This is me on the beach after editing documentaries for 30 years.
I love editing!
Howard Goldberg has been editing, directing and writing documentaries for over 30 years. He takes pride in working closely with directors and writers to help render their work on film. A love for storytelling and music are at the center of a seamless editing style, inviting audiences to inhabit the world of the films’ characters.
backstory
After two years in political science with a minor in film studies at Western University, I was accepted into law school at Osgoode Hall and also to Film Production at Concordia University. Much to my parents’ surprise, I chose film, and haven’t looked back. I spent the better part of my Fine Arts graduating year in a basement cutting my final degree project on a 16mm Steenbeck editing table. The splicing paid off: “Trendsetters” was accepted to the Cannes Film Festival in 1981, representing Canada in the experimental student film category. But way more important than that, I discovered the joy of editing. Anyone who’s ever joined in the editing process will tell you that there is a definite high in finding the story, honing it down, and making it come to life with storytelling rhythm.
the 1980’s
Back in the day, Jason Levy (Apartment 11 Productions), Anne Sirois (Assistant Director), and I, pooled resources, investing in a room-sized 3/4” computer assisted editing system that we hoped would give us a foothold in the production world. Today, your average laptop out-performs our $20,000 investment by about 100 times. But no matter, back then, it worked well for us. Our production company MAXIMAGE became known for its innovative direction, production and editing styles. In collaboration with actor/director Lorne Brass, Maximage established itself in the Quebecois cultural milieu, garnering multiple awards and nominations for work in theatrical publicity (Rencontrez Chagall/Agence Foug), television (Videotour/Metropolis) and theater (multi-screen interactive video for Carbone 14’s Marat-Sade and Le Rail). Along the way, Maximage also succeeded in developing software for edit list cleaning and tracing that was later incorporated into the original Avid editing system.
the 1990’s
Ina Fichman partnered with Maximage, producing a body of television drama and publicity shot by Jason Levy and directed/edited by myself. Our television publicity included the national campaigns for Petro-Canada and Humpty Dumpty chips (Productions Diva Monique Huberdeau). Moise, a half hour television drama for Radio Canada was nominated for two Gemini awards in 1992: Best Fiction Editing, and Best Short Fiction. After a seven year run, Maximage split apart and each of the participants went their own way. Today, Jason Levy is a producer at Apartment 11 Productions and running the company’s post facility. Anne Sirois is working with Denys Arcand and others as an assistant director. Ina Fichman is busy running Intuitive Pictures specializing in international documentary production, Lorne Brass continues his acting/directing career and is often out in the wilds filming dare-devil fishing adventure stories. As for myself, read on…