The workshop is designed to give filmmakers tools to help them write, develop, and produce a project with the final product in mind. The relationship between editor and director is sort of like parent and child – the director is out in la la land and the editor is constantly bringing the director back to reality. Editors see a side of the film that no one else does, they see all the (sometimes magical) mistakes that happened on set, they choose when to highlight something versus hide it in the background, and they even decide when scenes or entire character arcs need to be removed. Editing is the last re-write, and directors benefit from understanding what goes into editing.
Jack Hessler, a gay man and partner at the SLC-based production company WZRD media, began his career making snowboard films. He soon transitioned into editing character driven sports documentaries like the Telly award winning documentary series Far From Home, as well as the feature documentary World Debut from executive producer Tony Hawk, and has worked with brands and networks like White Claw, Red Bull, YouTube Originals, Olympic Channel, and more. His work has screened and won awards at festivals like Hollyshorts, Mountainfilm, Independent Short Awards and Rainbow Visions. Recently, he began a new journey into the world of narrative filmmaking, finding his voice in the realm of queer psychological thrillers.
