Sundance 2025: Erik Vogt-Nilsen on Editing “Plainclothes” with Premiere Pro
“Plainclothes” tells the story of a promising undercover officer assigned to bait and arrest gay men, who defies orders when he falls in love with a target.
This feature directorial debut from writer and director Carmen Emmi stars Tom Blyth in a breakout performance as Lucas. Not only is Lucas straining to fit into his role in the police force, but he’s also navigating the consequences of his increasingly fraught undercover work and the potential exposure of his exhilarating encounters with Andrew, played by Russell Tovey.
Editor Erik Vogt-Nilsen collaborated closely with Emmi to bring together this narrative that cleverly deploys lo-fi VHS footage and plays with chronology to keep the audience on its toes. Premiere Pro Productions helped Vogt-Nilsen bring picture, sound, music and VFX together so he could prioritize storytelling first and foremost during the offline edit, even with a tight timeline: “My tip would be to start using Productions for everything. No matter what size or scope your project is, or even if you’re working on something by yourself without a large team. This was the first feature I cut using Productions, and I will never do it any other way again.”
Read on for an inside look at editing “Plainclothes,” premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26th.
How did you first get involved with this project?
I had met our writer/director, Carmen Emmi, a couple of times, so we knew each other, but it was actually our mutual friend, Arielle Zakowski, who reconnected us for this project. Arielle is a mentor of mine and such an editing inspiration to me. She graciously recommended me for the film and really vouched for me. I interviewed, and the rest is history — I’m truly grateful to her.
Where were you when you found out you got into Sundance? How did you feel?
I was at home when I got the call from Carmen late at night. I think the first thing I yelled when he told me was, “NO!” I just couldn’t believe it. It’s something we certainly hoped would happen, and we very much believed in our project, but you never know how things will go. So, to actually get this news was incredible. I was just immensely proud of our team, proud of myself, and so excited for the film to be on this platform and have this reach among audiences. I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks.
How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?
First and foremost, I start the project using Premiere Pro Productions. Within the production, I’ll create a dedicated project for each scene in the film, and, within each scene project, I’ll create numbered stringouts of all the footage from that scene for each unique camera set-up. I’ll review the footage this way, pulling my selects up onto different video layers depending on what I’m drawn to (a technique I learned from Arielle, actually). Once I finish reviewing everything, I’ll create a master selects sequence for that particular scene with all of these stringouts combined and use these selects sequences to start editing the film. I find it so helpful to have the footage organized this way because it allows me to see how I initially responded to the material but also gives me the flexibility to play around with everything just in case any new discoveries unfold.
Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.
Oh man, I have so many favorites, and I’ll try not to spoil anything…but there is one sequence I’ll call out in particular that I really love. It comes at a pivotal moment in the film when our timelines intersect in this very fast-paced visual montage where Lucas is grappling with his sexuality. This sequence is a favorite, not just because it was so much fun to edit, but because of how deeply I connected to it as a queer person. I felt it really captured the intense euphoria/freedom I felt when I started to claim my queerness, while simultaneously being so overwhelmed by societal judgment and my own internalized shame. These conflicting emotions were really intertwined for me in my own experience, so it was cathartic to be able to express that in the edit. This frenetic explosion of anxiety, joy, fear, and pride that was all so intensely wrapped up in me embracing my queer identity. The sequence has a special place in my heart for that reason.
What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?
We faced some pretty tight timelines for editor’s cut and director’s cut, which required a sustained amount of creative energy. I joined the project after production wrapped, so for the editor’s cut, I basically received a drive with all the footage and had to build the film out on my own in five weeks. To navigate this, I created a schedule for myself to get through every scene at least three times — once for assembly, once for fine tuning/experimentation, and once for final polish with music/SFX. Once Carmen joined me for the director’s cut, we had a similar, disciplined approach, usually aiming to complete a few scenes per day, but also allowing for flexibility in case a complicated scene took more time than expected. This schedule not only helped us stay on track, but also fostered a mindset of "trust and move on," understanding that we couldn't spend excessive time refining the details of a specific scene. In a sense, this approach liberated us by motivating us to concentrate on overarching themes and rely on our instincts, with the knowledge that we could revisit scenes later for additional refinement, potentially revealing new insights in the material. This accelerated process, while demanding, really fostered a dynamic and creative collaboration between us.
