Dean Zimmerman (‘Stranger Things’ editor) on building the epic Metallica sequence: ‘Push yourself beyond what you think you can do’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
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“It was a little daunting to say the least,” admits “Stranger Things” editor Dean Zimmerman of the massive Season 4 finale. “The Piggyback” is a two and a half hour epic, with 300 scenes across a litany of intertwined stories. It required the editing work of a feature film, yet Zimmerman and his team had to complete the installment in the timespan of a single episode of television. “What we were able to do in such a short amount of time, and not have to sacrifice quality-of-story…was a triumph in itself,” he explains, “and definitely one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Not only does “The Piggyback” feature a daunting amount of storylines, the installment rockets towards its conclusion by weaving them all together as the kids of Hawkins enact their plan to take down the evil Vecna. There are two groups working in the sinister realm known as The Upside Down, and their actions affect their friends in the real world. Additionally, Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) are fighting demogorgons in Russia while Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) lends psychic support to the main battle from afar.
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Zimmerman says his biggest challenge was “braiding all these different storylines” together in a coherent way. He had to decipher the best methods of cutting between fight scenes that spanned the real world, The Upside Down, and a psychic plane. As if this wasn’t complex enough, the episode features about 1,200 visual effects shots, which is more than were included in the entirety of Season 3. “We were doing feature-level stuff,” explains Zimmerman.
Zimmerman remarks that the heroes’ multi-phase plan to destroy the villain was “one of the hardest challenges…making sure the audience was engaged enough in each phase so as to not burn out.” There are plenty of action set pieces in the episode, from mutant bats, to telekinetic battles. But the show thrives on interspersing those high octane moments with quieter, emotional beats, such as the silent conversation via notepads between Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). In order to keep the audience successfully engaged with the characters, the editor notes that the technique is about “how you cut things around it to make those moments land.” And with a hefty running time, Zimmerman was constantly in this process. “To carry it for two and a half hours and keep people riveted and on the edge of their seat, is definitely a feat in itself,” he states.
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The most difficult moment to piece together is arguably the most talked about sequence of the finale: Eddie (Joseph Quinn) jams out on an epic rendition of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” atop a trailer in the Upside Down. The song then underscores the gang storming the manor, Vecna hunting Max, and dangerous bullies attacking Erica. The Duffer Brothers had scripted certain story beats to happen at precise moments in the song, which Zimmerman admits made this musical sequence “the hardest thing to cut.” For instance, the Duffer’s wanted the vocals to begin at the same time Vecna descends his staircase, but the instrumental intro isn’t very long. That short intro also needed to include the swarm of demonic bats taking flight.
“You’re talking about CG, that didn’t exist when I was cutting this,” says the editor, referring to the digitally created creatures and scenic elements. Zimemrman had to approximate the timing of effects on his own by just using his imagination before sending the scene off to the visual effects team. Then, like the conductor of an orchestra, the editor had to direct those artists to work within his timing. “You’re working with visual effects, and sound and music, and editorial harmoniously, so that its all integrated,” he describes. “No one is going to understand what actually making that sequence happen, and the time and patience it took,” admits the editor, “But those are the challenging moments that make you go, wow you really can push yourself beyond what you think you can do”
Zimmerman is an Emmy winner for his work on Season 1 of “Stranger Things.” He earned two additional Emmy bids for Seasons 3 and 4 of the series.
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