Pushing the Boundaries of Storytelling Through Editing
After studying film and TV at Bournemouth University Matt Gabzdyl joined the industry running for various prestigious production companies before eventually finding his way to Final Cut, where he has settled to hone his editing craft.
Now in his first year as full-time editor working on short films, music videos and commercials, Matt has built up a great body of work with brands such as Barnardo’s, Nationwide, Rabanne, Boylesports and Yankee Candle.
With a passion for creative storytelling, strong technical expertise and an enthusiastic approach to collaboration, Matt strives to bring every project he works on to its full potential.
LBB> The first cut is the deepest: how do you like to start an editing project?
Matt> I tend to dive right in as soon as I have a treatment, a script or a storyboard. Trying to get a sense of the story the director wants to tell and understand it from their perspective before I start to develop my own.
Once I get my hands on the footage I usually put the boards, etc., to one side and let the best footage guide the edit. Depending on the shooting style there can be a lot of ‘happy accidents’ that happen during a shoot!
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?
Matt> The cutting room is where the emotion and mood of a piece is realised. Once you tie the visual to the audio you begin to craft the feeling you're trying to convey to the viewer.
Through the visual pacing, sound effects and music you begin to build the filmic language of the world.
I think this is a side to the work which is deeply personal but also very creative. Everyone will have different instincts and directions driven by personal experience and taste. It's probably the marker which most separates us editors from one another. But it is also something that can be developed over time through working on lots of projects – sometimes the voice of a film doesn't present itself immediately and you have to work to find it.
LBB> How important is an understanding of the story and its mechanics?
Matt> It's an integral part of what makes an editor an editor! We are essentially storytellers so having that technical understanding of how stories have traditionally been told is so important.
But with that said, there is a need to push the boundaries and look for new and original ways to tell them, whether that's through editing technique or drawing upon today's zeitgeist.
The recent Netflix show 'Adolescence' captured this perfectly, employing a technique of filming the whole episode in one take whilst also relating the story to the cultural phenomena of the manosphere and its effect on adolescent boys. This ambitious combination of originality is when storytelling is at its best!
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?
Matt> When you find that piece of music that just fits the mood and vibe during the early stages of an edit it's a real cloud nine moment and everything just seems to slot into place! You’ve unlocked a key part of the emotion and it leads you! It makes the assembly a whole lot more enjoyable and you can really find your editing groove.
But rhythm isn't all to do with music and edits need to flow visually and be paced out according to the style of the piece. I think it's better to assemble to no track than to the wrong track and then create those beats in a scene through the visuals. Cut points can always be adjusted once the musicality has been found.
With narrative it's less about music and more about the beats and breaths between the lines of dialogue and making sure there's a natural rhythm to the conversation. The editing of comedic moments often demands pauses so things have a chance to land and reaction weaved in.
LBB> Tell us about a recent editing project that involved some interesting creative challenges.
Matt> The piece that immediately springs to mind is a film I worked on last year called ‘Converse Blues’ with director David Leon which speaks to the idea of what we are predestined to become versus the fate we realise through self-determination. I was mindful of the intense subject matter and also that the story was a deeply personal one to the performer, Truman (Charley Palmer Rothwell). I went into the edit having done a lot of thinking on the stories themes to ensure I could be as useful as possible during the inevitable cutting room debates.
We were constantly searching throughout the editing process for the right rhythm of the story and making sure that the narrative beats of the piece flowed in a very specific way. We had the track/poem that Truman had recorded to lean on but we didn't want to be completely tied to that if we felt the film needed a moment to breathe. And so the style of the film kind of lives between the realms of short film and music video.
We also had a lot of improvised footage from the main actor which was very intense in his hatred and racism and it would have been easy and perhaps typical to lean in to that and create something really shocking and difficult to listen to. But ultimately we decided to be a bit more deliberate with this, leaning more into the metaphorical sense rather than the literal. Through this decision I think we created a much more complex and layered character.
LBB> How important is your relationship with the director and how do you approach difficult conversations when there is a creative difference of opinion?
