Editor Ash Verwiel on his journey from intern to editor on SXSW documentary “Assembly”

Image Source: SXSW.

SXSW documentary "Assembly" follows artist Rashaad Newsome as he transforms a former military facility into a visionary exhibition that explores Black and queer identity, systemic injustice and resilience. Newsome, who directed the project with Johnny Symons, used performances, immersive visuals and decolonization workshops to demonstrate how art can foster solidarity, strength and liberation for marginalized communities.

We sat down with the film’s editor, Ash Verwiel, who started out as an intern on the project before quickly taking on the editor role full-time with the help of other interns and wrapping up the project with co-editor J. Christian Jensen. Because so many iterations of the film were created over the years, Productions in Premiere Pro was crucial to helping Verwiel bring everything together and seamlessly collaborate with the team, particularly on the structure and framing of the story as an artist process film.

In terms of his advice for other editors, Verwiel keeps it simple: “Find workflows that work for you, excite you and are easy for you mentally. A lot of energy and passion is required to put in the effort needed for most films.”

Read on for an inside look at editing “Assembly.”

How did you first get involved with this project?

I first got involved as an intern, my last year of college. I got asked to do some admin work, organize and log footage, which quickly turned into, “Hey, could you cut some clips together?” which turned into scenes…which over the years has turned into “Assembly”!

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

The directors, Rashaad and Johnny, FaceTimed me and told me the news. All three of us were very thrilled, because it meant that someone else was seeing this project of ours, believing in the same magnitude and with similar values in mind. I also feel like for this to be seen in the South, in such a difficult time, especially for trans folks, means a lot. We’ve always had a hunch this project would show during a time the country needed it most. There are trans people all over this cast and crew, myself included, and I just hope it can serve as some sort of wake-up call. It’s all about planting seeds of thought.

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

I have a default workspace setup that I use for most projects when I get started, especially with documentaries, not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into and what this project would become. Then, when we switched to Productions, I created a “Prod assembly workspace.” And then, of course, I have various iterations on these such as sound and captions-based workspaces.

Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.

I have so many favorites. Amongst the performances, Nekia’s scene in the ending (which makes me bawl every time), but the Louisiana hometown scene and Black Fractals sequence must be my top favorites.

The hometown scene is very personal to protagonist Rashaad Newsome’s story, but also has a sweet spot in my heart, as it’s extremely relatable for me as a trans kid from a rural small town myself. The rural landscape, late-night streets with eerie sound design and stark cuts, makes for a haunting atmosphere while we hear from protagonist Rashaad about his experience growing up as a Black queer kid in the deep South. I also made sure to include a Dutch angle in there, as a nod to where I grew up. For Black Fractals, you’ll just have to tune in, as it’s an abstract montage that’s not to be explained — only experienced.

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

Of course, there were minor challenges, and presenting Rashaad’s radical work usually comes with more pushback than he got this time around. Luckily, people were very supportive of his vision when it came to putting on the Assembly show in NYC. The other more editorial challenge was regarding structure. We had to figure out how to build anticipation for a show opening while not making that the end-all, be-all goal for this film. We wanted to build more clarity around the fact that this is an artist process film and that the magic happened during the full 3-week-long run of the show.

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

This film was fully cut in Premiere Pro, and Productions was a lifesaver for us (shoutout to Chris McNabb). With this project having many different Premiere Pro projects over multiple years, it really needed Productions to bring it all together. It was a necessity for collaboration, as we needed to be able to have a shared file space that we could edit simultaneously. We used LucidLink for real-time editing in collaboration, which locked projects for us when we were done using it and immediately saved projects to the online file space. It ended up making the workflow much smoother for everyone. I also used Media Encoder, Speech to Text for quick transcripts and limited levels of Enhance Speech.

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

Find workflows that work for you, excite you, and are easy for you mentally. A lot of energy and passion is required to put in the effort needed for most films. Make your work environment fun and create little rewards for yourself when you complete tasks. If you find yourself frustrated, take a break. It’s usually not something you can logistically fix.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

As a trans person who didn’t see myself in media growing up (and when I did see it, it was never done right), I’ve always said that I would make films that need to be seen about people like me. Visually though, Sky Hopinka has always been a great inspiration, and I still strive to see films like his in a feature format someday. His experimental films and poetry are often stripped down to be raw and honest, playing with language and landscapes to allow audiences to wonder where they came from and where their words go. Also, the director (and my chosen family dad), Rashaad Newsome, continues to energize and inspire me in many ways while working with him.

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?

Being overworked and not setting enough boundaries, especially with myself. With films that you feel so much passion for, like “Assembly,” it can be easy to lose yourself in the creative process and prioritize creating over anything else. Especially in a world that’s so honed in on productivity, we have to remember all of the things we love and try to balance them equally. Workaholism cannot take the stage over self-care. Being, the non-binary AI in the film, will speak on this more!

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

Image Source: Ash Verwiel.

I like having various sources of inspiration around at all times — photos of loved ones and wall art to remind me of spirit/our collective consciousness, which keeps me grounded. It’s important for me to feel connected to nature too, which is why I’m very grateful to have some big trees right outside my window, where the squirrels watch me work.