Ep186: Unscripted vs Scripted…Is It Possible To Balance Both? And With Kids??? | with Yvette Amirian, ACE

Yvette M. Amirian, ACE is an award-nominated film and television editor who’s recent credits include Animal Planet’s Whale Wars, John Singleton’s L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later, and most recently the scripted feature for critically acclaimed filmmaker Robert Machoian, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers. She's spent most of her career bouncing back and forth between editing scripted and unscripted documentary content, a feat that is coveted by many editors and creatives. (And in case you missed it, my conversation with Stephanie Filo is another shining example of someone who balances the unscripted and scripted worlds very successfully).

No one wants to be pigeonholed, whether you are an editor, an actor, a writer, a director or any other creative professional. Many of us would love the opportunity to stretch our creative muscles and jump across genres and formats with ease. But how many of us really understand what it takes to be able to do so? How many of us know the different challenges that arise and different skills that are needed in each discipline? How many of us assume that since we are good storytellers that should automatically make us good at whatever genre or format we want to work in?

Yes, being a good storyteller and good at your craft is an essential piece of the puzzle. But it's just one small piece. And as Yvette tells us in this conversation, each discipline has its own language and you need to learn the vocabulary before you can be fluent in speaking it. If you are someone who has been trying to make a career transition or wanting to diversify your experience and grow your creative skills, this conversation is what you've been waiting for…especially if you’re terrified that it can’t be done if you’re also raising a family (Spoiler alert: It can totally be done!).

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• How Yvette has been able to switch between unscripted and scripted editing
• Telling your story so that people see how your skills are transferable
• The power of saying no to the wrong projects
• What to do when your intuition and logic disagree
• KEY TAKEAWAY: A fulfilling life comes from solving problems you enjoy solving
• What it takes to be able to bounce back and forth between scripted and unscripted
• The key differences between the two editing worlds
• How Yvette proved she was the right person to edit her latest film that went to Tribeca Film Festival
• Navigating parenting while editing
• Agents and publicists: What they will and won’t do for you and your career
• Important questions to ask at every job interview
• KEY TAKEAWAY: Know your list of non-negotiables for every project you take

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Panel with me, Yvette, & Dan Lebental moderated by Norman Hollyn:

Tackling New Projects - Part 1 of 2 - YouTube 

Tackling New Projects - Part 2 of 2 - YouTube

Yvette's Web Page

Yvette’s Facebook Page

Yvette’s IMDB Page

Yvette’s Instagram Page

Yvette’s Linked in Page

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Guest Bio:

Yvette Amirian

Yvette M. Amirian, ACE is an award-nominated film and television editor. After graduating from the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Cinema-Television, she built a successful career and has been transitioning seamlessly between editing scripted and documentary content for the better part of two decades.

In 2011, she and her team received an Eddie Award nomination from the American Cinema Editors (ACE) for their work on Animal Planet’s Whale Wars. In 2017, she edited and produced John Singleton’s L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later for A&E, which was

nominated for a Primetime Emmy (Outstanding Documentary Special). Her most recent project is an upcoming scripted feature for critically acclaimed filmmaker Robert Machoian, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers. Yvette is a proud member of the Motion Picture Editor’s Guild, the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences, and ACE. She also teaches editing as an adjunct faculty member at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and loves educating future generations of aspiring filmmakers. Yvette lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).