Maura Corey talks all things ‘Gen V’, future projects, her creative process, and more.
Maura Corey is making a name for herself in the entertainment industry as a talented editor in TV.
Since starting her career Corey has gone on to work on shows such as ‘The Good Girls’, ‘Acapulco’ and most recently Amazon's hit series ‘Gen V’.
Backstage Features intern Ana Safta had the chance to sit down (virtually) with Corey and talk to her about what drew her to these shows, future projects, work advice, and more.
You can read the full interview below.
Ana Safta: Congratulations on all the success in your career thus far! Could you talk more about what made you want to get into the entertainment industry and become an editor in the first place?
Maura Corey: “Thanks so much for the compliment. I guess working in the entertainment business was inevitable for me. I was a theater kid growing up and I figured I would be an actor or a director when I grew up. So It was a bit of a surprise to me that editing became my passion. I went to film school at Columbia College in Chicago and took the Film 101 class or whatever it was called then, and we had this exercise to cut a small scene of a woman opening a door and walking into a room. It was a simple edit and when I cut it together, a light bulb lit up in my head. It was magic and I knew then, that editing was for me. While I was at Columbia, a classmate of mine had gotten an internship at a commercial post-production house in Chicago called Optimus and there was an opening. I jumped at the chance to run for lunches and fill refrigerators to see how a post house worked. It was amazing. I was lucky enough to get a vault job there and then get promoted to assistant editor. I worked there for about a year and decided to throw caution to the wind and move out to Los Angeles. I landed another assistant editor position at a commercial post house where I got promoted to junior editor and where I was working on low-budget projects. I met a woman named June Beallor who I edited a video for a charity ball and lo and behold she was also producing a segment for The Oscars. My first real editing job was cutting the video package for The Irving Thalberg Award. That’s where I got my very first Emmy nomination. My first job! It was weird, to say the least. But doing The Oscars reminded me why I was here in LA so I decided to leave commercials behind and try my hand at long format. So I ended up getting a job in unscripted where I was lucky enough to work on things like “Beyond Scared Straight” and “Extreme Makeover”. It was my unscripted skills that led me into scripted. I worked on a situation comedy called “Ten Items or Less” with John Lehr & Nancy Hower. It was an all-improvised show that needed editors who could handle a lot of footage. It was great. Well, that job led to working in comedy doing shows like “Key and Peele” and “Teachers” which led me to drama with Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters for a show called “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World”. They were looking for a comedy editor who could handle the jokes and that’s where I also fell in love with drama. So now I genre hop and it’s been amazing.”
Ana: You've said that the best days are when you get to laugh or cry at work. What is a project you have worked on that made you laugh or cry the hardest while editing, and why?
Maura: “This is almost impossible to answer as pretty much every project does this to me. Some of the highlights have been “Kevin Can F*** Himself”, for AMC. I connected with that show on a very personal level. Not only the storylines but the genre-bending aspect. I also worked on a show with David Wain called “Medical Police”. It’s a broad comedy spin-off of “Children’s Hospital” and I had one of my favorite edits in there where our heroes jump off a balcony hoping to land in the back of a mattress truck only to miss the mattresses entirely. It’s such a great pratfall and I laugh every time. The show, “Acapulco”, is a throwback to the 1980s and there is a date scene between Nora and Esteban in season 1 that is so awkward I laugh every time. Austin Winsberg and Jay Karas make that show incredibly fun to edit. And of course “Gen V”. Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, and Eric Kripke weave a balance of satire and dramatic moments which are so amazing. In the season finale, Emma and Sam have a fight in the theater classroom that is super intense. Cutting that scene I got the feels. It’s moments like that just love my job so much.”
Ana: What show or film do you dream of working on in the future? Or have you already done it?
Maura: “I’ve definitely worked on some dream shows. But the best thing about dreams shows is there is never a shortage. Currently, I see shows like “Bad Sisters” on Apple with Sharon Horgon which is an amazing dark comedy, and “Silo” created by Graham Yost which is a dystopian mystery, and know there are so many amazing shows out there. That’s why I feel so lucky I don’t have to stick to just comedy or just drama. The dreamiest shows I’ve gotten to work on have been with people I continue to work with. I’ve done several shows now with Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters. And to continue to work with them has been phenomenal. I love the process of working with writers and producers like Michele and Tara. And then to expand my world and get to work with the likes of Eric Kripke Jenna Bans and David Wain, is the best. I hope to continue to work with creative individuals. That’s my dream job.”
Ana: I know you worked on Gen V which is such a cool show and it luckily got renewed for a second season! What was your favorite part of working on that project?
Maura: “My favorite part of working on “Gen V” was being able to edit drama, comedy, and action all in one episode. Satire is a delicate genre. One misstep and it’s silly or melodramatic or over the top. But working with amazing creatives like Michele, Eric, and Tara make working on a show like this amazing. It’s so fun to collaborate with people. It’s funny when people think of editors, they picture nerds sitting in a dark room pushing buttons. And that’s rarely how it goes. There is a ton of collaboration in putting a story together and that really is my favorite part. We did a lot of work on how the Supes manifest their powers and where we wanted these characters to go. A lot of talk about pacing and keeping the tension high where it needs to be but also landing those emotional beats so we get to know these characters and have empathy for them. Especially in a work where Supes exist, it’s super important to have a genuine connection to the characters in a real-world sense.”
Photo credit: Prime Video
Ana: You have previously worked on both Good Girls and Acapulco, which are both amazing and different shows. What were the differences that you find working on such a wide range of projects and how do you choose what projects you take on?
Maura: “I love working on “Good Girls” and “Acapulco”. Jenna Bans had such a strong vision for “Good Girls”. That was so much fun to run with. Dark Comedies are great to work on and that spans from the material. Same with “Acapulco”. Austin Winsberg had a very clear vision of what the show was supposed to be and wrote amazing material. Although vastly different in tone, I approached the shows in the same manner. What is the story and how best to tell it. I first look at the performances and then shape the show to land the story. Music, pace, and style then come from that. My main goal is to tell the best story in front of me. That has a lot to do with how I approach sound design and performances. I’ll pace a comedy much faster than a drama. Comedy likes to be punchy and unexpected. So timing is hugely important in landing the jokes. Drama tends to be slower. Allowing moments to land and get a good read on the actor's emotional journey. Picking the best reaction shot can be the difference between falling in love with a character or not. So being mindful of every shot for comedy and drama is so important.”
Ana: What is your go-to viewing genre and is it different from any specific genres you enjoy working on?
Maura: “I love watching Sci-Fi and comedy and drama. So not so different from what I work on. I’m a huge Star Trek fan. I love “Strange New Worlds”. I think it's funny and smart. And again all the dream shows I mentioned above. I watch those love those and study those to make me a better storyteller. I also love documentaries. So basically everything.”
Ana: If you could describe what's next for you in your career, or your upcoming projects in 3 words what would they be?
Maura: “Laugh, cry, repeat.”
