The Work That Made Me: Kimaree Long
Kimaree Long is an award-winning post-production professional with more than 20 years of experience in both video and audio editing for major studio features, independent films, documentaries and television episodics, network and streaming. Kimaree has worked on notable projects such as Universal Pictures’ 'The Bourne Identity' and 'Renfield', Ryan Murphy’s 'American Horror Stories', the CW’s 'Walker' and Roku’s 'Emeril Cooks'.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Kimaree> Michael Jackson’s 'Thriller'
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Kimaree> When I was a tiny, baby highschooler, New Orleans hosted its first film festival at the Prytania Theatre. My best friend’s older brother, a prolific comic book collector and super cinema aficionado, worked the ticket counter then. So we went. Every night. And we saw every movie offered on the bill. This was long before the term “independent film” was part of our lexicon, and still but a mere couple of years past George Lucas’ supreme triumvirate. I was awed by what I saw and heard on screen, movies which were different than anything I’d ever encountered. Smaller, gentler, quieter. Some were even in a different language. Gasp. I was so enamoured with this idea of the indie film, even though we were still a decade from the Miramax explosion which would go on to define a generation of filmmaking. It was around that time I started to wonder about how movies were made, and what craftsmanship went into making them.
LBB> The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…
Kimaree> I will watch 'Raising Arizona' and 'The Big Lebowski' on repeat.
LBB> My first professional project…
Kimaree> I started out in audio post production working on network ''movies of the week”, a genre which is long over-due for a comeback.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform...) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*...
Kimaree> There was a show on HBO (which will remain nameless) that was considered ground breaking for its ability to portray content on the small screen like no other network show had done before. It broke all barriers and helped define and cultivate what we now consider to be mainstream television content. But it was too much for me. I was completely turned off by the violence shown, and especially the violence toward women. So I was, and remain today, the dissenting voice in that critical darling dialogue.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform...) that still makes me jealous…
Kimaree> I would have given a whole bunch to be a part of 'What We Do in the Shadows' or actually anything created by Taika Waititi.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career…
Kimaree> Probably this one! I’ve never had the fortune of working in commercial, short form editing or advertising, and I’m thrilled to get this opportunity to expand my knowledge and be surrounded by a team of creative professionals. The energy is so cool.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Kimaree> I have a hard time distinguishing between bodies of work, which ones felt better or worse to me creatively, that is. I think every job is influenced so much by the company with which you are surrounded - your colleagues, supervisors, directors, editors, etc. What bonds me to a project isn’t necessarily the content, but rather the people who make that content come to life. But I do have certain films which hold a very special place in my heart because they just got me from the very start. One example is Cameron Crowe’s 'Almost Famous'. The writing, directing, editing, and mostly the music, just added up to be the perfect film, in my opinion, and I was fortunate enough to be involved in post production. I loved that movie. I wonder all the time if it would hold up as well today as it did 20 years ago.
I’m also extremely proud to have been a part of the 'Bourne' franchise. It was such a fun run to work on those.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Kimaree> Definitely aging myself here, but it would have to be '8 Heads in Duffle Bag'. And not because of the movie itself, or the people I worked with, but because the name embodies such ridiculous hilarity - you just can’t make that stuff up.
