Filmmaker Andrew H. Brown on collaboratively cutting Tribeca's Between the Rains with Adobe Premiere Pro and Frame.io
Meagan Keane July 14, 2023
0 Comments
Hero image source: Andrew H. Brown, co-director, co-producer, cinematographer, and co-editor of Between The Rains
For the Turkana-Ngaremara people of north Kenya, climate change not only dries up rivers and erodes the soil-it eats away at the very fabric of a society that has lived in harmony with nature for decades. This is the fragile world depicted in Between the Rains , a new documentary from award-winning filmmaker Andrew H. Brown, and Kenya-based filmmaker Moses Thuranira, which charts the experiences of Kole, a young shepherd coming to terms with changes in the environment and his community.
Filmed over the course of four consecutive years during record low precipitation in northern Kenya, Between the Rains is a collaboration between co-director and co-producer Brown and a local team that includes journalists, teachers, and advocates for climate change action. Together they uncover the personal tragedies and conflicts that menace a vulnerable society at the epicenter of a global catastrophe.
Image source: Andrew H. Brown, co-director, co-producer, cinematographer, and co-editor of Between The Rains
The long duration of the shoot resulted in more than 800 hours of footage. To speed up the editing process without compromising the creative voice of the filmmakers and their subject, the team used Adobe Creative Cloud, including Premiere Pro to create the final cut. Frame.io also played an essential role, enabling the international team to work together seamlessly from multiple locations while reducing review cycles and quickening approvals.
Before the film's premiere at the Tribeca Festival, I asked Brown about the importance of the collaborative process, why Premiere Pro is his editing tool of choice, and how he handled an eerie night-time shoot for this intimate documentary.
Can you tell us about your experience as a filmmaker and how you got started in the industry?
I always had a love for photography, but I never had a thought about becoming a filmmaker until I was deep into the first feature documentary that I produced called When Lambs Become Lions (Tribeca 2018, Best Editing). I was doing a lot of humanitarian work in East Africa and somewhere along the line I picked up a camera and started capturing stories to share. That quickly moved into video and my career came together organically from that point.
How and where did you first learn to edit?
I learned how to edit on the fly. I produced and helped shoot my second feature documentary Kifaru (Jackson Wild 2019, Best Editing). After three years of principle filming, when we reached postproduction, we were completely out of the funds needed to hire a proper editor. Thankfully, I had the story in my head already mapped out. I just needed to know what buttons to hit to cut it together. I watched a few clips online on how to use Premiere Pro and jumped straight into cutting my first feature film.
Image source: Andrew H. Brown, co-director, co-producer, cinematographer, and co-editor of Between The Rains
How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?
Every project is different for me. For Between the Rains , I was the director, director of photography, and editor. The entire process started with trying to organize just over 800 hours of footage shot over four years. Our editing team was divided between Kenya and the U.S., so it was important that we were all able to speak the same language regarding media management. One of my favorite things about Premiere Pro is no matter where you are in the world, it is the standard for editing. Everyone on the team can use the same language and stay on the same page much more easily than with any of the other editing platforms I've used over the years.
Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.
My favorite scenes in Between the Rains would have to be where Kole (the main protagonist) has to perform night watch whenever villagers hear lions or hyenas at night. While I wasn't a huge fan of being out in the Kenyan bush at night, with only a camera in hand and protected by a young teenage shepherd with a spear, those scenes were a lot of fun to cut. The only light source was Kole's small flashlight and the fires he would start around his family's livestock pen-the darkness really allowed us to play in the edit. Our goal with those scenes was to give viewers a small glimpse of the paranoia that comes with every rustling bush or footstep. It allowed us to hide cuts and play mind tricks without having to bend the overarching story or tone, which is something that you're not often able to do in documentaries.
What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?
Ultimately, the most difficult challenge we faced in the edit was how we were going to organize and manage more than 800 hours of footage, all while the team was on opposite sides of the world. Premiere Pro allowed us to tackle that. Premiere is intuitive enough for team members that have never used it before, but still offers all the features to tell the story creatively in the way we wanted.
July 11, 2023Incremental (Stepped) Movement in After EffectsTo move position in increments (or a stop-motion movement), we can create
July 11, 2023Editor Ted Feldman on cutting Tribeca's The Line using Premiere Pro The Line , a captivating drama and thriller directed by Ethan Berger, dives
Do you use Frame.io as part of your workflow? If so, how do you use it and why did you choose it?
Yes, we used Frame.io. I was in the U.S. and all the other team members were spread throughout northern Kenya's r
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
Filmmaker Andrew H. Brown on collaboratively cutting Tribeca's Between the Rains with Adobe Premiere Pro and Frame.io 
