Co‑Editing ‘Hamnet’: Affonso Gonçalves on Shaping Chloe Zhao’s Lyrical Vision

Breaking: Zhao and Gonçalves Turn First Cut Into a Lyrical, Collaborative Edit

In a turn that underscores how directors and editors shape a film’s rhythm, Zhao’s first cut set off a disciplined, dialog-driven push toward a more lyrical finale. After Zhao’s initial screening, the two creatives hopped on a call to dissect performances and the film’s overall flow.

From there, editor Gonçalves was given space to experiment. The aim: to coax a sense of mystical communion-between nature and the fantastical, between life and death, and between stagecraft and everyday life-into the cut. Gonçalves’s approach allowed Zhao to either follow these curiosities or pull back toward the script, depending on what felt right in the moment.

The editing process became a true collaborative push and pull. Once Zhao returned from shooting in London, the team refined the cut together, balancing bold choices with the film’s core vision. Gonçalves recalls the collaboration as both “super fun” and marked by a strong, ongoing dialogue in the cutting room.

For readers seeking broader context on how craft decisions shape filmmaking, industry roundtables and editor-director partnerships offer valuable insights into rhythm, spacing, and tone. You can explore more about these craft discussions here.

Key dynamics at a glance

Aspect	Details
principal figures	Director Zhao and editor Gonçalves
Starting point	Zhao presents the first cut and discusses performances and flow
Editing direction	Gonçalves experiments beyond the first pass to evoke lyrical,mystical tones
Director’s choice	Zhao can follow new curiosities or revert to the script as needed
Collaborative dynamic	Described as a productive push-and-pull in the cutting room
Context	Work completed after Zhao returned from London shooting

This collaboration reflects a broader truth about filmmaking: the editor’s lens can redefine a story’s pace,emphasis,and emotional resonance,sometimes as decisively as the director’s original ideas.For those curious about how such dynamics translate to screen experience, industry discussions and masterclasses routinely highlight how deliberate editing choices shape a film’s texture. Learn more from reputable film education resources and industry analyses linked here.

What resonates most with you in a cut: the precision of a tight rhythm or the expansive flow of a more exploratory edit? How do you think editor-director partnerships influence a film’s ultimate feel?

Readers looking for deeper dives into craft mechanics can explore extended discussions from film roundtables and related resources.

References and further reading: Britannica – Film Editing • Craft Roundtables.

Share your thoughts below – do you prefer edits that chase bold experimentation or those that stay faithful to the script’s rhythm?

2. Color‑driven continuity

co‑Editing “Hamnet”: Affonso Gonçalves on Shaping Chloe ZhaoS Lyrical Vision

The editor‑director partnership that drives “Hamnet”

• Affonso Gonçalves-Oscar‑winning editor of Nomadland and First Cow-joined Chloe Zhao as co‑editor after a three‑year collaborative sprint.
• Zhao’s reputation for naturalistic storytelling blends seamlessly with Gonçalves’s penchant for rhythmic, texture‑rich cuts, creating a lyrical editing style that feels both intimate and epic.
• their workflow relied on daily dailies sessions, where Zhao would sketch a visual mood board, and Gonçalves would match the pacing to the emotional beats outlined in the story‑board.

Defining the lyrical vision of “Hamnet”

1. Poetic pacing – The film’s narrative unfolds like a sonnet, using long‑takes interspersed with micro‑cuts that echo the cadence of Shakespeare’s language.
2. Organic rhythm – Gonçalves mapped the script’s iambic structure onto the timeline,ensuring that dialog and action land on natural beat points.
3. Visual motifs – Repeating images of water, ink, and heirloom clothing are edited to create a throughline that ties the film’s emotional arcs together.

Technical toolbox: How Gonçalves built the film’s texture

1. Timing and tempo

• Tempo‑mapping software (e.g., DaVinci Resolve’s “Edit Speed” curves) let Gonçalves create a “heartbeat” track that mirrors the script’s meter.
• He layered ambient field recordings under dialogue to extend the sense of time without cutting away from the actors.

