WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 We all sit down for a, you know, a two or three 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:07.450 hour epic a sci -fi masterpiece, maybe a brutal 00:00:07.450 --> 00:00:10.089 historical drama, a tense crime thriller, and 00:00:10.089 --> 00:00:13.570 we just get swept away by the flow, the rhythm, 00:00:13.769 --> 00:00:16.750 the emotional punch of it all. Absolutely. You're 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:19.089 just in it. But have you ever stopped to really 00:00:19.089 --> 00:00:21.710 wonder who's actually controlling that flow? 00:00:21.870 --> 00:00:24.629 Who's like manipulating time itself within the 00:00:24.629 --> 00:00:28.170 film? And what happens when the architect of 00:00:28.170 --> 00:00:30.309 that time, the person shaping it, is actually 00:00:30.309 --> 00:00:32.890 a classically trained composer? Well, that's 00:00:32.890 --> 00:00:34.810 exactly where we're going today. We are diving 00:00:34.810 --> 00:00:36.890 deep into the world of, I guess you could say, 00:00:36.909 --> 00:00:39.770 the ultimate invisible performer, the film editor. 00:00:39.929 --> 00:00:41.770 Right. Specifically, we're exploring the career 00:00:41.770 --> 00:00:46.250 of Joe Walker. He's a British master whose precise, 00:00:46.590 --> 00:00:49.350 almost musical sensibility has really shaped 00:00:49.350 --> 00:00:51.070 some of the most complex and definitely some 00:00:51.070 --> 00:00:53.670 of the most intense cinematic storytelling of 00:00:53.670 --> 00:00:56.369 the last, what, 20 years. Easily. So our mission 00:00:56.369 --> 00:00:58.109 in this deep dive, it's pretty comprehensive. 00:00:58.130 --> 00:01:00.310 We're really going to unpack the sources on Walker's 00:01:00.310 --> 00:01:02.369 path, you know, from his surprisingly grounded 00:01:02.369 --> 00:01:04.950 musical background right up to his, well, truly 00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:08.370 revolutionary work. We'll focus intently on his 00:01:08.370 --> 00:01:11.530 creative partnerships, tracing that arc from, 00:01:11.569 --> 00:01:15.280 say, the really searing human dramas he did with 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:17.099 Steve McQueen. Right. Those are something else. 00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:20.599 To the monumental kind of time bending sci -fi 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:23.920 epics he crafted with Denis Villeneuve. Our goal 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:26.879 is to understand not just what he cuts, but like. 00:01:27.209 --> 00:01:29.930 how he harnesses time exactly and why one very 00:01:29.930 --> 00:01:32.530 demanding director of villeneuve openly declared 00:01:32.530 --> 00:01:36.150 him his hero after a particularly uh grueling 00:01:36.150 --> 00:01:38.129 edit yeah that tells you a lot right there and 00:01:38.129 --> 00:01:40.030 look the big reveal it's already cemented in 00:01:40.030 --> 00:01:42.489 hollywood history really but it's a track record 00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:44.150 that's definitely worth celebrating right at 00:01:44.150 --> 00:01:46.560 the start for sure Walker is the British film 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:49.219 editor who won the Academy Award for Best Film 00:01:49.219 --> 00:01:52.659 Editing for his, I mean, staggering work on Dune 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:55.299 back in 2021. Yep. Finally got the statue for 00:01:55.299 --> 00:01:57.519 that one. And that Oscar win, it followed prior 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:00.319 nominations for, you know, landmark dramas like 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:03.159 12 Years a Slave. Crucial film. And that really 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:06.060 conceptual sci -fi challenge that was Arrival. 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:08.099 Which we'll definitely get into. Oh, yeah. And 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:10.900 then add to that his. ACE award win, that's the 00:02:10.900 --> 00:02:13.819 American Cinema Editors Award, also for Arrival, 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:16.580 plus multiple satellite awards, European Film 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:19.539 Awards, you get a really clear picture of a craftsman 00:02:19.539 --> 00:02:24.759 who just delivers consistent, impeccable quality. 00:02:25.610 --> 00:02:27.669 across radically different genres, too. That 00:02:27.669 --> 00:02:29.789 consistency, yeah, that's the key thing here. 00:02:30.030 --> 00:02:32.330 And it seems like it starts with a foundational 00:02:32.330 --> 00:02:34.849 background that's, well, a lot richer than just, 00:02:34.930 --> 00:02:36.909 you know, a simple path through film school. 00:02:37.189 --> 00:02:39.789 Absolutely. It goes way deeper. Okay, so let's 00:02:39.789 --> 00:02:41.430 unpack this background because it feels like 00:02:41.430 --> 00:02:43.889 this is where we find those foundational skills 00:02:43.889 --> 00:02:45.770 that really informed his whole career, right? 00:02:45.789 --> 00:02:48.949 Walker grew up in West London and Ealing. But 00:02:48.949 --> 00:02:51.229 the sources give us these, like, amazing little 00:02:51.229 --> 00:02:54.050 historical nuggets about his family, things that 00:02:54.050 --> 00:02:56.639 suggest a great... grounding in, well, narrative 00:02:56.639 --> 00:02:59.379 and maybe even high stakes communication. Absolutely. 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:01.759 The material highlights, for instance, that he 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:04.250 was raised Catholic. And his father was a history 00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:07.210 master. History. Yeah. So a background that kind 00:03:07.210 --> 00:03:10.169 of instills a deep sense of structure, maybe 00:03:10.169 --> 00:03:12.990 historical rigor, the importance of, you know, 00:03:12.990 --> 00:03:15.169 chronological narrative. Makes sense. But the 00:03:15.169 --> 00:03:17.409 detail I find most fascinating, the one that 00:03:17.409 --> 00:03:20.270 links him directly to this like monumental period 00:03:20.270 --> 00:03:22.469 of English history and decision making. Go on. 00:03:22.830 --> 00:03:25.189 Is that his mother was actually one of Winston 00:03:25.189 --> 00:03:28.490 Churchill's wartime shorthand typists. Get out. 00:03:28.889 --> 00:03:32.189 Seriously. Churchill's typist. Yeah. Imagine 00:03:32.189 --> 00:03:35.509 that. Wow. Think about that connection. The person 00:03:35.509 --> 00:03:38.090 responsible for recording these crucial, often 00:03:38.090 --> 00:03:40.490 life and death decisions for a nation in peril. 