Fonz's Favorite Frames: "Top Gun: Maverick"
Welcome to a blog edition I like to call, “Fonz’s Favorite Frames”, where I call out one scene in a movie to study the film editing for. In this blog post, we’ll be looking at the 2022 summer blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick edited by Eddie Hamilton, ACE. Let’s dive right into it.
If there was one scene to study the film editing for in Top Gun: Maverick, it would be…
Maverick’s Test Run.
For some context, this was the scene right after Maverick was kicked out of being the designated captain on training the pilots for a nearly impossible mission. The Admiral, played by Jon Hamm, clashed with Maverick’s teachings as he decided to take over as commanding leader. However in the next debrief, the Admiral is interrupted by Maverick who proves that this mission can be done his way (in even less time!).
Story Awareness
Why I love this scene for editing is because not one frame in this sequence, do we ever get lost on where Maverick is in his flight. Editor Eddie Hamilton, ACE knows how important it is to prioritize STORY above all else despite having to juggle different types of shots.
I can only guess that the priority list of what Eddie had in his mind when editing this scene was as follows:
Story - we need to know where Maverick is at all times in this simulation. If we need to cut or add a shot to help the audience track him, so be it. The ability for the audience to track where he is supersedes anything below this.
Maverick - this is Maverick’s scene no question. This should be about him and having all the other shots complement him. In other words, the scene should be built around him. All of the front facing interior cockpit & F-18 exterior shots supersede anything below this.
Reactions, Reactions, Reactions - we need to see everyone’s reactions because each character has a specific personality and the way they react to this are extremely different. Give each character a moment.
So when you mix all of these three key points in this scene, you can really see the intentions of each shot when cutting to them.
Holding on shots
Why do I love when Editors hold on shots and refuse to cut? It’s because it gives us a sense of realism. If you rewatch this scene, there are a couple shots Eddie holds on about 5-7 seconds which is a long time when you’re in a fast paced sequence. Specifically when Maverick flips upside down to start the exercise.
I love this because we’re put in the driver’s seat as if we were really flying this F-18. Letting shots play out is a very important skill to learn as an Editor. Only cut when you need to cut.
Think about it, Eddie could’ve cut to an exterior shot of the F-18 doing the flip, back to Maverick, and possibly back to the plane crossing the “start line”. But he stayed on Maverick the entire time - why? Because it gave us something more emotional. We felt the determination and the confidence that Maverick was going to prove everyone wrong. All in this one 7 second shot. That beats any beauty shot that doesn’t serve anything to us other than eye candy.
So next time you’re watching any scene, really look for the moments when Editors don’t cut. And ask yourself, why did they hold on that?
Reactions, Reactions, Reactions
Want to know an Editor’s secret tool in amplifying the story? It’s using reactions. Reaction shots serve the purpose of giving the audience a chance to use their imagination to tell them what actually happened. We see this in classic films like Jaws, where we don’t even see the shark in first half of the film! Just the reactions.
In the same vein, the reaction shots in this sequence give us a chance to be left in suspense and not know if Maverick will successfully complete the mission. It’s a beautiful mix of being in the cockpit and then out of it in the command headquarters watching it with the other pilots.
In addition to that, we add in the personalities of each pilot reacting, it makes a for a wonderful edit since we get to know these pilots even more through the way they react.
Although I listed Reactions at the bottom of the priority list when editing this, it’s important to know that reaction shots can bail an Editor out when a scene is flat. Think about it, if we removed all of the reaction shots in this scene, it wouldn’t be as suspenseful as it is. It would feel slow, repetitive, and flat.
Score & Sound Mix
What I find very interesting in this scene is that the score actually matches the tone of the scene, it doesn’t fight it. It’s almost inaudible at some points and purposefully not upstaging the scene. It’s there at the right moments and complements Maverick’s progress in the simulation.
I’m curious however to see this scene without any score to see what that would sound like. I’d like to lean in to the realism aspect of this scene and see if we even need the score.
The sound mix of this sequence is incredibly well thought-out and so precise. If you rewatch the parts when the shots go in and out of the cockpit, you’ll see what I mean. The loud wisps and booms of the aircraft, then cutting right into Maverick’s breathing techniques to stay conscious under 5+ G’s, is worth studying if you’re trying to learn how to sound mix.
If I were to cut this scene
So let’s put ourselves in the shoes of Hollywood Film Editor Eddie Hamilton, ACE. Given our list above, prioritizing Story and making sure our audience isn’t lost, here’s what I would do after I’ve watched the dailies:
Build the entire sequence of Maverick’s test run with only interior cockpit shots & exterior F-18 shots. This is to build the skeleton of the scene. Remember, we need the audience to be able to track this test run or else, we lose them. Nothing from the headquarters scene just yet unless the dialogue is scripted and needed.
Once we have our skeleton, let’s add in the crucial story points of when to cut to the navigation map, or the timer. Why? Because again, we’re trying to make sure the audience can still track the story but we’re now adding in different visual elements.
After we have a solid assembly of our test run, let’s put in some reaction shots now. But we also have to keep in mind that we can’t let one character overtake Maverick’s screen time because like we said, it’s Maverick’s scene. This is definitely going to be trickiest part since we have to edit together 4-5 different characters’ reactions while also keeping Maverick the center of attention.
And go from there. The important part about all of this is to remember that we cannot lose the audience. They will second guess your story-telling as an editor if we can’t follow what’s happening. This scene in particular does a great job of keeping us aware of where we are in the simulation, and also giving us a dynamic edit where we see reaction shots, and different visual devices that keep it exciting. It’s all great editing.
In conclusion
Thanks for reading along and dissecting this great sequence with me from Film Editor Eddie Hamilton, ACE. Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite scene is from Top Gun: Maverick. I’ll be writing up more of these blogs so if you also have a movie or tv show scene you’d like me to breakdown, comment below. I’d love to hear them. Thanks again, and see you on the next one!
ALFONSO CARRION
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