Mongo Piranha

Nomadic film editors prefer A2.

by Al Slote

posted 11/8/2009

What are people doing cutting up piranha over the Mongolian Barbeque on Main Street? Taking advantage of Michigan's 42 percent film tax credit--in this case, by editing Piranha 3D. The forthcoming action thriller from the Weinstein Company was shot in Arizona, then sent to Michigan for editing.

Lulu Zezza, who runs the eight-person operation, explains that film editors are essentially nomads who can work anywhere. The Piranha editors are using equipment rented from Grace & Wild Studios in Farmington Hills. But they decided that rather than live in motels near the studio, they'd move Grace & Wild's editing machines into rented space in Ann Arbor and put the editors up in apartments. "The editors like living in a college town," Zezza explains. "They like being able to walk or bike to work. And," she adds with a smile, "they like the restaurants on Main Street."   

[Originally published in November, 2009.]