“I’m usually right.” – Las Vegas, NV May 2019

In Book X of The Republic, the 4th century BC Athenian philosopher Plato asserts that no human thing is of any great consequence. Mr. Hoyt disagrees with Mr. Plato on many points, but on this especially. Or perhaps, rather, he would add the following: “But life is all about treating things with far more importance than they merit. Otherwise, none of us would get out of bed in the morning.”

John Hoyt began his professional life at the Kentucky Fried Chicken at the intersection of State Roads 66 and 261, where he held the title “Fryboy.” After further jobs as a deliveryman, t-shirt vendor at a major Orlando theme park, telemarketer, menswear salesman, and a summer spent at the track, he found himself adrift and aimless in Los Angeles. It was then that he heeded post-production’s siren call. “The money was running out,” recalls John. “Desperation had settled in.” Remembering the three Aristotelian elements of argument: logos, ethos, and pathos, and having always had difficulty with ethos, he decided that editing was a field in which he’d do well enough with just the other two. The die was cast.

“Safety, courtesy, and professionalism have always been my first priorities as an editor,” says Hoyt. “I rarely raise my voice or say anything I’m not willing to deny later.” Like many, many other editors who have written professional biographies about themselves, he seems to think emphasis on the creative is the editor’s surest path to success. “I care enough to try not to suck,” claims Hoyt. He further adds, “The best work is work that’s honest. That’s the mission. True is even better. I do think the film always tells us what it wants to be – or more accurately, what it does not – and so technique tends to be overemphasized. It will be what it is. I guess you could say any form of motion visual communication that requires editing is better when Kuleshov’s doing most of the work.”

John Hoyt, a former member of the Castle High School Latin Club, is from Indiana. He has previously been a staff editor at Lost Planet in Los Angeles and Three Fingered Louie in New York. He’s currently freelancing under the banner Generally Recognized as Safe.