EUGENE, Ore.-(May 5, 2009)-Joe Hutshing moved to Los Angeles after college for the same reason many young people move to L.A.- to work in the film industry. Fresh from the University of Oregon, the fine arts major hadn't taken many film classes, but it was the late 1970s, when so many iconic movies were screening in Eugene including "Annie Hall," "Taxi Driver" and "Apocalypse Now. "
"I didn't realize how slim the chances were," said Hutshing, of his plunge into Hollywood. "But I had a lot of confidence. I knew what my strengths were. I hoped I could tell a story visually and keep people from being bored."
Hutshing's film editing work has garnered two Academy Awards for work on "Born on the Fourth of July" presented in 1990 and "JFK" awarded in 1992.
He will return to Eugene in June to accept the Ellis F. Lawrence Medal, the UO School of Architecture & Allied Arts' highest alumnus honor. At 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 12, Hutshing will hold an open forum presentation and question and answer session.
During the free, public forum, "Film Editing: Logic, Instinct, and Muscle Memory," Hutshing will discuss filmmaking and production. It will be held in 206 Lawrence Hall, 1190 Franklin Blvd. He will receive the Lawrence Medal at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, at the A&AA commencement ceremony held on the east lawn of the EMU, 1222 E. 13th Ave.
After graduation, Hutshing found himself bartending and volunteering his services to film students at the American Film Institute. Though a dedicated amateur photographer, he settled on film editing as a career. He'd read in a film book that the editor sometimes got to choose a film's music, which piqued his interest.
"Editing stood out to me," he said. "I had a huge music library. I really thought that sounded like a good way to make a living." And editing video, he discovered, wasn't too far removed from making mix tapes on cassette. As he worked on advanced student films shot on 16mm instead of video, he began learning the elements of being an assistant editor.
A 3x5 index card he posted at UCLA led to an early assignment. He hit it off with a documentarian chronicling five Los Angeles artists, but there was a hitch-he didn't know how to use editing decks. After reading the manuals and much trial and error, the finished film was shown on local television. "It just worked out that doors opened for me in film, as a vocation, as a paid job," he said.
The early Nicholas Cage movie, "Valley Girl," gave Hutshing his first credit as an assistant editor, and his first taste of the 100-hour week involved in filmmaking. "It's a labor intensive business no matter what aspect you're in," he said. For Hutshing's next five films, he worked with Oliver Stone, a collaboration that netted him the two Academy Awards.
He credits his career success to long-term collaborations with well-known directors. Two of his films with writer/director Cameron Crowe, "Jerry Maguire," and "Almost Famous," earned him additional Oscar nominations. He's about to start his third film with writer/director Nancy Meyers, an untitled project with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin that wraps in June.
In addition to blockbusters, he has explored genres such as action-adventure, horror and romantic comedy. His response to the material dictates his decisions.
"I only want to work on movies I want to see," he said.
The Lawrence Medal
The Lawrence medal is named in honor of the founder of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Ellis F. Lawrence, architect and educator. Lawrence served as dean of the school from 1914 until his death in 1946. He was also the university architect and designed over 25 buildings on campus including the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Hendricks, Gerlinger and Susan Campbell Halls, McArthur Court, the Commerce building, Chapman Hall and the original Knight Library. Lawrence taught architecture in close collaboration with the teaching of all arts allied with it, especially fine arts, landscape architecture, decorative arts, and interior design. He was founding president of the Oregon chapter of the American Institute of Architects and was often called the father of city planning in Oregon. "Harmony in diversity" was a favorite phrase of Ellis Lawrence and it was his goal in life and work.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Julie Brown, director, media relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
Source: Karen Johnson, A&AA external relations and communications, 541-346-3603, karenjj@uoregon.edu. Written by Ted Mitchner.
Link: Lawrence Medal, http://aaa.uoregon.edu/alumni/medal
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