Behind the Scenes in the editing suite of 'Heap'

Ever wondered what it would be like working in the film industry? While actors may be the faces of the industry, there are plenty of jobs behind the scenes that suit a variety of skill sets and creative interests. From pre to post production, there’s something for everyone on set, in the edit suite, and beyond. BEHIND THE SCENES brings you into the heart of the media arts industry, introducing you to career paths you may have never considered before or thought possible. 

Behind the Scenes in the editing suite of ‘Heap’ 

On this special edition of Behind the Scenes, we’re taking you into the editing suite during the production of the short film ‘Heap.’ Director Kyle Marchen and Producer Van Wickiam are the winners of the DRIFF’s Shifting the Narrative: Emerging Filmmaker Incubator project.

Previously, we checked in on the ‘Heap’ crew during the shooting of the film to discover the challenges they faced and learn how they overcame them to keep their project on schedule. Click here to get a sneak peek behind the scenes on the set of the film shoot. 

This time, we caught up with the creative team during the editing process. We learned how their busy location in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto affected the performance of the cast.

“For the first few days of shooting we were right on a busy street so we often had to hold for sound and as much as that was a pain during production, it actually added to performance because it gave us a lot of extra breathing room in the takes,” says Marchen. “Our lead Luisa who – power to her – she had to repeat often and I think that mild aggravation kind of snuck its way into the performance.”

This aggravation not only helped slow the pace of the performance to provide lots of options in the editing room but also helped to build the tension in the film. This is just one example of a ‘happy accident’ that was identified by the producers during the editing process.  

We’re happy to report that the film has been completed and we can’t wait to show you the final product at our last drive-in of the summer on Thursday.

The premiere of ‘Heap’ will precede the feature presentation of ‘Sleeping Giant’ at DRIFF’s Shifting the Narrative drive-in event on August 18 in Whitby. The screening starts at dusk in the parking lot of the Whitby Municipal Building at 575 Rossland Rd. E, Whitby. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.seatgiantevents.ca/event/driff-shifting-the-narrative 

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Thank you to Kyle Marchen and Van Wickiam for taking the time out of their busy schedule to share their experiences in the editing suite of this project, to Peter Findlay for documenting the team’s adventures and to Nick Kariunas for his video editing contributions. 

Laurie Turner is a writer, editor, and film enthusiast from Southern Ontario.

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Become part of a local film community and attend a film festival event near you. The Durham Region International Film Festival’s events include an annual fall film festival in Durham Region, summer drive-in movie screenings in Whitby and DRIFF in a Jiff short film screenings in Oshawa. Visit driff.ca, become a DRIFF insider or follow us on social media at @catchthedriff for all the details.