Projection Sequences
By William Dance, Projection Sequences Editor/Producer
One of the key visual and narrative devices that is woven throughout The Empty Mirror is the use of images often, but not always, from films of the Nazi era. The function of the images varies from scene to scene. At times, they simply provide visual context and exposition. At other times, the sequences are more subjective and visually expressive.
Taken as a whole, the projection sequences emerge as an important character in the film, complete with dramatic progression/character arc. As the projection sequences editor, my job was to create this character by re-editing and optically modifying films that were available from places like the National Archives. My first task was to work with the film's creative team, Barry J. Hershey and Jay Roach, to imagine what type or quality of images would appear in each scene. Then I researched for available images, secured the footage, and finally recut it so that it accomplished its purpose, often with some sort of dramatic build within the scene, as well as affective resonance from one scene to the next.
