Gary Coogan’s Sixth Sense Approach to Editing

Hailing from near Preston in the North West of England, Gary Coogan moved to London in 2011 to pursue a career in film. His path has taken him through both production and post-production – most notably working as a focus puller on Taika Waititi’s ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ during a memorable trip to New Zealand in 2015.

He began his editing career at Rankin Films, where he honed his craft and developed a signature style – bold, polished, and finely tuned to the fast-moving worlds of fashion, beauty, and music. Since then, Gary has worked with a broad mix of standout clients including Samsung, RNIB, Coca-Cola, Brioni, Nike, BBC, ITV2, and Gucci.

Today, Gary is represented by Soho based editing company Square Peg.

A lover of cinema, music, and good coffee, he’s also currently developing a feature film script inspired by the working-class community of his hometown.

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

Gary> With a coffee and a notepad.

First, I watch through everything; making simple notes, not being too descriptive, just how it made me feel emotively for the first time. I watch in order from first take to last, so I can see the journey the actors and director have gone on. Seeing where the shot started and where it ended.

The evolution of the shot helps inform my decisions and understand why something was changed on set.

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?

Gary> I think using your life experience is key. You can take that experience and apply it to editing, paying close attention to the moments that make you feel something or evoke a reaction. I prioritise emotion as it’s really the key to great storytelling. I’m the first audience member and as an editor you have to trust your instincts when you react to a moment and build around those moments of emotion. Finding the right balance of tone and rhythm to those emotional beats will resonate with the audience into a memorable experience.

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

Gary> Understanding story is key – if you want to understand story and how to approach that in editing, my advice would be to edit a documentary. There’s no script, it’s pretty much a blank canvas, you find the story within the footage, it might be the smallest detail you pick up on or the truth you discover that you start to shape into a story.

This approach to editing forces you to focus on what the story is, understand why we choose to tell the story, and ultimately how to shape an arc of a character. Building a world from nothing can be hugely satisfying, but also time consuming. You can take this approach across any form of storytelling whether it’s a fictional film, music video, commercial.

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?

Gary> After building up my experience, it becomes instinctual. A sixth sense of when to cut – you feel the rhythm from the performance, making sure you’re serving the story. I’m also a drummer, so I’m always responding to my internal rhythm, paying close attention to those cues of when to inject pace or when to let things breathe. Similar to how a composer would approach writing music, you create different tempos and it's those peaks and troughs that make it more dynamic.

I don’t cut to music when I first cut an assembly or have a rough. Music is so emotive it can manipulate your decisions, it can mask a cut that isn’t working emotionally or rhythmically! If the scene is working without music, then the music is only going to enhance the emotion and not drive the emotion.

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

Gary> I cut a commercial for Battersea Cats and Dogs home. The narrative involved a woman adopting a kitten from Battersea’s rehoming centre. We see the life they live together. From kitten to senior. Fifteen years condensed into 60 seconds. That was definitely the hardest challenge, how to show a life lived in such a short space of time.

Building that relationship and bond between owner and cat couldn’t be rushed, it had to feel earned. It took a lot of time to strike that balance. Editing an animal was also a challenge. Cats will do what they want, so you have to look for those little moments. I'm a cat owner, that experience helped me read the subtle emotions the cats were showing on set. Those behavioural cues really informed my editing and what worked emotionally in the cut.

LBB> How important is your relationship with the director and how do you approach difficult conversations when there is a creative difference of opinion?

Gary> The relationship between the director and editor is vital. I’m there to serve their vision and that they have basically entrusted me with their baby – I always respect and keep true to that. You’ve got to be brave enough to also have honest conversations with them – if you feel strongly about something or if something isn’t working as you anticipated, you need to be honest. You’re not always right, but having an open dialogue will show you’re just as invested in making the best film possible. I think time spent with a director in an edit suite just chatting about the edit is the best way to get to know what they like and don’t like, it can also spark ideas and you can be open to experiment with things – you should be open to try anything.

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

Gary> Not enough material is harder to cut. When you get into the nuts and bolts of the edit and you don’t have that reaction or angle to cut to you can end up at a dead end. A lot of footage can be daunting, but if you break it down, take the time to properly organise and prepare your footage before you’ve edited a frame, that when it comes to cutting, you will know everything about the footage and that will make the workflow easier.

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

Gary> RNIB ‘See Differently’ – a charity commercial that puts the audience in the perspective of someone losing their sight. It was great to cut a spot which had so many layers, the narrative is such an emotional journey for a commercial, we intercut a lot of scenes which was a lot of fun to do. The challenge was to strike the right balance of emotion while weaving in the charity’s message and the support it offers to people with sight loss.

It was a great honour to be a part of something that can make a difference to people living with sight loss and to change people's misconceptions on it. Jesse Lewis-Reece and the creatives, Adam Jackson and Ted Price really brought their A-game. It was a pleasure collaborating with those guys and seeing their dedication to the campaign was inspiring. We spent many late nights going above and beyond to craft the edit to be the best version it could have been, and left no stone unturned.

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?

Definitely, brands are dedicating more content to online and social platforms. Creatives are shooting a range of bespoke scripts for social-first marketing to coincide with their main campaign, it’s not just TVC’s. These ideas are a way to engage the online audience, tailored to a community that can interact and engage. For Coca-Cola I edited a campaign that challenges international musicians in a game show format, so the ideas are getting bigger and more creative.

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

Gary> Akira Kurosawa, as well as directing, he edited his own films. What makes his films so good is that there’s no excess – everything flows. You become so immersed in the film, you don’t notice the editing. I also love his use of sound design to convey emotions and build suspense. ‘The Seven Samurai’ is a must watch for the craft of storytelling and the level of thought and detail in every edit.

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

Gary> With commercials you are locked in to a finite time, but in terms of storytelling, they share similarities! You’re still building narratives, themes and emotions into commercials like you would a film and that can be the trickiest thing – how to tell a story within 60, 30, or five seconds! Every frame really does count.

With film, you get time to really delve into a world, to build it and explore the characters. It’s a pleasure to sit in that space and peel back the layers to understand a character’s psyche.

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

Gary> AI is the hot topic of 2025 and it’s appearing more and more, slowly creeping in like Skynet. I’ve seen a few filmmakers experimenting with AI effects and imagery. Some of the visuals are very impressive and it’s constantly getting better.

Out of my own curiosity I’ve tested it, and it’s as simple as inputting a few words of what you’d like, and hey presto, you have a shot.

It might look like some form of nightmare drug trip, but it’s something. It definitely lacks that emotional aspect of storytelling so I hope it’s not replacing the human touch anytime soon!

For me, it’s a tool to assist and speed up a workflow and alleviate some of the pressures.