Local film editor receives second Oscar nod

Julien R. Fielding

Omaha film editor Mike Hill received his second Oscar nomination Tuesday for his work on "A Beautiful Mind," the dynamic film about Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash and his battle with mental illness.

But Hill didn't find out directly from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences via phone call or news flash.

He learned the same way everybody else does - via the Internet.

You usually find out when everyone starts calling, he said.

And phone calls he received, including one from Universal Studios president and CEO Ron Myer, who congratulated the Omaha native on his nomination.

Although he already has a bronze statuette in his possession for "Apollo 13 ? he keeps it on a bookshelf - Hill said he was surprised to learn of the recent nod.

"I thought we had a chance," he said. "'Beautiful Mind' got a lot of good press and it did well (at the box office). I was very pleased."

His prospects for Oscar glory increased when the film began receiving notice from other organizations, particularly the Golden Globes, where four of its six nominations were victorious. It was then that Hill realized his chances were increasing.

"I never thought it was a lock, though," he said.

Hill and his editing partner, Daniel P. Hanley, also are up for an Eddie, the American Cinema Editors award. Hill said he and his wife will attend the awards ceremony later this month in Beverly Hills, and will attend the Oscars ceremony in March.

So, what does it feel like taking that long walk down the red carpet? "You feel shock at first," he said. "I didn't think we would win (for 'Apollo 13'), so I wasn't prepared. I thought 'Braveheart' would win."

Because he's one of about 220 editors who are academy members, Hill is able to vote in the editing category.

"They send you a ballot, and you have five spaces," he said. "The top is your first pick then you can list as many as you want. This year I voted for myself first, I usually do unless it's a waste of time, then I picked a couple more. I think I picked 'Black Hawk Down' and 'Lord of the Rings,' maybe 'Memento.'"

The only 2001 film nominated in the editing category that Hill didn't agree with was "Moulin Rouge."

"I didn't care for the film," he said. "(The editing) drew too much attention to itself. There were some nice dolly moves but in one scene, in which Nicole Kidman is on a swing, there were about eight different angles. I thought it distracted and started to annoy me. The film has some nice match cuts, but I saw no reason for them. I was brought up by guys whose philosophy was if you don't need a cut, don't do it."

Judging which film deserves the editing award is ultimately a flawed science, Hill said. "You don't know what they had to work with; how many problems they had. You don't know how much influence the director had or the producer."

A lot of the decision, for him, comes down to a gut feeling.

But then, that's how most in the academy cast their votes, he said.

"Often you vote for yourself or your best friend," he said. "I usually go with the people I like."

Although he said getting awards is great, he didn't want to overemphasis their importance.

"(The Oscars) are basically a bunch of people throwing a party and giving awards to each other every year."

Hill, who has worked on 14 films for director Ron Howard, said each film has presented a different set of challenges.

"It's fun to work on action films; to amp up the action," he said. "'Far and Away' was fun for the boxing stuff. You can do some interesting things."

But even though editing an action film might look more difficult, Hill said editing dialogue-based dramas presents a greater challenge.

"When you plan a scene (for an action film), you know the shots," he said. "You learn the craft and follow a plan, then take it and put it together. But with dialogue you have to think about the performance; how long you should hold on the actor. You have to work with the rhythm of the speech; analyze it. Cutting good dialogue is more difficult."

When credit is handed out for "A Beautiful Mind's" success, Hill is quick to praise its star, Russell Crowe.

"He definitely had an impact on it," he said. "He carries a certain weight as an actor and he influences everyone around him. Ron said (Crowe) was invaluable to the production because he kept the mood from wavering. He's a brilliant bullshit detector and doesn't suffer idiots."

The editor said he enjoyed working on "Mind," infinitely more than 2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

"'The Grinch' was so technical, with so many special effects," he said. "That was so tedious. I much prefer this 'Beautiful Mind," with it's pure acting."

As for his next project, Hill said Howard still is in the "looking-through-scripts stage," so Hill won't know when his next project will commence, although he could know as early as this summer.

Until then, he said, he might find another project he could help out on for a couple of months, and then, of course, there are the awards' shows to attend.

"I don't think it's likely that we will win (an Oscar) for this one," he said. "But it's hard to say how 5,000 people will vote."

Which movie does he think will win, then? "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring," he said.

Local film editor receives second Oscar nod was originally published in Daily Nonpareil on 14 February, 2002. © Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil LLC