The Social Impact of Editing Choices

 




    No matter what your passions, hobbies or career aspirations are, I think it's safe to say that most of us strive to have a positive impact on the world through our actions. Interwoven into many of our life goals is the desire to create positive change in the lives of others, to protest practices that are harmful and to be able to look back at the end of our lives and know we did something worthwhile. Many of us achieve this goal via our lines of work. Ask any nurse, teacher, first responder, social worker (the list goes on...) about why they chose their career and helping others will almost certainly be a main reason. There are occupations like the ones I just stated where the ability to help others is obvious. But we can often have a bigger impact than we think even if we aren't the ones teaching orphans to read or building houses for the homeless.
     Up until last night, I never considered how much of an impact editors can have, either positive or negative depending on their editing choices. The day before had been spent listening to some of our classmates present their findings and opinions on the social media management strategies for the recently released Sundance hit Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile. Major controversy has surrounded the film, even before its release, but in case you missed it I'll summarize. The film stars Zac Efron and Lily Collins, who portray famous American serial killer Ted Bundy and his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer. The film follows Ted Bundy's crimes and ensuing trial and media controversy from Kloepfer's perspective. The film is not yet available to the public, but it's got America's attention, partially for the wrong reasons.
     Zac Efron is a major part of the draw for this film because well, you know, he's Zac Efron. He skyrocketed to fame in 2006 as Troy Bolton in Disney's High School Musical. Since then, Efron has taken on numerous roles that continue to showcase his classic-good-looks-and-charm. These are very positive qualities that we associate with Efron, and it can be difficult at times to sort our feelings for an actor from our feelings for the characters they play. While the choice to portray an infamous serial killer may have seemed like a step in a completely different direction for beloved boy-next-door Zachary, we do live in a nation that loves them. Americans are fascinated with serial killers. There are innumerable films, docu-series, YouTube videos and blogs dedicated to them. There names live on for decades after their convictions and they become celebrities of sorts.
      Which leads us to the controversy surrounding the film. Critics worried that Efron's portrayal of Bundy would make him feel too likeable. That giving him this cool-factor and sex appeal was a slap in the fact to his victims, most of whom did not live through the harsh reality of who Bundy actually was. Ted Bundy was a murderer, rapist, kidnapper and necrophile. There's nothing cute about it. Continuing on his legacy by showing him in a light that makes him seem cool seems particularly cruel when we take the historical abuse of women into consideration. It feels as thought the deaths of the Ted Bundy victims are simply collateral damage for Bundy's own fascinating story.
     On the other hand, the consensus from people who knew Bundy seems to be that he was very good looking and charming. Zac Efron made for a more authentic portrayal of the story. People did like Ted Bundy, and that's a huge part of the real life problem. Serial killers are notoriously good at getting people to like and trust them. The film (I hope) aims to shine a light on the disturbing truth underneath the appealing surface in these cases.
     So now that we're caught up on the drama, we can discuss the social implications tied to the films publicity choices. Regardless of which side of the argument (and it is a complex one) you fall on, given the nature of the film, Extremely Wicked's publicity team should be promoting and image that is appropriate and respectful. Doing so would be a major step in changing the conversation about the unfair treatment of women, especially those victimized by well respected men (like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein used to be). In the past, leading men who portrayed characters that treated women poorly have spoken out in interviews about how they want their characters to serve as examples of red flags, not heartthrobs. After 500 Days of Summer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt criticized his characters self-centered and disillusioned nature in regards to how he treated the film's female lead, Zooey Deschanel's character Summer. Recently, Penn Badgley aired his concerns over people romanticizing the character he portrays in the Netflix series You, who, while charming and good looking, is actually a stalker. As we discussed the film's social media strategy further, it came to light that many people felt Lily Collins did not receive her fair share of time and focus during interviews regarding Extremely Wicked. Surely in a film that deals with a case regarding the mistreatment/murder of so many women, in 2019, the female lead should have had ample time to share her experiences and thoughts on the story.
     But while there seemed to be room for improvement in how the film was presented across social media platforms, it did get a massive conversation started. While many of us were still excited to see Zac Efron on screen, the situation also created public outcry for victims of abuse and for the fear women have lived in, past and present. Whether or not that was the editor's intent, I would have to say some success came out of their choices for this reason. And for myself, it made me aware of the fact that as an editor, as someone who can make decisions about what to present and how I think it will influence the public, the impact I'm able to make is real, and involves real responsibility.