Arielle Zakowski: A Few of My Favourite Things
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The Work Editorial editor talks us through the complex timelines, handy foot-coverings and romantic aliens that keep her creativity flowing.
Having edited for over a decade - including Sean Wang’s Sundance Audience Award-winning DÌDI (弟弟) - it's safe to say that Arielle Zakowski knows what should make the cut.
Balancing features and commercials, with spots for brands like Nike, Apple, Gucci and Subaru, the Work Editorial star has seen her achievements recognised by Cannes Lions, the Emmys and even dear old shots.
Here, she takes us through some mementoes from projects that help to keep the inspiration flowing.
The Floating Light
It’s not AI, it’s magic.
This floating light has flummoxed even the greatest creative minds.
The bulb hovers in thin air and spins on its axis ever so slightly.
It’s the perfect meditative object to focus on when you want to give your eyes (and mind) a break from all the screens.
It is also a subtle reminder that in the edit... anything is possible.
The Missing Timeline
This editing timeline, with its 40+ video layers, is from a film I cut called Missing.
The movie plays out entirely on computer screens (think: FaceTime conversations, Google searches, security cameras), so as you can imagine, the project was a beast from beginning to end.
We created a previz edit of the entire film months before principal photography began.
We spent almost a year cutting and animating, and then spent months creating all the graphic assets and rebuilding the movie piece by piece in After Effects.
For the record, I had no idea how to use After Effects when we started.
I have always loved any project that invites a unique creative challenge, and this one was a tour de force.
After we finished, our lovely directors framed the timeline and gifted it to me as a towering reminder of our epic two-year journey.
The E.T. Figurine
This little guy sits on top of a speaker and is in the midst of writing his tell-all memoir.
His biggest claim to fame: being a major player in how I met my husband.
Years ago, I cut a commercial that featured this E.T. doll as a prop.
The agency brought it into the edit and it became a fun fixture in the room.
Around the same time, I was cutting a film and the director noticed it and (understandably) came to the conclusion that I was a big E.T. fan.
After weeks of my very un-subtle hints, he invited me to a screening of E.T. at the Egyptian theater (our first unofficial date).
Who says extraterrestrials cannot be romantic?!
The Medela Pump
IYKYK.
And to everyone who walked in while I was in the middle of it: sorry...
You’re welcome?!?
The Premiere Socks
Good for keeping feetsies warm and reminding you about your keyboard shortcuts.
The Letter From Anton
Many years ago, the late actor Anton Yelchin wrote this note.
It reads: "Dear Arielle, Always remember there are great things ahead. Follow what you believe in and make the kinds of movies you want to make!"
We have a tendency to overcomplicate the world around us.
But in life, as in art, sometimes the best answer is the simplest.
Life is short. Unexpected.
Do what you love and remember to have some fun along the way.
