Bilcock, Jill

Report

biography of Bilcock, Jil

Jillian Elizabeth Stevenson
Billie
1948, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Although still relatively unknown, Jill Bilcock is one of the world's leading editors, working with directing heavyweights such as 'Sam Mendes (I)' (qv), 'Baz Luhrmann' (qv) and 'Fred Schepisi' (qv). An award winning editor at an early age in her birthplace Australia, Jill rose through the ranks breaking through to the lucrative American market in the mid '90s. She is now one of the most sought after editors in the world and in an envious position of being able to pick and choose her projects due to overwhelming demand. Her strength remains her remarkable diversity in projects she chooses spanning many genres as she continues to pleasantly surprise her audience.
Chris Andrews

- '? Bilcock' (? - ?) (divorced)

- Breakneck speed in cuts for a dance or action sequence.

- Cut her first film on her kitchen table as editing equipment at her school was in use. The film was subsequently accepted for showing at several film festivals.

- Turned down editing Sam Mendes "American Beauty" as she was working on "The Dish" back home in Australia but later edited his film "Road to Perdition".

- She has been married twice, but has no children.

- She has two older brothers named Anthony and Carl.

- She is a graduate of VCA (Victorian College of Arts), specializing in film editing.

- She was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to Australian society and film production.

- I feel stongly about some things and tend not to let up for a while. But I've found that you can talk your way around most things or show them another cut of the film.

- The editor has a key and it opens endless creative doors. It is by opening these doors that you invariably find a new solution to a problem.

- In many ways editing is trying to understand the director's vision and then to surprise the director by going further than their vision.

- (January 2009) Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

- "The Age" (Australia), 16 October 2002, by: Eddie Jim, "A cut Above"