LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: 50 YEARS OF SNL MUSIC

Today on Art of the Cut we speak with three guests: the co-director and show editor and montage editor of the documentary Ladies and Gentlemen: 50 Years of SNL Music.

Oz Rodriguez co-directed the documentary with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Oz directed many of your favorite SNL Shorts, and has also directed episodes of Goosebumps and Nobody Wants This. 

John MacDonald was an associate producer on SNL. He’s an editor, composer and segment producer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. You’ve probably had some of his YouTube videos running on repeat. 

Jimmy Lester has been nominated for a Documentary Emmy for  Stockton on My Mind. He’s edited episodes of Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men, History Channel’s FDR series, and the doc, Getting Naked: A Burlesque Story.

This discussion includes - among other things - why so many editors are also musicians, the value of a great assistant editor - and how to be one - and the art of using a talking head.

This is a really good show to check out the blog, which has many exclusive images that help show how the montage, in particular, was edited. Visit:

borisfx.com/blog/aotc