Rock Paper Scissors Editor Adam Pertofsky Cuts Jennifer Lopez’ This Is Me…Now: A Love Story For Prime Video

Pop culture icon Jennifer Lopez has added another achievement to her already extensive list with This Is Me…Now: A Love Story, a movie built on her latest album of the same name. Fantastical and full of new songs, the Prime Video exclusive chronicles the highly scrutinized love life of the entertainer, including her relationships and personal healing journey. Rock Paper Scissors Editor Adam Pertofsky lent his expertise to the project — we talked with him about his approach to editing the film, his favorite scene to cut, and what it was like to work with Jennifer Lopez.

How did you get involved in the project?

Adam: I've worked with director Dave Meyers for many years, and he called with this project, asking if it was something I would be able to give my time to. After reading the script and hearing more about the premise of it from him, I was interested. I joined the team in February of last year — at that time, it was myself and our assistant editors cutting storyboards together so Dave could start getting an idea how it would come together. Then we were off and running!

What was it like working with Dave Meyers and Jennifer Lopez?

Adam: From the start, Dave had a vision: he knew what he wanted and had an idea of what it was going to look like. Jen also had a vision, but rather for the story — it is her life after all. The amount of trust everyone had to have in each other to make it come to fruition, I think was incredible. Jen was always trusting with Dave for the visuals, and he was always trusting of her as well, especially when it came to Dave Meyers did chiming in about the story and making sure we had an arc and we were pushing the story forward. Then there was me in the middle, making sure those elements work together and adding my touches.

The first thing I cut was the scene of Jen dancing in a glass house, and that was the first thing I showed Jen when I met her on set. I put a cut together and she came by and sat at the monitor to watch it. Afterward, she said, “I don't have any notes right now, but you should know — that's very rare.” I did go on to learn that that is in fact rare.

How did you approach cutting together the film?

Adam: What Jen wanted to do first and foremost was cut all the songs together. There are five songs in the film, and the songs themselves tell a story. We cut those song and dance numbers together first and placed them in, and then it was about working on interstitial scenes to support those moments and push the story forward. That’s one great thing about editing in general, that it's a subjective art form. There's no right or wrong. I could do an edit six different ways, and six different people can love each one of them. That’s where connection comes from. You can hope when you put a piece together, especially a piece like this that is driven by music and the story of the songs, that people can connect to it. 

Were there any notable challenges that you faced during the editorial process?

Adam: The zodiac council scene was the biggest challenge to cut, because of the fact that it was created in pieces. Dave shot it as they picked up stars, and they kept adding cast members in, which meant the script kept changing. After they shot the final stars, which were Post Malone and Keke Palmer, we went through their footage, then it all came together. But up to that point, we were cutting with storyboards and assistant voices, and wondering is this going to work? It was all about figuring out how to make each individual look like part of one seamless conversation. Our additional editors Derrick Monks and Sebastian Zotoff were vital at helping us figure out the zodiac scenes. All of our additional editors, including Louis Palacios, Alyssa Oh, and Shelly Rose, really helped stitch things together throughout — it absolutely took a village, and in the end I was very pleased with how it came out. 

Was there a favorite sequence that you worked on?

Adam: I loved cutting the sequence for “Hummingbird,” which drew inspiration from Singin’ In The Rain. I was getting goosebumps as I was cutting it together because it felt so special. I’ve also never seen rain coming down that hard on a set, and Jen danced in it until her shoes literally fell off. She’s a true badass, and visually, it was awesome. 

What was the most compelling part of the project for you?

Adam: On any project like this, the filmmakers should walk away happy with what they made, regardless of how it's received. You can't do it for the audience, you actually really have to do it for yourself. If you do it for yourself, that's a barometer that you can stay true to — if you're trying to do it for other people, that barometer is all over the place, and there's no way you’ll hit that target. Getting to work with Jen, who really was staying true to herself throughout the process, was really inspiring. From the moment I got on the project, I saw her strength of character on display. The way she is putting herself out there is incredibly brave, and it was really cool to be a part of it. 

Watch the trailer for This Is Me…Now: A Love Story below, and stream the film now on Prime Video.

CREDITS

Editor: Adam Pertofsky
Additional Editing: Sebastian Zotoff, Louis Palacios, Alyssa Oh, Derrick Monks, Shelly Rose
Producer: Janae Abraham
Assistant Editors: Shelly Rose & Mystikal Scalzi, Louis Palacios, Astrid Cedeño Franco, Jing Niu, Dominic Wendel
Managing Director: Eve Kornblum
Executive Producers: Shada Shariatzadeh & Dre Krichevsky
Production: Freenjoy
Director: Dave Meyers