Richard Smither edited block one (episodes 1-4) of series one of ‘Alex Rider' in 2019. I was the producer on the show.

 

Although the show wasn’t particularly complex from a purely narrative point of view, putting it together was not straightforward as the aim was to make a show for kids that would also satisfy an adult audience. This made the task of finding the right tone for the show that much more complex. Richard understood this from the outset and contributed greatly to the process of arriving at the right storytelling register for our diverse audience - telling the story with style and pace and a sense of fun, while also making sure that the darker and more sophisticated moments landed properly.

 

Richard’s task was made more difficult by the fact that his director was also an editor, with strong views on how the show should be cut; views which, moreover, didn’t always chime with the equally forceful views of our exec producers. Richard navigated this situation with aplomb and delivered four strong episodes while managing to remain friends with everybody.

 

I’m sure Richard will go on to do excellent work in the future, and I’d be happy to work with him again.

 

Mat Chaplin

Producer, ‘Alex Rider’ (series one)

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"I would describe Richard as the director’s dream. He approaches film making and story telling with a true passion. This translates into his extremely high levels of commitment, loyalty and creative output. His understanding of structure, pace, sound, character and emotion bring out the best in material. He is upfront with his ideas and feedback, but never invasive. He is always willing to listen to feedback himself - first and foremost Richard is a collaborator. He is hugely respectful of the director’s vision and absorbs himself in it - getting to the source of what it is you are working to create. His cutting of action and drama are equally as adept. On my film CLOSE (Netflix Original - Noomi Rapace, Sophie Nelissee, Indira Varma) I needed the character and relationships to drive the action. Not one to dominate over the other. I wanted to bring raw original action  to the screen featuring female protagonists but for these sequences to also resonate on an emotional level. So the audience would engage fully with the tension and drama behind the set pieces. Richard completely understood that. He has great instincts and is also extremely effective under deadlines and pressure without sacrificing quality. For me I have found a kindred spirit who I intend to work with and trust for the rest of my career. He has integrity, huge talent and first and foremost he cares deeply about the material he works with."

 

Vicky Jewson - Director - CLOSE

 

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"Richard is an excellent editor. Having worked with him on only one film I can see he has enormous talent. He thinks deeply about story and character and is always searching for the right meaning to a scene. He understands films as a structure. He also knows and understands how to cut action, which for me was a huge plus. He can cut quick and works very well with the director. He knows films too, so there can be shorthand dialogue in reference to the film he's working on. He'll always be looking for a creative solution to the challenges editing throws up. He is diligent and hard working and dedicated. He also has a great personality and is fun to be around, especially when you're working intensely in a darkened room with someone for months on end."

 

Matt Hope - Director - ALL THE DEVILS MEN

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"Richard edited my feature film Await Further Instructions recently. I really cannot praise him enough. Its been a pure joy working with him! He's a editor that truly knows his craft, his honesty and knowledge of storytelling have elevated the film beyond what I had even hoped for. He was a real find and I'm extremely pleased we got him on board. He was passionate about the project and was always working tirelessly to deliver the best film possible, which he always did. Any director would find it an asset to bring Richard on their film."

 

Johnny Kevorkian - Director - AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

(info@johnnykevorkian.com)

 

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"Richard was a great collaborator on 'Await Further Instructions'. He assembled throughout our shoot, giving us a great idea of where the material was heading. He was really valuable in flagging missing shots and other issues during shooting, meaning we could get our pickups as we went.

 

Once we hit the edit, Richard very successfully took a birds-eye-view of the story and was adamant about getting the story structure and emotional through-lines nailed before moving onto fine tuning. Once it came to test screening, this work proved essential in holding an audience's attention for 90 minutes, even with lots of missing VFX shots and no sound mix. 

 

Richard is a good all-rounder who understands enough of the basics of VFX, sound design and music that he can knock up lots of quick temps to help trial various ideas along the way. This saved us time and money, and reduced the amount of time we needed our assistant editor. I can highly recommend him, and would work with him again."

 

Jack Tarling, Producer, 'Await Further Instructions'

 

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"It was an absolute pleasure to work with Richard Smither on the new season of MTV Shuga which was shot in Lagos Nigeria. From the early assembles through to viewing and fine cutting, Richard engaged with the characters and the environment very quickly which meant he handled the material with sensitivity and complete dedication. He is a real team player and takes notes very well and regularly went above and beyond what was expected of him. There is no doubt that Richard made key contributions especially during fine cut that helped us navigate some of the trickier scenes in the series. The passion he has for his craft is manifest and I would be thrilled to work with him again."  

 

Richard Warburton

Creative Director

MTV SHUGA - Season 4

 

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"Richard did an excellent job producing the early cuts, handling the material with sensitivity and dedication and paying particular attention to performance. With all eyes focused on these first assemblies he calmly and efficiently found our way into the series. He always had an interesting take on the material and offered many intelligent thoughts on our progress.
I would be very pleased to work with him again."

 

Best wishes.
Radford Neville.
Producer 'The Game'.

 

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"Richard offered an incredible amount of experience, patience and reliability to a post-prodcution schedule that relied on personal motivation with strong and patient work ethics due to budget restrictions. Richard worked above and beyond what was asked for him and his passion in the film as well as editing was quite clear. His eye for how the story developed and understanding of the balance of characters and their emotions was pivotal in allowing the film to flow as we wanted. I had faith in leaving a scene in his hands after a quick briefing session. I have no hesitation at all in recommending his work to others."

 

Jamie Thomson

Director 'The Lost Choices'

 

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"After polishing off a few small scenes, and showing his ability to take notes and run with them, Richard took over what turned out to be one of the larger set pieces of the film, a vicious bare knuckle fight involving Joseph Fiennes and a large baying crowd.  He worked both with the director, and alone, and managed to elevate the scene from a by-the-numbers stunt sequence into a gloriously depraved scene which I’d be happy to claim as one of my own.

 

Richard really is a great asset for any production to acquire, and I have great hopes that he will very soon be trusted to show his stuff on a drama. I have no doubt that he is a very fine editor in the making."

 

 

Joe Walker

Oscar Nominated Editor of Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario, 12 Years a Slave, Shame, Hunger, The Escapist

 

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"I’ve worked with Richard three times now and on THE ESCAPIST he served as Assembly Editor – the film has recently been selected for Sundance where it will premiere in January. On both THE ESCAPIST and my other production THE BAKER he has worked on cutting particular sequences in both films and he has impressed me by his instincts for story and pace. I’m sure he will before long be an extremely good editor in his own right. If the opportunity arose for him to edit an episode for you I’m sure you will be as impressed with him as I have been."

 

ADRIAN STURGES

Producer of Albatross, The Escapist, The Baker