Film Editor Zekuan Wang Also Relishes How Vertical Series Offer Filmmakers Exciting Opportunities

Film Editor Zekuan Wang, who says editing “vertical series” feels like what it must’ve been like in the early days of talking pictures, brings multiple assets to the varied projects he’s worked on from feature and short films, to these vertical series. These projects have included the award-winning feature The Skin (best foreign language feature in Hollywood Horror Fest), and the dramatic heist short move Washed Up which was officially selected by Burbank International Film Festival, Panic Fest, and Chattanooga Film Festival. The assets he brings to these projects consist of his creative editing (esthetic and technical elements); his collaborative and problem-solving skills; and, his understanding of other production roles (like director, cinematographer), which gives him better understanding of overall storytelling.

The role of story editor today

China-born Wang suggests that a film editor’s role is to “support the director,” further explaining, “An editor’s job has two main components: the esthetic and the technical. Esthetically, we choose what parts of the footage to show and decide when to show them on screen, guided by the script and our interpretation of it. Then, from a technical perspective, we take the footage, assemble it in order, and design the workflow for post-production.”

Describing the editing-related assets he brings, including his problem-solving skills, he says, “On one project, we encountered a severe data storage issue where a large portion of the footage was damaged, leaving almost half the episodes with insufficient coverage. Even after data recovery, most of the footage remained corrupted and couldn’t play for more than three seconds without several damaged frames. However, by leveraging my strong understanding of storytelling and knowing what was essential for the narrative, I was able to find multiple solutions and successfully complete the show without compromising the story.”

Verticals revolutionizing how content is consumed

Wang has worked on several verticals including Boss Up, My CEO, Free My Heart, and Broken Queen, and says they are transforming how stories are told and consumed. For example, a vertical TV series, with its unique 9:16 aspect ratio, is produced to fit smartphones. Wang explains, “They’re designed for mobile viewing, with episodes often shorter, just a few minutes, to suit the quick consumption of mobile users. This format emphasizes close-ups, and the storytelling is more intimate, and fast-paced to keep viewer engagement on mobile devices. The short runtime requires us to condense information significantly, as we editors have to capture the audience's attention quickly while ensuring the story flows smoothly.”

Wang recalls that his interest in films and TV began in high school: “I joined the student TV station on campus and started creating small TV programs for the students. Like many filmmakers starting out, I wore many hats—I wrote, directed, shot, and edited most of our projects. Later, when I went to film school—first, the Beijing Film Academy, where my major was cinematography and filmmaking, and then the American Film Institute to focus on editing—I worked on several short films, primarily as a cinematographer, director, and editor. I also directed and edited my thesis film, Toy Fly Swatter.”

And, now working and editing these verticals, he adds, “The main challenge involves the short runtime of each episode, and the vertical format, which makes it difficult to include multiple characters in a single shot, as we're often limited to close-ups or medium close-ups. This restriction complicates the portrayal of spatial relationships between characters and any larger body movements. Editing these series feels reminiscent of the early days of ‘talking pictures,’ where we now have to constantly adapt our approach to keep the story engaging.”

Reminiscent of early days of Talkies

Moreover, Wang continues, “When talkies were first introduced, sound recording technology wasn’t fully developed. The equipment was bulky, and microphones had to be placed in specific spots, which meant actors were limited in their movement. They couldn’t make big gestures or move freely, and the camera was restricted too, even more so because early cameras were noisy. As a result, a lot of the visual storytelling techniques from silent films were set aside. I felt something similar when editing these vertical series. The narrow aspect ratio makes it challenging for actors and cameras to move without going off-screen. This constraint can significantly limit the visual dynamism.”

As for the potential of this format, he offers, “Over the next few years, I think vertical series will likely remain a supplement to traditional film and television. For creators, it might play a similar role to short films or low-budget independent projects—serving as a stepping stone into the broader film and television industry.”

The not-so-invisible art

Best Editing Oscars are often also presented to the Best Picture winner, as reflected by Oppenheimer, which won for Best Picture and Best Editing in 2024. So, there is a natural and crucial connection, which may not be initially visible. Which leads to who Editor Zekuan Wang would like to work with and learn from in the industry. He admits to admiring directors like Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Spaced), and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds), explaining why: “What I admire about Edgar Wright is how boldly he uses editing to shape storytelling and his visual approach to humor. Typically, editing is seen as an ‘invisible art’—editors are supposed to hide their work so the audience forgets they’re watching a film and gets fully immersed in the story. But I don’t believe this is the only way to craft a film, and Wright is a perfect example. In his early work, he made cuts and camera movements very visible, like the flash cuts in Hot Fuzz and the opening scene of Shaun of the Dead. This not only condensed a lot of information but also created humor and content that could only exist on screen, rather than just translating jokes from the script.”

Check out Zekuan Wang on IMDb.