The Queen’s Gambit editor Michelle Tesoro ACE (House of Cards, When They See Us) first collaborated with writer/director Scott Frank in 2017 for his series, Godless. In fact, The Queen’s Gambit also reunites Michelle with fellow Godless alums Wylie Stateman (sound designer) and Steven Meizler (cinematographer). The fusion of their collective talents has resulted in a critically acclaimed series that stormed its way into the Top 10 on Netflix.
The Queen’s Gambit is adapted from the Walter Tevis novel of the same name, released back in 1983. It follows the journey of Beth Harmon, a young girl who was orphaned at the tender age of nine. While awaiting adoption at the orphanage, she develops a passion for chess and an addiction to tranquilizers; both tapping into an inner genius that propelled her into the world of competitive chess as a teen and then young adult. Thanks in large part to Michelle’s graceful sense of storytelling, this drama unfolds with brilliantly balanced pacing, while maximizing Frank’s fantastic writing and a career making performance from actor, Anya Taylor-Joy.
In this episode of The Rough Cut, Michelle talks with us about:
- compressing time while keeping the emotional beats
- developing discrete visual styles for the different chess matches
- cutting dialogue that’s purposefully hard to hear
- working within a “oner”
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