00:03:40.610 --> 00:03:42.949 That level of, I don't know, precision, speed, 00:03:43.370 --> 00:03:46.569 accuracy, just managing raw information under 00:03:46.569 --> 00:03:48.610 pressure. I think some of that seeps into the, 00:03:48.729 --> 00:03:51.259 you know. The family DNA, right? That kind of 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:53.539 focus. For sure. And crucially, before he ever 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:56.500 touched a frame of film picture, he was completely 00:03:56.500 --> 00:03:59.819 immersed in sound, structure, and pacing. Right, 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:02.400 the music. Exactly. He trained initially as a 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:04.379 classical composer. He got his Bachelor of Arts 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:06.699 degree in music from the University of York way 00:04:06.699 --> 00:04:10.240 back in 1984. Okay, so this musical foundation, 00:04:10.500 --> 00:04:13.060 it isn't just some interesting footnote on his 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:15.569 CV. It sounds like it's the entire blueprint 00:04:15.569 --> 00:04:17.850 for his editing philosophy. I think that's fair 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:20.810 to say, yeah. So how exactly does that discipline 00:04:20.810 --> 00:04:24.290 classical composition translate into the job 00:04:24.290 --> 00:04:27.350 of, you know, cutting film? Well, when we analyze 00:04:27.350 --> 00:04:30.870 film editing at its highest level, we're fundamentally 00:04:30.870 --> 00:04:33.750 talking about temporal structure, time. Right. 00:04:33.889 --> 00:04:36.889 A composer deals with rhythm, harmony, counterpoint, 00:04:36.990 --> 00:04:40.540 duration, all of that. Walker understands how 00:04:40.540 --> 00:04:43.800 to use, say, sustained passages, which in film 00:04:43.800 --> 00:04:46.120 might mean really long takes, like those famous 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:48.019 ones in his McQueen collaboration. Oh, yeah, 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:50.899 the standout. And he also knows how to use dissonance 00:04:50.899 --> 00:04:53.720 or like fragmented rhythms, which translates 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.579 perfectly to cross -cutting complex, maybe nonlinear 00:04:56.579 --> 00:04:59.079 structures like you see in Arrival or Dune. Huh. 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:02.120 So if a scene feels, I don't know, too rushed 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:04.220 or maybe drags on too long, it's not necessarily 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:06.560 just a visual problem. It's more like a rhythm 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:08.899 problem. Precisely. It's a rhythm problem, which 00:05:08.899 --> 00:05:11.980 a composer is kind of uniquely equipped to solve. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.240 They instinctively feel that timing. A composer 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:18.060 knows how to build tension over time, how to 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:20.560 resolve it, and maybe most importantly, how to 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:23.720 use sustained silence. The rest, you know, for 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:26.439 maximum emotional impact. The power of the pause. 00:05:26.660 --> 00:05:29.730 Exactly. So when Walker learned editing. which 00:05:29.730 --> 00:05:31.709 he did in the BBC's film department, conveniently 00:05:31.709 --> 00:05:34.829 located right there at Ealing Studios. Wow. Ealing 00:05:34.829 --> 00:05:36.850 again. He wasn't really learning a brand new 00:05:36.850 --> 00:05:39.949 language. It was more like translating a composer's 00:05:39.949 --> 00:05:42.569 discipline directly into visual cuts and narrative 00:05:42.569 --> 00:05:44.560 movements. That's a great way to put it. And 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:46.899 speaking of his early steps, we absolutely have 00:05:46.899 --> 00:05:49.639 to mention his first professional foray into 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:51.600 the industry. Oh, this is a good one. It wasn't 00:05:51.600 --> 00:05:53.639 as a picture editor, was it? It was sound editor 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:57.519 for a BBC series called First Born in 1988. And 00:05:57.519 --> 00:05:59.600 the story behind it is just, it's one of those 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:01.379 bizarre anecdotes that just sticks with you. 00:06:01.500 --> 00:06:04.339 It truly is. The material reveals that for that 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:08.379 specific project, his task was to find and then 00:06:08.379 --> 00:06:11.519 somehow coax the legendary animal impersonator, 00:06:11.560 --> 00:06:14.529 Percy Edwards. Wait. The Percy Edwards? The guy 00:06:14.529 --> 00:06:16.769 who voiced the whale in Orca? That's the one. 00:06:17.069 --> 00:06:20.089 He had to get him out of retirement just to provide 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:22.129 the necessary gorilla noises for the series. 00:06:22.269 --> 00:06:25.110 No way! Gorilla noises! That was his big break. 00:06:25.189 --> 00:06:26.970 That was his entry point. But what's actually 00:06:26.970 --> 00:06:29.910 fascinating here, beyond the sheer oddity of 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:34.310 it, is that this eccentric gig... actually established 00:06:34.310 --> 00:06:36.889 a foundational relationship, one that would become 00:06:36.889 --> 00:06:40.970 absolutely crucial later on. Okay. That job marked 00:06:40.970 --> 00:06:43.550 his very first collaboration with the composer 00:06:43.550 --> 00:06:46.529 Hans Zimmer. What? Zimmer on the Gorilla Noise 00:06:46.529 --> 00:06:49.649 job? Believe it or not, imagine that. His career 00:06:49.649 --> 00:06:51.870 kind of starts with a composer collaboration 00:06:51.870 --> 00:06:55.329 centered around Gorilla Noise. That's wild. And 00:06:55.329 --> 00:06:57.529 then decades later, they're working together 00:06:57.529 --> 00:07:00.829 to finding the absolutely epic soundscape of 00:07:00.829 --> 00:07:03.230 Dune. It just shows how those early connections, 00:07:03.389 --> 00:07:05.610 even the weird ones, can really matter down the 00:07:05.610 --> 00:07:08.050 line. That's incredible. So after proving his 00:07:08.050 --> 00:07:10.709 worth in sound, presumably with some top -notch 00:07:10.709 --> 00:07:12.990 guerrilla work. Presumably, yeah. He moves into 00:07:12.990 --> 00:07:16.110 film editor roles. And it started, maybe unsurprisingly, 00:07:16.149 --> 00:07:18.649 given his background, with classical music documentaries 00:07:18.649 --> 00:07:21.860 for the BBC. Makes sense. That would reinforce 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:25.019 his understanding of complex, structured performance, 00:07:25.500 --> 00:07:28.319 timing, all of that. Right. And then he quickly 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:31.399 demonstrated his range. He transitioned to early 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:34.540 drama like Julian Farino's Out of the Blue and 00:07:34.540 --> 00:07:37.220 even comedy, specifically two series of David 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:40.720 Renwick's popular mystery show, Jonathan Creek. 