Links about Captain Marvel editor Debbie Berman

[snickfic]

Carol & Maria’s Friendship In ‘Captain Marvel’ Is The Heart Of The Movie Because Of Editor Debbie Berman (Bustle). This one has some neat stuff on not just the story development of Carol and Maria's friendship in the movie, but also the filming of specific scenes. Also talks about Berman's efforts to help get other, less experienced female editors work on the movie. Berman previously worked on Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther.

'Captain Marvel' Editor Reveals How Carol's Journey Originally Ended (ET). This interview touches on a bunch of topics related to Berman's work on the film, but in particular,

I did actually suggest some tweaks to the ending of this film. It used to end with Carol flying off into space alone, and I found that a bit jarring. Like, where exactly was she going? And what was she doing? It felt like we needed a stronger visual to assert a more specific justification for her leaving and disappearing for so many years. So we added Talos and his family in their spaceship waiting for her, and they all fly off together. It gave her more of a sense of purpose and made it easier to believe that she left her newfound life on Earth because she was with a friend we knew she cared about, and for a more specific mission. It gave more resonance and closure to her final moment in the film.

WOW, that is... quite different! I'll be honest, Talos's reunion with his family is the bit of this movie that got to me most on an emotional level, and it's hard for me to even imagine the movie without it. I also agree with Berman that the movie really needed that additional motivation for Carol to go sailing off into space after just rediscovering who she is.

Comments

[sholio]

Hmm, maybe I'm misreading, but from the article I don't get the impression that the Talos subplot wasn't there at all, just that they didn't come back into the movie at the end in that particular way - basically I think they're talking about adding that shot where we see the spaceship again, so it's clear that Carol goes off with them rather than flying off alone. I might be misunderstanding, though.

It's a really interesting read, though - thanks for the link!

[snickfic]

You know, upon my second read I think you're right. I do think that strengthened the shot, in any case. And you're welcome!

[kore]

It's extra awesome because Carol has BECOME the lightspeed engine, at least that was what I got. Not just a weapon!

[snickfic]

Oh wow. That is an angle I hadn't even thought of, but it makes so much sense!

[kore]

I really like it, because so much of the MCU is about weaponizing the heroes (Steve's body is a weapon, Tony's being Iron Man is more about the suits and combat, the emphasis is on Nat as a fighter and less of a spy, they even turned Falcon's Redwing into a DRONE, &c &c....). I mean, I get a lot of this is because Yay Awesome Fight Scenes, but it's just nice to see powers that aren't necessarily just for fights.

(Like, in the comics Wanda's powers are never clear, especially when they got retconned as "Whoo magik!! XD", but in MCU she seems more like a version of Vision: she flies! she shoots glowy blasts!)

[kore]

YAY more female editors getting bigger roles!

Man, I read that and was like "They had Carol just LEAVING?" That didn't seem right at all to me (even if Carol's baby and her babymama were not explicit). I did love the exchange with her and Talos, where she says how sorry she is and looks heartbroken, and he says something like, "My hands are filthy with war too, but we're here now, and you found my family for me." That was a pretty amazing exchange for a superhero movie. But yeah, it did feel like they needed some big thing to push her back away from her newfound home/family. From what I recall Carol is canonically Bad at Feelings, though, heh.

(I admit I was totally hoping for an ending where the Skrulls settle in on earth and they and Carol both try to adjust, but then everything would be different, heh. I do think the future of MCU might have Carol setting up SWORD or some equivalent, or at least I hope so. Poor Earth.)

Debbie Berman: There is actually a section that has always felt like the heart of the film to me, and that is when we are in Louisiana meeting Maria (Lashana Lynch) and Monica (Akira Akbar). We’ve just come out of an action sequence, and there is a scene where she sits with her old friend, Maria, to try and discover her past. The film slows down, and you can feel that connection between the two of them. It always reminds me of that moment when there is a friend that perhaps you didn't speak to for a few years, and then when you connect again, it's like not a second has passed and you pick up exactly where you left off. And even though Carol doesn't necessarily recall this friendship, it has that feeling, and the chemistry reasserts itself almost instantly and you can see that the foundation of that love and friendship is still there.

//just cries

Those scenes with Maria were so lovely. That really should be a breakout part for Lashana Lynch, the way TWS was for Mackie.

There were many full scenes shot for that section

I saw BTS footage of them shooting the karaoke scene and Carol in training and at their graduation! I really hope some of that's on the DVD. It sounds like what they did with TIH a while back -- the actors got to do some work together and the editors boiled the scenes down so you get super-condensed backstory in a few minutes. It's an interesting method, especially for these movies.

and then I was totally sidetracked https://www.etonline.com/gallery/the-women-of-marvel-look-amazing-on-the-red-carpet-119413

[snickfic]

I did love the exchange with her and Talos, where she says how sorry she is and looks heartbroken, and he says something like, "My hands are filthy with war too, but we're here now, and you found my family for me."

That line KILLS. ME. Gosh.

Lashana Lynch was just fantastic, and I would love to see her a whole bunch more, although I worry that the chronology problem is going to win against her general awesomeness.

I saw BTS footage of them shooting the karaoke scene and Carol in training and at their graduation! I really hope some of that's on the DVD.

Oh wow, that sounds fantastic! Fingers crossed.

[kore]

I worry that the chronology problem is going to win against her general awesomeness.

YEAH, ME TOO. Don't kill Maria off in the sequel, MCU! I want Captain Monica, but let us have her still-awesome older mum!