Actors, actresses and directors are all the faces recognized by many in films, but there are also those who work behind the scenes who bring these shows to life.
Film and television editor Gregory Ng, who grew up in Steveston, has worked on recent movies, including Longlegs and The Monkey.
Ng describes being an editor as an "invisible art."
"They call it that because no one really knows what the hell's going on," he said.
In simple terms, Ng receives film footage and puts it together. But, he likes to refer to the editing process like building Lego.
"Except Lego is videos and emotions and music, and you sort of get to tinker with that and sort of compose movies with that."
When asked why he chose the editor path as opposed to being a cameraman or a producer, Ng said he liked editing movies because it was a role that was "closest to the final product."
"They're all very interesting occupations all around, but in editing, I feel like you're the closest to having the actual thing.
"When you put together a scene, and you land some music or you're working with something funny and making the punchline really laugh ... that is when you see those things happening and this is what the movie really is."
He said being on a film set can be exciting, but only for short moments. He felt more connected to his work on his computer, using technology and putting the clips together.
'One-track mind' to become a film editor
The former St. Paul's elementary student grew up as a major Star Wars fan and remembered seeing movies back in the old Famous Players Richmond Centre Cinema. To this day, he has kept his Star Wars movie tickets.
"Because of Star Wars and watching the behind the scenes of the film — we got the box set VHS — I was like, 'Oh, this is cool and I want to do that,'" said Ng.
He recalled telling everyone his goal was to work on The Empire Strikes Back or "something newer" while he was growing up.
Ng said he has always been on a "one-track mind" to work in the film industry and spent his high school years working on his career path for this goal.
Just before graduation from Vancouver College, he took an introduction-to-work-in-film course at Vancouver Film School in the summer. Following his graduation, he went to UBC to pursue a degree in film production.
"Film is an industry with a lot of burnout and turnover, but there are the people who stuck it out still, who I still have working and social relationships with, that I went to film school with since I was a younger person."
He added that being able to work and be part of the film community since he started out has been nothing but amazing.
Ng said many of his colleagues and friends, including Graham Fortin, Chris Ferguson and Andy Levine, have all played a huge role in his film editing journey.
"Everybody kind of grows up and sees the industry rise at the same time, so it's been an interesting journey."
Staying objective while editing films
Working hours on hours editing can be tedious and repetitive, something Ng doesn't deny.
"It is a big challenge when editing. How do you stay objective? How do you remain clear-sighted when you look at everything? You start to fixate on tiny things."
However, Ng has learned to remain objective during his editing projects by changing his work environment. This could mean taking his keyboard and putting it elsewhere so he cannot touch it while he reviews key parts of the film he is working on.
But watching parts of his work with other people has been the most helpful because "movies are made for people to watch in a social setting," Ng explained.
"If you can do that, it really gives you the bird's-eye view of how a movie should be, or at least the reactions that you were getting to and how you need to tailor them to get the responses that you want."
Depending on the film, editing could take months, he added.
Ng's resume of films doesn't stop at horror, action or comedy, but also extends to TV shows such as Bones of Crows and Allegiance, as well as sports documentaries like The Grizzlie Truth, I'm Just Here for the Riot and Saints and Warriors.
Working on documentaries for Ng is always a learning experience each time, particularly when he worked on his first project early in his career.
He said it is different from regular films in that there are "no regular takes" and a "figure it out as you go" kind of projects.
"When you're working with scripted footage, you're trying to make something that's pretend as believable as possible. When you're working in documentary, you're trying to make this thing that is real as cinematic as possible."
On certain films like documentaries, Ng added, there is a recommendation that for every 10 minutes of a final movie, you need one month of editing.
"But that's sort of an ideal situation in documentary," said Ng.
Longer or shorter editing periods can also depend on the number of effects needed, and how many shooting days there were.
"If I work on two to three movies in a year, I feel pretty good about that."
Side interest from the film industry
While the film industry has been Ng's dream job since he was a kid, he has some side interests and projects.
He told the News that many people in the arts industry have "existential crisis of thinking" where they might never work again or the "world is collapsing" in between projects.
"I often think, if this whole film thing collapses due to whatever reason, I can maybe pursue my other passions like making stickers or making waffles."
Ng said he wouldn't know how he could monetize his waffle-making, but it's an ongoing and latest passion, experimenting with the different types of waffles.
"People may not always have to watch a movie, but you do have to eat."
For now, Ng remains working in his dream job as a film editor because to him, his job is like being a technical wizard and a master storyteller with impeccable timing and an easy-going nature.
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