María Gabriela Torres Reveals Secrets of Editing "Endless Calls for Fame" in Premiere Pro

This post was written by Michelle Gallina and originally appeared on the Adobe blog on April 18, 2025.

We had an interview with film editor María Gabriela Torres to gain insights into her editing process. For the opening segment, Torres concentrated on crafting it from both a visual and musical standpoint. Utilizing Adobe Premiere Pro and Frame.io , she wove each of the band members’ origin stories together.

Check out the full conversation with Torres below and catch the movie out on March 14 on digital or cable on-demand.

How and where did you first learn to edit?

Back in 2016, I was living in Colombia and working as a TV producer at a news channel when I decided I wanted to switch careers and make documentaries. I decided to move to NYC for a one-year graduate program focused on documentary editing at The New School. The final goal of the program was for students to have made a full documentary short, from development through to editing. I had done some basic editing in school, but this program was definitely where I learned to edit.

How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?

I try to be very mindful of all of the different types of media that will be used to make the film, from still pictures to music to archival footage, even if initially one of those wasn’t even in the director’s mind as a possible medium. After I have a list of all of the media we will potentially use, I organize my Premiere project with the hero element, whether it be production or archival footage, at the center of it.

Share with us your most cherished scene or moment from this project and explain what makes it particularly memorable for you.

I cherish several scenes from this movie. One standout moment is when the film introduces us to each member of The New Rising Sons through their individual musical backgrounds. I appreciate how varied these characters' origins within music are portrayed, allowing for a compelling blend of visual and auditory storytelling. This segment comes across as very unified and has an excellent flow to it.

The scene I cherish most after the main highlight is when we get an inside look at them recording their sole and inaugural album, which serves as the core purpose of this film. My primary aim with these scenes was to emphasize the importance of the music and capture the essence of the environment they were working in. It was crucial for me that viewers felt connected yet wistful about those moments, and from your reaction, it seems like our vision came through successfully.

Can you share some particular post-production hurdles that were exclusive to your project? What steps did you take to overcome these issues?

A significant hurdle during this project involved integrating the director's personal collection of the band with externally sourced archival material. Achieving visual consistency across these two sources demanded extensive teamwork among the director, myself, and our archival producer. This process entailed numerous attempts until we found success through relying on intuition to determine how best to transition smoothly between the different types of footage.

Which Adobe tools were utilized for this project, and what was your initial reason for selecting them?

While editing, we utilized Premiere Pro, Frame.io, and Microsoft Teams. Since Olivia, who directs, had started some preliminary cuts, converting her project into a Teams project seemed like the most efficient method. This approach allowed me to view all her edits easily and simultaneously provided her with access to everything I was working on.

Frame.io proved to be an incredibly helpful resource because it enabled us to manage both our comments and different iterations effectively. With this platform, I could easily incorporate the director’s feedback directly into my editing timeline, ensuring accurate implementation without needing to search elsewhere for instructions. Whenever new remarks came in, I would import these notes and create duplicates of the sequence for version tracking purposes. This way, we always had a fallback option should we decide to return to earlier edits of particular scenes or segments.

If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?

Always have your History panel open while editing. It allows you to go back further than the usual command + Z and it saves so much time.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

Agnes Varda and Frida Kahlo remain my primary inspirations for every project I undertake. Their dedication to authenticity combined with continuous innovation in their art is something I continually draw upon, recognizing this skill as crucial for an editor like myself.

What has been the most challenging obstacle in your professional journey, and what steps did you take to conquer it? Do you have any recommendations for people looking to get into filmmaking or content creation?

One of the most challenging aspects of my career has been tackling the skepticism some individuals have towards trusting new editors to complete projects successfully. Fortunately, this wasn’t a problem during my work on Endless Calls For Fame The sole method I've discovered for surmounting this mistrust is by addressing it head-on whenever I notice it and by encouraging others to remember that even the most renowned directors and editors once started as fledgling industry professionals themselves. To anyone looking to become a filmmaker or content creator, my counsel would be: do not shy away from having respectful and caring discussions where you believe someone has been unjustly treated—these challenging talks are essential for developing a robust professional demeanor that will assist us in tackling tough workplace scenarios we'll undoubtedly encounter throughout our careers.

Post an image of your workplace. What do you like most about your environment and why?

What I love most about my workspace is its versatility for various work scenarios or states of mind—from opting to stand while working to easily adjusting the monitors when a colleague or supervisor stops by, ensuring everyone remains comfortable.

Thanks to María Gabriela Torres