Episode Details

It’s an understatement to say Hollywood is undergoing major changes right now, but are these circumstances unprecedented? I argue things have changed a lot less than we want to believe over the last few months, the major difference is our level of awareness. And what we’ve become keenly aware of is how badly none of us want to go back to normal.

There’s no question the pandemic has caused upheaval and instability, leaving us all wondering if we’ll weather the storm or sink with the ship. As the industry attempts to reopen, we grapple with difficult changes like working from home, safety protocols for returning to set or to the office, and setting boundaries for the health and sanity of ourselves and families.

Though the change and uncertainty we’re all experiencing might feel new, it’s surprising how little things in our industry have actually changed over the last several decades, specifically in regards to the working conditions and the insane demands put upon our time.Today’s guest, Oscar nominated editor Carol Littleton, ACE, who has edited such legendary films as E.T., The Big Chill, Silverado, The Accidental Tourist, Grand Canyon, Benny & Joon, and The Manchurian Candidate, has endured many changes in her long career in Hollywood. She worked her way into commercials, to indie films, all the way up the ranks to working with some of the best directors in the industry.

She successfully made the transition from film to digital, but it was that change that required a greater focus on her movement habits and healthy lifestyle choices to sustain her career and well-being. These habits have contributed to her vitality for her work and her zest for life that you will hear throughout our conversation.

This is the second in our series of archive conversations from the ‘Fitness in Post’ days with hollywood film legends where we clearly see that living a healthy lifestyle, weathering major industry changes, and enjoying a long and successful career are not mutually exclusive (pandemic or otherwise). Learn from the cream of the crop how to be resilient and gracious in the face of adversity, no matter how uncomfortable the circumstances.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Carol got her first feature film because...she spoke French?
• How she went from working on small independent features to working with big Hollywood directors like Stephen Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan
• The big question: How did she get her break cutting E.T.???
• What the biggest creative challenge was in making E.T. a successful story.
• The biggest difference between editing on film to editing on an NLE system (and what has been lost in the process).
• How Carolapproaches a day of dailies and cuts a scene.
• How the physicality of working on film kept her in shape and active all day long.
• The switch to Avid drove her crazy because she was so sedentary!!!
• The difference between your mental agility and acuity is immense when you are sedentary vs being mobile.
• Sleep, diet, and exercise are her top priorities to stay sharp and creative.
• How to fight the fear of thinking that if you stop to take a break from work you won’t get everything done (it’s real, but you can overcome it).
• Turn y