Recent Pitt Grad Earns Film Editing Internship in Hollywood

January 28, 2003

PITTSBURGH—John Paul Horstmann, a spring 2002 graduate who earned English and history degrees from the University of Pittsburgh's College of Arts and Sciences, has received an American Cinema Editors (ACE) internship. A native of the Philadelphia area, Horstmann left Pittsburgh Jan. 12 for Los Angeles.

ACE, an honorary society of professional motion picture editors, annually awards a pair of three-week internships to college graduates interested in a career in film editing. Nearly 100 aspiring film editors from around the country applied to the program this year.

In early December, Horstmann traveled to Los Angeles for an interview. While there, he met Richard Marks, film editor for "As Good As It Gets," "Terms of Endearment," "Godfather II," and "Apocalypse Now." Although Marks is not associated with the ACE internship, Horstmann wrote to Marks with the help of Carl Kurlander, a visiting professor in Pitt's Film Studies Program.

"I wrote that I would be out there for the interview, strictly on a long shot that I might have a chance to meet him," said Horstmann. "One day [Marks] just called me up and told me to come down to Fox's studio, where he was working on 'Timeline.' I was surprised by how courteous he was to me, a kid from Pittsburgh. He talked for at least an hour, showing me around the sound stage and answering all my questions."

As part of the ACE internship, Horstmann is shadowing professional film editors and attending lectures and seminars, primarily at Universal Studios. One week each is devoted to observing film editors who specialize in long-form television, episodic films, and feature films.

Horstmann is founder of Pitt's Creation Station, a student-run television station that opened in the spring of 2002. On Jan. 10, before leaving for Hollywood, Horstmann hosted the premier of the Creation Station's first feature production, "Suite Success."

The 40-minute movie starring Pitt student-actors was filmed on campus and produced entirely with Creation Station equipment and talent. A story about the double life of a hotel concierge, the film was made possible through funding from Pitt's Student Government Board and the Honors College.

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