A Dundee film editor has proved that she is a cut above the rest after her first full feature film opened to rave reviews.
Hazel Baillie (28) had worked on several smaller films before being asked to edit In Our Name the story of a traumatised soldier returning from Iraq, and starring Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt.
The film won critical acclaim when it premiered at the London Film Festival and former Dundee High School pupil Hazel who now lives in London was full of praise for its rising star.
She said, “A lot of actresses went for the role but Joanne made it her own, she’s amazing. She’s really lovely and very down to earth.”
Hazel graduated from Edinburgh College of Art, spent two years directing and editing her own documentaries and smaller features, then landed a place at the National Film and TV School in London.
The Dundee United fan was asked to edit the film after bonding with director Brian Welsh over a shared love of Scottish football the pair meeting to watch matches in a London bar.
She said, “Brian was in the year above me and we really related to each other. When he got the funding to do In Our name he asked me if I would edit it.”
Hazel said while a film’s directors and stars get the public focus, editing is vital.
She said, “It’s almost hiding your work. If someone notices the editing it sometimes means you may not have done your job as well as you could have.
“The way the visuals, sound and music are woven together is what draws an audience into the world. Done badly, it can leave them just an observer.”
In Our Name has already earned Froggatt the British Independent Film Award for best newcomer and Hazel hoped the film’s important message would reach a wide audience.