Sundance 2025: Editor Benjamin Shearn On Using Premiere Pro and Frame.io to Bring “By Design” to Life
Written and directed by Amanda Kramer and edited by Benjamin Shearn, “By Design” recounts the story of a woman who swaps bodies with a chair.
The film follows Camille, a woman sustained by friendships with other women who only use her to talk about themselves. When she falls in love with a chair she can’t afford and then becomes that very chair, the film begs the question: in a society that refuses to acknowledge your existence, is it better to be a chair? Juliette Lewis stars in this epic fable that cleverly pokes fun at the social scripts people use to convince themselves their lives have purpose.
Shearn relied on Premiere Pro, Productions and Frame.io to bring Kramer’s surreal, spontaneous vision to life in an extremely tight timeframe, finishing a full cut just a month after filming wrapped to make the Sundance deadline. Specifically, the “Review with Frame.io” panel was key to helping Shearn quickly review, digest and implement feedback from Kramer and the producers. To ensure a positive editing experience, Shearn’s advice is simple: “Prep is everything. Once I’m really digging in, I want to indulge in as little ‘left brain’ thinking as possible.”
Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at editing “By Design,” premiering at Sundance on January 23rd.
How did you first get involved with this project?
I’ve been involved with Amanda Kramer’s work from the beginning. We really came up together, and unless I do something egregious, I imagine we’ll continue as long as she’s making films.
Where were you when you found out you got into Sundance? How did you feel?
I have the most L.A. answer imaginable: I was driving. Amanda called me, said we had just been invited to premiere at Sundance, then hung up. I was elated at first, then…terrified. We hadn’t picture locked yet!! (We did a week later.)
How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?
Prep is everything. Once I’m really digging in, I want to indulge in as little “left brain” thinking as possible. I use a simple workspace via Productions where all assets are scrupulously logged and transcribed. Our script supervisor, Abbey Spacil, is a cinema polymath and her logs were essential. So, I took pains to ensure ALL her annotations and analysis were reflected in the metadata.
Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.
I can’t fully explain why, but I’m just endlessly pleased with how “wine with Lisa (Samatha Mathis) and Irene (Robin Tunney)” came out. The inherent absurdity of people carrying on a (serious) conversation with an inanimate human/object is never clearer, or funnier, than that moment.
What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?
The biggest challenge on “By Design” was speed. From pre-to pro-to post-, we just moved so, so quickly. For instance, we wrapped on August 23rd and had a full cut for Sundance a month later. You can’t second guess or endlessly tweak on that schedule, which can be nerve-wracking but also, of course, liberating. Amanda craves spontaneity at all stages, even editing.
What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them?
So much post-production functionality can happen right in Premiere Pro, so the bulk of my work stayed there. The ‘Review with Frame IO’ panel is a godsend! Especially when you need to quickly digest feedback. On this show, I used it to render cuts directly to my account where Amanda and the producers added notes and then I downloaded them as comment markers. Then, next round: rinse, repeat. Brilliant.
If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?
Productions! If you aren’t using Productions and/or Team Projects by now you are living in the past.
Who is your creative inspiration and why?
I just read Paul Hirsch’s (editor of Star Wars and Ferris Bueller's Day Off) memoir, and there’s a brilliant if not hilariously reductive editing quote in there: “Don’t be confusing. Don’t be boring. Everything else is fair game.” Words to live by.
What’s something tough you’ve had to face in your career, and how did you overcome it? What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers or content creators?
I think 95% of freelance editors will agree on the ultimate challenge: cash flow. Keeping that steady stream of work alive, remaining creatively fulfilled, staying human. My advice on how to manage it all? Xanax. Coffee. Community. Oh, and take walks!
What’s your favorite thing about your workspace and why?
My set-up is spartan. A Mac Studio, keyboard, mouse, two striped OWC Thunderblade drives, two LG monitors and video out to a wall mounted TV on which, when I’m not working, I watch (mostly) unspeakable trash. The only thing of real note is my bootleg Matrix mousepad (I hear Thelma Schoonmaker has one, too).
