NEW YORK—Spotlight, director Tom
McCarthy’s powerful, new drama, tells the true story of the Boston Globe’s
investigation of child molestation by Catholic priests and the subsequent
cover-up by the local archdiocese. The film, released by Open Road Films, was
edited by Tom McArdle in his fifth collaboration with McCarthy, dating back to
2003 and The Station Agent, the
director’s feature debut.

Directed by Tom McCarthy and co-written by Tom McCarthy and
Josh Singer, Spotlight stars Mark
Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley
Tucci, Brian d’Arcy James, Billy Crudup. 
Spotlight was produced by
Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust.

McArdle and his crew spent 10 months cutting Spotlight at PostFactoryNY’s facility,
with eight months devoted to picture editing, and two to sound, music and
visual effects. The set up included editing and assist rooms along with offices
for McCarthy and Post Supervisor Kelley Cribben. The main workstation was an Avid Media Composer v 6.5.4 on a 12-core Mac Pro with 16
gigs of RAM. The production stored 5 TB of media data on PostFactoryNY’s
central ISIS server.

McArdle has cut each of
McCarthy’s films at PostFactoryNY. “We are very comfortable there,” he says,
“and that high level of comfort allows us to focus on the work.  It’s the
best place in New York for editing movies; everyone wants to cut there.  A
lot of talented people were working on our floor—Paul Haggis, David Simon,
Brian Koppelman, et al.  PostFactoryNY has big rooms and a nice
atmosphere.  Their Avids and tech support are top-notch.  It feels
like a big rustic house for moviemaking.”

Stylistically, Spotlight has a similar feel to the
tough, realistic dramas of the ‘70s, but more tightly wound. “The fact that it
was based on real events and a real investigation influenced things,” McArdle
says.  “It gave it a gradual build.  During the months of editing, we
tried to make the film tighter so that there were no unnecessary moments.”

McCarthy likewise describes an
editing process that was focused and deliberate. “It was all about pace and clarity in hopes of maintaining the
tension and tone of the picture,” he recalls. “I
usually take a few weeks off after the shoot and then Tom and I sit down and
watch his first assembly. Then we go out for a steak and a few martinis, and
wash it off. We get to work the next morning and keep editing until we think
it’s ready. We do a number of small screenings along the way to push the cut
forward.”

The film includes several
montage scenes used to convey the scope of the newspaper’s investigation.
McCarthy says they were among the most difficult sequences to cut. “The process
is very tedious, going through directories and knocking on doors, that sort of
thing,” he explains. “It took a while to get the pace right. We wanted to feel
both the drive of the investigation and the tedium of the work. It was a fine
line to walk.”

Spotlight has
drawn rave reviews from critics who have compared its portrayal of
investigative journalism to such classics as All the President’s Men. Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly
each placed it atop its list of Best Movies of 2015. It was named Film of the
Year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Boston Society of Film
Critics, the Washington, D.C. Film Critics Association, and the New York Film
Critics Online (it also won awards for screenplay and ensemble cast.) It has
been honored at Chicago International Film Festival (Audience Choice Award),
Gotham Awards (Best Feature, Best Screenplay), Hollywood Film Awards
(Screenwriter of the Year), Independent Spirit Awards (Robert Altman Award) Mill
Valley Film Festival (Audience Award: Best U.S. Feature Film), National Board
of Review (Top Ten Films), New York Film Critics Circle Awards (Best Actor) and
the Venice Film Festival (Brian Award, Silver Mouse).

McCarthy says that PostFactoryNY
provides an ideal environment for serious filmmakers to do great work. “It feels like home,” he insists. “It’s a unique place. They
take very good care of you, big or small film, and they are good people.
 They take film seriously and you feel that in their approach and support.
Alex Halpern sets the tone for a staff that is consistently top notch.  And
they were very kind to my dog—and she’s demanding.”

About SIM Group:

Backed by Toronto-based investment firm
Granite Partners, the SIM Group is a leading supplier of production equipment,
workflow and post-production solutions, with offices across the US, Canada and
China. Our diverse services can be utilized on any production at any stage. In Canada,
our offices in Toronto and Vancouver service grip and lighting from PS
Production Services and can be complemented with SIM Digital cinematography and
playback equipment for any production’s needs.  Bling, Chainsaw, Pixel
Underground, Tattersall Sound and Picture and PostFactoryNY provide an
array of services from dailies, to online and offline editing, to final
color/DI and visual effects, to sound editorial and mixing. Bling’s services,
which include a comprehensive workflow solution, are offered at all offices
across the US and Canada, as well as off-site service through POD (Post on
Demand).  Chainsaw’s full-service facility in Hollywood provides creative
editorial and extensive finishing services with some of the top colorists in
the industry. Rounding out the family of companies are Pixel
Underground, a Toronto-based post-production company, and its associated
service, StationEX, which provides physical and file-based media fulfillment
and encoding/distribution services, Tattersall Sound and Picture, a
provider of sound editorial and mixing for motion pictures and television and
Post Factory NY, one of the East Coast’s top independent post-production
facilities. For more information, visit simgroup.com