What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them?
We used Premiere Pro for this project because of its incredible versatility and collaborative tools. Premiere Pro is so user-friendly and intuitive, so it made it easy to bring together all the pieces of our film — picture, sound, music, and VFX — in a way where we could prioritize the storytelling first and foremost during the offline edit. We were a small post team during editorial—it was pretty much just me and Carmen working alone—so Carmen’s familiarity with software was also a big factor because it allowed us to work concurrently and cover more ground. While I'd be tackling picture notes on one scene, for example, Carmen could be experimenting with music in another one. This kind of collaborative access was invaluable because it enabled us to explore different creative avenues while maintaining an efficient workflow to meet our deadline.
We also used Frame.io throughout editorial on this project. It was our primary way of sending out rough cut links to our team for feedback, as well as sharing with outside friends/family. It was our master hub for all editorial-related review files. And later, once we turned over to VFX, we used Frame.io for all of our VFX reviews. Our first assistant editor, Aaron Merrill, would upload the preview composites from our incredible VFX team, and Carmen and I would go through each shot and leave comments on Frame.io, noting approvals or calling out specific things we wanted addressed in the next pass. Frame.io’s drawing feature was especially helpful here because it allowed us to easily notate where we wanted a composite to be revised without having to write out a whole bunch of descriptive text that could easily be mistranslated or need further clarification.
If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?
My tip would be to start using Productions for everything. No matter what size or scope your project is, or even if you’re working on something by yourself without a large team — I feel like Productions is the best way to work within Premiere Pro. It allows for so much flexibility in the program without bogging the entire system down. I’m a big organizational guy, so Productions works really well for my brain, where everything can live in its own designated, happy place. If you organize things properly, you never have to wait too long for a project to open and you never have to clear out old sequences. It also makes it so easy to share sequences/elements with your team. This was the first feature I cut using Productions, and I will never do it any other way again.
Who is your creative inspiration and why?
I draw immense inspiration from one of my editing mentors, Aleshka Ferrero, whom I was lucky enough to assist on a project a few years ago. I remember watching her edit and noticing how intentional she’d be with each cut—how she would first plot out a scene in her head based on the different setups and then craft her edit around that vision. It was a different approach to editing than what I had been doing previously, where I would sort of just dive into things and let my intuition guide me. I do still think my intuitive approach is incredibly valuable to my abilities as an editor, but I now try to carry more of this intentionality as well when I cut—inspired by Aleshka. Making sure each shot has a motivation, saving setups for specific moments, and never cutting unless I absolutely need to.
Additionally, the project we were on together had a really tight timeline, and I remember being so impressed with Aleshka’s leadership throughout it. In spite of a stressful schedule, she always maintained a collected demeanor and really fostered this collaborative and supportive environment within our post-production team. Her ability to navigate pressure while maintaining a focus on quality and team well-being was truly inspiring and exactly how I’d like to be as an editor.
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?
Something difficult I’ve had to face in my career, especially when I’m at the start of a transition, is doubt. Whether that’s external doubt or internal doubt, it’s something that I’ve had to work through time and time again. This industry likes to have guarantees, and anyone doing something for the first time by default is not a guarantee. So when I come up against external doubt, I don’t take it personally and understand it just as a factor of this industry. My advice for aspiring filmmakers would be to know that this kind of thing is only natural and to not let it discourage you from going after what you want—use it as a reason to motivate you. And similarly, in my own experience, this kind of external doubt can often go hand-in-hand with your own internal doubt, and what’s helped me get through that is reminding myself I am where I’m meant to be. You know your capabilities, you know your worth, and you know what kind of unique perspective and magic you bring to a project. So trust in that, and give it the best that you got.
What’s your favorite thing about your workspace and why?
It’s a simple workspace, but one of my favorite things about it is my standing desk. I find there’s something quite invigorating about being able to shift from a sitting to a standing position while editing. Changing my position can kind of jolt me into a new way of creative thinking and give me a fresh perspective that can unlock new discoveries within a scene. I find that standing is especially helpful to keep me actively engaged in the material and work with a strong sense of purpose and intention. And on the other hand, sitting can help me pull back and assess how a scene is working from a more relaxed, audience lens.