Five Questions with… editor Karen Knowles Zuniga

I am currently working on a short documentary film about global warming. The project is sponsored by the SOS Live Earth foundation along with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. The director is the incredibly talented Mac Carter of Anonymous Content with Sean Welch producing (producer of the Academy Award nominated “Spellbound” and Sundance award winning and soon to be released “Rocket Science”). Needless to say, I’m inspired…

2. What have you found is the best tool or innovation that has come out in the last year?

There are so many amazing tools and innovations that are constantly surfacing, it was hard to pick just one.

Although text messaging was not born in the last year, I have become a convert (or addict as most of my friends will tell you) in the past year. It’s brilliant. It’s a fast and great way to communicate from any location on a daily basis.

I’ve enjoyed it most recently while, over the past month, my friend has been traveling in Japan (a trip we did together a year and a half ago). We’ve been texting the entire time, which has allowed me to live virtually through her holiday while I’m in LA editing.

I’m thrilled with the notion that it’s 7pm Wednesday in LA, 11am Thursday in Tokyo, and she’s sending me a text to tell me that black knee highs are all the rage in Tokyo street fashion. Then the picture comes through ‘ and I see a shot of two girls cruising the streets of Shibuya with these fantastic knee highs and white patton leather heals. What’s better than that?

3. The project (film, television, commercial or music video) that most impressed you in the last year? Why?

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts by Spike Lee

Spike’s documentary about the people of New Orleans, post Hurricane Katrina, is made with a detached and unsentimental eye that is an awakening. It’s completely agonizing and I think everyone should experience it. I keep all 4 acts on my TIVO.

4. The best or favorite project that you worked on in the past year? And why?

My favorite project I’ve worked on in the past year is “Dave”, the short documentary I’m working on now. The film is about a quirky guy named Dave, who is starting a biodiesel community in his neighborhood in LA by setting up a processor in his garage to turn used fry oil into biodiesel fuel for his 1980s-era diesel Mercedes.

At the heart of the story: how one very average person can make a difference in the global warming of our planet by making informed environmental choices. I had to do a lot of research about global warming and biodiesel fuel before I started work on the film and it has really rocked my world. Who dave is and what he is doing is completely inspiring and refreshing.

Cutting a documentary short has lit a fire in me that I wasn’t expecting. Working on a doc you take on a moral responsibility to “document” reality. It sounds easy, but has been the most challenging as well as fulfilling project to date.

5. Name the top 4 artists on your iPod?

Aziatic ‘ an amazing Belizean punta rock band. My husband, who is from Belize, introduced me to them. There’s an incredible traditional dance style in Belize (that would probably be outlawed in the U.S.) that goes along with this type of music.

Clem Snide ‘ with lead singer Eef Barzelay (who scored the documentary I’m working on…) Something in his music digs deep inside your soul. Quite simply, he’s brilliant.

Bebel Gilberto ‘ Her voice is incredibly soothing. She puts on an unexpectedly fun and quirky live show.

Thievery Corporation ‘ How can you not be a fan?

Quiet moments of wonder build from a gentle
droplet to a storm in the masterful new Nintendo spot. Here magic
rains from the sky in the form of Pokemon balls as children look on
with awe and wise understanding. The project is the result in an
intensely collaborative process by the creative teams including
agency Leo Burnett, Director Benjamin Blank, rival Editor Karen
Knowles Zuniga and the effects team from Hi-Ground Media.

"The last five months on this project were incredible," says Leo
Burnett VP/Associate Director Tom Gorton. "The team vibe – from the
Nintendo client to Karen and rival to everyone at Hi-Ground/Locksmith
– made it one of my best production experiences, with a fantastic end
result to boot."

Shot on location in New Zealand, "Pokeballs" ushers the arrival of
the new Pokemon as experienced by children around the world. For
rival Editor Karen Knowles Zuniga, the challenge was choosing the
most effective moments while providing exact timing for the
photorealistic CG balls to be added after her initial edit was complete.

"(Director) Benjamin Blank delivered spectacular material – the
casting and the imagery of the children is just incredible. So my job
was to hand pick the most honest, subtle moments that would capture
the inherent magic of the story," comments Knowles Zuniga. "I also
had to allow room, time and space, for the character of the balls so
that the multiplying shower could be integrated seamlessly and with
impact. That was really fun because I had to dig into my imagination
and envision what was to come."

"Karen and I really saw eye to eye. She understands subtlety and how
small details can effect storytelling," notes Director Benjamin
Blank. "My goal was to create something epic, but rooted in reality
rather than pure fantasy. Casting played a major role, as did the
fact that we all saw the spot the same way and worked to that
realization."

Echoing the sentiment of both Gorton and Blank, Knowles Zuniga says
everyone was committed to the concept and collaborated with the sole
intention of creating something special. "We worked as true creative
partners with a shared vision," she concurs. "Each person brought
their individual expertise and never lost focus, all the while
working together. It was rewarding, and I think the energy and
enthusiasm shows in the final spot."

EDITORIAL COMPANY: rival editorial/ Santa Monica, CA
Editor: Karen Knowles Zuniga
Asst. Editor: Jason Dopko
Executive Producer: Bill Fortney

AGENCY : Leo Burnett, USA/Chicago
Producer: Juan Woodbury
SVP / Executive Creative Director: Bill Stone
SVP / Executive Creative Director: Dominick Maiolo
VP / Associate Director: Tom Gorton
VP / Associate Creative Director: Jason Wright
VP / Executive Producer: Mary Cheney

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Locksmith
Director: Benjamin Blank
Executive Producer: Steve McDonald
DP: Ian McCarroll
Producer: Megan Francis

VISUAL EFFECTS COMPANY: Hi-Ground Media
EP: David Hofflich
Creative Director/ VFX Supervisor: Duy Nquyen
Coordinator: Judd Rubin
CGI Artists: Adrian Diamond & Erik Lee

SOUND: Eleven Sound/Santa Monica
Mixer: Jeff Fuller
Executive Producer: DJ Fox-Engstrom

MUSIC: Comma Music/Chicago
Creative Director: Larry Pecorella, Bryan Rheude
Composer: Justin Hori

TELECINE: Company 3/Santa Monica
Colorist: Sean Coleman