» Terry Rawlings interview
Film editor Terry Rawlings talks to Andy Morton
Alien is available on DVD. © 2009. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
In today’s movie-fixated culture, blockbuster actors and directors are routinely accorded celebrity status – but filmmaking has always been very much a team effort, and few team members’ roles are as visible, yet underrated as that of the editor. Terry Rawlings may not be a household name, but you’ll almost certainly have seen his work. He recently retired from a forty-five year career working with many of Hollywood’s most successful directors, on iconic movies including Women in Love, The Devils, Tommy, The Duellists, Blade Runner, Alien, Chariots of Fire and Watership Down. He ended his career on what he considers something of a personal highlight – Joel Schumacher’s big screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, Phantom of the Opera.
How did your career begin – why editing?
My initial interest was in sound. I got a job at Elstree and it was a great school in those days: you could go there as an assistant, and they put you with sound editors, or film editors – to learn the trade – and I really loved the sound side. After four years I talked them into giving me an opportunity to be a sound editor. I freelanced for the next 13 years and did about twenty-four films as sound editor. While I was working on The Sentinel the film editor left and they asked me if I would cut it.
As editor you’re working closely with directors to realise their vision – how much impact do you feel you have on that?
It always depends on the director – certain directors will trust you implicitly. I remember during Phantom, Joel Schumacher said: “I’d like you to cut the film the way you think it should go, any problems then talk to me.” What a wonderful way of working! He trusted me to do the job, which doesn’t happen all the time, some directors really want to take over – virtually cut their own films.
How about Ken Russell?
He’s got a very distinctive look. I think he’s a marred genius. I look back at when I did sound with him and my favourite film of all is Women in Love – I was very pleased with my contribution. It was great because I love sound and music so working with people like Ken who love sound allowed me to do what I wanted to do.
Another big movie you worked on was Alien, which is thirty years old this year. Do you think it still stands up?
Yes I do. I saw it recently, when the package of all the films came out with all the extras. I went through them again and the thrill for me was getting Alien 3 right.
An underrated film, I think; but one that audiences have come to appreciate more.
Absolutely. And one reason is that you can now see it as it was originally intended. It was (director) David Fincher’s first feature and a very good film when we finished it, but the studio asked for so many changes and it lost everything. It was a great pleasure to reconstitute it.
“The whole thing about editing is it’s got to be instinctive”
Do you have any favourite movies you’ve worked on over the years?
That’s a tricky question. From the sound side, there’s two I love – Women In Love and The Duellists, but when you look back there’s so many that I was involved with, there’s Tommy which I was thrilled with. As far as cutting I think Phantom of the Opera was one, and Yentl; I really enjoyed working with Barbra Streisand and I loved the film. But it’s like asking “out of all your children who’s your favourite?” They‘re all special to you in different ways.
Have advances in movie technology opened up new possibilities in your job?
Two steps forward and one to the side. With electronic editing you can save every idea you ever had, which is great, but eventually you have to make a decision how it should be shown. If you’ve saved fifty different versions how do you decide? The worst person to make that decision is the director who never feels he’s got it right. When you go back to all the old movies, they never had this advanced technology it was just skill and they still stand up today. The whole thing about editing is that it’s got to be instinctive – people can ask why I cut so and so a certain way and I say “it felt right at the time”. In the main, I’m very pleased with my work over the years.
Terry Rawlings will be a special guest at The Space, Brighton’s unique monthly arts and media event – Latest MusicBar, Tuesday 7 April, 7pm for 7:30pm start, £5/3.
The Space is seeking sponsorship to continue to bring together the creative community with high calibre interviewees. Since May 2006 it has featured two Oscar winners, a BAFTA winner, a CBE, a Sir, a Booker Prize nominee, two Grammy winners and the Children’s Poet Laureate.
Highlights have included Glastonbury Festival’s Michael Eavis, The Dark Knight’s visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin and Tate Modern director Vicente Todoli.
The events are presented by Lisa Holloway, who chairs Creative Brighton, and media consultant and broadcaster Briggy Smale.
Forthcoming guests include writer Bonnie Greer, MTV UK and Ireland vice president Heather Jones, Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons, bestselling author Kate Mosse and Radiohead manager Brian Message.
Contact organiser Wayne Imms on 01273 682612 or wayne@thespace.me.uk
www.thespace.me.uk
April 11th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
[...] attending the screening with the editor on his then current project ‘Alien III‘, Terry Rawlings who of course was also the editor of ‘Blade Runner’ and, um, the first [...]