Christopher Murrie-Green ’95

Christopher Murrie-Green ’95 always loved cinema. Growing up in Joliet, Illinois, he didn’t know if the opportunity to work behind the scenes on movies could be for him. But during his time at Knox, an opportunity to edit video footage helped him find what he wanted to do.

Now a veteran film editor, Murrie-Green’s latest project, Wildwood, is coming out in October from the Oscar-winning Laika Studios.

How did you discover your passion for film editing? Was it something you always wanted to do? Did it come from being involved in the process of creating a film or project?

I have always loved cinema and was enchanted at an early age by a behind-the-scenes documentary about Star Wars. I vividly recall seeing footage of sound designer Ben Burt recording the sounds of laser blasters by banging a wrench against a high-tension steel wire. It was the first time I realized people made these movies for a living. I always dreamed of working on movies, but it seemed well out of reach in suburban Illinois. 

In college, while focusing on creating experimental music, I began playing around with editing video footage together to create a kind of 'score' for a group of musicians to improvise against,  giving each player rules to follow in response to the footage on the screen. I ended up enjoying the editing process more than the music. I had the good fortune to find a job within a couple of years of graduation at a news clipping service. It wasn't the most exciting content, but it got me hundreds of hours of editing under my belt, and the ball just kept rolling from there.

By the early 2000s, I was editing animated commercials at what was then Will Vinton Studios. Commercial work wasn't my favorite, but it was an excellent crucible to polish my skills, get used to collaborative settings, and field creative notes. When the company was reborn as Laika, I had the tremendous good fortune to be part of the founding of the entertainment division. One of my favorite bits of life symmetry was doing the final mix of my first film at Skywalker Ranch and eating lunch at the table next to the very same sound designer, Ben Burt, who inspired me so much as a child.

Who were your biggest influences—not just professionally but also personally?

Just as Star Wars created my awareness of filmmaking as a job, Terry Gilliam's wonderful Brazil was the first film I saw as a young person that expanded my sense of what film was as an art form. Brazil made me see films as having depths of meaning and metaphor that I didn't fully understand as a young child. I found that I had to do work as a viewer—that there were layers to peel away and deeper meanings to unearth. It made me start following individual filmmakers the same way I followed musicians. I suddenly needed to see everything Gilliam did. I started paying close attention to the credits and followed filmmakers' careers as a way to find movies to watch, rather than relying on strictly commercial promotion.

As an artist, I am also very drawn to the musician Frank Zappa. His incredible work ethic and uncompromising vision (warts and all) still inspire me. He created deeply challenging, confrontational, and sometimes transgressive art on his own terms throughout his life. Similarly, my exposure to the punk rock music and skateboarding scenes of the 1980s instilled a deep appreciation for the concepts of DIY. It taught me to make my own art. Make my own fun. Don't wait around for someone to bring you opportunities. Just do it yourself. I took a very DIY/punk rock approach to filmmaking. I didn't go to film school. I wired VCRs together and started figuring it out. 

You have many films to your credit. What is it like seeing something you worked on in front of an audience in a theatre?

It is a tremendously rewarding experience to watch with the public. Oddly enough, however, it is a bonus for me, rather than the ultimate goal. By the time a film is out in the public, I have watched it SO many times over the years that I am usually more relieved to be done than anything. The real meat on the bone for me is the collaborative process during the making. I love breaking down a scene with a director, talking about the character, experimenting with different cuts, and interacting with the animators, composers, and sound designers. The joy is in the making. Screening the finished product is the dessert, but the nourishing meal is in the making.

Your most recent project, Wildwood, is coming out in October. You're the sole editor for this film; what is your process in helping to create a movie? Working in stop-motion animation, how is it different from live action?

Animation editing happens backward compared to live-action films. Since the form is so labor-intensive, we have to plan the film meticulously before we shoot a single frame. As a result, I edit a full version of the film in storyboard form, with all the voices, sound effects, and music roughed in. We try to make this early 'animatic' play as close to the finished film as possible. This lets us iterate and experiment toward a polished, refined final film before we shoot a single frame of animation. It gives me a strong influence on coverage, performances, sound design, etc. I get to be constructive, helping define what will be shot, rather than reactive, building what I can from what was already shot.

At the end of the day though, cinema is cinema. The fundamentals of the art form are largely consistent regardless of technique. A good cut is a good cut, live action or animation. 

You are currently in London for work. What are you working on?

I had the great opportunity to spend about two-and-a-half months total in London, working on the final cut of the film, recording the score, and helping oversee the final sound mix. Attending the score recording was a true life high point. We recorded a full symphony and choir over a week at Air Studios, a church that was converted into a recording studio by the late, great George Martin of The Beatles fame. The sound and music side of things has always been one of my favorite parts of the process, and I always look forward to visiting these incredible facilities.

What were some activities outside the classroom you had at Knox?

I had a radio show at WVKC all four years and spent two years as production manager creating on-air station IDs and engineering live music broadcasts. While it wasn't classwork, I gained a lot of foundational sound design experience at WVKC. I loved that there weren't really any rules. I had a key to the production room and could create whatever I wanted. I also did some sound design and music engineering for some plays as favors for classmates. Looking back, I can see all sorts of threads that lead to where I am now coming from those extracurricular endeavors.

What advice would you give to current students who are considering what they want to do professionally after graduation?

Whatever field you are interested in, don't wait for opportunities. Make them. If you want to learn how to do something, just start doing it in whatever form you can with whatever tools you can find. Embrace failing over and over as a path to refining your skills. Process is more important than product. Be passionate. Be a good collaborator. Listen actively and thoughtfully. Challenge your own expectations. Be persistent.