Kubrick, Fincher and the Budweiser Frog: The Work That Made Ben Rodriguez
Ben Rodriguez is from Cleveland, Ohio, which, as we all know, is a real leg up in the entertainment industry.
His love for movies and deep interest in art and technology drew him to NYU’s graduate film program and then to Lost Planet, where his editing career officially began.
As an editor, Ben likes to experiment with images by reconfiguring them in different ways to create something that has impact and longevity. He moves seamlessly from projects that are more structured in their storytelling to fluid, impressionistic films that require a looser hand.
A creative collaborator to his core, Ben edited Paul Schrader’s A24 film, ‘First Reformed’, and later re-joined him as the editor of ‘The Card Counter’ and ‘Master Gardner’.
Another particularly meaningful collaboration was with Lost Planet founder Hank Corwin, on a State Farm spot commemorating September 11th, directed by Spike Lee.
Ben’s work also includes the Max Originals series ‘Tokyo Vice’, the music video for ‘The Curse of the Blackened Eye’ by country singer, Orville Peck, and multiple commercial campaigns.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Ben> The Budweiser Frog commercials are ingrained into my brain. I can still hear that damn frog saying BUD…WEI…SER. Also the, 'I’m a MAC' spots are trapped in my head as well.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Ben> Well, I’ve always been into movies and knew that I wanted to work somewhere in that industry. But when I saw those BMW short films with Clive Owen, I thought, damn! It would be fun to work on something like that.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting…
Ben> I’m always revisiting Kubrick’s films. There’s just something about them that, with each viewing, you discover something new.
LBB> My first professional project…
Ben> My first professional project was a Gillette rip for BBDO. YAY, rips!!!!
LBB> The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Ben> Pharmaceutical commercials.
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous…
Ben> David Fincher’s ‘Fate’ commercial is just beautiful and great storytelling.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Ben> My first feature film was ‘Dog Eat Dog’ with Paul Schrader. It changed a lot for me. I was really focusing on being a commercial editor and the opportunity came to edit this film.
It opened the door into movies, which I thought were going to be much harder to break into.
From this experience of working with Paul he then offered ‘First Reformed’ to me.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Ben> I’m most proud of the work I’ve done with friends. I’m also proud of the film ‘First Reformed’, another Paul Schrader film that I edited. I was really happy that a film with that kind of subject matter and aesthetic resonated with people.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Ben> Nope! Ain’t gonna say that.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Ben> I’m currently working on a film with a friend I went to film school with. I edited his last feature film, ‘Catch the Fair One’. It’s always exciting to work with friends and people that you have a history with.
I also worked on a Dior campaign with Rihanna that Steven Klein directed, which was a lot of fun. His visuals are always so beautiful, and he’s such a champion of artists and collaboration that it’s a real joy to be a part of it.
