Anyone involved in the business of filmmaking would love to be able to cut together a professional reel like three-time Oscar winning editor Michael Kahn. Included in his more than 60 feature film editing credits is a ton of work on Steven Spielberg films such as Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. With this small sample of his body of work in mind, Kahn was recently honored by the American Cinema Editors with a Lifetime Achievement Award. As part of the ceremony, the A.C.E. showed this seven-minute cut of the editor’s work during their awards ceremony on Saturday, February 19th. To be brief, it truly is amazing to see this type of influential work condensed into seven minutes.
Hit the jump to check out Kahn’s incredible reel [Warning: You may instantly feel like your own professional output is inferior both during and after viewing].
Thanks to Edgar Wright’s personal blog, Edgar Wright Here, for the heads up on Kahn’s reel:
Steve Carell Talks Scary Stuntwork, Sexy Costumes, Working with Jim Carrey & Steve Buscemi & More On the Set of THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE
Olivia Wilde Talks Outrageous Costumes, Improv with Steve Carell, and More On the Set of THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE
Director Adam McKay Talks ANCHORMAN 2; Says Kristen Wiig’s Character Is “Dangerous”
New Poster for IRON MAN 3 Shows the other Armors Blasting Off [UPDATED with Hi-Res Version]
First Look at Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 [Updated with Images of Spidey and Andrew Garfield]
That’s just unfair.
This is ridiculous. I just cut my own first showreel last night. Shouldn’t have seen this. I feel like a grain of sand.
Don’t say you weren’t warned!
But really, you’re not alone.
The opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan might be the most influential action sequence ever put to film, and that’s largely due to how it’s edited together. The fact that Kahn can do that and put together films of elegant contemplation like Close Encounters is nothing short of remarkable.
Also, a look at his filmography shows that even true greats have things like Prince of Persia or The Haunting lurking in their closets. We can learn from this.
While Prince of Persia was garbage, it was a superbly edited piece of garbage. I salute Mr Kahn’s professionalism in being hired to do a job and doing it well, even when handed a pile like P of P.
Same thing with The Haunting.