No Good Deed, the newest Liz Feldman show, is a dark comedy series that, over eight half-hour episodes, follows three very different families as they race to buy the same 1920s Spanish-style villa that they think will solve all their problems.
Liz Feldman previously created Dead to Me, another comedy circling around death, on which she and editor Nicole Brik first worked together and established shorthand that led to their incredible collaboration on No Good Deed on which Nicole edited the majority of episodes.
We were excited to sit down with Nicole to talk about her editing process.
As Nicole edited the pilot, she established the unique tone of the show that mixes comedy, drama, and suspense by selecting a perfect blend of takes and music choices. She also introduced the house as a character in itself through incorporated shots of the bones of the house as transition devices to emphasize the importance the property plays in the show.
Let’s dive into the interview!
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No Film School: This is your second time working with Liz Feldman. Can you share more about your working relationship and what your reaction was to learning about the show and reading the scripts?
Nicole Brik: Yes, I have worked with Liz on all 3 seasons of Dead to Me. Our sensibilities were pretty aligned from the start so that paved the way for an easy collaborative relationship. There’s a musicality in the editing that I appreciate and enjoy doing. I do my best to deliver a solid cut, so when it comes to working with each other, there’s a great foundation to work off of. I learned about No Good Deed when we were working on the third season of Dead to Me. She gave me a synopsis, but honestly, I would work on any of her shows. All of her scripts are page-turners. They’re funny, they’re dark, and they have heart. There’s nothing better than that.
NFS: What was your day-to-day working on No Good Deed and any challenges the show presented?
NB: I always love checking in with my Assistant Editor first thing in the morning. I like to know what my day looks like, so I’m always asking how much footage we’ve received and if there’s anything I need to be privy to, anything flagged from set, etc. Pretty standard stuff. If I had any scenes leftover from the previous day, I’d work on those first unless there’s something I want to look at immediately from the new dailies. Fortunately, there weren’t any major challenges on the show. We had a very solid editorial and post team. The show was in great hands.
NFS: The show has a great tone that balances death and suspense with comedy, can you walk us through balancing the two? Was there a scene where that balance was especially tricky, and how did you resolve it?
NB: Previously working on Dead to Me, I knew it was going to be challenging to balance the dark with comedy. The goal was to keep the comedy and drama as grounded and real as possible. The show itself deals with a heavy topic of loss and grief, but we certainly didn’t want to shy away from the comedy. For example, in the kitchen scene in the pilot, Paul tells Lydia that a developer wants to buy their house, and they start to argue about it. Lydia frustratingly grabs the knife she used to chop mushrooms and comes towards Paul, waving it around, and he tells her to put it down. There’s banter between them at this moment, which is quite funny, but they’re still arguing. Another example is at the end of episode three when Paul comes home from jail after a cocaine-infused outing with Greg (the realtor), and Lydia casually tells Paul, “I killed your brother”. We reprise Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive” as our cue, which is led by a head reaction from Paul. This is going back to the musicality note I mentioned before…all the edits match the music. It serves the comedy.
‘No Good Deed’Credit: Netflix
NFS: The blinking lights help us blur the lines between past and present. Was that scripted? Could you talk a little more about that, and how did you utilize that element?
NB: The flashing lights motif was not scripted; it was discovered during editing. The original concept was to hard-match cut between the past and present, which would have been distinguished by the different color temperatures of the shots. The first time we use this motif is in episode 2. The flashing lights were inspired by the scene in the pilot when Lydia is leaving Jacob a voicemail, and we just learned (SPOILER ALERT) that he died in the house. The lights flashed in his bedroom, and Lydia believed that he was communicating with her. The flashing lights motif essentially keeps Jacob’s presence in the house as we go from past to present in every episode.
NFS: Did you have a favorite scene or episode to edit, and why?
NB: I have so many that I absolutely love, but if I were to pick one off the top of my head, I’d say the montage in episode 7 when Paul reads the letter from Dennis. It is the first time we see Paul emoting sadness, especially as he’s painting over the height markers on the door frame. Him reading the letter leads to a montage with parallel actions to the words. Finally, when we reach Lydia, arriving back at the house, we’re with her, looking at the various parts of the house with specific memories as they fade, like the mantle, little Jacob at the piano, and her kids (now older) being playful with each other. This Lydia beat wasn’t intended to include fades. They were originally designed as cutaways, but I made an editorial decision to include fading from past to present because it had more of an emotional impact. They shot the frames similarly enough that with some help with VFX, we were able to align things correctly.
NFS: Do you have any advice for aspiring editors? Is there anything that you wish you had known earlier?
NB: If you’re just starting out in the business, you will most likely be an assistant editor. Be proactive in everything you do and have a great attitude. Having that foundation sets you up for success when you become an editor. Half the job is knowing how to work with people; the other is creative. Don’t wait around for people to give you opportunities…go out and get them.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
