On Wednesday September 28th, the SIRT Centre hosted over 130 members of Avid Toronto Editors (formerly known as the Avid Users Group) at Pinewood Toronto Studios for a sold-out presentation by Hollywood A-list editor Wayne Wahrman (I Am Legend, Constantine, Charlie’s Angels, U-571, All the Kings Men and Searching for Bobby Fisher). The sold-out event also served as the unofficial launch of SIRT’s new Christie Solaria 4K projector and 22-foot silver and white screen, which the Centre’s staff have been busy installing over the past month in SIRT’s studio space. Audience members included Avid editing professionals and students from the Greater Toronto Area, as well as Sheridan College’s Dean of Research and Innovation and the Associate Dean, Department of Film, TV and Journalism.
The evening began with a software presentation by Avid’s Kent Petersen, who showcased the new capabilities and enhancements of the Media Composer 5.5 editing suite to a packed audience. Wayne Wahrman then took the stage and turned the rest of the evening into a casual question-and-answer discussion with the audience.
Mr. Wahrman shared a variety of insight throughout the night, taking many questions from both professionals and students that ranged from his personal editing best practices and preferences to the evolution of his career. He illustrated key points and anecdotes with action scenes from U-571 and I Am Legend, which played behind him on SIRT’s large screen.
Mr. Wahrman also discussed how new processes like previsualization and virtual production —key areas of SIRT’s applied research— have impacted his role as an editor within the production workflow. He emphasized that today, the editor’s ability to focus objectively on performance and story to create a dynamic narrative has never been more important: “An editor is a storyteller, almost as much as a director. , we have to look at every aspect of filmmaking…and make sure each scene does everything it can possibly do to tell the story.”
The SIRT Centre would like to thank Avid Toronto Editors for the opportunity to collaborate on this event, as well as the student volunteers from Sheridan College who contributed to the success of the night. To learn more about the Avid Toronto Editors community and how you can get involved, please visit their website.
