Behind the Scenes: John Ottman's Challenges Editing X-Men: Apocalypse
Film editor John Ottman shared his challenging experience working on the movie X-Men: Apocalypse. Ottman, who also served as a producer on the film, revealed that the production began shooting without a completed third act, leading to a chaotic post-production phase. This lack of a finalized script caused significant difficulties for Ottman and the team.
Having previously collaborated with director Bryan Singer on X-Men: Days of Future Past, Ottman had implemented a successful real-time feedback system that minimized the need for reshoots. However, the same approach was not followed for Apocalypse, leading to a sense of complacency after the previous film's success. Ottman's extensive notes on the script were not fully addressed, resulting in challenges during production.
The production faced the daunting task of creating a third act without a detailed plan, relying on a basic beat sheet with minimal descriptions. Ottman and the team had to improvise and come up with scenes on the spot to piece together the climactic battle. Despite the challenges, Ottman utilized tools like voiceover and telepathic scenes to help bridge narrative gaps and complete the film.
X-Men: Apocalypse ultimately grossed $543.9 million worldwide but received mixed reviews, with a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The subsequent film in the franchise, Dark Phoenix, faced even harsher criticism and underperformed at the box office. Ottman's insights shed light on the challenges faced during the production of X-Men: Apocalypse and the impact it had on the film's reception.