Caylen Greenberg edits the life of bodybuilder Tony Pearson in new documentary
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts student Caylen Greenberg (center) sat down with The Panther to discuss how she became the co-editor on the feature documentary “Driven: The Tony Pearson Story.” The film follows Pearson’s (left) life and career, and it was directed by Andrew Menjivar (right), who also co-produced the film. Photos courtesy of Caylen Greenberg
For Caylen Greenberg, a career in filmmaking was always in the cards.
The senior broadcast journalism and documentary major grew up immersed in the world of technology, finding herself playing with cameras and computers at a young age. She developed her passion for editing by crafting self-made Club Penguin music videos.
“Kinda funny, but the truth is the way that I got into editing specifically was I would edit Club Penguin music videos on Windows Movie Maker, the OG, with the awful transitions, rainbow effects and all that,” Greenberg told The Panther. “I just really liked with editing how you could kind of form your own story just on the computer.”
The chance to form another story came when Greenberg, through an internship-turned-job at KHTS news station, was offered a chance to co-edit a feature documentary titled “Driven: The Tony Pearson Story.” The project focuses on the life and career of bodybuilder Tony Pearson as he looks back upon his biggest obstacles and accomplishments.
Greenberg was given the opportunity by Andrew Menjivar, the documentary’s director, cinematographer and producer, who was willing to offer her the position after he took notice of her editing skills at KHTS.
“She was probably one of the best editing interns that I’ve ever had come through these doors,” Menjivar told The Panther. “When I bring in interns, I run them through some practice projects, and usually, it takes that intern about an entire week to run through all those practice projects. Caylen went through them in about a day.”
The opportunity to work as the finishing editor for “Driven: The Tony Pearson Story” came about after she co-edited the film. Greenberg has been interested in filmmaking ever since she was little, when she would edit Club Penguin music videos.
Initially feeling that she may not know enough about bodybuilding, Greenberg learned about the true focus of the film — Pearson’s life — while editing it. Given general creative guidelines by Menjivar, she was allowed, for the most part, to edit her portion of the film as she saw fit. She later became the film’s finishing editor, touching up aspects of the entire edited documentary.
It was this creative freedom that Greenberg identified as the biggest difference she experienced between professional projects and student-run productions. Working in the film’s post-production department, Greenberg discussed the flexibility offered by Menjivar.
“It’s true, it helped a lot that our director just kind of set a deadline and had trust in us to meet it,” Greenberg said. “And we always did meet it. Even if it was, like, cramming for 18 hours the night before, we would still make the deadline.”
For Greenberg, a typical editing session can sometimes span incredibly long hours — often spurred by random bursts of inspiration.
“I built my computer for editing, so I sit in the corner of my room, on my PC, with (Adobe Premiere) open.” Greenberg said. “You have to have a Diet Coke and whatever food for the day…Sometimes I’ll just be lying in bed and something clicks in my head, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I wanna edit right now! I have an idea!’ Then I’ll go sit on the computer, and I’m there for 12 hours.”
Adjunct professor Derek Helwig, who works in Dodge’s documentary department, spoke on Greenberg’s editing skills, admiring her ability to construct a narrative based on the way she crafts her pieces.
“You can tell her projects just flowed very well together,” Helwig told The Panther. “The storytelling was fantastic, and obviously, an edit makes a big part of that.”
Mixing the film’s audio took place in Chapman’s own Marion Knott Studios.
Helwig stressed the importance of viewing your Dodge peers not as competition, but as collaborative resources you can learn from. Citing Greenberg’s accomplishment as an example, he discussed the importance of one needing to be willing to learn from others’ experiences.
“Everyone comes from a different experience, and I think one of the biggest things is to act like you’ve been there before even if you haven’t been. I think Caylen really did a good job of that, of going in eyes wide open, but at the same time, getting that experience and now she can share that with other people too.”
Greenberg’s own advice for her fellow peers in the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is a statement that the student body has probably heard innumerable times before, yet it serves as her key to success.
“You hear this a lot, but it’s true; say yes to every opportunity you can fit into your schedule,” Greenberg said. “In my case, this journey started as a small internship for community college credit. I had no idea it would blossom into something like this. But above that, always be respectful and kind to everyone around you. Even when things get tough, and the world around you seems dark, stay compassionate and be the light — that will get you noticed more than any other skill."
“Driven: The Tony Pearson Story” is currently available for pre-order on Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play and Vimeo on Demand and is set to be released on Oct. 6. A preview clip of the documentary can be viewed at generationiron.com or on the production company’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.
