Earl Watson

The story is not much different after the postproduction crews take over, says Earl Watson, the editor on House Party, Boomerang and The Ladies Man, to name only a few titles from a career that began in 1973."There aren't that many editors who are black in Hollywood, maybe three or four that I know of," says Watson, who adds that he didn't meet his first black director until 1989, when Reginald Hudlin hired him for House Party."It was a struggle up until that point, and after I met the Hudlin brothers everything changed."Since then, Watson has worked frequently for the Hudlins and other black directors, becoming what he describes as "a medium fish in a small pond.If I was to try and compete for a white film, I would suddenly be a very small fish in a huge pond," he says."I could compete, but I'm not being given the opportunity."Guardedly he adds, "I would hate to put words on the prevailing attitude, but I'm sure there's still a level of racism in the industry."

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Ultimately, old-fashioned networking remains the best strategy for black filmmakers, Barclay says, advice that is shared by Evers-Manly, Dill and Watson.

Earl Watson

( Editor )

Earl Watson , a native of Los Angeles , studied cinema and television at Los Angeles City College.Watson edited his first production , House Party , in 1989 for producers Reginald and Warrington Hudlin.His collaboration with the Hudlins also includes Boomerang , starring Eddie Murphy , The Great White Hype , the television pilot The Last Days of Russell and , most recently , The Ladies' Man..

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Watson has extensive television and sound editing experience and is a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild , The American Cinema Editors , The Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Watson's early professional life was spent editing various independent films , and his work has taken him to such diverse locations as Mexico City , Buenos Aires , Madrid , Toronto , New York , Miami and San Francisco.