HOLD UP!!!!!!! IF THIS COMPANY WAS BEHIND THE EDITING OF THIS IS IT MOVIE, WHY IS IT KENNY ORTEGA WAS PAID ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE SAME JOB!!! YEP BECAUSE THAT MONEY WAS NOT, I REPEAT NOT FOR EDITING BUT IT WAS A PAY OFF!!!!
Tustin man edited Jackson film 'This Is It'
February 12, 2010|By ELYSSE JAMESTUSTIN "This Is It," the documentary film of Michael Jackson's pre-tour rehearsals, grossed more than $260 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
That's due in part to the work of Tustin resident Brandon Key, who, along with Don Brochu, Tim Patterson and Kevin Stitt, spent weeks sifting through 120 hours of Michael Jackson rehearsal footage after the pop star's death on June 25.
The editing team has been nominated for an ACE Eddie Award on Sunday, up for Best Edited Documentary against Geoffrey Richman for "The Cove" and Kim Roberts for "Food, Inc."
The rehearsal footage was planned to promote the star's planned 50-show run in London. Jackson liked to document his whole process, Key said, so Patterson had been filming the rehearsals.
"All of a sudden, M.J. died," Key said. "Suddenly this became the most valuable footage on the planet."
Key was called in to help Patterson sort through the hours of material and create a clip to help prove Jackson had been physically ready for the tour, a prevailing question among fans.
"There was speculation about whether we had cut around anything to make Michael look good. It comes through in the film he was ready to do this concert and put his heart and soul into this big comeback," Key said. "It would have been the most spectacular show of the decade, if not the last 20-30 years."
Over the next two weeks, Key and Patterson combined clips of select songs to show the executives at the entertainment company AEG. Don Brochu and Kevin Stitt joined the team.
"I think that's when it happened," Key said. "They started thinking, 'We have enough to make a feature film.'"
The editors spent the next few weeks dissecting the film song by song, he said. They worked 16 hour days, 7 days a week until they had gathered 3 ½ hours of behind-the-scenes material into a rough draft where each song told a story. The 2-hour film opened in theaters on Oct. 28.
Key is particularly proud of the "Billie Jean" rehearsal scene.
"It's just him dancing alone on the stage with no other story, props, anything," Key said. "The dancers are in the audience and you can see the adoration they have for him."
The first draft of the movie was shown to AEG executives and director Kenny Ortega.
"Kenny was speechless," Key said. "It was always for the fans. He wanted to give them a last look at (Michael's) humanity. He wanted the world to know Michael Jackson as he knew Michael Jackson, which was as an innocent, caring, humble individual."
Twenty-two documentaries were eligible for the ACE Eddie Award, said American Cinema Editors spokeswoman Lea Yardum. The list was narrowed down to three based on votes by the group's 600 members.
"This Is It" is Key's first feature film. Previously, he's worked on commercials, corporate productions, stage shows and special events through his post production company, Digital Cut.
"We were used to creating something out of nothing. This was shot without any plan, that was unique," Key said. "It was kind of fun being at the center of pop culture for a few weeks."
http://articles.ocregister.com/2010-02- ... -jackson-s
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