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:43.279 Yeah, I remember that one. So cutting comedy, 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:47.000 drama, documentaries. They all require pretty 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.540 distinct tempos, right? Different ways of managing 00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:52.459 the audience's expectations and reactions. Totally 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:55.560 different rhythms. By cutting such wide -ranging 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:58.920 material so early on, he was basically mastering 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:02.139 the nuances of tempo and genre before he ever 00:08:02.139 --> 00:08:04.920 got the call for those major feature films. He 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:06.720 was building that versatility muscle. Playing 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:09.180 all the groundwork. Exactly. Okay, so moving 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:11.339 into his feature film career, the sources make 00:08:11.339 --> 00:08:14.019 it abundantly clear that Joe Walker's work is 00:08:14.019 --> 00:08:17.300 really framed by... two monumental director partnerships. 00:08:17.620 --> 00:08:19.980 Right, these big collaborations. The first one, 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:21.980 and you could argue maybe the most emotionally 00:08:21.980 --> 00:08:24.519 intense, was with the director Steve McQueen. 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:26.899 And this was a collaboration really built on, 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:30.660 I'd say, uncompromising thematic weight, often 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:35.039 human trauma, and a really strategic use of silence 00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:37.600 and duration. Yeah, intensity is the word. They 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:39.879 collaborated on four films, right, and they started 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:42.879 with just a shocking immediate impact, Hunger. 00:08:43.450 --> 00:08:47.830 In 2008, this was that searing, really visceral 00:08:47.830 --> 00:08:51.190 portrayal of the IRA hunger strikes at Lancash 00:08:51.190 --> 00:08:54.190 starring Michael Fassbender. And it immediately 00:08:54.190 --> 00:08:57.129 won the camera door at Cannes. This film, it 00:08:57.129 --> 00:08:59.169 wasn't just intense. It really challenged the 00:08:59.169 --> 00:09:01.490 audience with its pacing. Oh, absolutely. Hunger 00:09:01.490 --> 00:09:04.230 is like the perfect exhibition of Walker's approach 00:09:04.230 --> 00:09:07.259 to duration. How so? Well, when an editor uses 00:09:07.259 --> 00:09:09.440 time as their superpower, like Walker does, they 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:12.220 know when not to cut. Ah, okay. Holding the shot. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:14.779 Exactly. We see this most famously in that incredible 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:17.340 17 -minute single -take conversation between 00:09:17.340 --> 00:09:19.379 Fassbender and Liam Cunningham. Unforgettable 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:21.340 scene. Right, where it's just extended, almost 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:23.600 painful sequences of mundane institutional life. 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:26.539 Walker uses that sustained discomfort to force 00:09:26.539 --> 00:09:28.659 the audience into the physical and the mental 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:30.659 space of the characters. You feel trapped with 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:33.379 them. You do. And that sustained tempo, that 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:35.299 holding, it feels like a direct manifestation 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:39.100 of a composer's ability to hold a long, resonant 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:41.750 note. It has weight. That makes sense. They quickly 00:09:41.750 --> 00:09:44.309 followed that raw intensity up with Shame in 00:09:44.309 --> 00:09:47.529 2011, another really powerful, fast bender vehicle. 00:09:47.850 --> 00:09:49.590 Yeah. Very different setting, though. Totally. 00:09:49.750 --> 00:09:52.149 This time exploring sexual obsession and self 00:09:52.149 --> 00:09:54.090 -destruction, but in a very modern Manhattan 00:09:54.090 --> 00:09:56.629 landscape. The pacing here felt different again, 00:09:56.730 --> 00:09:59.509 really claustrophobic, deeply isolated. It did. 00:09:59.950 --> 00:10:02.649 And shame, that film cemented Walker's international 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:05.269 critical success in his own right. It earned 00:10:05.269 --> 00:10:07.649 him the European Film Award for Best Editor in 00:10:07.649 --> 00:10:11.210 2012. Ah, OK. So he proved he could apply that 00:10:11.210 --> 00:10:13.590 same deliberate, sometimes unforgiving rhythm 00:10:13.590 --> 00:10:16.990 to modern psychological drama. Not just historical 00:10:16.990 --> 00:10:19.830 trauma. The core skill was transferable. Right. 00:10:19.909 --> 00:10:21.830 The underlying principle holds. And then came 00:10:21.830 --> 00:10:23.450 the definitive breakthrough, I think, for both 00:10:23.450 --> 00:10:27.110 of them, really. 12 Years a Slave in 2013. Monumental 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:30.190 film. Just universally acclaimed. Swept the major 00:10:30.190 --> 00:10:33.129 awards, Best Picture, Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA. 00:10:33.570 --> 00:10:37.509 But handling a story as profoundly brutal as 00:10:37.509 --> 00:10:40.679 Solomon Northup's true narrative? That must have 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:43.100 required immense ethical discipline in the editing 00:10:43.100 --> 00:10:45.480 room. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. The core editorial 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:48.059 challenge there was, you know, how do you pace 00:10:48.059 --> 00:10:50.759 the horrors of slavery without tipping over into 00:10:50.759 --> 00:10:53.700 like exploitative spectacle? Yeah, a very fine 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:56.259 line. A very fine line. And Walker's solution, 00:10:56.519 --> 00:10:58.600 which again seems derived from his mastery of 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:01.659 rhythm, was to use these long, almost agonizing 00:11:01.659 --> 00:11:04.940 takes during moments of, say, quiet reflection 00:11:04.940 --> 00:11:07.419 or institutional cruelty. Like the whipping scenes. 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:10.070 Exactly. Like that sustained close. up on Chiwetel 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:12.850 Ejiofor's face during those scenes. Yeah. And 00:11:12.850 --> 00:11:15.669 then using precise, really impactful cuts during 00:11:15.669 --> 00:11:17.730 the moments of necessary brutality, making them 00:11:17.730 --> 00:11:20.870 sharp, immediate, but crucially never drawn out 00:11:20.870 --> 00:11:23.210 for cheap sensationalism. Right. It's such a 00:11:23.210 --> 00:11:25.509 knife edge decision, isn't it? Balancing that 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:27.490 historical rigor, the need to show the truth 00:11:27.490 --> 00:11:29.789 with audience endurance and just basic human 00:11:29.789 --> 00:11:32.759 decency. The cuts themselves feel like they speak 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:35.559 to a deep respect for the subject matter, ensuring 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:38.159 the pain feels, I don't know, earned and observed 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.919 rather than just consumed. Well said. Right. 