SPECIAL | WOMEN I N POST
AS PART OF OUR SERIES PROFILING WOMEN IN THE FILM INDUSTRY , WE SHOWCASE THE FEMALES PAVING THE WAY IN POST-PRODUCTION
WORDS CHELSEA FEARNLEY & L ARISSA MORI / PICTURES VARIOUS
on a documentary. This opened my mind to the creative joys of sound and I was subsequently invited to become a producer on Image Before My Eyes , where I directed the shooting of the stills from which the film was based, and was the assistant editor and sound editor.” After joining the Motion Picture Editors Guild and working on large-scale features, such as Reds and The King of Comedy , Lazarus recognised the need for the equivalent of a line producer in post, to help finish films more effectively. “I approached independent producers with the idea, and became one of the first post-production supervisors in New York,” she recalls. “Early on, I worked with the wonderful editors Dede Allen, Thelma Schoonmaker, Claire Simpson, Suzanne Baron, Sarah Flack, Lisa Zeno Churgin and Kristina Boden, so I always felt the strong presence of women in post.” At this stage in her career, Lazarus has worked with many filmmakers who she is proud to support. She’s also been active in the preservation of films in which women have had a major creative role through New York Women in Film & Television. Her advice to women in post: “Learn your craft and keep up with technology. Nourish your sense of humour. Persist.”
SUSAN LAZARUS
MAXINE GERVAIS
Job title: Freelance post producer Location: New York, USA Portfolio: imdb.com/name/nm0493841 Recent work: BlacKkKlansman, Inside Man, The Boxer, Only Lovers Left Alive Susan Lazarus studied art and photography at Stony Brook University and began her career as a stills photographer for the Guggenheim Museum in New York. She was inspired by the camerawork of experimental filmmaker, Ed Emshwiller, and approached him to work as his assistant. She explains: “I hoped to move into cinematography, but the road for women was extremely difficult at that time. So, I took an apprenticeship syncing dailies and became an assistant to the sound editor
Job title: Supervising senior colourist Location: Los Angeles, USA Portfolio: technicolor.com/maxine-gervais Recent work: Messiah , The Ballad of Richard Jewell , Between Two Ferns , Night Hunter After graduating from Laval University in Quebec, Canada, with a degree in Fine Arts, Gervais found work in a production software company. She explains: “They trained me on the technical side of things and put me on the technical team. This was the first step into my colour journey.” Gervais later received a postgraduate certificate in Computer Technology for Cinema and Television and established an impressive career as a finishing artist. She recalls: “I worked for Discreet in Montreal,
46 DEF I N I T ION | OCTOBER 20 1 9
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