"Cinema Editor" Magazine - Fly Away Editor Danny Daneau recognized

THE MAGAZINE FOR FILM & TELEVISION EDITORS, ASSISTANTS & POST- PRODUCTION PROFESSIONALS
US $5.95 / Canada $8.95
QTR 2 / 2011 / VOL 61
SUMMER
BLOCKBUSTER

When it comes to diversity, you’d be hard-pressed to find a wider variety
of offerings than those presented during the annual South by Southwest®
(SXSW®) conference of music, film, and interactive held in Austin, Texas.
For nine days in March, scores of badge holders searching for their next
event flow from the convention center into the bars, restaurants, and
theaters of this Texas cultural oasis. Even when considering the film
festival only (ignoring the huge music and interactive components),
there’s more than any one individual can possibly hope to do, as attendees
crowd improvised meeting rooms listening to the latest developments in
filmmaking or stand patiently in long theater lines waiting to see a slate
of world premiere films. It’s all there, and even big studio pictures dot
the landscape of quirky independents, foreign films, documentaries, and
the oddball midnight movies.
®

By NathaN Cole

Above: Festival photos by SkyHigh Photography (top left), Charles Ramirez Berg (top right), and Heather Kennedy (bottom).  Courtesy of SXSW® CINEMAEDITOR Qtr 2 / 2011 / VoL 61

Two films that screened this year truly
exemplify the diversity of films, and similarly,
the editors on each could not have
more unique stories. On one hand, there is a
master editor at the top of his field; on the
other, a young filmmaker with his first big
break. The two films could hardly be more
different, but both represent the spirit of the festival and a true love for
filmmaking and the editing process.
Of all the films that screened at this year’s festival, Fly Away had a special
challenge: getting audiences to come out to see a film about a single parent
trying to raise her autistic daughter. The film deftly and compassionately
handles its delicate subject matter, creating a story that emphasizes
In the film, Jeanne (Beth Broderick) is losing control of her carefully
balanced life. Her daughter Mandy’s (Ashley Rickards) condition requires
increasing professional attention, and Jeanne must decide whether to have
Mandy placed under special care—at the same time she must also struggle
with earning a living and dealing with her selfish ex-husband and a new
neighbor who has taken a liking to her and Mandy.
Editor Danny Daneau explains that director Janet Grillo was aware that a
film like this could easily sink into movie-of-the-week territory. Daneau
says, “It was one of the things we were working the hardest for during the
whole process of editing. We did a lot of screenings, big and small, to trytest
where we were slipping into melodrama. The keys, I think, were first,
comedy…the film has a lot of warm and funny moments and these
characters can laugh at themselves and that helps out a lot—it cuts the
tension.” Another fundamental way that they tried to protect the tone of the
film was by resisting resolution and keeping the characters in a state of
conflict. Daneau gives full credit to Grillo, noting that the footage and
coverage she was shooting made it easier to keep the film’s feel consistent
with their goals in the editing bay.
Daneau says getting the job as editor on Fly Away was his lucky break. He
earned his master’s degree in Entrepreneurially Digital Cinema at the
University of Central Florida. It was a new program, with the sole goal of
having every student create his or her own film. Under the structure of the
program, Daneau was able to raise almost a quarter of a million dollars to
direct his first feature, a period piece called The Attic Door. Although he
was no stranger to the world of post-production, it was during the process
that he discovered editing. He explains, “I found that I enjoyed the process
of editing as much as I enjoyed directing. I feel that’s where the film is
made, where the choices are final. I believe it is the thing that separates
film from all other art forms.”
Daneau moved to Los Angeles a short time later, where he began
working in the camera departments of low-budget films as a data input
technician. That position formed an interesting bridge between working on
a set and working in post-production, and it was a role that he embraced. It
was also the job he was initially hired for on Fly Away. He ended up editing
a few scenes from the film just for fun, and his work impressed the
producer. Daneau was very pragmatic about his potential to actually edit
the film, so to give the producers a comfort level he offered to put together
a rough assembly of the film while the producers looked for another
editor just in case. If they liked what he was doing, he hoped, perhaps they
would consider him. By the end of principal photography, Grillo had
offered him the job.
Fly Away is a true independent film. On a shoestring budget, principal
production lasted a scant 14 days, with about a four-month post process. It
was shot on the Sony F900 utilizing the AJA Ki Pro, which allowed the
team to record directly to a hard drive that automatically takes the signal
and up-converts to Apple ProRes 422 HQ, allowing for an easy workflow
in Final Cut Pro. When Daneau found out that Fly Away had been accepted
into SXSW, he was understandably thrilled. He says, “I felt like it was a
right fit for our film. It feels like South by Southwest gets really great little
movies, and that’s what we are. I think there are some bigger fests that our
film would have been swallowed up in, and we were really featured nicely
at South by Southwest.”
Whatever your interests are, you’ll find plenty of great films to see at
SXSW. Source Code and Fly Away are just two examples of the cinematic
surprises at this year’s festival. Be sure to bring a good pair of walking
shoes, know that you can’t do it all, and let the day take you where it will—
and you will be rewarded with a wonderful festival experience in one of
America’s most exciting and welcoming cities.