MPI’s four-week film editing intensive, known as the Mindful Editor, recently concluded. Held in partnership with Smock Media, this virtual editing workshop brought together 12 select editors to learn about the intricacies of film editing with a concentration on how to minimize creative burnout.

The workshop was led by Adam “Hawk” Jensen, an award-winning journalist, writer, producer, director, editor, and artist.

Often referred to as the “unsung hero,” film editors, playing the roles of storyteller, decision maker, and master of empathy, are responsible for piecing together the narrative in a way that will connect with the audience.

Over the course of the four weeks, participants learned from award-winning editors such as Jonathan Glenn (Project Runway, The Academy Awards), Tom Wilson (Mad Men, Castle Rock), and Ali Cohen (Secret Garden, The Great Gatsby). They also received a crash course in DaVinci Resolve from certified instructor and professional editor and producer Jason Rose (American Ninja Warriors, Great Escapes). In addition to editing mentorship, the group participated in mindfulness training from coach Jeremy Pollack and learned how it relates to editing. 

For an assignment, participants in the workshop were provided raw footage and tasked with editing a trailer. The raw footage they were given contained no dialogue, forcing editors to build their trailer from scratch by deciding the genre, tone, and direction. “By observing the finished works of my other fellows, I greatly appreciate their creativity and ability to draw out emotion from the audience,” said MPI fellow Paul Lee. 

MPI fellow Jingjing Tian summed up her experience saying, “Mindful Editor touched the core of filmmaking and editing by combining artistry, technical skills, and mindfulness—therapy and self-awareness. This is the first time I’ve attended a fellowship that included the elements of self-awareness and work-life balance—we need more of this.”

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