Q&A Session with Rosanne Tan, ACE Editor
Rosanne Tan, ACE, is a renowned film and television editor, best known for her work on acclaimed series such as Hawkeye, Mr. Robot, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but raised in Los Angeles, CA, Tan has built a successful career in the entertainment industry.
Tan's workflow often includes the use of Boris FX Continuum and Sapphire plugins within her Avid Media Composer environment. These toolsets offer a vast array of visual effects and transitions that seamlessly integrate with Avid software. Her favourite effects include Sapphire’s Glow and Lens Flares for enhancing lighting and atmosphere, Continuum’s Beauty Studio for skin retouching and image enhancement, Boris FX Mocha planar tracking for advanced tracking and rotoscoping within shots, and various transitions and stylized effects from Continuum to add polish and creative look to edits.
Recently, Tan completed editing a Star Wars project titled "Ahsoka" for Lucasfilm. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she worked on Hawkeye, where she utilised BCC and Sapphire effects to create temporary visual effects shots, often in collaboration with first assistant editor, Caroline Wang, and VFX editor, James Houle. For the car chase and bridge sequence, she employed a combination of Chroma Key, Gaussian Blur, and Film Glow to add temporary backgrounds.
Tan's career advice to her younger self is to maintain a work-life balance, exercise to stay healthy, and network whenever possible. If she could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, it would be an esteemed group including Steven Spielberg, Kate Winslet, Denis Villeneuve, Tom Hanks, Kathryn Bigelow, David Fincher, Bong Joon-Ho, Antoine Fuqua, Guillermo Del Toro, Denzel Washington, and George Clooney.
In her downtime, Tan enjoys watching her favourite films and TV series such as The Last Emperor, LA Confidential, Shawshank Redemption, Mad Men, The Pacific, The Wire, and many more. When creative burnout strikes, she takes walks with or without music. A simple keyboard shortcut that Tan cannot live without is Cmd + Z.
For those interested in trying out Continuum and Sapphire, Tan recommends downloading the Boris FX Hub to get free trials of these powerful editing tools. As a professional editor, Tan's expertise and insights can be found in various interviews and tutorials, making her an invaluable resource for aspiring editors looking to refine their skills.
Tan's down time often includes watching movies-and-tv series, demonstrating her deep passion for the entertainment industry. When seeking inspiration, she looks to a league of esteemed artists, including Spielberg, Fincher, and Winslet, who have made significant contributions to the realm of film and television.
