Between Two Ferns: The Movie

I edited Between Two Ferns: The Movie for Netflix.

It stars Zach Galifianakis, Matthew McConaughey, Will Ferrell, Brie Larson, Hailee Steinfeld, Lauren Lapkus, Keanu Reeves, Paul Rudd, Peter Dinklage, Phoebe Bridgers, David Letterman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Awkwafina, Tessa Thompson, John Legend, Gal Gadot, Adam Scott, John Jamm, Tiffany Haddish, and a lot more. Scott Aukerman (star and creator of Comedy Bang! Bang!) wrote and directed.

Here’s a TRAILER, which I did not edit:

And here’s the FULL MOVIE, which I did edit:

I was a fan of Zach Galifianakis’ celebrity interview show Between Two Ferns since around 2008 when it was first uploaded to the comedy website Funny or Die.

In 2012 I started editing on Comedy Bang! Bang! with a team of talented editors who also did their own VFX and voice overs. While I edited seasons 2 through 5 of Comedy Bang! Bang!, Aukerman continued to write and direct Between Two Ferns on the side. After Comedy Bang! Bang! completed its final season I was available to edit an episode of Between Two Ferns. Here’s that episode, which features comedian Jerry Seinfeld and rapper Cardi B.

Then Netflix hired Aukerman and Galifianakis to make a feature length movie based on the show, and I got to edit it.

It was a truly improvised mockumentary film like Spinal Tap or Best in Show. The film’s script was more like an outline. Actors improvised the bulk of each scene. The celebrity interviews were modular, and could be placed almost anywhere within the movie. In fact, a lot of the film was modular, meaning scenes could be rearranged or repurposed in the edit. Production shot for several weeks, then paused for several weeks while we moulded the story in the edit bay. Then the director, the other editor, and I created more scenes to be shot, and production went and shot those.

My favorite scenes that I edited are the intro with Matthew McConaughey and the flood scene, where McConaughey dies (temporarily).

The movie was a lot of hard work, and we had lots of test screenings to make sure the laughs landed. The results are over-the-top fun.

Here are a bunch of extended interviews from the movie. These were group efforts with the other editor, two assistant editors, and I (and of course director Scott Aukerman). Then I did the final edits. They are perfectly good Between Two Ferns episodes on their own and deserve to be taught in film and journalism schools.

Here are some reviews, ranging from mediocre to great!

The Hollywood Reporter / Variety / Vulture / NPR / CNN / Chicago Sun-Times