Master cuts of editing greats
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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The recent edition of `Lights On' included an interesting face-to-face with film editors B. Lenin and Bina Paul.
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LEARNING SESSION : Bina Paul and B. Lenin
Contradicting himself at times, making light of the serious, and giving equal importance to the magnificent, mundane and mercenary aspects of his life and profession, Lenin was indeed an enigma. And a pleasant one at that! With a simple smile and cheerful countenance, the ace film editor and director, fielded audience's queries at `The Master Cut,' the recent Lights On show at Sathyam Cinemas' Studio 5, on Monday last.
Sharing the dais was another award winning editor Bina Paul. Bina's approach to questions was more concretised. The session that began with Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan's intro had Prasanna Ramaswamy as its curator.
Entry into editing
"When I decided my future will be in cinema I decided to get into it straightway. I was a bright student, mind you. Only that I didn't see any point in going through college when I was clear about what I wanted. And editing just happened," began Lenin. If Lenin is the unconventional kind of technician, Bina is diametrically opposite. Formally trained at the Film Institute in Pune, Bina made her debut with the maverick of a director, John Abraham. What struck you most about Bina was her candour. "I was criticised for bad editing of John's `Amma Ariyaan,' but I'm not going to defend myself here," she began. She dwelt on how she was given hours and hours of shot material to work on.
Experience speaks
Lenin felt editing combines every aspect of life — its highs and lows, its music and memories and its sounds and colours. Observing people and places and having an ear for music will help an editor lend authenticity to his cuts, he contended. Life and experience had taught him more lessons about editing than any formal training , he laughed.
"My success as an editor had nothing to do with the cinema atmosphere I grew up in," Lenin categorically stated in his reply to a poser. (Lenin is the popular yesteryear filmmaker Bhimsingh's son.)
Philosophical tone
The man touched a philosophical plane when he told one of the questioners who was disappointed that no clippings of the editors' works were shown. "Past is past. What's the point in going back to them? Bina told you about `Amma Ariyaan.' Somebody wanted the print, which was found nowhere. Finally we traced it to John's sister's home in Kodambakkam, amidst trash. I saw the print of `Ek Dhujje Ke Liye' strewn on the floor in a studio in Hyderabad."
From the scratch that the editor gets ready for dubbing to the physical cutting that has now become computerised, Bina touched upon the essentials of editing. "Our job is to realise a director's vision. Bad editing can mar a film just as a bad film can be bettered at the editing table," she said. "There's no room for sentiment. Even if a lot of toil has gone into a particular shot, if it's going to impede the pace it has to go," Lenin added.
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