CREATION IN THE CUTTING ROOM Jill Bilcock on the Art of Film Editing
From Evil Angels (Fred Schepisi, 1988) and Muriel’s Wedding (PJ Hogan, 1994) to a trio of astonishing collaborations with Baz Luhrmann that culminated in a Best Film Editing Oscar nomination for Moulin Rouge! (2001), Jill Bilcock has significantly helped shape some of Australia’s most important films over the past thirty years.
Axel Grigor’s Jill Bilcock: Dancing the Invisible (2017) shines a light on the Australian editor’s instrumental career and – rarely for documentaries about filmmaking – on the pivotal process of editing. With the documentary released, I speak to Bilcock about the importance of making tough judgement calls, the power to shape characters and performances in the editing room, and how she has fought to retain the director’s vision.
Oliver Pfeiffer: You’ve said that editing is about trying to understand the director’s vision and then taking that vision to another level. How important is objectivity to this type of collaboration?
Jill Bilcock: You need to get to know your director. Everybody has a different idea of pace and vision as a director – you tend to find clues from the films that they like. I always ask for their favourite music, too, which will also give me clues about where that person’s
