Finely Sliced: Eric Alexander Hughes on “Perfectly Imperfect Authenticity”
Eric Alexander-Hughes is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker and editor. He began making his own films from home at the age of ten, largely encouraged by his filmmaking father and musician mother; creative exploration and artistry were never in short supply. After studying political science in college, he earned an internship at Pereira O’Dell, where he further honed his skills as in-house editor and director.
Eric cut his teeth on small editing projects before going on to make a name for himself in music videos by cutting projects that include: J. Cole’s 'ATM', 'Boyfriend' by Selena Gomez, '90210' by Travis Scott, Justin Bieber’s 'ETA' (Nature Visual), Young Thug's 'The London', and 'Hear Me Calling' by Juice WRLD.
A rhythmic visual voice and engaging narrative style emerged through his music video work, which Eric has translated to branded content for Beats by Dre, McDonald’s, Nike, MLB, Doritos, Spotify, Michelob, Chase, IBM, Walmart, Reebok, and Saks OFF 5TH.
Eric has shaped films for A-List celebrity talent, including BTS, Issa Rae, Pharrell Williams, Cardi B, Dr. Dre, Chance The Rapper, Kanye West, H.E.R, Briana King, and Sha’Carri Richardson. Eric's longform credits include 'The Defiant Ones', 'They Fight', 'Ready for War', 'Catching Spirits', 'Trap Jazz', and most recently 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé'.
LBB> The first cut is the deepest: how do you like to start an editing project?
Eric> When I’ve spoken to the creatives or director, and feel I have a strong sense of what they’re looking for, I like to make my first cut as polished and refined as possible - using only the takes that contribute to the overall tone and rhythm that we’re trying to establish.
I feel that a large part of being a good editor is understanding and empathising with your clients so that you can create less work for them in the edit bay. I do this by giving them something as close to what they’re looking for on the very first pass. Of course with a strong creative collaborator, you can always squeeze the sponge of footage to make the best possible product after the initial cut.
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?
Eric> For me, so much of editing is about feeling and empathy. Whether it’s using your intuition to maintain the emotional truth of a project from take to take, or understanding what the creative boundaries are to your collaboration. Solid technique is of course necessary for any great edit, but generally it’s wise to lay a legible foundation for messaging, themes or story before putting stylistic frosting on.
It’s always easier to subtract than add, so I usually like to go full-throttle on my first few cuts and then peel back layers and “de-produce” the edit; as my hero Prince did when he went into the studio to record. Prince would lay multiple instrument and vocal tracks in his recording sessions and “over-produce” each song so that he could then begin to collaborate with his engineer on de-construction of the elements to just the basics of what was needed.
I often feel like a music producer, and the directors/creatives are the artists. I really enjoy channelling their voices and sensibilities. In a good collaboration, we arrive at the final product without compromising the original intent; you can also expand your taste and palette along the way.
LBB> How important is an understanding of story and the mechanics of story?
Eric> Understanding story mechanics is crucial, especially with documentary filmmaking. When cutting documentaries you are literally writing the story as you edit. Sometimes even scripted projects need to be rewritten or re-sequenced in the edit to make them more clear to the audience. I look to imbue each project with more meaning and substance by paying attention to the story structure and maintaining consistent themes, and even utilising call-backs when I can.
A lot of my best work has come from going off script and playing “jazz” instead of "classical sheet music”. This thinking applies not just to long form projects, but ads as well.
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?
Eric> Music is innately a part of me and everything I do. My mother was a very successful touring musician by the time I was a child. So I spent a lot of my childhood in rehearsal halls and at live concerts. I’d say that music is really hard-wired into my DNA from these early experiences, it exposed me to high-level professional performance and rhythmic cadence.
I’ve found that editing is often just knowing how to DJ, which is to say knowing how to pivot and match the mood of the room, so to speak. This attention to cadence and rhythm also applies to edits without music - I’ve always cut dialogue and images rhythmically in order to sustain pace and maintain the viewer’s interest throughout.
Musicality and rhythm are often the emotional bedrock of any piece. In every process, rhythm is important to an edit and oftentimes music is the thing that can really set scenes or pieces apart. I always think back to the old film school lesson of showing what the same Charlie Chaplin clip looks like set to three to five different songs that vary in tone from suspenseful and sad to elated and chipper. Music really helps to hold the audience’s hand and lead them to the emotions that you want to convey.
LBB> Tell us about a recent editing project that involved some interesting creative challenges.
Eric> I recently worked on a commercial that was one of my first real forays into comedy editing. Rhythm and pace played a crucial role in getting it right. Comedy editing is very beat oriented I’ve found. If you watch any great comedy, you’ll notice the wind up has to be just right for the punchline to land properly; so a great sense of timing is absolutely crucial for that release of tension.
The challenge with this spot in particular was that the actor was genuinely nervous during the shoot. However, because they were acting for a scenario that was meant to be chaotic and nerve-racking, her natural nervous energy between and within takes helped play into the comedy of the piece. I tried using jump cuts to heighten her freneticism, and suddenly it felt funny. That choice created the most comedic rhythm for this particular spot.
This is a great example of why you always have to watch all the dailies, even before and after they yell action or cut. Some editors may only watch pre-organised strings of takes after the clap stick, but I don’t think that’s prudent. I found a lot of value in the unscripted moments where the actor genuinely messed up.
In this ad, the actor dropped an item in one of the takes labelled "no good", but that fumble made me laugh. It worked for the story we were telling. I used any footage that authentically contributed to the comedic chaos - whether scripted or unscripted.