00:11:40.980 --> 00:11:43.360 And the profound impact of that editing, it's 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:46.179 perfectly captured by one of its stars. The sources 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:48.480 highlight that when Lupita Nyong 'o accepted 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:52.559 her Academy Award, she specifically paid this 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:55.720 remarkable public tribute to Walker. She described 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.460 him as the invisible performer in the editing 00:11:58.460 --> 00:12:02.000 room. Wow. The invisible performer. That phrase 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:05.120 is just, it's such a perfect summary of what 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:07.860 great editing achieves, isn't it? It really is. 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:09.539 You shouldn't notice the mechanics, the cuts 00:12:09.539 --> 00:12:12.299 themselves. But you absolutely have to feel the 00:12:12.299 --> 00:12:14.600 emotional rhythm, the narrative force they create. 00:12:14.740 --> 00:12:17.039 And that relies entirely on the editor's timing. 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:19.500 And McQueen himself, the director, he reinforced 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:21.899 this connection back to Walker's musical roots 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:24.220 when he talked about Walker's ability to use 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:27.340 absent silence as a tool. What did he say? The 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:29.059 director stated, and this is crucial, he said, 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:31.659 a great film editor is attuned to the silences. 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:34.980 They can be just as valuable as the words. It's 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:37.279 all about timing. And that's what he has. Joe 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:41.080 has time. Joe has time. That's fascinating. The 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:43.840 idea that silence holds just as much structural 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:47.460 weight as action or dialogue. That's pure composer 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:50.039 thinking applied to film. Exactly. It's the moment 00:12:50.039 --> 00:12:53.159 the orchestra pauses before a big crescendo and 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:55.080 you just wait for the resolution. Right. And 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:57.159 in 12 Years a Slave, those silences are just 00:12:57.159 --> 00:13:00.840 agonizing. They force you, the viewer, to confront 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:03.019 the sheer duration of Solomon's suffering. There's 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:05.299 no cutting away from it. Precisely. They completed 00:13:05.299 --> 00:13:07.820 their quartet of collaborations with the 2018 00:13:07.820 --> 00:13:10.799 heist Thriller Widows. Yeah, more of a genre 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:13.840 piece. More commercial, for sure. But even in 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.559 that film, Walker injected that same sense of 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:19.960 measured, powerful gravity. It proved that the 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.240 McQueen -Walker partnership, it was one built 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:25.279 on this mutual respect. for pacing and thematic 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:27.899 weight, regardless of the film's budget or genre 00:13:27.899 --> 00:13:30.019 trappings. It's a consistent voice, even across 00:13:30.019 --> 00:13:32.320 different stories. Definitely. Okay, so then 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:34.320 we have this major transition, moving from the 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.679 stark, emotionally searing, really character 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:40.379 -focused dramas of McQueen to the massive, conceptually 00:13:40.379 --> 00:13:43.879 complex worlds of Denis Villeneuve. This represents 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:47.600 a total overhaul of technique, almost. A whole 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:49.840 different ballgame. Completely. This is a true 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:52.679 test of range, moving from that intimate use 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:56.779 of duration to this grand, often nonlinear architecture. 00:13:57.019 --> 00:13:59.840 Big shift. And Walker didn't just meet the challenge. 00:13:59.899 --> 00:14:02.639 He absolutely mastered it, resulting in five 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:05.679 feature film collaborations so far that required 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:07.340 a totally different approach to time and space. 00:14:07.659 --> 00:14:10.049 So where did they start? They kick things off 00:14:10.049 --> 00:14:12.830 with the brutal crime thriller Sicario in 2015. 00:14:13.230 --> 00:14:16.029 Ah, yeah, fantastic film. Incredible tension. 00:14:16.190 --> 00:14:18.490 While it's grounded in reality, it was just a 00:14:18.490 --> 00:14:21.669 masterclass in controlled surgical tension, all 00:14:21.669 --> 00:14:24.070 centered around that secret CIA operation on 00:14:24.070 --> 00:14:26.690 the Mexican border. Relentlessly paced. Absolutely. 00:14:26.909 --> 00:14:29.789 And that film earned Walker his first satellite 00:14:29.789 --> 00:14:33.210 award for best editing in 2016. So how did he 00:14:33.210 --> 00:14:35.029 build that tension differently than in, say, 00:14:35.169 --> 00:14:38.750 the McQueen films? Well... Sicario really showcases 00:14:38.750 --> 00:14:41.450 Walker's ability to manage escalating tension 00:14:41.450 --> 00:14:44.470 through cross -cutting. Think about that famous 00:14:44.470 --> 00:14:46.389 scene, the big one, where the team gets held 00:14:46.389 --> 00:14:48.610 up in that massive traffic jam near the border 00:14:48.610 --> 00:14:50.830 crossing. Oh yeah, edge of your seat stuff. Totally. 00:14:51.110 --> 00:14:54.009 The sequence just builds pressure relentlessly 00:14:54.009 --> 00:14:56.539 by intercutting. Between the interior of the 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:59.240 vehicles, the faces of the agents, you know, 00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:02.000 Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, then cutting to 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:04.179 the bystanders, the surrounding cars, the potential 00:15:04.179 --> 00:15:06.659 threats everywhere. It's this kind of mechanical 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:09.440 rhythm, almost like a ticking clock. Right. Tightening 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:12.460 the screws. Exactly. It ensures that the violence, 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:15.519 when it finally erupts, feels sudden and shocking. 