POST PLAINCLOTHES
S tarring Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, Plainclothes follows Lucas, a New York police officer sent undercover to entrap gay men by luring them into restrooms, feigning seduction and then arresting them for indecent exposure. Over time, Lucas finds himself falling for one of his targets, beginning a clandestine romance that forces him to confront his own sexuality and his role in the system that he serves. Written and directed by Carmen Emmi, the film was edited by Erik Vogt- Nilsen, whose previous work includes Don’t Log Off and Virtual Morality . “As it happens, both Carmen and I are USC alums. We had met a couple times before, but it was our mutual friend Arielle Zakowski who brought us together for this project,” he explains. “Arielle, who’s been a fantastic editing mentor and inspiration, generously recommended me, putting in a good word. Then I was interviewed and, thankfully, landed the job. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity.” As a gay man himself, the plot of Plainclothes resonated deeply with Vogt- Nilsen. “I identified with the complicated emotional turmoil Lucas navigates as he’s beginning to grapple with his own queer identity,” he shares. “I felt Carmen’s script beautifully captured the overwhelming mix of joy, anxiety, freedom and shame I remember so vividly from my own coming out experience. I knew I had to be involved in bringing this story to life and sharing it with others.” A highlight of the process for Vogt- Nilsen was editing a pivotal scene in a mall bathroom that shows Lucas grappling with his identity as a police officer. “I’m especially proud of this sequence because it was technically complex,” he explains. “The scene was shot two entirely different ways – and with two different camera formats – giving us four unique variations to work with. While this abundance of material was a challenge to assemble, it was a rewarding, iterative process, and I‘m thrilled with the final result. I feel the scene lands perfectly within our narrative.” The film was cut using Premiere Pro, with the platform’s collaborative features proving an invaluable asset to the fast-paced editing process. “Through its Productions feature, we
EDITING PLAINCLOTHES Erik Vogt-Nilsen reflects on the editing journey behind nineties-set romance-thriller Plainclothes
could work concurrently on different scene sequences within the same project, which was essential to meet our tight deadline. For example, I could review picture notes on one scene while Carmen explored music options for another. This collaborative workflow maximised our efficiency, allowing us to explore a range of creative options and deliver a high-quality film on time.” The project gave Vogt-Nilsen an opportunity to experiment with the platform’s proxy workflow for colour turnovers, adapting his usual process and attaching high-res media to existing
proxies before the preconform stage. “I was a little unsure how it would go but I was really pleased to find it an efficient, straightforward process,” he comments. “Our first AD, Aaron Merrill, completed the entire preconform in just two days, which really highlighted the impressive flexibility of Premiere Pro’s proxy system. It’s given me a valuable technique to bring to future projects.” The biggest challenge was the tight deadlines imposed on the editor’s and director’s cuts, requiring the post team to keep energy and focus high. Vogt-Nilsen joined after production had wrapped,
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