Cutters’ Rubin & Regan win AICE Camp K Grand Prizes

Corks are popping at Cutters and toasts are being made in honor of assistant editor David Rubin and assistant audio mixer Mike Regan who won two out of the three Grand Prizes at the 2015 AICE international Camp Kuleshov competition.

Rubin and Regan’s winning entries in last October’s Chicago Camp Kuleshov trailer editing contest for assistant directors, audio mixers, graphic designers and effects artists, were automatically entered into AICE’s first International Camp Kuleshov.

“We are all so proud of David and Mike,” says an elated Craig Duncan, Cutters EP and president of AICE’s international board.  “They competed against 170 entries from the best up-and-coming talent in AICE member companies in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit and Texas.”

Says juror Chris Franklin, editor at Big Sky, New York: “I think I can speak for the entire Camp K Curatorial Committee in saying that all three winners displayed a great maturity of craft. We’re really proud of their work.”

David Rubin, editing Grand Prize winnerRubin’s Grand Prize in the Editing Category was awarded for “A Life Exposed: Behind Steve Zissou,” his documentary version of the Wes Anderson film, “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.”

“This is an incredible honor and it’s pretty amazing that it’s happening so early in my career,” says Rubin, 25, a media and film studies graduate of the University of Illinois/Champaign.  Cutters brought him aboard as an intern in January, 2014 and in September he became a full-time assistant editor.

Mike Regan, of Cutters’ Another Country sound division, won his Audio category Grand Prize for creating a new sound design track for the dramatic opening scene of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Regan, 31, a Columbia College grad, with a degree in audio design and production, worked at several smaller audio companies before joining Another Country in June, 2013.  Also surprised and thrilled about the AICE honor, he says, “I consider myself extremely fortunate to be surrounded by talented people and to be inspired by them.”

Mike Regan, Grand Prize for audio

Winner of the Grand Prize for Graphic Design was Michael Marciano of P.S. 260, New York who created an original title sequence for the quirky David Lynch film “Eraserhead.”

For any Camp Kuleshov entry to rise to the top, says juror Craig Lewandowski, editor/partner at Utopic, “It not only has to be unique and well thought-out, but it also has to be equally well-executed. That was certainly the case with each of our winners.

“It says something that the winning editorial piece stood out among its competition, given how great they all were.”

“The pacing, the titles, the graphics, the photos, the color, the audio mix and the music choices — they all blend perfectly to sell this as a documentary I’d very much like to see.”

Rubin, Regan and Marciano and Regan each will be presented with an iMac, donated by Avid resellers.

They also will be saluted at the 2016 AICE Awards presentation in Chicago.

Says juror Chris Franklin, editor at Big Sky, New York: “I think I can speak for the entire Camp K Curatorial Committee in saying that all three winners displayed a great maturity of craft. We’re really proud of their work.”

See all the 2015 Camp Kuleshov chapter winners here.