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:18.480 But it's not telegraphed in a cheap way. Got 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:21.279 it. But it was their next film that truly, I 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:23.799 think, leveraged Walker's structural and temporal 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:26.500 superpower, as you called it. Oh, for sure. Arrival. 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:29.179 Yeah, Arrival in 2016. The psychological science 00:15:29.179 --> 00:15:31.679 fiction film based on Ted Chiang's amazing short 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:34.700 story, Story of Your Life. This film wasn't just 00:15:34.700 --> 00:15:37.139 difficult. It was like a complex narrative puzzle 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:40.360 built entirely around the nonlinear perception 00:15:40.360 --> 00:15:43.200 of time. And this is where that composer background 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:46.899 becomes absolutely essential again. Because the 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:49.259 film's entire emotional punch, the whole thing, 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:51.720 relies on the audience believing they're watching 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:54.120 flashbacks of Amy Adams' character's daughter. 00:15:54.259 --> 00:15:56.919 Right, that's how it feels. But then, the final 00:15:56.919 --> 00:15:59.409 reveal... demonstrates they were actually watching 00:15:59.409 --> 00:16:02.110 flash -forwards, memories viewed through the 00:16:02.110 --> 00:16:04.870 lens of her future self after she learns the 00:16:04.870 --> 00:16:07.509 alien language. Mind -bending stuff. Totally. 00:16:07.649 --> 00:16:09.970 So getting the audience to experience that time 00:16:09.970 --> 00:16:12.570 loop alongside the protagonist without confusing 00:16:12.570 --> 00:16:15.470 the narrative completely or crucially prematurely 00:16:15.470 --> 00:16:18.610 revealing the structural twists, that was an 00:16:18.610 --> 00:16:21.070 immensely difficult job. So technically then, 00:16:21.110 --> 00:16:23.750 how do you even edit ambiguity like that? How 00:16:23.750 --> 00:16:26.929 does Walker manage that layering of time without 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:28.919 just making the audience feel completely lost. 00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:31.139 Well, it seems to be all about rhythmic modulation 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:35.159 and the repetition of specific visual and sonic 00:16:35.159 --> 00:16:38.620 motifs. Okay. The visual cues for the protagonist's 00:16:38.620 --> 00:16:41.559 memories, they had to look and feel authentic 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:44.720 as memories, using specific light or framing 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:46.399 maybe a certain softness. Right, the language 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:49.799 of flashbacks. Yeah. Exactly. But Walker had 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:54.440 to slowly, subtly layer in details that upon 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:57.200 a second viewing reveal their true futuristic 00:16:57.200 --> 00:16:59.379 nature. He had to cross cut moments from different 00:16:59.379 --> 00:17:01.480 timelines, ensuring the emotional continuity 00:17:01.480 --> 00:17:03.860 was always maintained, even if the temporal continuity 00:17:03.860 --> 00:17:07.759 was deliberately misleading. Wow. It's like counterpoint 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:10.519 editing at its absolute best. The visuals might 00:17:10.519 --> 00:17:12.920 be saying one thing, but the underlying structure 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:15.460 is subtly suggesting something entirely different. 00:17:15.539 --> 00:17:17.759 That sounds incredibly complex. and the sources 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:21.500 confirm just how intense that process was. Villeneuve's 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:23.259 high praise about this project, it really says 00:17:23.259 --> 00:17:26.119 it all. He said, and I'm quoting here, each film 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:29.000 has its hero. For this one, the editor Joe Walker 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:32.079 is mine. Arrival was by far the hardest film 00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:35.430 to edit. Christ, we worked hard. Yeah, that kind 00:17:35.430 --> 00:17:37.109 of acknowledgement, calling your editor your 00:17:37.109 --> 00:17:39.349 hero, especially on what was probably his most 00:17:39.349 --> 00:17:42.210 conceptually ambitious film to date. It speaks 00:17:42.210 --> 00:17:45.089 volumes about Walker's technical mastery under 00:17:45.089 --> 00:17:48.109 just extreme pressure and that colossal effort. 00:17:48.309 --> 00:17:51.549 It resulted in Walker securing his ACE award 00:17:51.549 --> 00:17:53.730 win and his second Academy Award nomination. 00:17:53.990 --> 00:17:56.750 It really cemented his reputation as the editor 00:17:56.750 --> 00:17:59.869 capable of handling that high -level conceptual 00:17:59.869 --> 00:18:03.019 complexity just as effectively. he handled the 00:18:03.019 --> 00:18:06.420 intense emotional realism of the McQueen films. 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:09.019 Total versatility. Then they moved into true 00:18:09.019 --> 00:18:12.089 epic scale, didn't they? With the massive Frank 00:18:12.089 --> 00:18:14.990 Herbert adaptations, starting with Dune in 2021. 00:18:15.369 --> 00:18:17.569 Yep, the big one. And Dune, that was the work 00:18:17.569 --> 00:18:19.970 that finally secured him his Oscar win for best 00:18:19.970 --> 00:18:22.750 film editing. Long overdue, many felt. I think 00:18:22.750 --> 00:18:25.430 so. And Dune presented a whole new set of challenges. 00:18:25.630 --> 00:18:27.890 You've got the challenge of balancing this vast 00:18:27.890 --> 00:18:30.630 cosmic scope, the politics, the world building. 00:18:30.710 --> 00:18:33.130 Yeah, huge world. With the very intimate internal 00:18:33.130 --> 00:18:35.829 journey of Paul Atreides. Walker basically had 00:18:35.829 --> 00:18:38.059 to edit the rhythm of an entire planet. How do 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:40.019 you mean? Well, when we're on a rock as the desert 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:43.599 planet, the pacing often feels slow, dusty, oppressive. 00:18:43.700 --> 00:18:45.880 It reflects the physical scale, the heat, the 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:47.700 danger. Right, you feel the environment. But 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:50.359 then, when Paul experiences his prescient visions, 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:53.059 his glimpses of the future, the editing becomes 00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:56.579 fragmented, kinetic, really rapid fire. It's 00:18:56.579 --> 00:18:58.500 like a structural counterpoint within the same 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:01.140 film. A different time signature, almost. Huh. 