Sips and Clips

Lian McFalls and Michael Shusterman
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Lian and Michael, two assistant editors living in Hollywood, chat with industry professionals about what its like living and working in the world of professional editing.

  1. 27 APR

    Ep. 45 - Call your mother! (Feat. Carmen Hu and Christina Mar)

    Mother's Day is around the corner and to kick off the season we have Carmen Hu and Christina Mar on the show today! Carmen and Christina are both Los Angeles-based assistant editors and moms, and this is our first-ever double guest episode. We dig into how each of them found their way to the cutting room, what it's actually like being pregnant while working in post, and the real talk on navigating maternity leave as a freelancer. Carmen and Christina share what supportive colleagues look like in practice, how parenthood has reshaped their priorities and their philosophy on running a cutting room, and the advice they'd give anyone thinking about starting a family in this industry.

    1hr 4min

  2. 13 APR

    Ep. 44 - The Last Editbender (Feat. Francesco Russo)

    In this episode, we sit down with Francesco Russo, post PA on the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender series (no worries we keep things totally spoiler free!) Francesco walks us through his path from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to the cutting room, including a stint at Chipotle to the Zoom call that changed everything. We get into what it's really like supporting five editors at once, managing 30-plus lunch orders, and how to make the most of the downtime that nobody warns you about. We also dig into the post PA vs. assistant editor which to start with debate, the value of shadowing, and the pieces of advice that led the path for Francesco's start in the industry.

    58 min

  3. 30 MAR

    Ep. 43 - Putting the Motion in Motion GFX (Feat. Kris Krager)

    This week on Sips and Clips, Michael reunites with his college friend and certified Catan rival Kris Krager, a motion graphics and VFX artist at Paradise Creative in Los Angeles. If you've watched an ad campaign for Fallout, Bridgerton, the Garfield movie, or Vanderpump Villa, there's a good chance you've already seen his work, whether you knew it or not. Kris walks us through his path from a Disney kid in the Santa Clarita Valley to Chapman, where a donut shop day job turned into an animated senior thesis about robots making your breakfast. We talk about his early internship working on a Thumb Wars revival with Steve Odenkirk, the hike that led to his current job, and how he learned the ad agency world from the ground up. We dig into what motion graphics actually are and where they end and VFX begins, and what the day-to-day collaboration between a motion graphics artist and an editor looks like. Kris breaks down what makes a note useful, what makes a note difficult, and why specificity is everything. We also get into style guides,, 13,000-pixel-wide NBA arena banners, and video game cinematic dreams.

    43 min

  4. 16 MAR

    Ep. 42 - Show Don’t Tell, But Also Tell! (Feat. Molly Burke)

    On this episode of Sips and Clips, Michael and Lian sit down with Molly Burke, blind content creator, speaker, consultant, and author of Unseen: How I Lost My Vision and Found My Voice. Molly has built one of the most recognizable platforms in the disability advocacy space, and she joins us to discuss how the post production community should think about accessibility not as a box to check, but as a creative edge. We get into what blindness looks like as a spectrum, how audio description works as a craft, and how the difference between a good and a bad one can make or break a film entirely. We discuss on-screen representation, with Molly breaking down the stereotypes, addressing inaccurate portrayals, and sharing her personal feelings about the experience of watching media as a disabled person. We learn how entertainment can be one of the biggest drivers of discrimination the disability community faces, but it can also be one of its greatest opportunities for change.

    52 min

  5. 3 MAR

    Ep. 41 - Corn Cobs & Cut Points (Feat. Rebecca Weigold)

    On this episode of Sips & Clips, we’re joined by feature film editor Rebecca Weigold for a candid, deeply practical conversation about building a career in post production and knowing when to pivot. Rebecca walks us through her unconventional path: from high school broadcast journalism to Syracuse University, from cold-calling productions out of the Hollywood Reporter to landing her first union job in a move so bold it involved a poem and a literal corn cob. From there, she worked her way up through the studio system, apprentice, assistant editor, VFX editor, learning the craft from the inside while cutting whenever she could.

    1hr 10min

  6. 16 FEB

    Ep. 40 - Into the Edit-Verse! (Feat. Mike Andrews)

    On this episode of Sips and Clips, we sit down with legendary animation editor Mike Andrews, whose credits include Shrek, Shrek 2, Megamind, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Mike breaks down the animation editorial pipeline from storyboards to final mix, revealing why editors are the “hub of the wheel” in animated filmmaking. We dive into how animated features are built over years of iteration, the surprising similarities between live-action and animation editing, and how evolving tools like Unreal Engine are changing the workflow. Plus, we explore everything from scratch dialogue and temp soundscapes to the big question: why color grading still matters in fully animated films.

    1hr 22min

  7. 3 FEB

    Ep. 39 - Between Paychecks and Projects

    Today it’s just us! No guest, no glamour, just an honest conversation about unemployment in the film and TV industry. We break down what life actually looks like between jobs, from the anxiety of waiting for the next call to the practical realities of money, unemployment benefits, healthcare, networking, and staying sane when the days suddenly feel endless. We talk about budgeting, cutting back, taking side jobs, dealing with gaps in work, and why unemployment is not a personal failure, it’s part of the job. Whether you’re a post PA, assistant editor, editor, or anyone navigating project-based work, this episode is about normalizing the downtime, sharing what’s helped us survive it, and reminding you that you’re not alone when the work goes quiet. If you’ve ever asked yourself “what should I be doing right now?” this one’s for you.

    1hr 8min

  8. 20 JAN

    Ep. 38 - The Movie Money Episode! (Feat. Matt McCaron)

    On this episode of Sips and Clips, we’re doing something a little different. No film talk, no cutting stories, no workflow debates. Just hard, cold financial planning for freelancers and creative professionals. We’re joined by actuary and personal finance enthusiast Matt McCarron, who breaks down the fundamentals of financial health in a way that’s actually understandable. We cover why your credit score really matters, how credit cards can help you and hurt you, and why budgeting works best when you treat it like a game. We dig into emergency funds, high yield savings accounts, retirement options freelancers actually have access to, and how to plan for the feast or famine cycles that come with contract work. We also unpack long term thinking, including IRAs, market investing, and how starting early can make an enormous difference. We talk about lesser discussed tools like HSAs and how they can quietly become one of the most powerful wealth building accounts available to freelancers. Along the way, we explore balancing career investments with financial security, planning for unemployment, and making spending decisions without constant anxiety. It’s not the most glamorous Hollywood conversation we’ve ever had, but it might be one of the most important. Your future self will thank you.

    1hr 25min
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About

Lian and Michael, two assistant editors living in Hollywood, chat with industry professionals about what its like living and working in the world of professional editing.

Information

  • Creator
    Lian McFalls and Michael Shusterman
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit

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