SPECIAL | WOMEN I N POST
LILY KLEINMAN
CLAIRE SHANLEY
KATIE JORDAN
Job title: Colourist at HARBOR Location: Los Angeles Portfolio: harborpicturecompany.com/ artist_post/katie-jordan Recent work: The Dark Crystal: Age of Rebellion , Suicide Squad , The Hateful Eight Katie Jordan grew up in California and studied Film at the University of California Santa Barbara, but always felt more drawn to post-production, she says, “because I love being in the edit suite and collaborating on the computer”. After graduating, Jordan followed her passion and got a job at EFILM, where she began assisting some of the company’s most senior colourists. From observing their craft, she cultivated her own talents and has since worked on a number of acclaimed productions. Her most recent work at HARBOR includes Netflix’s TV adaptation of eighties cult favourite, The Dark Crystal , which is a ten-episode series called The Dark Crystal: Age of Rebellion . Jordan reveals the series was a huge undertaking. “It blurred the lines between TV and film and was more expansive than any film I’ve ever worked on. But it’s indicative of where the industry is at right now, because TV and film are melding together and the expectation for quality on both is the same,” she explains. Her advice for women in the industry is: “It’s important to help each other: promote other women and promote yourself. I think the biggest difference between men and women in this industry is that men are more likely to take ownership. Don’t be afraid to say you did something and let others know that you’re worth it.” It’s indicative of the industry, because TV and film are melding together and the expectation for quality on both is the same
Job title: Freelance picture editor Location: New York, USA Portfolio: lilyedits.com Recent work: Half Life, Maturity and branded content for clients including Adidas, Cosmopolitan magazine, and Mercedes-Benz USA Born and raised in NYC, Kleinman’s interest in storytelling developed from people- watching at an early age. “I recognised film as an important medium for my creativity, often employing my younger sister to perform my scripts to camera,” she recalls. “Directing seemed like my path until I discovered Windows Movie Maker and the art of editing. Directing the performance in the edit felt sneaky and clever, finding the story’s true malleability in post. Today, I cut on DaVinci Resolve, however, I’m equally skilled with Media Composer and Premiere. When freelancing, you have to be flexible and have a good understanding of the tools you might come across.” Graduating from the film conservatory at Hampshire College, Kleinman joined Florentine Films as a post-production assistant before pursing an MFA in Post- Production from the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. She has now edited numerous episodic, short-form, branded and feature projects, specialising in comedy. Highlights include Half Life and her TV editorial debut, Maturity . She says: “The best advice ever given to me when I started is now advice I like to give: always leave the ladder down, especially for other women in film. It’s tremendously important to help other female filmmakers make connections and find opportunities whenever possible.”
Job title: Post producer at HBO Location: New York, USA Portfolio: imdb.com/name/nm1755555 Recent work: The Plot Against America, The Deuce, The Looming Tower, Divorce After studying Philosophy, which she describes as having a “bearing on everything in the world”, Shanley began her career working as an assistant editor and editor at Avid Productions. Then, for want of more technical support, she became a field engineer within the company. “My experience in this role led me to becoming director of technology at THE Tools, and from there, I continued in the same role at Broadway Video, which is known for producing Saturday Night Live .” Shanley then founded Sixteen19, a post facility based out of the Brill Building on 1619 Broadway. After launching in more locations around the US and in London, she decided to move into television, where she started producing. She explains: “I’ve always loved editorial work and, as someone who’s interested in form and how systems influence storytelling, as well as everything from the logistics of workflows or how VFX integrates into the cut, post has always been my area of expertise. I think a lot of people don’t know that post-production is a job, but all of these worlds are so integral to what we do.” She emphasises that getting into the industry is all about playing the long game: “A lot of people expect immediate results – New York is busy right now and you can move up more quickly – but it’s about showing you care and that you’re invested in the outcome of even the mundane details, because post is all about the details.”
RIGHT A still from Netflix’s The Dark Crystal spin-off series, on which Katie Jordan worked as a colourist
50 DEF I N I T ION | OCTOBER 20 1 9
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