Babylon


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Editor – Tom Cross, ACE

BABYLON editor Tom Cross, ACE first really made a name for himself working alongside director Damien Chazelle on their breakout film, WHIPLASH (2014).  Among the many accolades garnered by the film was Cross’s Oscar® win for Best Film Editing.  Chazelle and Cross would follow that up with another hit movie, LA LA LAND (2016), for which Cross was again nominated for an Oscar®.  The two would team up yet again for FIRST MAN (2018), a biopic about astronaut Neil Armstrong.  Prior to rejoining Chazelle for BABYLON, Cross collaborated with editor Elliot Graham ACE to cut Daniel Craig’s final turn as James Bond in, NO TIME TO DIE (2021).

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, BABYLON features an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Tobey Maguire and Li Jun Li. Its plot chronicles the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in the late 1920’s when Hollywood was transitioning from silent films to “talkies”.

Editing BABYLON

In our discussion with BABYLON editor Tom Cross, ACE we talk about:

  • The actual workload of oners
  • The science of silence
  • The tightly integrated process between Tom and composer Justin Hurwitz
  • SuperGroups for mastering musicals
  • Tom’s taste in toppings

The Credits

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Hear Tom Cross discuss cutting NO TIME TO DIE

Check out Tom’s Rough Cut interview about Damien Chazelle’s FIRST MAN

Watch Tom give a guided Timeline Tour of his edit of FIRST MAN

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