Meet Augustine So | Film Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Augustine So and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Augustine, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
In Hollywood, there is a sentiment or assumption that you have to fake it till you make it. After all, filmmaking is a business of make-believe, and faking it is just part of the process. And every famous producer has some crazy stories that are borderline fraudulent or even illegal. But I don’t believe this is always good advice, especially when certain aspects of filmmaking can be dangerous.

A recent example is what happened on the set of the movie Rust, when Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun at the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins as he was preparing for a scene. Unfortunately, as we all know, there was a live round in the gun and Hutchins died from the injury. Even though the case is still under investigation, it’s undoubtedly a chain of failures that happened on set. Taking a job that you’re not qualified for might seem like a good career move, but it could also backfire badly.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an aspiring film and TV editor, originally from Hong Kong.

In 2009, after completing my Bachelor’s degree, I pursued a Master of Arts in Literary and Cultural studies at University of Hong Kong while also working full time in IT. This really deepened my understanding of films from a cultural perspective, and I was amazed by the philosophies and concepts I learned—but I thought it was sad that many of these amazing ideas didn’t reach a wider audience. So I believe it is important to create so that great ideas can reach a wider audience.

I decided to switch careers into film and TV in 2012 after working as a business analyst at an IT company for two years and deciding I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life perfecting workflows for stock trading. Soon after quitting that job I was fortunate enough to work on a documentary as a PA, and later as the editor. From there, I went on to edit corporate videos, music videos, branded content, and advertisements for several years.

After spending time in the corporate video world, I decided that I wanted to focus on narrative editing. So, in 2018, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at the American Film Institute Conservatory, majoring in Editing.

When I started in the film and video industry, I thought of myself as an outsider as I hadn’t studied film and I didn’t have any industry experience. More often than not, I had little confidence in my work and thought my opinions weren’t valuable.

A couple of years ago, I shared this thought with my boss at the time. He told me that it was such a stupid idea. He let me know that those things—education or industry background—honestly didn’t matter and my opinions are just as valid as anyone else’s. After all, this is an industry where the proof is in the pudding, and where he and the audience could see the quality in my work. That conversation was a real lightbulb moment for me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a big fan of live performances. There are a ton of great places where you can enjoy yourselves with friends in Los Angeles. You can enjoy wonderful music while surrounded by soothing nature in the Greek Theatre. The Hollywood Bowl is another great venue where you can bring your food (and alcohol!). Walt Disney Hall has amazing acoustics for classical music. Besides the huge concert venues like the Forum and the Sofi Stadium, there are also a lot of smaller venues with interesting history and architecture like the Fonda Theatre, El Rey, and Whisky a gogo. Watching a musical at the Pantages Theatre is another great way of spending an evening.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my family and friends who helped me tremendously along the way. In particular, I want to give a shoutout to Seamus Walsh, the first director that I worked with professionally, who gave me a lot of help and guidance when I first started. I also want to give a shoutout to my good friend Kelyn Yuen, who gave me a great push into the creative world. Finally, I want to dedicate this to my mentors, Anna Hauger, and Katy Skjerping, and my teachers at the American Film Institute, Matt Friedman, Anne Goursaund, Michael Jablow, Robert Ivison, Martin Nicholsen, Brian Scofield, Scott Vickrey, Matt Cheeśe, Chris Gay, Chris Cooke, and my late teacher Michael Sheehan.

Website: www.augustineso.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/augustine_so/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/augustine-so/

Twitter: twitter.com/AugustineSo

Facebook: www.facebook.com/augustine.so

Image Credits
Dae Hyun Kim, Kadri Koop, Jiahao Zhang, Seth Pierson