In conversation with director and editor of “5-7”
Photo by Katherine Rountree
On the night of the premiere of the independent film “5-7,” District chatted with the film director and writer Victor Levin, and the film editor Matt Maddox about what aspiring editors should notice about the film, as well as how to deal with the challenges of producing an independent film.
Interview with Victor Levin
What would you like SCAD students to particularly notice about the film?
There’s a lot to talk about stylistically: choices that were made that might be interesting to the students that might be different from a studio film. Ways of solving creative problems — which are hopefully unique to this movie — that might be interesting to people who are looking for their own film voice and their own way of filming. Also, I love this theater. This theater is a gem. Its fantastic. I can’t wait for the thrill of seeing this film projected in such an incredible place.
Could you tell me what one of those creative problems that you had to strategize to solve was?
This is an independent film, so it’s made for a certain budget and you have a certain amount of time. And that amount of time is far less than if you were shooting a studio film. So you have to make some choices. You can’t shoot everything that you would want to shoot. You can’t always shoot a master in two sizes of coverage; you’ll just run out of time, so you’re forced to say “What scenes can I shoot just in masters or what scenes can I shoot just in one shot? Where can I make a decision now so as to make my schedule work and still be happy, in fact happier with the final product?”
What are you most excited for about showing the film tonight?
This is the southeastern premiere of “5-7.” It’s a brave new world for us in terms of audience. I’m really looking forward to hearing what , if I may, “y’all” think of the film
Interview with Matt Maddox
What was the biggest challenge of editing this film?
Well, the biggest challenge is balancing the drama with the comedy. Always making sure that the joke is clearly told, but always allowing for a laugh.
What was your favorite part about editing it?
Victor is an amazing director. He is extremely responsive to great ideas, he listens to what you have to say and he’s a real collaborator. Victor is one of the greatest people that I’ve ever met, so working with him was definitely the greatest part.
What do you hope future editors really notice about this film?
That this is a tale of modern reality. That people are looking for new ways to read romantic comedies. A lot of people say that romantic comedies are dead, but we’re here to say that there’s a new, fresh, funny way of looking at modern relationships. We feel like it’s the first of its breed.