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:04.099 Interesting. And the sources also point out a 00:19:04.099 --> 00:19:06.019 fun little nugget about Dune, too, right? Oh, 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:08.180 yeah. In addition to editing the whole thing, 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:11.140 Walker actually provided some of the vocal narration 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:13.099 for the film as well, just a little bit. Multi 00:19:13.099 --> 00:19:15.920 -talented guy. Clearly. Yeah. And that collaboration 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:18.259 is still driving modern cinematic standards. 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:22.319 Their fifth partnership, Dune Part 2, just came 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:26.299 out in 2024. And that earned him his third Satellite 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:29.339 Award win for editing. Incredible run. It really 00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:32.119 is. And this entire arc with Villeneuve, it powerfully 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:34.900 demonstrates Walker's central kind of governing 00:19:34.900 --> 00:19:37.700 belief about his craft. He has explicitly stated 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:39.819 that time is the editor's greatest superpower. 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:42.220 There it is again. He doesn't just cut frames. 00:19:42.380 --> 00:19:44.740 He's actively manipulating the audience's very 00:19:44.740 --> 00:19:47.220 experience of duration and chronology. And that 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:49.660 superpower, it feels directly traceable back 00:19:49.660 --> 00:19:51.920 to his origins, back to the music. I think absolutely. 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:55.720 Whether it's McQueen's sustained, often painful 00:19:55.720 --> 00:19:58.880 duration or Villner's complex time loops and 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:02.119 carefully structured flashbacks, his entire body 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:05.680 of work showcases essentially a composer orchestrating 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:08.779 narrative elements over a defined yet somehow 00:20:08.779 --> 00:20:11.579 malleable timeline. Orchestrating time itself. 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:14.410 Pretty much sums it up. Now, while the McQueen 00:20:14.410 --> 00:20:16.150 and Villeneuve films are definitely his, you 00:20:16.150 --> 00:20:18.970 know, widely known tentpoles, the real depth 00:20:18.970 --> 00:20:21.970 of Walker's versatility, I think, shines when 00:20:21.970 --> 00:20:23.930 you look at his broader portfolio. Beyond those 00:20:23.930 --> 00:20:26.690 two big names. Exactly. He's demonstrated this 00:20:26.690 --> 00:20:28.910 capacity to handle radically different scales, 00:20:29.130 --> 00:20:31.970 formats, material. It really emphasizes just 00:20:31.970 --> 00:20:33.849 how adaptable his command of rhythm actually 00:20:33.849 --> 00:20:36.680 is. Okay, like what else stands out? Well, the 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:39.279 documentary feature Life in a Day from 2010 is 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:41.460 just a stunning example of dealing with scale 00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:43.220 and structural challenge. Oh, I remember that 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:45.579 project. Directed by Kevin Donald, produced by 00:20:45.579 --> 00:20:47.519 Ridley Scott. That's the one. And the editorial 00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:50.220 task here wasn't shaping a script. It was basically 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:52.720 crafting a narrative out of pure chaos. Because 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:55.160 it was all users submitted footage, right? From 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:57.960 YouTube users all over the world, yeah. The challenge 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:00.460 was just monumental. The film had to be distilled 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:02.819 from an astonishing 4 ,500 hours of footage. 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:06.680 4 ,500 hours. Yep. all captured on a single day 00:21:06.680 --> 00:21:11.519 in July 2010. That process, it's less like traditional 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:14.500 scene editing and more like, I don't know, geological 00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:17.099 surveying, searching for thematic narrative gold 00:21:17.099 --> 00:21:20.740 within this mountain of raw data. He had to find 00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:23.559 like universal emotional truths, these tiny little 00:21:23.559 --> 00:21:26.559 narrative arcs, cohesive moments across thousands 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:28.779 of totally diverse random perspectives. And then 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:31.559 somehow stitch them all together into one cohesive 00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:34.759 90 minute film that represents a single day on 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:37.200 Earth. That requires an editor who can just ruthlessly 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:39.920 triage information and identify thematic motifs 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:42.140 almost instantly. An incredible organizational 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:44.420 feat as much as an artistic one. Absolutely. 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:46.519 And remember, before he became this, you know, 00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:48.880 go to Hollywood giant, he also helped define 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:50.970 a real. crucial period of British independent 00:21:50.970 --> 00:21:53.990 cinema, showcasing his versatility in genre films 00:21:53.990 --> 00:21:56.910 too. He cut Rupert Wyatt's tense prison drama 00:21:56.910 --> 00:22:00.309 The Escapist back in 2008, and the gritty Michael 00:22:00.309 --> 00:22:04.230 Caine vigilante film Harry Brown. In 2009. Ah, 00:22:04.369 --> 00:22:06.569 Harry Brown, yeah. Very different vibe. Totally. 