Profile Series:
Jon Connor
"Filmmaking is a team sport."
Jon Connor
Role: Editor & Co-Founder Masters in Motion
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Magnolia (1999)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Directed by Frank Darabont
How did you first get into filmmaking?
From an early age I was obsessed with movies. As a kid I think I wanted to be an actor but I got a video camera one year for Christmas and in 7th grade made my own version of Robin Hood for a school project. I made the credits with a dot matrix printer and "edited" the film using a primitive pause/record method with my camera and VCR.
"I feel very strongly about the importance of community."
What is your favorite on-set story?
Would probably have to be the one time I was the on set editor for an indie film in Houston. They had me set up with an editing battlestation in an RV. I got the crew huddled around my computer and told them I had cut a trailer for the film. It started off super serious and ended with a huge inside joke that no one else would probably find funny now but we were all laughing so hard we were in tears.
"Editing is largely about identifying patterns and experimentation."
The heart of the Film Pin Society is community and camaraderie. Can you talk a little about that?
I feel very strongly about the importance of community. It's why I co-founded Masters in Motion with Cristina Valdivieso. Filmmaking is a team sport but life should also be. I'm a firm believer in trying to be as nice to other people as you can. I mean obviously you don't want to be taken advantage of but I think if you surround yourself with good people, work hard and genuinely care about others great things will happen in time.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone looking into going into your field?
To learn early on to never dismiss something as a "stupid idea". It's important not only to experiment but if a client or director asks you to try something, just try it. It might not work but when it does you've just opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Editing is largely about identifying patterns and experimentation.
What pin from our collection speaks to you and why?
That timecode slate! There is nothing an editor loves more than seeing an in focus slate with proper timecode.
