Chris Punsalan on using Premiere Pro to edit “Reeling”

Image Source: SXSW.

“Reeling,” from director Yana Alliata and executive producer Werner Herzog, follows the main character, Ryan, in the aftermath of a life-altering incident. At a birthday luau on his family’s homestead, Ryan struggles to fit in with old friends and family. As the pig slowly roasts in an imu pit and the partygoers cut loose, the celebration boils over when Ryan uncovers the missing memory of when his life took a tragic turn.

We spoke with editor Chris Punsalan to learn more about how he brought the film to life in Premiere Pro. “Premiere Pro’s flexibility in rearranging and customizing windows is crucial,” said Punsalan. “I always arrange a large waveform window since sound is so crucial to editing.” Speech to Text also helped him save time and streamline his entire process, especially since many of the scenes were shot documentary style and featured actors improvising lines to deliver authentic performances.

Read on for more of Punsalan’s tips (including why David Bowie is his creative inspiration), and make sure to check out “Reeling,” which premiered at SXSW on March 7th.

How did you first get involved with this project?

Reeling’s post-production supervisor, Bill Klug — with whom I previously collaborated on the Disney TV series “Ultraviolet & Black Scorpion” — introduced me to director Yana Alliata. Our creative sensibilities aligned, and she invited me to join the project as an editor.

Where were you when you found out you got into SXSW? How did you feel?

I was recording music at home when I received word of our premiere at SXSW! It’s always an exciting moment when something you worked on takes its first steps out into the world.

How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?

I have an editing template, but I don’t strictly adhere to it. I always start by watching all the footage and getting a feel for the direction and story. Every project is unique, so I tweak my setup as I go along. Depending on how many cameras I have to work with or how the audio is recorded will determine how much screen real estate various windows take up. Premiere Pro’s flexibility in rearranging and customizing windows is crucial. I always arrange a large waveform window since sound is so crucial to editing. Being able to see where audio starts and stops is essential.

What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?

This film features multiple aspect ratios, making reframing a particularly rewarding challenge. The cinematography was exceptional, but each aspect ratio shift presented different areas to play with in regards to reframing — whether we were hiding an element we didn’t want to highlight or punching in to highlight an actor’s performance.

What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them?

Within Premiere Pro, I used Speech to Text and Text-Based Editing extensively on this project. Many of the scenes were shot documentary style, with actors improvising lines to deliver fresh and authentic performances. So, it was a godsend to search for specific lines and jump directly to the corresponding clips. This saved substantial time when reviewing performances or locating a unique line without the need for a manual search.

If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?

Use the tilde key! I love being able to quickly full screen a specific window and then jump back to your original layout.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

David Bowie will always remain a north star of inspiration for me. This quote from him should be applied to all creative endeavors: “Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

What’s the toughest thing 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?

Transitioning from assistant editing in reality television to editing independent feature films was one of the most challenging hurdles in my career. My advice would be to make sure you are at the ladder you want to climb before starting. It’s important to position yourself in the field you ultimately want to pursue since editors can get pigeon holed as only one type of editor, and it can be hard to cross over once you are experienced in one style of editing.

What’s your favorite thing about your workspace and why?

Image Source: Chris Punsalan.

I love having a three-monitor setup. I often use the MAC full screen feature along with the magic mouse's ability to quickly swipe between apps. It's great to have Premiere Pro windows setup and quickly be able to jump to a full screen PDF of the script.