No Film School delves into the high-pressure, fast-paced world of sketch comedy editing on Saturday Night Live's historic 50th Anniversary special. The episode features returning guest Ryan Spears—four-time Emmy nominee and Film Unit editor at SNL—joined by longtime collaborators Daniel Garcia and Paul Del Gesso. Together, they share insider stories on crafting memorable montages, rediscovering archival gems, navigating the evolution from analog to digital workflows, and ultimately earning their first-ever team nomination for the anniversary special.
In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins, and guests discuss…
How the SNL editorial team collaborated on the 50th Anniversary special, blending archival material and creative reels into a unified piece.
The rediscovery of forgotten gems—like Tom Hanks’s softball clip—and deciding what made the final cut.
Technical and generational shifts in editing: from film and DIY workflows to 4K raw editing, searchable transcripts, advanced VFX, and speedy turnaround.
Adapting to new creative tools, such as APM’s sound‑alike search and 3D animation techniques like the Cheeto character.
Balancing fast cuts with breathing room—tailoring pacing to fit the tone, whether it’s surreal whimsy or a more paced parody like White Lotus.
Managing chaos: keeping cool under pressure during live edits, system failures, and last-minute creative changes.
Advice for aspiring SNL editors: start as assistant editors, build a strong reel (even outside comedy), check your ego at the door, and learn the collaborative workflow.
Memorable Quotes
“It really was just this kind of like hot, like this sort of like melting pot of ideas…”
“Tom Hanks is playing softball with these kids… he’s playing the real version of Tom Hanks… super competitive.”
“We’ve jumped to 4K and we’re editing raw… now you’re transcribing your sequences too… What a game changer.”
“Every joke to the frame pretty much.”
“It’s a learned craft… some people could do it and some people can.”
Guests
Ryan Spears is a Film Unit editor at SNL and four time Emmy nominee for work including “I’m Just Pete”, “Mario Kart”, and “Murder Show”. He’s also cut for the shows “The Amber Ruffin Show”, “Teenage Euthanasia”, the film “Citizen Weiner” and the Hulu standup “Matteo Lane: The Al Dente Special”. He’s currently a commercial editor based in New York at The Den Editorial.
Daniel Garcia – Daniel Garcia has been a video editor at SNL for 10 years. His work on the show includes editing weekly promos, pretapes such as PDD’s “Hard Seltzer”, and the Emmy winning digital series Creating SNL.
Paul Del Gesso is a Film Unit Editor at SNL, where he was previously Emmy nominated for "Bowen's Straight." Additionally, Paul is a writer and producer, and is Head of Production at Warrior Queen Inc.
Resources
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