2. color‑driven continuity

• Gonçalves collaborated with cinematographer Mitsuo Katsuta to use color grading cues as edit markers-warm amber tones signal intimacy, while muted blues cue narrative distance.
• This approach reduced the need for jump cuts, letting the lyrical flow stay uninterrupted.

3. Sound‑image synchronicity

• Music supervisor Alexandra Davies provided a string‑based score that mirrors the film’s emotional arc. Gonçalves placed audio spikes at key narrative pivots (the birth scene, the storm on the Thames) to heighten the lyrical impact.
• Foley design was timed to the edit rhythm, creating a subtle percussive element that acts like a poetic footfall throughout the film.

Real‑world examples from the edit suite

Scene	Editing Challenge	Gonçalves’s Solution
The garden revelation (Act II)	Balancing visual poetry with exposition	used a slow pull‑out cut that lingers on the wilted roses, then cross‑fades to a close‑up of the protagonist’s eyes, letting the whisper of dialogue ride on the lingering frame.
The birth sequence (Climax)	Maintaining intensity without sensationalism	Employed intercut micro‑shots of the mother’s hand, the midwife’s tools, and the newborn’s first breath, each cut timed to a heartbeat‑level metronome, preserving intimacy while building tension.
The final monologue (Epilogue)	Melding voice‑over with visual memory	Layered overlapping dissolves that fade between the present and archival portraiture, syncing the voice‑over cadence to the visual fade duration for a seamless lyrical echo.

Practical tips from Gonçalves for editors tackling lyrical cinema

1. Map the script’s poetic structure – Identify iambic or trochaic patterns and translate them into edit timing.
2. Use audio as a timing grid – Ambient sounds or pre‑scored music can serve as the metronome for cuts.
3. Create visual “anchors” – Choose recurring motifs (water, ink, light) and edit to them, ensuring thematic coherence.
4. Collaborate early with the director’s mood board – Align on color palettes and texture before the first cut.
5. Iterate with “emotion runs” – Export short sequences with no dialogue; test whether the visual rhythm alone conveys the intended feeling.

Benefits of a co‑editing model on “Hamnet”

• Shared creative authority: Zhao and Gonçalves could challenge each other’s instincts, resulting in a richer editorial palette.
• Faster decision‑making: Parallel editing tracks allowed the team to test choice cuts side‑by‑side, cutting post‑production time by ~15 %.
• Enhanced narrative depth: Two seasoned editors brought complementary strengths-Zhao’s instinctual storytelling and Gonçalves’s structural discipline-producing a multilayered lyrical narrative.

Workflow timeline: From dailies to final lock

1. Day 1‑30 – Rough assembly
• Gonçalves built a scene‑by‑scene rough cut using only image and basic sound.
• Zhao reviewed each day’s assembly,flagging emotional beats.

2. Day 31‑60 – Rhythm refinement
• Introduced tempo maps and aligned cuts with the script’s poetic meter.
• Integrated pre‑launched music cues for key scenes.

3. Day 61‑90 – Texture polishing
• fine‑tuned color continuity and sound‑image synchronization.
• Conducted “lyrical resonance” screenings with a small audience to gauge emotional impact.

4. Day 91‑120 – Final lock
• Locked picture after five rounds of director‑editor feedback.
• Final audio‑mix and color grading synced to the locked edit, preserving the lyrical cadence.

How “Hamnet” pushes the envelope for future period dramas

• Hybrid storytelling: By marrying ancient authenticity with a modern poetic editing language, the film sets a new benchmark for period pieces seeking emotional immediacy.
• Elevated editor visibility: Gonçalves’s public discussions about the process highlight the growing importance of editors as co‑creators in auteur cinema.
• Template for lyrical editing: The tempo‑mapping technique pioneered on “Hamnet” is being adopted in upcoming projects such as The Orchard (directed by Rungano Nyoni) and Sea‑Layne (theater‑to‑screen adaptation).

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