Behind The Edit: Richard & Colleen Halsey, ACE (Part 3)
And we’re back…! So, in this blog we’re going to ask Richard and Colleen how they got their start as film editors and share with us their path into becoming successful Hollywood Film Editors. Before I begin, I want to mention that I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has their own path in this industry. There is no one size fits all formula guide that will ensure a seat in the Hollywood Film Editing chair. Some will do all the right steps and become a film editor naturally, for some, it will take years and years until they even get an opportunity to be considered, and for some, they’ll leave the business, completely change industries, come back, start over, and work their way up to becoming an Editor again. The common denominator is that every path is THE RIGHT ONE because ultimately you should make happiness your north star. I really believe in this.
So don’t compare yourself to your peers but only to yourself - compare yourself to your last at bat, your last experience, and your last gig and ask yourself, what do I need to learn more of and what type of gig do I want to go after next so that I can push myself to become better. That’s the only time you should be comparing yourself.
Anyway, I will delve into this topic deeper after the interview with Richard and Colleen because this is one of the lessons I’ve extracted out of this Part 3. Also, if you haven’t already seen it, check out the YouTube version of this blog below.
Without further ado, let’s get right into it…
Richard’s Path To Editor.
Richard started out as a Messenger Boy at Warner Bros. Studio
Got into the Editing Department at Warner Bros. Studio as a Runner
Got into Music Editing at Warner Bros.
Left Warner Bros. and went to 20th Century Fox to work as an Assistant Editor on TV Show, Peyton Place
Two years later, Richard got his big television editing break on Peyton Place because the former Editor died. (So morbid right?)
After cutting TV for about a year, Richard wanted to get into feature films so he wrote a letter to one of his Editing idols, Ralph Winters (edited the original Ben Hur) sharing his interest and passion to break into feature films.
Two weeks later, Ralph Winters calls Richard up and tells him that he got him a job on Hal Ashby’s first film as a Director, The Landlord. Richard would be the Assistant Editor on the film.
After that film, Richard found more work as an Assistant Editor. He landed another Assistant gig on Five Easy Pieces.
Richard was then recommended by a Cameraman to Daryl Duke who then hired Richard and gave him his first feature film editing break. The film was called Payday.
Because of Payday, Richard’s longtime tennis friend, Paul Mazursky, hired him to edit highly acclaimed film, Harry & Tonto.
From this point on, Richard had established his career as one of the top A-list Hollywood Editors.
Colleen’s Path To Editor.
Colleen attended San Francisco Art Institute and with some help from longtime friends and highly acclaimed filmmakers, John Bailey (Cinematographer) and wife Carol Littleton (Film Editor), Colleen received a list of 30 people to contact.
Richard’s name was one of them on that list. So Colleen had setup an appointment to speak with him. Driving from Malibu all the way to their current home now, in Hollywood Hills.
Colleen knocks on Richard’s door and his assistant comes out and says “Sorry Richard is busy” and slams the door on her. (What?!) Richard didn’t even know about this.
Colleen feeling upset and defeated drove back home but kept pursuing other opportunities - it was extremely hard to get into the union back then, Colleen called it a “Catch 22”.
Fast-forward two years later, Colleen’s sister, Jo An, was an Agent/Manager and Richard actually reached out to Jo An for a job and she mentioned that Colleen was trying to get into the Union as an Editor and asked if there were any opportunities.
Richard was then able to hire Colleen to work with him on his film. He jokingly asked Jo An, “Is your sister half as good looking as you are?”, to which she chuckled and responded with, “She’s my twin sister.”
Colleen then went on to work with Richard on a small film and then got grandfathered into the Union when they went on to work on Down And Out In Beverly Hills together.
From then on, Colleen has cut over 60+ films and has established herself as one of Hollywood’s Top A-List Editors.
Your Path.
I always love hearing about how Editors get their start because it humbles everyone to realize that we all start somewhere. Like I said in the beginning, there’s no step-by-step guide in securing your seat into becoming a Hollywood Film Editor. It takes a lot of hard work, patience, and practice to achieve that goal. There are broad guidelines to set you up for success but in the end, we all have our own path.
The way I keep going is I consistently remind myself that this is a Marathon, not a sprint. You have to start liking the process. And let’s get specific about what the “process” is. For me, it’s:
Going through a gig and consistently doing your best day in and day out whether you’re a runner, logger, Post-PA, intern, or Assistant. You have control on how you perform. Do the best you can.
The cold-emails you send for advice to Editors and Assistants you admire.
Looking up tutorials on software, VFX, 3D animation, graphic design, etc. to better yourself technically so that you become a faster learner when a stressful situation arises.
Shadowing your Editors when you’re a Post-PA or Assistant Editor and asking them questions about their edit so that you can learn where your weaknesses are.
Editing everything you can when an opportunity arises (whether it’s a professional project or something for a friend) because editing is editing and anytime you can get your mind to solve a puzzle, it builds that editing muscle.