LBB> How important is your relationship with the director and how do you approach difficult conversations when there is a creative difference of opinion?
Eric> Your relationship to the director is of utmost importance!!! In any forum, ads, music videos or movies.
One great example of this comes from my frequent collaborator, director Vanessa Beletic. Vanessa and I first worked together on a music video, and we immediately took to each other as creative partners and friends. We ended up going on to make a short horror film called 'Catching Spirits', (which was considered for Academy nomination); as well as several commercials. All of which were heightened by our strong creative bond.
In fact, in the case of 'Catching Spirits', because Vanessa gave me so much to work with footage-wise, I found myself using cutaway reaction shots that weren’t specifically intended for our climax scene in order to heighten the dramatic tension. Yet another case of being utilitarian with any and all usable footage.
What I love and relate to about Vanessa is her deep passion for everything she touches creatively. Her passion and conviction about the angle and themes for each piece generally dictates how I cut. Empathy. Picking up on the feeling she’s trying to convey and building from there.
One of my favourite song-writers once said that he needs sit down with the artist to genuinely understand their psychology and emotional state in order to successfully write for them. That’s so relatable to me. If I understand the tone and feeling that we want to convey, that alone is more than half the battle. Once that’s understood, I can bring all my ideas and techniques to bear in service of that feeling.
On the subject of creative differences, once trust is established as it is for me and Vanessa - it’s never hard to discuss our differences of opinion because we both know we’re debating in order to make the strongest work possible. She welcomes my difference of opinion, but ultimately her vision will always come first!
Once I’ve made my lawyerly case on the logic of a decision, if it’s not in line with her thinking, I don’t push it. She’s so generous and collaborative with everyone she works with, and I really appreciate that about her directorial style.
The benefit of our trust in each other bears itself out prominently in the work we did for Walmart’s first 'Black & Unlimited' campaign, where the agency and creatives put their trust in us to build along side them in the edit. Generally in the US, directors only stay on commercials during production; they don’t usually the luxury of staying on through the edit.
However, with that campaign, her clear-eyed vision and execution was evident; and she was able to be with me and the creative team all the way from production and edit to sound design and colour. A rare occurrence that I wish would happen more. The benefits of this kind of trust in collaboration can be seen directly in our spot 'Walmart | Black & Unlimited: Compton Cowboys'.
LBB> What’s harder to cut around – too much material or not enough?
Eric> NOT ENOUGH!!! Using the economy of time on set to capture as much as possible, with intention, is key. Too much footage is only a problem if the footage is shot aimlessly without purpose and doesn’t contribute to the overall.
Having too little coverage, on the other hand, will generally stifle and limit any editor. However if you’re working with someone who’s conceptually dialled-in for minimalism and shot accordingly - that's a different beast, and that can work.
LBB> Which commercial projects are you proudest of and why?
Eric> I’d say the commercial project I’m most proud of was MLB’s 'It's A Numbers Game' featuring Aaron Judge and Steve Schirripa, (of 'The Soprano’s'), as the VO talent. Working with Jacobi Mehringer, Nick Stoner and Nick Howard or “The Nicks” as they’re affectionately referred to, was a dream!!
All those dudes are super brilliant and they not only let me cook from day one, but they added so much flavour throughout each layer of the process. Ultimately, I found myself with a spot that truly reflected my stylistic/narrative strengths and sensibilities. Absent the free flowing collaboration with those special creatives, the work couldn’t have come out so concentrated and seamless.
LBB> Have you noticed any trends or changes in commercial editing over recent years?
Eric> Yea, I hate to be cliche but I’m not a huge fan of 9x16s and 1x1 cropped deliverables for social media, I think all editors secretly feel this way. This new 15 to six second model of media buys for social media really diminishes each part of the craft - especially cinematography. Kinda sad that our culture barely has the attention span for even a 30 second spot now… but my philosophy is to make the best of it and flow with the tide, not against it.
LBB> Who are your editing heroes and why? What films or spots epitomise good editing for you?
Eric> Hank Corwin is the GOAT. That dude is the Michael Jordan of editing - not a super original answer I’m afraid. But man, years of incredible innovation in the craft; from some of my older favourites like 'JFK' and 'Natural Born Killers' with director Oliver Stone, to his most recent run of films like 'The Big Short' with Adam McKay. 'The Big Short' is an absolute editing clinic.
Although I’ve watched and studied all of Hanks movies several times over, sometimes I find myself leaving his films on ambiently while I’m at home so I can catch a vibe from something he did. That guy always seems to have a new editorial rabbit to pull out of his hat and never fails to amaze me.
I think Hank’s style is the blueprint for the future of editing - often times taking a surrealist approach to the edit, which lends itself to a “perfectly imperfect” aesthetic that has become much more appealing in the era of AI and VFX ‘ultra-computerised-perfection’. I don’t think people want to see picture-perfect binary content that you could have a computer make with an algorithm. I believe people want authenticity above all else in this era, and that’s what I aim for in my work: “perfectly imperfect authenticity”.
LBB> How does editing in the commercial world differ from the film world and TV world?
Eric> Apples and oranges. From budgets to timelines, they’re completely different. With long-form projects you often get more time to experiment with ideas in the edit, and you’re able to take more creative risks without worrying about deadlines if your experiments don’t work out.
With ads, we’re generally on a tight deadline and the stakes are much higher on those tight turnarounds. That’s why there’s so much pressure - you have to make something magic in a limited amount of time; both in terms of schedule and total running time. But as the saying goes, ‘pressure creates diamonds’.
