Annie Collins on cutting films

Annie Collins has had a career spanning 40 years working with some of New Zealands most provocative directors including Barry Barclay (The Neglected Miracle), and Merata Mita (Patu!). Annie has also edited key feature films, (Scarfies, Ruby & Rata, Out of the Blue) and was part of the editing team on Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings.

NZ On Screens Clare OLeary visits Collins at her home and Collins reflects on: * Her beginnings in the industry and being convinced by producer Pat Cox to shelve her design training become an editor. * What she requires of directors (that theyve done their homework!) * Cutting Patu! with Merata Mita: evading the police and becoming conscious of the Springbok Tour Protests relevance to New Zealand history and realising the (different) echoes it had for Mita as a Māori filmmaker. * Working with director Robert Sarkies on Scarfies and Out of the Blue * The seven years she spent working on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the realisation that despite the profound experience of working on such a massive scale project that she needed to get back to New Zealand stories. * Her consciousness of the power of the edit: it takes about five seconds for you to destroy somebody in a cut, or edit, on national TV. * The ethics of story-telling: the need for the people who are involved in a documentary (or a story where the subjects are still alive) to follow good process and the importance of clarity of mind and heart.

Collins is currently working on Graeme Tuckets documentary about Barry Barclay due for release later this year.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• annie collins
• editor

[bzylizzy]

Robert Sarkies is such an amazing director...