Surviving Georgia (M) is the most commercial film I’ve cut in a while. There are some delightful moments captured as two sisters struggle to find a way to forgive their mother abandoning them as teenagers, while being romanced.
The cast elevates the script but it was a struggle with the restricted schedule and budget. As editor I wasn’t brought onboard until after the shoot and honestly I would encourage any filmmaker not to go down this path. An editor, amongst other things, is the film’s backstop for technical, story plus edit options and if the assistant/data wrangler is struggling to transcode the footage (Georgia went from a single camera to two camera shoot overnight) no one is really able to view the rushes. It will come back to bite you.
I put up scene cards in the edit room as we warped the script so the two directors – Kate Whitbread and Sandra Scriberras and producer Spencer McClaren could keep track of the changes. It enabled all of us to understand how long we were away from characters or particular story threads. Working with two directors isn’t difficult but it does require an extended period of discussion to ensure both could debate the value and to agree with changes.

Trailer:

Revised Trailer:

facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/SurvivingGeorgia