UCLA alumna exercises film editing talents across formats

Hunched over her keyboard, Eleanor Infante contemplates the daunting task that sits on the computer screen in front her. With hours and hours of footage to go through, she knows the task will be a challenge, but awaits the feeling of satisfaction that washes over her after every film project she concludes.

With nearly 10 years in the business, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television alumna Eleanor Infante has dipped her toes into nearly every aspect of film editing. From advertisements for “The Walking Dead” to her most recent project, “Pete’s Christmas,” airing Friday on the Hallmark Channel, Infante has exercised her talents through various avenues.

“I’m kind of a weird case. I always knew I wanted to edit and I always knew that I wanted to work on longer formats – things like documentaries and features – but the circumstance led me to advertising when I initially got out of school,” Infante said. “I still do that stuff today, but in the last few years I’ve really tried to focus on doing more features.”

“Pete’s Christmas” is unlike any other film she has worked on.

“It was different. I hadn’t really worked on a children’s project before so it was a different kind of mentality,” Infante said. “But it definitely felt like we tried to make it fun and make it creative.”

The film stands in sharp contrast to an upcoming science fiction short film that Infante edited, “The Nostalgist,” showcasing her ability to work within different genres.

“It was a real challenge to edit because so much of it is being created in special effects,” Infante said. “As an editor your projects can be so different.”

While Infante has shifted her attention to editing more feature films over the last few years of her career, the technique she uses when approaching the initial process of editing a film has remained the same.

“I like to start off with a rough cut that’s really based on the script and not trying to embellish it. … I just try to be very methodical about it and let myself be creative later,” Infante said. “That’s my goal: to get something quick; a really down and dirty rough cut and then I can see what’s working and what should be rearranged.”

For Infante, simplifying the editing process as much as possible is only half the battle. Another challenging aspect of the process is making the necessary edits without altering the meaning of the film.

“You have all these ideas, but you kind of have to be true to what comes out of the material,” Infante said.

Nisha Ganatra, director of “Pete’s Christmas,” expressed that Infante’s talents lie beyond the editing world.

“(Infante) is a complete filmmaker. She expresses her talents in the world of editing right now, but she is a great storyteller and has an incredible sense of pacing, two things that make her head and shoulders above others in her competitive field,” Ganatra said.

Ganatra, however, is not the only person who appreciates Infante’s ability to convey a compelling story through editing.

“She has a real understanding of the storytelling process. She always puts the story first and understands how to make a sequence work better,” said Giacomo Cimini, director of “The Nostalgist.”

Throughout Infante’s 10-year career, she has had the opportunity to meet and work with numerous people associated with the film industry. However, one person said she believed Infante had what it took from the beginning – Becky Smith, a professor in the School of Theater, Film and Television.

“I look at the students that come through the film school and it’s a tough career and I see who sticks with it and who goes away, and I look at (Infante) as one of those people who moved into it quickly, willing to roll up her sleeves and work hard,” Smith said.

As Infante reflects on the past few years of her career, she said she contemplates what she has yet to accomplish in the future and provides one piece of advice for those who wish to break into what is perhaps one of the most cutthroat industries.

“Always be open to trying new things because you never know when something is going to lead to something,” Infante said. “The main thing is trying to be open to learning and being ready for when the opportunity presents itself.”