COM senior recognized by ACE editors for film

College of Communication senior Sofi Marshall’s dedication to film shows no bounds, friends said after she was nominated for a national film editing award.

‘She loves movies,’ COM senior Dan Schoenbrun said. ‘She’s all about movies. She’ll even stay in on weekends to edit them.’

Marshall’s dedication paid off this year when she was selected from over 100 applicants as a finalist for an American Cinema Editors Eddie award for student film editing in Los Angeles.

‘I’m very excited and honored to be one of the three student finalists,’ Marshall said in a Feb. 16 email, the day after the awards ceremony in Los Angeles. ‘It’s always great to be recognized for something you’ve done because it gives you a sense of confidence in your work.

Though Marshall was a finalist for Student Editor of the Year, American Film Institute student Junna Xiao won the award, which was presented at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Hollywood on Sunday. Xiao and Marshall competed using footage from the NBC television show ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.’

‘I think that being nominated says that my work is recognized as professional quality, which is a great compliment,’ Marshall said. ‘I think that having this mindset helps bring a higher level of professionalism to my work.’

ACE spokesperson Lea Yardum said BU students have competed for the award in the past. Marshall was one of three finalists in the country, which ‘signifies that they’re the three best film editors in the country,’ Yardum said.

Marshall attributed her success to her friends and teachers.

‘I’ve gotten a lot out of the classes I’ve taken over the years, and have had a chance to work on a lot of fun and challenging projects,’ she said. ‘My friends and teachers have both helped me a great deal.’

ACE, an honorary society of film editors, is quick to recognize talent among editors, Yardum said.

‘People are very active within the society, and they have natural instincts for editing,’ she said. ‘Every editor in the country knows about ACE.’

Editors have an important role in the end product of a film, Yardum said.

‘I once heard that a film is written three times, once as a screenplay, once through the direction and once through the editing,’ she said. ‘It shapes the mood of whatever you’re watching.’

The student ACE competition is particularly good at launching new talent, Yardum said. The competition challenges students to edit raw footage provided by the ACE into a scene. Byron Smith, editor of the 2006 film ‘Running With Scissors,’ won the student award in 2001.

‘It’s good to have on a resume, particularly because there aren’t many competitions like this one,’ Yardum said.

COM senior Eric Shahinian, a friend of Marshall’s, said he thinks Marshall’s recognition was ‘amazing.’

‘I’ve known her since eighth grade, and we all made movies throughout high school, and she practiced and did really well for herself,’ he said.

Schoenbrun said the nomination is the perfect materialization of Marshall’s hard work.

‘It shows how dedicated she is,’ he said. ‘She applied for this competition on her own, and it shows her drive to edit.”