Soho Editors Creative's Blog

Barrett Heathcote, VFX editor on Moon and Film Editor on the soon to be released feature, Mute: talks about how he got started.

Many of Soho Editors Freelancers have quite a story behind their experiences in the Film and TV industry. We caught up with one of our editors, Barrett Heathcote, VFX editor of Duncan Jones's Moon 2009, and Film Editor on the soon to be released Mute, just before he was whisked off to L.A. to tell another story.

How did you get in to editing?
I actually thought I was going to be a photographer and I did a course that combined photography with film making because I wasn't sure, and I realised after a year, that I liked photography, I love photography, but I really loved storytelling and narrative. So, I moved into film making. Even then, I don't know if I was going to be a DOP or an editor or what else. I didn't know much about editing at that point, I hadn't thought much about it, but, when it came to it, it fascinated me.

What are the benefits of working as a freelancer?
Being able to start and stop, choose what you want to do, be your own boss, choose the projects you want to do or don't want to do; just have control over what you want to do.

What projects are you most proud of?
I've talked to other editors about this, and sometimes you can feel that the things you have worked hardest on, or you're most proud of, are not always the things that was the best projects in terms of how they're received publicly, but sometimes things that have really big problems. You know, sometimes they haven't been shot very well, or prepared properly if you like, and as an editor, sometimes you work the hardest in trying to make it not look like it hasn't been shot properly, and you can be really proud of the way you find solutions to these big problems.

What is it like to work with Duncan Jones?
He's someone who's always trying to push the envelope, and explore, and do something completely different and original. He lets me explore and try stuff and present things, and he either likes it or he doesn't, but he also comes up with things himself. Sometimes, you just think, “That's amazing, where did that come from?” But it's fun, it's exciting.

Do you have any advice for anyone looking to become an editor?
The best way people tend to do it is they become an assistant editor to an editor, and you work your way up and you start editing and wait for a break, basically. It's a catch 22: you can't do it until you have done it and you haven't done it until someone gives you the chance to do it. Eventually, you'll be in the right place at the right time. So you make your own luck in doing that.

Do you prefer working on commercials or feature films?
I love both. The thing with a feature film is that it takes nine months or a year of your life at least, and a commercial takes at least a few weeks at most. I was talking to a commercials editor today – a very successful commercials editor – and we were talking about doing trailers, and he said, “I can't do trailers.” He was talking about another editor he knew who was doing commercials and moved into trailers. He said, “I can't do trailers” and I said, “Yes, it's a unique skill just doing trailers.” It's a very, very specific thing; as is doing documentaries a completely different skillset as an editor, as is doing music videos compared to commercials. I mean, you do get a crossover and you'll get people that do a bit of both. It's like saying someone is a football player and one guy is a goal keeper, the other is a striker. They are very different skills.

Tell us about working across Avid, Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro?
Which is the best system? My answer to that is – I don't care. They are very different, they have strengths and weaknesses and like with anything, some things are better than others. I once heard an expression for it. They say it takes five minutes to understand the rules but a lifetime to master, and that's how I thought, 'That's how I see editing'. It's like you can work out how to put one shot in front of the other and how to trim it, but you spend the rest of your life just trying to work out how to master that.

You can watch Barrett's latest feature, Mute, on 23rd February 2018 on Netflix.

The interview with Barrett Heathcote can be viewed below.



sohoeditors.com