Matt> The editor / director relationship is certainly a special one and the editing process can be where the film eventually realises what it actually is. Footage constraints aside, it is at this point in the process where you have the ability to move in different directions. It is all about finding the best version of the film possible. With this comes those difficult conversations, creative decisions and debates which is a part of the job I relish. As you bounce ideas around the room you have to be conscious that in filmmaking there is never one way of doing things – so while I certainly wouldn't hesitate to put my ideas forward you need to be open to how others see things. The job of an editor isn't to just push the buttons but to be an active force in the storytelling process even if a director is very clear and has spent many months imagining what they want. I think directors want to work with editors who have opinions on things and offer more than just a tight edit!
LBB> What’s harder to cut around – too much material or not enough? (And why?)
Matt> I'd say not having enough footage is definitely harder to work with. You really want to have multiple options in an edit so you have somewhere else to turn if something isn't really working out. Massive piles of footage can be a bit daunting at first and especially if the edit schedule doesn't have much time built into it, but the advantage is that you have much more to play with.
LBB> Which commercial projects are you proudest of and why?
Matt> I think my recent Barnardo’s spot was a particularly proud moment. There was a lot of nuance in the idea, imagery and sound design which I think pushed the authenticity of the story in a way that wasn't too overbearing. It was a pleasure to work on a film for a charity that does so much great work in the world and there was a feeling of overall importance attached to what we were doing.
Separately, my recent M.C Overalls film with long time collaborator Giles Edward-N was also a great moment. We have a great relationship now having worked with each other for many years and the creative back and forth between us has almost become like second nature now. The drum track which scores that film was relentless, and whilst I had a lot of fun cutting to the rhythm (when the headaches subsided!) it was also imperative that we broke the track up with moments of respite.
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?
Matt> In today's world of editing it feels like everything needs to be super fast, punchy and eye-catching due to declining attention spans. Short form edits more targeted at social platforms have definitely been making waves in the advertising space for a while now. It feels like these social snippets representing the wider campaign are so much more important now as it's what the majority of people see as they doom scroll late into the night!
With that said brands definitely still see the value in longer form content and are usually interested in seeing edits with the full story fleshed out in all its glory. Stories, emotions and identity are still super important to branding and these longer versions give them a chance to achieve that.
LBB> Who are your editing heroes and why? What films or spots epitomise good editing for you?
Matt> Being around all the Final Cutters is always a super humbling experience. There is just so much talent on the roster and over the years I've learned so much from all of them. Coming up through the assistants pool here allowed me to study their sequences and work with them all on an individual basis which gave me great insight into various editing approaches. I then took all of that experience onboard and carved out my own way of doing things.
I’ve always been super impressed with Matt Carter’s edits who works out of our NY office – he’s got such a slick and creative style. If you get the chance, watch his film ‘The Whitney and Alvin Ailey – Echoes of Ailey’.
LBB> How does editing in the commercial world differ from the film world and TV world?
Matt> The commercial world is all about telling a story in a succinct time frame whereas the film and TV world gives the opportunity to flex a little more creative muscle so to speak. You have the creative freedom to let scenes and shots linger if necessary and not be too mechanically restricted in what you’re trying to say.
With that said, commercials force you to examine what is truly needed to tell and communicate a story effectively. You’re often cutting shots to the bone which in a way instills an editing tightness which can be valuable in both realms.
LBB> Have you noticed any trends or changes in commercial editing over recent years?
Matt> I think a lot of edits these days tend to lean quite heavily on flashy and textural cuts to give it that little bit of wow factor when perhaps story and emotion isn’t the main focus. A quick sequence of cuts which are fast and glitchy can be a super eye-catching technique to employ but as with most things you have to be careful as it can become a little bit of a gimmick if overused. I guess it ties in with the shortening attention spans of today and the need to hook people in from the get-go.
Probably the most impactful trend of recent times has been all the creative transitions and whip pans! It’s a technique that seamlessly carries you from one scene to the next and in the world of commercials which tends to employ a lot of different vignettes it's a useful way to tie them all together. Though I must admit I’m suffering from a bit of transition fatigue and longing for more traditional storytelling devices!