00:22:06.869 --> 00:22:09.730 Those required much more fast -paced kind of 00:22:09.730 --> 00:22:12.329 propulsive editing techniques compared to, say, 00:22:12.430 --> 00:22:15.410 Hunger. Right. And we also see his historical 00:22:15.410 --> 00:22:18.450 range again in the 2010 reworking of the Graham 00:22:18.450 --> 00:22:20.809 Greene classic, Brighton Rock. Yeah, they reset 00:22:20.809 --> 00:22:22.990 that one, didn't they? They did. Set it against 00:22:22.990 --> 00:22:25.710 the backdrop of the intense mod and rocker riots 00:22:25.710 --> 00:22:29.359 in 1964. Cutting action that's that fast, that 00:22:29.359 --> 00:22:32.240 stylized, it requires a completely different 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.700 beat again. Different rhythm entirely than the 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:37.119 measured solemnity of 12 Years a Slave. Totally 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:39.299 different toolkit needed. And we also have to 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:41.039 remember his extensive foundation in television. 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:43.680 Before he was solely focused on major features, 00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:46.859 his TV resume was absolutely packed. Right. You 00:22:46.859 --> 00:22:48.819 mentioned the BBC earlier. Yeah. And that gave 00:22:48.819 --> 00:22:50.599 him the deep technical speed and versatility 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:53.200 you really need for a long form narrative. He 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:55.599 cut Jimmy McGovern's drama, The Lakes. He cut 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:58.579 the big ITV blockbuster adaptation of Dr. Zavago. 00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:00.880 Oh, wow. The one with Sam Neill and Keira Knightley. 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:03.460 That's the one. And also the Channel 4 adaptation 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:06.500 Sword of Honor, which starred a pre -Bond Daniel 00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:10.259 Craig. No kidding. Craig too. So these projects, 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:13.859 they require efficiency, right? Speed. Definitely. 00:23:14.059 --> 00:23:16.779 When you're managing episodic TV or miniseries 00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:19.200 content, you have to establish character and 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:21.460 mood really quickly. You have to maintain a pace 00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:24.519 that respects commercial breaks or just the structure 00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:26.819 of telling a story over multiple hours. It's 00:23:26.819 --> 00:23:28.779 like training in narrative speed dating almost. 00:23:29.900 --> 00:23:32.279 Good analogy. And all of this diverse work, it 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:34.420 constantly seems to tie back to that initial 00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:36.680 musical discipline. It's not just that he trained 00:23:36.680 --> 00:23:39.740 as a composer. The sources say he actually continues 00:23:39.740 --> 00:23:42.859 to work as one sometimes. Really? He still composes. 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:45.099 Yeah, it shows this holistic understanding of 00:23:45.099 --> 00:23:47.940 how sound and visuals have to interweave. He 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:50.480 actually wrote the score for the BBC HBO drama 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:53.599 Dirty War. He wrote the score himself. Yep. And 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:55.960 apparently his music has even been played live 00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:58.339 by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Trafalgar 00:23:58.339 --> 00:24:00.849 Square. OK, that's seriously impressive. It's 00:24:00.849 --> 00:24:03.609 a remarkable artistic arc, really. That holistic 00:24:03.609 --> 00:24:06.789 skill set, the ability to write the score and 00:24:06.789 --> 00:24:09.569 cut the picture. It proves he thinks of the film 00:24:09.569 --> 00:24:12.710 as the single temporal unit, not just a series 00:24:12.710 --> 00:24:15.289 of images strung together. I think so. And that 00:24:15.289 --> 00:24:16.849 artistic skill, it was officially recognized 00:24:16.849 --> 00:24:19.569 in 2019 when his alma mater, the University of 00:24:19.569 --> 00:24:22.309 York, awarded him an honorary doctorate. Nice 00:24:22.309 --> 00:24:24.950 full circle moment there. Yeah. And just quickly 00:24:24.950 --> 00:24:27.789 looking at his other big budget work. the breath 00:24:27.789 --> 00:24:30.829 is just clear, he cut Michael Mann's techno -thriller 00:24:30.829 --> 00:24:33.950 Black Hat. Hmm, polarizing film, but Mann's editing 00:24:33.950 --> 00:24:36.910 is always distinctive. For sure. He did the intense 00:24:36.910 --> 00:24:39.250 Sandra Bullock drama The Unforgivable, directed 00:24:39.250 --> 00:24:42.210 by Nora Fingscheidt, and he co -edited Gareth 00:24:42.210 --> 00:24:45.150 Edwards' visual spectacle The Creator more recently. 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:48.240 So this consistent demand for his skill set across 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:50.220 all these different directors and genres from, 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:53.500 you know, intense arthouse drama to massive studio 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:56.900 techno thrillers. It just proves his versatility. 00:24:56.980 --> 00:24:59.680 He seems able to master basically every conceivable 00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:01.599 tempo. He really does seem to have that range. 00:25:01.779 --> 00:25:04.680 OK, so when we look specifically at the accolade 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:07.569 section of the sources. The story kind of shifts, 00:25:07.750 --> 00:25:10.250 doesn't it? It moves from these individual triumphs, 00:25:10.250 --> 00:25:13.549 like the Oscar win, to one of just consistent 00:25:13.549 --> 00:25:16.549 peer -driven validation. It's not just about 00:25:16.549 --> 00:25:19.029 winning the big one. It's about that sustained 00:25:19.029 --> 00:25:21.789 nomination streak, particularly from his fellow 00:25:21.789 --> 00:25:24.450 editors. Exactly. That's a really key point. 00:25:24.630 --> 00:25:26.950 The sources show he's received this remarkable 00:25:26.950 --> 00:25:30.150 string of six nominations for the American Cinema 00:25:30.150 --> 00:25:33.369 Editors Award, the ACE Eddy, for Best Edited 00:25:33.369 --> 00:25:36.130 Feature Film in the Dramatic Category. Six. ACE 00:25:36.130 --> 00:25:39.009 nomination. Six. That is the highest recognition 00:25:39.009 --> 00:25:41.230 you can get from your fellow cutters, the people 00:25:41.230 --> 00:25:44.329 who know exactly how hard the job is. And it 00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:47.029 just confirms his status as this benchmark editor 00:25:47.029 --> 00:25:49.990 who consistently produces high -level, incredibly 00:25:49.990 --> 00:25:52.730 difficult work. And that impressive list of nominations, 00:25:52.930 --> 00:25:55.029 it perfectly encapsulates his ability to just 00:25:55.029 --> 00:25:57.190 jump genres seamlessly, doesn't it? It really 00:25:57.190 --> 00:25:59.509 does. The nominations span both of his major 00:25:59.509 --> 00:26:01.750 director partnerships and the distinct genres 00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:04.250 they represent. You've got nominations for 12 00:26:04.250 --> 00:26:07.670 Years a Slave in 2013. McQueen Intensity. Then 00:26:07.670 --> 00:26:11.549 Sicario in 2015. The Villeneuve Thriller. Then 00:26:11.549 --> 00:26:15.269 Blade Runner 2049 in 2017, another massive Villeneuve 00:26:15.269 --> 00:26:19.150 sci -fi. Then Dune in 2021. And most recently, 00:26:19.210 --> 00:26:22.680 Dune. Part two in 2024. All Villeneuve apart 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:25.240 from 12 years. Right. And of course, sandwiching 00:26:25.240 --> 00:26:28.079 those the actual win in 2016 for the incredibly 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:30.779 challenging edit on arrival. So five of the six 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:33.039 are Villeneuve films, plus the McQueen masterpiece. 