Screen and Film School Brighton host Masterclass with BAFTA-winning editor, Peter Honess

Towards the end of April Screen and Film School Brighton were delighted to welcome Sussex-born, multi award-winning film editor Peter Honess for an expert masterclass.

Peter’s career has spanned four decades, and he has been involved in productions as high-caliber and successful as Hollywood favourites Highlander, L.A Confidential, and The Fast and the Furious. He was nominated for an Oscar for his work on L.A Confidential, and even went one better when he won a BAFTA for the 1997 action blockbuster, which starred Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger.

Peter was generous enough to spend time with a group of our Level 5 students at Brighton Film Studios, working closely with them on their upcoming productions and workshopping scenes from their films. Peter’s masterclass itself was a fascinating discussion in which he talked about his back catalogue and film credits. The session served as a glimpse into the methods of a seasoned film editor.

Our students brought scenes from their current productions to the event, segments which are currently in the post-production phase. We invited Peter to workshop these scenes, giving his input on how he would cut them, and how he would overcome various challenges and issues. He demonstrated his expert intuition for editing and was able to make instinctive decisions about cut points, which the students found enlightening and fascinating to watch. It was encouraging to see how well our students coped with the pressure of editing their own creations live and under the instruction of a BAFTA-winning editor.

Jemima Edwards, a Level 5 student at the Film School, had this to say about the day with Peter:

“Peter was super respectful and patient with us and it was eye-opening to see how I would be instructed by a director in an edit suit. I think I only managed to stay calm because I was enjoying every moment. He kept apologising for being ‘bossy,’ but I didn’t get that impression from him at all, I felt he was just being professional, and I really appreciated it.

I was lucky enough to talk to him in the break as well and he told me about some excellent tips for camera movement, which I will definitely include in my portfolio. He also offered us further guidance in the future, which was fantastic and something I will definitely take him up on. I wish I had the words to thank him properly for how amazing this opportunity was.

Working under Peter’s instruction was an eye-opening experience that I will never forget. He treated us as professionals and was patient in guiding us to make the best edit of our scenes. I enjoyed every moment of it and can’t wait to take my experience with me into future editing roles.”

Here’s what the hugely successful editor himself had to say about his experience at Brighton Film Studios:

“I found the Screen and Film School Brighton students I met today attentive, informed and interested in film editing. It was a pleasure to work with them.”

Thanks to Peter for joining us and for sharing so much knowledge and advice with our young filmmakers. We will bring you news of all our upcoming masterclass guests as and when they occur.

 

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