Watching films and paying attention to the cutting. Hot take, you can learn a lot about editing in every film. Every film has a great scene that should be studied in an Editing class. There’s always an interesting behind the scenes story in the editing room for every film.
Being patient with your career, especially when you’re feeling like you want to become an Editor already. I’m in this boat, I really want to be an Editor already but I know I have a long way to go still before I’m even considered. I’m trying to stay patient and keep working hard as an Assistant but I’m confident my time will come. Just gotta keep going.
Ultimately, you have to enjoy the small nuances in what it takes to become an Editor. That’s the secret to staying alive in the Marathon.
Cold-Email & Informational Interviews.
What’s really interesting about both Richard and Colleen’s experiences is that they both did a form of cold-calling to accelerate their careers. Richard wrote a letter to Hollywood Editor Ralph Winters while Colleen reached out to longtime friend Carol Littleton who gave her a list of people to contact.
Personally, I think this is the best way to break into Hollywood Editing if you have zero contacts. You’ll find that most industry professionals are actually very open to speaking with you and sharing their experiences with you. Like I said before, everyone has their own path so hearing different stories of how one got their union days or how they became an Editor will only benefit you.
The quote I live by when doing these Cold-Calls or Informational Interviews is this:
“If you ask for a job, they’ll give you advice. If you ask for advice, they’ll give you a job.”
This should be your mentality when reaching out to Post-PAs, Assistant Editors, and Editors. Asking someone to talk about their experiences and share their expert advice will go over way better than flat out asking for a job. You need to get to know them as a friend so that they can genuinely help you as a friend. You want them to want to help you because ultimately that’s how you get on people’s radars for jobs. How do you do that? By getting to know them. And then at the end of the informational interview, hopefully they’ll say, send me your resume and I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for you. Do this a lot of times and cast a wide net and I can bet you that you’ll get your start in this industry in no time.
Farming vs. Hunting Mentality.
So I also wanted to share this concept because I think it should be mentioned on this topic of networking and building relationships. My alma matter, Emerson College, started this forum for their alumni to do outreach to current students to help them with any questions on getting a job and basically jumpstarting their careers.
One of the questions that was recently asked was “What advice do you have for someone who’s new to networking?” And one of the responses was so accurate in explaining the most successful way in approaching networking. See below:
This is all just 110% truth. Being in the Film Editing industry for about 6 years now, I’m really feeling this a lot. Connections and relationships need to grow and flourish. That means going to Editing events (Check out the American Cinema Editors for lots of ACE events every year - I highly recommend checking them out if you live in Los Angeles) and remembering/reconnecting yourself to the same people time after time. Catching up and asking how everything is and what they are working on. Catching up and remembering that they traveled somewhere since you’ve last spoke and asking them about that.
It’s also outside of Editing events, connect with your former co-workers on their birthday (a simple happy birthday always goes a long way) or any major life events, marriage, if they’re expecting a child, finishing a gig, supporting them when they create their own films, etc. Supporting everyone is always a good habit to do.
Lastly, I always thank the person who recommended me for the gig after I finish the show and just share an anecdote or two of what you learned and how much fun it was. As a person who recommends someone, it’s always nice to hear back after the show was over and feel like you were able to help someone out.
Never Give Up Pursuing, But Be Happy In Doing So.
The last topic that I want to talk about is to never give up pursuing becoming an Editor but be happy in doing so. What I mean by this is that it’s okay to take a break from the industry to go start a family and then come back, it’s okay to go try being in Commercials if you’ve been on a path for Feature Films and see if it’s an avenue that you enjoy, it’s okay to go direct your own film for a year and turn down editing gigs and then come back again, everything is okay to do. Really. Seriously. Embrace this.
Like I said before, everyone has their own path. You might out of nowhere have to take care of someone who falls ill and want to get a gig that allows you to see them and take care of them. That’s the right thing to do. Or you might want to stay an Assistant for another couple years because you don’t feel ready to move up to an Editor just yet. That’s being self-aware and acknowledging that you need a little bit more practice. That’s great!
It’s funny, I’m now starting to think “Becoming A Hollywood Editor” means becoming an Editor that fits your life. That should be the North Star. So ask yourself, what does this mean for you? Do you want that work-life balance? Do you want to work on year long feature films? Do you want to work on a gig that allows you to edit a side project? Ask yourselves these questions because in this, you’ll find how to make yourself the happiest.
So thanks so much for reading my blog, I really appreciate you taking the time to read everything. Just want to mention that I do 1-on-1 Mentorship Calls for you - we’ll go over your current situation and I’ll share all of my advice/experiences with you so that you can help angle your situation to being able to thrive in the Hollywood Editing industry. I really do love working and mentoring passionate film editors who want to take this seriously as a career so please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about anything. You can sign up for an appointment here.
Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and Social Media (@askthefonz) as I give Hollywood Editing advice on there very frequently.
Thanks again for checking out my blog, stay tuned for Part 4 of Behind The Edit with Richard and Colleen, ACE very soon! ‘Til next time.
-Alfonso