Finely Sliced: Cole Grom

Cole Grom is a Los Angeles-based editor, who in her early days, sharpened her skills by editing live band performances for a local college TV station in her hometown of Crystal Lake, IL. Over the past 2 years, Cole has collaborated with a wide variety of clients, including Apple, Amazon, HP, and Miller Lite and editing has afforded her many amazing experiences, like working on the set of a music video for Taylor Swift.

LBB> The first cut is the deepest: how do you like to start an editing project?

Cole> I always start by watching down all the dailies and pulling my selects. This part of the process is so invaluable because it’s how I truly get to know the footage. You find all the special details, big or small, that bring a moment to life. The time I spend watching dailies not only keeps my organized, but it’s really where I start to imagine all the possibilities to play around with in the edit.

LBB> Non-editors often think of editing just in technical terms but it’s integral to the emotion and mood of a film. How did you develop that side of your craft?

Cole> You know something was great when all you’re left with is a feeling. The emotion and mood created within a piece is what gives it its life. I want people to smile, laugh, cry, whatever it may be when they watch something I’ve done. As an editor when I watch something and my response is emotional I acknowledge that reaction, and then I go back and breakdown how they got me there. When something is wrong you notice, but when it’s right you just feel that it works.

LBB> How important is an understanding of story and the mechanics of story?

Cole> It’s everything! To me it’s along the same lines of, learn the rules so you can break them. I love to have a straightforward understanding of the story put together. From there I can really dive in, start to pull it apart and bring my creative voice to the story while maintaining and hopefully enhancing the story itself.

LBB> Rhythm and a sense of musicality seem to be intrinsic to good editing (even when it’s a film without actual music) – how do you think about the rhythm side of editing, how do you feel out the beats of a scene or a spot? And do you like to cut to music?

Cole> Rhythm is integral to editing. I always cut to music, and I know by switching up a song that means I’ll be readjusting the edit. The same goes with sound design. I always spend time on sound designing my edits because it really allows me to feel the pacing and it encourages time to speed up, or slow down. For me, I think a lot of it has become instinctual. I’m watching and internally I can feel when that change in rhythm should happen. On the flip side, I might be watching and think something happened too quick or too slowly. It’s a feeling, for sure, and I adjust based on that.

LBB> Tell us about a recent editing project that involved some interesting creative challenges.

Cole> I was a part of an incredible project for a band that was part of their upcoming album release. The creative challenges faced throughout the process were in the balance and art of mixing together so many different video formats, in so many different resolutions and color spaces. Creatively, there wasn’t a script to follow - it was more of a fluid, abstract art piece that I was putting together based on visuals and a feeling. We knew we wanted it to feel raw while also keeping it in 2022. However, the open dialogue and allowed space to take a step back gave us all the opportunity to work through the challenges and come out with a really unique piece.

LBB> In the US we know that editors are much more heavily involved across the post production process than in Europe - what’s your favourite part of that side of the job?

Cole> I love being involved in all aspects of post. We work so hard as a creative team in the offline edit, and you learn so many things along the way. I think it’s wonderful that we as editors get to collaborate with sound designers, musicians, colorists, vfx artists etc. We can share our findings and thoughts about how we think this should sound, or how that should transition and then entrust it to the people who do those things best. This collaborative post process allows for an open dialogue and incredible end results.

LBB> What’s harder to cut around – too much material or not enough? (And why?)

Cole> Both present unique challenges for sure, but I would definitely say not having enough material is harder to cut around. When you’re building out a scene, and you’re missing a shot you can end up really reaching to try and tell a part of the story that simply isn’t there.

LBB> Which commercial projects are you proudest of and why?

Cole> I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been a part of so many amazing projects, but one that sticks out is Revolut 'Transfers Travel'. There was an incredible team behind this, and the narrative is so fun. I love the fast paced style of it. As a team we really got to explore all the twists and turns, and ended up with a piece that I think is super memorable.

LBB> There are so many different platforms for film content now, and even in advertising something can last anything from a few seconds to a couple of hours. As an editor, are you seeing a change in the kind of projects you’re getting from brands and agencies?

Cole> There’s definitely way more online content. Not only are long form edits without time constraints living on YouTube, but the demand for shorter social content is huge. I think now there’s a lot of emphasis on 15 sec and even 6 sec edits that will end up living all over different social media platforms. This really pushes you to pick only the most integral pieces of the story to send a clear message in such a short time.

LBB> Who are your editing heroes and why? What films or spots epitomise good editing for you?

Cole> Shane Reid, who is a partner and editor at EXILE is one of my biggest influences and mentors. He has such a distinctive point of view, and does everything with a purpose. His ability to tell any story from any perspective is truly incredible, and people love to be around him in and out of the edit bay. Sally Menke is another huge influence. You know a Sally Menke film when you see one, and it’s that distinctive style and taste that I love so much. Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Inglorious Bastards! Come on

LBB> How does editing in the commercial world differ from the film world and TV world?

Cole> I personally have not spent much time yet in the film and TV world, although I definitely hope to soon! I would imagine the biggest difference between the worlds is that editing in the commercial world is at a much faster pace, and I think in film/TV a lot of the emphasis is on performance instead of product so the approach to storytelling is much different in that way I imagine.

LBB> Have you noticed any trends or changes in commercial editing over recent years?

Cole> I think the trends are dictated by consumers, so it’s not necessarily changes in editing itself. I do think that we have been seeing more variety in what we would consider a typical commercial spot. Commercials have become more cinematic, some spots are comprised of only still images, and full on animation has become huge. It can sort of be whatever you want it to be. I think things will always continue to move with the trends, and editing will always be an art to help support those changes.