IN FOCUS

How much do you sense, while going through the raw material, if the film might end up a hit?

You do get that sense if there is something unique and compelling. There are two things I keep looking for when I get offered a project, whether from the background materials or from the footage: a universal element that wider audiences can identify with, and a unique angle that makes a film special.

Did you foresee how well Smoke Sauna Sisterhood would be received?

I dared to dream, but not hope. It was June, I had finished two feature films in a row and was ready to start my vacation when the producer called. They had a decent 90 minute cut of the film but were looking for a new approach.

What I saw on the screen had all the elements I was looking for. It was universal, it was unique, it was honest, it was raw. I thought to myself: fuck, I was going to take the summer off! Now I worked through it all because this material was so special.

The original cut had a structure already but had lost some of the organic feel. It didn’t realize all its potential, but all the elements were there. To use an analogy: all the instruments were there, but they didn’t form a band yet.

You have achieved pretty much everything you can in Estonia. What do you dream of now?

In some sense, I’ve come full circle in terms of the things I dreamed about when I was younger. After making my first film I thought I would quit, never make another film. It was such a difficult process, constant confusion. Now this confusion has become a friend, it doesn’t put me down as a person. I’ve actually reached a period of putting together new plans. I try to find new opportunities for myself on an international level – to keep on working with new people. I have also recently partnered up with my fellow editor Jaak Ollino Jun. Together we run the creative film editing service Flowy.

What’s the advice you would give to young editors?

Take your time before you start cutting. Watch your footage and take notes without rushing. You can have the first impression only once, and this is critical knowledge, because you’re taking on the audience’s perspective to make decisions. If you have a lot of material and don’t know where to start the editing process, you don’t have to start from the beginning of the film. Take a couple of key scenes that will definitely be in the film and start from those. You can deal with the beginning of the film much later in the process.

Finally, hold your horses while adding music in the early stages of editing, especially for problem solving purposes. Music is such a strong element that takes over the viewers’ attention and therefore makes any crappy edit “work”. EF

Hendrik Mägar

Graduated from Tallinn University Baltic Film, Media and Arts School in 2015 with Master of Fine Arts degree.

Selected Filmograpy:

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (director Anna Hints, documentary, 2023)

Driving Mum (director Hilmar Oddsson, fiction, 2022)

Brotherhood of Lions (directors Mikk Jürjens, Kaur Kokk, Madis Reimund, documentary, 2022)

A Loss of Something Ever Felt (director Carlos E. Lesmes, documentary, 2020)

Christmas in the Jungle (director Jaak Kilmi, fiction, 2020)

A Year Full of Drama (director Marta Pulk, documentary, 2019)

The Bank TV-series, 2018), Portugal (director Lauri Lagle, fiction, 2018)

The Days that Confused (director Triin Ruumet, fiction, 2016)

Zero Point (director Mihkel Ulk, TV-series, fiction, 2016)