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:36.180 It shows where his most recognized complex work 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:38.339 has been recently. Definitely. And the consistent 00:26:38.339 --> 00:26:41.339 recognition across all the major bodies from 00:26:41.339 --> 00:26:44.319 BAFTA. to the European Film Awards. It's just 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:47.420 undeniable. Just to quickly recap the key wins 00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:50.039 we mentioned, the Academy Award for Dune in 2021. 00:26:50.339 --> 00:26:52.339 The big one. The European Film Award way back 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:54.339 for Shame in 2011. Right, early recognition. 00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:56.700 And a really remarkable three -satellite award 00:26:56.700 --> 00:27:00.539 wins for Sicario, Dune, and Dune Part 2. So what 00:27:00.539 --> 00:27:03.019 this whole collection of accolades really underscores 00:27:03.019 --> 00:27:05.559 for you, the listener, is that Walker isn't defined 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:07.920 by just one narrow style. Not at all. He can 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:10.359 transition from the raw emotional rhythm needed 00:27:10.359 --> 00:27:12.819 for an intense character study like Shame or 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:15.720 12 Years where silence is maybe the primary tool 00:27:15.720 --> 00:27:18.500 to the incredibly complex conceptual structures 00:27:18.500 --> 00:27:21.660 of massive sci -fi like Arrival or Dune where 00:27:21.660 --> 00:27:24.240 time itself is practically the main obstacle 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:27.079 or theme. He's defined really by the quality 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:29.700 and the complexity of his control. over that 00:27:29.700 --> 00:27:32.440 most powerful tool an editor possesses, time. 00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:34.759 That's the through line, his mastery of time. 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:38.180 Hashtag tag outro. So wrapping this up, what 00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:40.720 does this all really mean? I think Jill Walker's 00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:43.119 career is just the perfect case study in how 00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:46.700 foundational, maybe seemingly unrelated skills 00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:48.640 can fundamentally shape professional genius. 00:27:48.859 --> 00:27:51.039 Yeah. The discipline of the classical composer, 00:27:51.240 --> 00:27:54.339 someone trained meticulously in rhythm, counterpoint, 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:57.589 duration. It translated directly into an editor's 00:27:57.589 --> 00:27:59.829 uncanny ability to manipulate time on screen. 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:02.920 And that mastery, it allows him to find the necessary, 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:05.799 sometimes agonizing silence in painful historical 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:08.859 dramas like 12 Years a Slave. Yeah. And simultaneously 00:28:08.859 --> 00:28:11.400 orchestrate these incredibly complex, nonlinear 00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:14.119 time loops and cosmic epics like Arrival or Dune. 00:28:14.220 --> 00:28:17.019 He truly is that invisible performer who shapes 00:28:17.019 --> 00:28:18.960 our emotional experience and our perception of 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:21.599 narrative flow in a way few others can even approach. 00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:25.059 Absolutely. We've seen today how absolutely crucial 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:27.799 Walker's background in music was for understanding 00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:30.640 structure and rhythm in film. It really was the 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:32.900 foundation of his unique superpower, that ability 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:35.839 to control time. OK, so we want to leave you 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:38.119 with this final provocative thought to maybe 00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:40.460 chew on something built on the evidence of Walker's 00:28:40.460 --> 00:28:42.740 own journey. Go for it. Think about that high 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:45.220 pressure job his mother had, you know, typing 00:28:45.220 --> 00:28:48.279 Churchill's vital wartime communications. Or 00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:50.640 think about that completely eccentric first gig 00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:53.660 he had coaxing gorilla sounds out of a tired 00:28:53.660 --> 00:28:57.380 actor alongside Hans Zimmer. The strange origins. 00:28:57.700 --> 00:29:00.180 If the mastery of musical rhythm and those seemingly 00:29:00.180 --> 00:29:02.900 unrelated, maybe detail -oriented skills from 00:29:02.900 --> 00:29:05.500 his background could translate into this fundamental 00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:09.740 control over massive film epics, what everyday 00:29:09.740 --> 00:29:12.039 skill or perhaps deep -rooted knowledge that 00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:14.819 you possess, maybe a hobby you have, a detail 00:29:14.819 --> 00:29:17.180 -oriented habit, some obscure piece of knowledge 00:29:17.180 --> 00:29:19.660 you've picked up, what might actually be the 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:21.920 dormant foundation of your own unique creative 00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:24.619 or professional superpower? That's a great question. 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:27.740 Think about what you already master, perhaps 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:29.799 without even realizing its potential application 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:32.839 elsewhere. What could translate into unparalleled 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:35.339 control or influence over your work? Find your 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:38.059 foundational rhythm. Find your rhythm. And thank 00:29:38.059 --> 00:29:39.420 you for going deep with us today.