Ask the Artist with Anna Terebelo, Editor

Anna Terebelo is an American editor working in scripted television. Her first introduction to editing was in a high school TV class. From there, she used her love of storytelling, creative collaboration, and technology to pursue a career in editing. Past editing credits include The Villains of Valley View (Disney) and assistant editing credits include XO, Kitty (Netflix), Cruel Summer (Hulu), American Horror Stories (Hulu), and Agents of Shield (Marvel). She primarily uses an Avid Media Composer and regularly relies on Continuum and Sapphire. Follow her on X.

Where are you from? How did you get your start in the industry?

I am from Farmington Hills, Michigan, and moved to Los Angeles without a job nearly 10 years ago. I spent the first 6 months or so working odd jobs around town until my good friend had a lead on an open post production assistant position. As a post PA, I was constantly shadowing and learning from the assistant editors. I also spent a lot of time reading books on editing. After about a year, I was able to land my first assistant editor job and about 6 years later, I was able to earn my first editing credits.

You’re in the midst of transitioning from assistant editor to editor. Congrats! How has the overall process been? What’s the most important skill you developed as an AE that has helped you succeed as an editor?

Thank you so much! It’s definitely been an interesting journey, especially with the current state of the industry. I have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by teams that have supported me in the journey and have given me the opportunity to grow creatively. I would say that patience and good communication are skills that I have learned as an AE and continue to develop. This goes for when you’re interacting within your own team or are sitting and working with a director/producer.

What Boris FX tools do you use? Which effects/features do you rely on most?

I have used Boris FX on the majority of projects that I have worked on. Here are a few examples:

We had access to Continuum (BCC) on The Villains of Valley View and would use the Optical Stabilizer a lot in order to help with unwanted camera movement. We also used different BCC Blur & Sharpen tools for many temp VFX, along with BCC Lights for Glow and Lens Flares.

I believe we had both BCC and Sapphire on Marvel's Agents of Shield, but we primarily used Sapphire. We often used the Muzzle Flash effect, the Shake effect to add a level of intensity to various temp shots, and many different Blurs and Lens Flares. There was one episode where I got to play around with the Kaleidoscope effects but sadly, those didn’t make the final cut.

What project are you most proud of — and why?

All the projects that I have worked on carry a special place in my heart, but I would have to say that Marvel's Agents of Shield and The Villains of Valley View are my top two favorites. Marvel's Agents of Shield was my first big scripted TV project as an assistant editor and it challenged me in a lot of ways. Thankfully, I was welcomed on to an amazing post team who gave me the support I needed in developing my AE skills. Creatively, I am really proud of the episode recaps that I cut during this time and the work that I did with temp sound design.

Agents of Shield promo from one of Anna's favorite episodes that she worked on

The Villains of Valley View was my first multi-camera project as an assistant editor and also where I earned my first co-editing and editing credits. Traditionally, the edit team on a multi-camera project is 1 editor to 1 assistant editor, with the footage coming straight from set to the AE with no dailies house or VFX team. So, there is a lot that is expected from the AE. It was a great learning experience for me as an AE to learn workflows that I hadn’t yet experienced and also to further become an expert in time management.

As an editor, I had the opportunity to play with a wide array of content from intense action scenes with lots of VFX, to comedy, to musical performances, and to scenes high in emotion. Additionally, being a multi-camera project meant that post worked on site so we were highly connected with the rest of the crew. Our Showrunners, Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore, were the absolute best and that energy was felt from top to bottom of the crew. It was a great environment to work in and I am so glad that my first editing credits were on a show that was such a joy to be a part of.

The Villains of Valley View, Season 2 trailer

How do you prep before a big project?

I usually binge all related content to get myself into that “world.”

What's a keyboard shortcut you can't live without?

Definitely would have to say command + Z. Also, command + S ;)

How do you keep yourself fueled/your favorite snack when you're in a long session?

I'm going to be boring and say water and almonds. Our office also has these yummy apple/peanut butter bites that are pretty good.

Where do you turn for artistic inspiration?

I watch a lot of TV, which helps show me different ways of storytelling. I also listen to movie scores, which helps to get the creative juices flowing.

What do you do when you start feeling creative burnout?

I like to take walks and have recently started listening to podcasts. Getting outside definitely helps with my mental health. I also enjoy painting, which helps me to express creativity away from the screen.

What's your favorite film and/or TV series?

I’ve recently been binging Brooklyn 99 and it has quickly become one of my favorites! Some other television favorites are Friends, Schitt’s Creek, Sex Education, Shameless, and The Handmaid's Tale.

Some of my film favorites are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Titanic, I, Tonya, Schindler's List, Star Wars, and Harry Potter.

If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I have been pen pals with Wendy Hallam Martin, one of the editors on The Handmaid's Tale, for many years now and it would be amazing to get a chance to work with her. There are so many other extremely talented editors that I would love to get a chance to work with, it would be impossible to list them all. Outside of editors, I would love to get a chance to work with Stephen Spielberg, Tatiana Maslany, and Quinta Brunson. Their careers have all inspired me and I would love a chance to get to work with them.

What career and/or life advice would you give your younger self?

I think I would remind myself to be patient and that everything (usually) works out. I would also remind myself that it’s great to work hard but to remember that work/life balance is also important. Also, remember to go out on walks!

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