You’ve probably heard of William Goldenberg ACE, the editor.
Okay, maybe not. Like many of the best in the business, he’s not someone who throws around his Hollywood credentials.
But you’ve seen or read coverage of the top directors whose films he’s edited – John Hughes (‘The Breakfast Club’), Michael Mann (‘Heat’), Ben Affleck (‘Argo’ which nabbed him his first Oscar), and Kathryn Bigelow (‘Zero Dark Thirty’) are just some of the top directors who turned to Goldenberg to help make sense of the movie within the mass of material shot.
Goldenberg turned up as the final guest speaker at Manhattan Edit Workshop’s now annual Sight, Sound & Story, a celebration of the art of editing. Bobbie O’Steen did the interview. She sets up a relaxed atmosphere at these events, good for digging out nuggets on the trade and the people involved.
Like many of the best editors I’ve interviewed over the years,Goldenberg is a quiet, modest guy, the sort you would think it just fine to, yes, go have a beer with. It does make sense: A retiring personality is usually a good balance to hard-charging, often blustery directors who create situations like all-day (yes, literally 24 hour) edit sessions replete with hand-scrawled, five-inch thick binders of ‘editing suggestions’ the poor editor has to decipher (Hmm. Michael Mann. Why do I keep thinking of him?).
Read my take on this memorable, self-effacing editor on the Editor’s Guild website by clicking here.
