLFISH: So tell me a little bit about the restructuring that you were able to do and what were some of the reasons for some of the restructuring?

Laura Dern in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

DUNHAM: There was just no time on this show. Most shows there’s a little bit of time where you can catch your breath. David stopped shooting — let’s call it April 25th and on May 2nd we sat him down and for that whole week, he did nothing but look at the movie. Now I didn’t even sit with him because I’m still trying to get the last reels ready for him. Then David and I sat down and worked on the opening, which was very difficult. Structurally we tried a bunch of different things.

David did a couple of scenes here and there that only he knew what was going on. On those scenes, I roughed something out, but I didn’t even have a clue what was going on. Then once I got through all the reels, I started going through picture again with David coming along behind me. He kept working on those scenes that only he understood and I kept making changes. I don’t think he and I ever sat down and watched one scene.

HULLFISH: And that’s because David was hands-on acting as the editor on those scenes?

DUNHAM: Absolutely. So a scene like the atomic bomb, the so-called episode eight. There were certain scenes like that that only he knew what it was supposed to be, sort of making up the effects as we were going along.

HULLFISH: Are you bringing editing skills to directing or is it going the other way or do you just find that they’re very similar thought processes?

DUNHAM: They are. You know: you write a picture three times. You write it when you write it. You write it when you direct it. And you write it when you edit it. And Lucas always said if you want to learn how to be a filmmaker: write. And he’s absolutely 100 percent correct. Writing is re-writing and editing is re-editing, and you’re constantly doing it until someone locks the door.

HULLFISH: When you’re directing do you feel like you’re a better director because you have editing skills? What does it do for you?

DUNHAM: Well I know what I need. I know the shots that I need and that’s a big part of it. I had the luxury and blessing of working with George Lucas on Raiders of the Lost Ark which Stephen Spielberg directed and Michael Kahn — a great, great editor cut. George would say, “Stephen shoots the movie. Guys like me shoot AROUND the movie.”

George Lucas is a genius editor. It just comes natural to him. But what he means is that Stephen goes out and he has the picture in his mind and he shoots THAT. George shoots AROUND and then makes it up in the cutting room. David is a little bit of both because he shoots the movie but it is generally such a different way of looking at things, You know the only way any of that works, is if every little bit matches up. You can’t just do one note in the composition. The whole thing has to be consistent. And so he’s very specific but you do find it in the cutting room.

HULLFISH: You described this series as a movie… essentially an 18 hour-long movie. When it came to structuring that, how did you break it up? Just whenever you came up with an hour’s worth of material?

Sherilyn Fenn in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

DUNHAM: David always said this is a narrative from beginning to end. It is not episodic, and therefore we’re not going to do recaps and we’re not going to do a “coming next week” kind of thing. Showtime required somewhere between 51 or 52 minutes and a solid hour. It really wanted 52 to 58 minutes for each chapter, as we called it. They’re designed to be put together as a giant 18-hour movie.

David shot a whole bunch of bands in the roadhouse. and it seemed like that was maybe a way to end each chapter. They don’t all end that way, But quite a few of them do end in the roadhouse, so it’s kind of a clue for the audience: “Oh I know what’s coming. It’s a musical number.

The other structure thing was — and I had never done this before — I used different color index cards. We had blue ones and pink ones and salmon ones and two shades of green and white and yellow. Certain characters were a certain color. For instance, everything that happened in the town of Twin Peaks was green. So you can look at the board and say, “We haven’t seen any green for a while. We’re away for a long time, and we’ve got a little bit here and a whole bunch over here.” And you can just look at it and say, “What if we broke that up a little bit more?” And the Roadhouse scenes might have been a bright pink. Sarah Palmer had her own color. Jerry had a color. Guido Cooper had a color. It’s the only way you could keep track of it.

HULLFISH: Did you use those same colors inside the Avid or no? With colored locators or colored clips in the timeline?

DUNHAM: It was just the cards. None of us had any idea it was going to be THAT many cards. The start and end of each day would be David and me standing in the middle of the room and looking at one section of the cards and just thinking. The other thing was that the pins that held the cards to the wall were all colored.

HULLFISH: Why are the pins different colors than the cards? What does that signify?

DUNHAM: The pin color was an indicator about the state of that scene. They always started clear. Yellow means there’s a first assembly. When a scene gets David’s notes, then it goes green. And when David approves it, then it goes red. You can look at the board and know where we are at all times.

HULLFISH: Isaw I one pretty blatant continuity thing in the first episode. Many editors I talk to, including Thelma Schoonmaker and Dody Dorn, say continuity is the last thing they worry about. That’s also Walter Murch’s least important issue when considering a cut. What’s your take on the importance of continuity?

