Edward Line is a seasoned editor regularly enlisted by renowned advertising agencies and award-winning directors to communicate and realize their creative ideas through his craft. His work spans many genres and has been recognized by the advertising industry’s most respected award programs including AICP, British Arrows, and CICLOPE. In recent years he has been recruited to edit commercials for beauty brands Covergirl and Sephora who have modernized their marketing campaigns to challenge traditional representations of beauty in advertising by celebrating self-expression and diversity.
Covergirl has long been one of the biggest names in women’s beauty products. In 2017 they rebranded with the “I Am What I Make Up” campaign in a modern approach that celebrates the diversity women have to offer in beauty and age. Since this update, Edward has edited no less than eight commercials for the brand working with director Matt Lambert and advertising agency Droga 5. The commercials featured comedian Issa Rae, pro motorcycle racer Shelina Moroder, model Maye Musk and fitness expert Massy Arias. In one film “The Pick Up” Edward edits comedy actor Issa Rae (of HBO’s hit series Insecure) as she sits at a bar, delivering pick up lines and seemingly waiting for her date. The edit is a series of ‘jump cuts’ - where the action is deliberately cut in a non-linear way to advance through time. Edward relates, “I didn’t have much footage to work with but Issa is supreme talent and every line she delivered was a zinger, so I was spoiled for choice. The idea with this film was to show Issa’s vulnerability and trademark awkwardness as she delivers pick up lines. The style of the film meant that all my edit points in this film were very exposed, so I tried many versions of the sequence before finding one that felt right. There was a lot of trial and error. Once I found the best moments, I had to cut out at exactly the right moment so that the audience could feel the awkwardness while laughing with Issa and not at her. It was a fine balance, but I’m really pleased with the result and even more so as I’m a huge Issa Rae fan!”
The success of Edward and director Matt Lambert’s collaboration was underlined when Edward’s work on the “Focus” spot for Covergirl was recognized with a nomination for Best Editing – Fashion/Beauty at AICP in 2019. For this forty-five second film, Edward skillfully balanced raw footage of fitness trainer Massy Arias in training with quiet moments of solitude and a powerful gymnastic performance on the rings. The edit he crafted accented Massy’s ability to focus and execute the routine and exposed her more contemplative moments, highlighting the duality of her strength and her vulnerability. The message rang loud and clear; wearing makeup isn’t only about how a woman portrays herself to others, it enhances who they already are. Director Lambert attests to his affinity working with Edward noting, “Ed is my favorite editor to work with in LA. I know he has my back and will fight for our vision once I’ve left the room. I also love his attention to detail and drive to follow through on every stage of finishing - making sure sound stays accurate to the frame and never checking out until the final film is delivered. Ed is such a pleasure to work with and it feels like coming home when walking to his suite when I’m back in LA. He’s so driven and his energy to keep pushing and trying new ideas is so needed when I step off an exhausting set.”
Sephora is another international name who embraces diversity. To celebrate the trans and non-binary community, this brand also used the winning creative team of Edward Line and Matt Lambert for their “Identify As We” campaign. The commercial opens with a list of pronouns “They, She, Ze, He, Xe, We,” and then follows a cast which includes Hunter Shafer, Fatima Jamal, and Aaron Philip as they put on make-up, dance, drive, go to the beach, and make-out to the musical backdrop of Shirley Bassey’s “This is My Life.” The production strove to celebrate the cast members lives and was commited to showing an authentic and honest representation of the non-binary community. As a result, the film elicited an overwhelmingly positive response, particularly on social media. Edward relates, “This edit was a joy to work on because I had so much great footage to work with. The challenge in the edit was to give each person their own uncompromising moment, while evoking feelings of pride, joy, and belonging. With this production, I felt part of a movement to challenge traditional presentations of beauty by celebrating the self-expressions of the non-binary community. It remains a very proud moment in my career.” “Identify As We” premiered in movie theaters and was broadcast in Times Square, NY.