Ask the Artist with Sean Linal, Editor

Sean Linal is a born and raised New Yorker who moved to LA in 2004. He has worked as a reality TV stringout editor and promo editor for MTV and Ryan Seacrest and, most recently, as a picture editor for the likes of Ava DuVernay on Queen Sugar (airs on OWN and streams on Hulu) and Lena Waithe on The Chi (Showtime).   

He edits mainly in Avid Media Composer on major projects, Adobe Premiere Pro on indies, and uses both Continuum and Sapphire plugins. Follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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

I’m from a small town in Queens, New York City.  A peninsula called Far Rockaway. The Ramones made it famous with a song called “Rockaway Beach.”

My start in the industry was interning at Women Makes Movies, VH-1 & HBO’s The Chris Rock Show in the mid to late ’90s. When I finished film school at SVA (School of Visual Arts) in NYC, my first paid job in the industry was working for MTV as a P.A. on set on various projects. While I was in film school at the School of Visual Arts, I loved spending long hours, days, and weeks in the dark cutting rooms. Working on my projects and other students' work. I loved having my hands on all elements of the filmmaking process. Picture, sound, music, etc. Creating the tempo and feel of the material I was working on. In editing, I can combine many talents. Especially my love for storytelling and music. Back then, I worked on 16mm Moviola and Steenbecks, reel-to-reel editing on 3/4” tape, Final Cut Pro, and eventually Avid.

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

When I worked in reality TV, Continuum (BCC) plugins were usually the go-to during install on Avid systems. I’ve used it on most of the shows I’ve worked on. I tackled license plates and sensitive materials with Blur Dissolve and used Compositing for layered text messages on cell phones and security monitors. On short-form artistic film projects, I’ve experimented with abstract imagery using Glow Effect, Diffusion, Film Looks, Grain, and Composite.

I also used Sapphire working on Ryan Seacrest promos for Gwyneth Paltrow and the TV show I Wanna Marry Harry — mainly blurs and transitions. 

What project are you most proud of — and why?

I am most proud of working on Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar as an editor. It was such an enriching story of an African American family’s struggle to work together through life’s challenges with a resolve to stick together, learn from each other, grow, and give back to the community! I was so blessed and thankful to be a part of the project. We were stationed at Ava’s compound — the editors, writers, and producers of the show — which made it an amazing opportunity to network and stay connected.

Queen Sugar was also the show I was bumped up from assistant editor to editor in scripted TV. Previously, I was an assistant editor and editor in reality TV. Ava saw hard work, persistence, and talent in me and gave me one of the best opportunities to shine in my career. I am forever grateful to her!

How do you prep before a big project?

Research is key during pre-production. Speaking with the showrunners and writers, getting my hands on whatever details about character arcs and storylines to help me in the process before I’m even in the cutting room. Just to wrap my head around where is everyone going in the universe created on paper before production.

As an assistant editor, setting up workspaces, licenses, and managing media was a big part of my job.

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

I can’t live without the Match Frame keyboard shortcut. I save so much time when going through footage. Especially when working live on Evercast with a director.

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

I like to eat mixed nuts for protein. It gives me enough fuel but doesn’t weigh me down.

The Chi (Showtime), scene edited by Sean Linal

Where do you turn for artistic inspiration?

From classic Hollywood films from the early to mid-1900s and Maverick films from the 1970s. Definitely TV series from the 1960s through today as well as foreign films.

What do you do to unwind? Beat creative burnout?

I listen to music on vinyl records or binge-watch films and TV with my wife, Denelle.

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

Yikes! There are many.  Here are some of the top of my head, both film and TV: Queen Sugar, Do The Right Thing, The City of Lost Children, I Am Not Your Negro, When They See Us, Freedom Road, Real Women Have Curves, Moonlighting, Twin Peaks, Queen Charlotte, I Like It Like That, 13th, David Makes Man, The Richard Pryor Show, and Beef.

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

Ava DuVernay (I’ve been extremely blessed to work with already, so unreal!). Spike Lee, David Lynch, Kathryn Bigelow, Gina-Prince Blythewood, Michael Mann, and The Hughes Brothers… To name a few. Lol.

All of these filmmakers have incredible voices and are unafraid to challenge and question the world around them — holding a mirror to society as well as changing the way we think and feel. They give opportunities to people who may not have had it otherwise. Ava DuVernay has done that for me and countless other people trying to express their creativity from a cultural perspective in Hollywood. I love how they’ve enriched my life through storytelling and career advancement.

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

Find a community college with a great film program versus a private school for financial reasons. Move to Los Angeles immediately after school. Most of the work is here. Volunteer more, network harder, and make meaningful friendships within the film and TV community.

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