DUNHAM: To me, there’s no question. It doesn’t matter. They did a pick up of Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — which was the first film I worked on — and you are cutting back and forth and he’s got three days of growth difference depending on what shot you cut to. The audience doesn’t know. Nobody knows. Harry Dean Stanton, in Wild at Heart, there’s a scene where he’s sitting at a booth in the Banshee Restaurant some and in one take he’s got a cigarette in his hand and in other takes he’s got a glass of whiskey. You go for performance. There are some directors where you can’t get away with that continuity stuff because they’re not giving you the in-depth performances that Lynch will give you. Episode 8 of the series is brilliant.

I love the scene in the sheriff’s office at the end which quite literally broke the Avid. There was so much data for that scene. Eleven tracks of picture. 24 tracks of sound. It was a 27 minute scene and we had to break it up into 2 minute chunks just for Avid to be able to process everything. There’s 22 principal characters. When he was shooting it, I told him it was going to be special. He was using shaky-cam and I told him, “It looks great. Keep using that shaky-cam.”.

HULLFISH: That’s really different from the style of the rest of the episodes leading up to it. Things are so locked off.

Kyle MacLachlan in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

DUNHAM: Yeah. Well, he’s a painter. We liked some of the shaky-cam stuff so much that David re-shot it on the monitor.

My other favorite scene – there are only two characters in the scene: the character Red and the character Richard. It was shot in a location that was found that morning because of rain. It was moved from the woods to a warehouse. So just two actors and hardly any coverage. Two sizes and a couple of takes each — a close and a medium. It’s very uncommon for David to do multiple takes and I could see in my bin that there were like seven takes on Balthazar.

I put take one up and it looked fine. Now, I’m always interested to see how David is going to adjust the performance. I watch take two and three — there’s a little bit of movement, but by take five, big shift, by take seven even bigger shift, he’s actually talking the character through the scene: do this, do this, try this… He’s obviously looking for something very specific. So I started cutting and I loved everything that the actor was doing. I found a pattern. I found a rhythm. There’s a coin-flip at the end that lands in the guy’s mouth. And I’d say, “David, what about this coin thing?” And he’d say, “Oh, you’ll get it.” It’s about a 12-minute scene and it’s mesmerizing. It’s a blessing when you’re working with somebody who is open and you’re both finding this stuff together and you both get a similar thrill from it.

HULLFISH: What’s your approach to those scenes? Are you making selects reels?

DUNHAM: I’ve really trained myself that the first thing you have to do is sit down and watch the dailies in real time. And it’s hard to do because you’re on a tight schedule. The tendency is to want to race through it. It’s not about finding the number one overall performance, but I have pieces from probably every take. I use a combination of all the best pieces from whatever take they come from. I rely heavily on reaction shots and oftentimes the reaction is even stronger than the action itself. Sometimes, if it’s a big, big scene, I’ll make selects because I don’t want to have to go back through stuff. If there’s a line reading, for instance, I’m not sure because they’re so close then I might put those back to back so I could hear them and watch them. I turn the sound off and cut it on the rhythm of the beats… the rhythm of the actors. I’m looking for the quiver in the cheek. I’m looking for the little glint of light in the eye. What’s the subtlety?

HULLFISH: Do you remember episode numbers for those scenes?

DUNHAM: The sheriff’s office one is 17. The warehouse scene is episode 4, 5, or 6.

HULLFISH: You were obviously editing films before Avid was invented. When did you switch and what was that like? And have you considered anything else?

DUNHAM: Well, with Lucas, we were messing around with non-linear in the late 70s. The closest we could get to non-linear was having dailies put on five or six identical laser disks racked up and have the engineers try to figure out how to get them to play back a scene. I was the interface between Lucas and the engineers when he was building the EditDroid. The last picture I ever cut on film was Incredible Journey which was about 1992. That was the last time I touched film.

My next picture, Little Giants, we had a really, really short schedule. I had to convince Warner Brothers to go non-linear. I wanted to go digital. And at that time Avid was new and LightWorks was new. The studio had no confidence in the technology to deliver a finished picture, but I told them, if I’m not doing digital, I’m not doing this movie. There were four editors and not one of them wanted to go digital, and I told them, “We’ll send you to school for a week to learn Avid. It’s not that hard, and I promise you that after you try it, you will never, ever, ever go back to film.”

HULLFISH: Thanks for a really interesting interview. Good luck on your next project, DuWayne.

DUNHAM: Thanks Steve. Good talking to you.

To read more interviews in the Art of the Cut series, check out THIS LINK and follow me on Twitter @stevehullfish

The first 50 interviews in the series provided the material for the book, “Art of the Cut: Conversations with Film and TV Editors.” This is a unique book that breaks down interviews with many of the world’s best editors and organizes it into a virtual roundtable discussion centering on the topics editors care about. It is a powerful tool for experienced and aspiring editors alike. Cinemontage and CinemaEditor magazine both gave it rave reviews. No other book provides the breadth of opinion and experience. Combined, the editors featured in the book have edited for over 1,000 years on many of the most iconic, critically acclaimed and biggest box office hits in the history of cinema.

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