Author: Christine Margaret Dodge
The human element of Netflix’s hit sci-fi thriller “The Three-Body Problem” helps viewers understand its gripping and technologically advanced content. It’s also helped Emmy-nominated picture editor Michael Ruscio (ACE) succeed as his craft continues to respond to its own craft and technological changes over the past three decades.
Showrunners David Benioff, DB Weiss and Alexander Woo began developing the series in 2019. , Benioff and Weiss became interested in creating a radically different and challenging project in a new way. Ruscio had previously worked with Woo on True Blood, so the opportunity came to join the post-production team (along with editor Anna Hauger) in June 2022, when it became apparent that the project would require four editors.
The show’s title comes from Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin’s 2008 novel “The Three-Body Problem” and the physics principle of the same name: When three celestial bodies (planets, stars, or suns) of similar mass are in the same location, in close proximity – and therefore exert forces on each other – The “three-body problem” arises, and usually it is easier to predict the rotation of an object when two objects exert forces on each other.
The play focuses on how the fate of a young woman in China in the 1960s affects the present day across time and space. Aside from the more epic elements of the story—the vast, sprawling environments of the virtual reality world, the threat of alien invaders known as San-Ti, the ominous countdown that can inexplicably extend beyond one’s field of vision—it’s a simple, A down to earth story.
Russio said the different characters in the play reflect the emotions of those behind the scenes.
“I think all three producers are very different,” he added. “this [trilogy of Cixin’s] The books are really scientific and they adapted the first book so there is a human element to it. They invented ‘The Oxford Five’ so we knew right away that the show had to be accessible and not based on ridiculous science.
This balancing act of human and scientific elements is perhaps best exemplified in Season 1’s epic fifth episode, “Judgment Day,” for which Russio was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. On a top-secret mission that puts humanity’s global civilization at risk, chaos ensues and humanity must act decisively and quickly to survive as the aliens announce their presence to the world in one chilling move the existence—— The supertanker and its passengers are sliced into pieces by Tomoko.
With Sophon, a tiny proton-sized supercomputer invented by the show’s alien race, three-body) Rucio said everything was explained on the page. Still, collaboration with the sound design and visual effects teams was crucial to effectively capturing the story.
“Everything is described: This proton splits and then becomes one,” he said. “We went through various visual effects pipelines, designed certain shots and realized, you know what? We don’t really need that. We just need the tail. So, we always work very closely with visual effects. I think, just This is very unique to me in terms of the intimacy of this collaboration.
In his early days as an assistant editor, Rossio explained that while assisting Dennis Wickler on the submarine spy thriller The Hunt for Red October (1990), they used Lucas Industrial Light & Magic lenses to shoot the submarines , ships and everything else. Collaboration today happens more quickly and instantly.
“My assistant editor John Haggar and I would go back and forth to Industrial Light and Magic and basically put the shots in,” he said. “In this case with The Three-Body Problem, though, we were on set — we had weekly VFX meetings, and sometimes I would direct them with VFX and chyron, and then they would sometimes direct me. We are Shooting this shot, I want the latest footage to be inserted into the edit and sometimes they may talk to the producers individually and I need to have an agency on top of that. [actual and proverbial] Ships – Keep them as up to date as possible. Current cuts are no longer just a phrase.
solve problems
Russio began his editing career working on films with indie mavericks Allen Rudolph and Robert Altman. He enjoys editing some of the top drama shows of the past 20 years, including The Sopranos and House of Cards as well as The Last of Us and The Last of Us. He collaborated with his late friend and colleague, editor Sue Blainey, on Six Feet Under.
The first season of The Three-Body Problem received rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. Netflix recently announced that seasons two and three are on the way, and Russio hopes to rejoin the talented team of storytellers to continue telling the saga together in the editing room.
At the same time, he is committed to continuing to mentor the next generation of editors, both formally and informally (he created a workshop on the art of editing for the American Film Institute, and he also teaches at the Los Angeles Film Academy). His advice to emerging editors is to immerse yourself in the process—and importantly, always find a way.
“It’s like improv and you’re like, ‘Yeah, and then…’: that’s what my editor is now,” he explains. “I’ve taught this idea to my assistants. Sometimes when they start, they say, ‘Well, we really don’t have this’ or ‘I really can’t do that,’ but I tell them: We There has to be a way to tell the story this way, and your ability as an editor is to be able to say, “Okay, what if I steal this shot? ” or “Maybe if I do this, or even if I reverse it,” or “What tools do I have in my bag? “How can I express that vision while still giving it some kind of editorial and architectural integrity and keeping both of those evolving?”
It won’t be easy, he said, but if successful, it will be incredibly rewarding.
So how do you navigate a creative world increasingly influenced by external forces such as artificial intelligence? “Find an editor who can really guide you,” says Rucio. “Some people will, and some people have different philosophies about it; so align yourself with those who can help you achieve your goals. Learn and grow as much as you can—and there’s always a way.
