John Soh

In his nearly two-and-a-half-hour interview, John Soh discusses his early years in South Korea, where he developed an interest in American films. He talks about moving to the United States and attending Chapman College, where a professor noticed his talents and encouraged him to transfer to UCLA film school. He talks about learning the craft of editing, and his concurrent jobs at F. K. Rockett Co. He discusses joining Wolper Productions, where he edited many of David Wolper's documentary series. He then discusses his long-term association with Jacques Cousteau's television specials. He describes editing the first programs, coming up with concepts, and sorting through the huge volume of film the crews created. He also discusses his work on the filmed documentary The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971), which won an Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature. Other projects he discusses are The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and Hiroshima. In conclusion, Soh discusses the art and craft of editing, his overall philosophy of telling a story through editing, and the honor of receiving the ACE 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award. Karen Herman conducted the interview in a joint venture with American Cinema Editors (ACE) on February 17, 2007 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, CA.