Get ready to be inspired by the Oscar-nominated editor of Green Book, Patrick J. Don Vito. In a recent interview, he shared his insights on the art of filmmaking and how to tell a compelling story from new perspectives. Green Book is a perfect example of how a contemporary film can fit into different genres at the same time. But how did Don Vito manage to cut a funny, touching, serious, and relevant story that’s been a hit with critics and audiences alike? Let’s find out!
Don Vito started editing on the fly, putting scenes and sequences together for the producers and director as they shot. He used the Script Sync tool in Avid to help organize and cut through the scenes as quickly as possible, picking and choosing which lines to present to the director. Every day, as new footage came in, he tried to catch up to the camera so that he was only a day or two behind. Pete Farrelly, the director, would come in on the weekend and look over the cut with him and give some notes.
One of the biggest takeaways from Don Vito is understanding how your audience will watch your film. It’s hard to remove yourself from your work, so getting a second opinion is crucial. When cutting comedies, you’re usually given a lot of footage that involves riffing and script diversions. So how did Don Vito decide what to leave in and what to cut? The biggest trick of the movie was to get the balance of the comedy and the drama just right. He put everything in and then analyzed it, making notes of what to get rid of. But he showed it with everything because he wanted the director to see everything they’ve shot and give them a chance to see the scope of it.
Transitions are also very important, according to Don Vito. They can either make or break a movie. In a movie like Green Book, you just want the flow. You want to be on the ride with them, so that’s what he was thinking about the whole time.
In conclusion, Don Vito’s insights are invaluable for any filmmaker. Rise to the occasion and tell compelling stories in new ways from new perspectives. And remember, understanding how your audience will watch your film and getting a second opinion is crucial. Keep experimenting with different cuts and transitions until you find what works best for your story.PB: Did you show the film to audiences during post-production?
PDV: We didn’t wait until the final cut to get feedback from audiences. We screened the movie to audiences of 50, halfway through the director’s cut. It was important for us to see what was working and what wasn’t. You can usually feel it when there are lulls or people are bored. With comedy, it’s even trickier because you have to see where the laughs are. There are always laughs you don’t expect. One of the laughs I didn’t expect was after the YMCA scene. It’s amazing how the audience’s reaction can change the way you approach a scene.
Working with Music
Music plays a crucial role in the film, especially for Mahershala Ali’s character “Doc” who is a classically trained pianist. So, I asked Patrick how he approached the edit and what music he had to work with before the score was put in the film.
PDV: We had two great music supervisors who brought us a huge bin of ’60s music. We needed ’60s music, but we didn’t have a huge budget for it. So, we had to pick the ones we liked and put them in appropriate places. I had a lot of control over the music, and Pete really liked my choices. I would also temp in the score in certain places. That all kind of came together in the editing room. It was really great, having those ’60s songs really makes you feel like you’re there in the moment.
Patrick’s work on Green Room speaks for itself. He received an Oscar nomination for his editing, and his work definitely shines through the film. So I asked him what advice he’d give anybody just starting out or hoping to edit a feature one day.
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