PIX & CODEX
JOIN THE JOY RIDE

Joy Ride is a Lionsgate comedy that follows four 20-something Asian-American friends on an adventure across Asia in search of one of their birth mothers. Lovia Gyarkye of the Hollywood Reporter called the film “a raunchy and propulsive feature directorial debut.” Director Adele Lim, screenwriter on Crazy Rich Asians and Raya and the Last Dragon, worked closely with Emmy-winning editor Nena Erb, ACE, whose credits include Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Project Greenlight and Insecure. 

Joy Ride’s deft touch with humor and heart depends on relatable lead performances, and the editing style was built around that concept.

Editor Nena Erb, ACE

“On this film, there was so much improvisation.” says Erb. “The alt jokes were shot in coverage which gave us more control in editing over the performances and the timing. When you’re cutting comedy, it’s easier to control pacing that way.”

"THE ALT JOKES WERE SHOT IN COVERAGE WHICH GAVE US MORE CONTROL IN EDITING..."

During the shoot, as dailies came in from the set, Erb began roughing scenes together and trying out different versions of certain jokes in each scene.

“I would cut the scene as scripted, and then try variations,” she says. “Adele and I would talk on weekends about which version was funnier or snappier. It was the first time we worked together, so it was really important for me to learn her taste, her sense of humor and pacing.”

Director Adele Lim on set

Erb has a history of working with first-time directors, especially on the HBO series Insecure. “Through that process, I developed a good method of communication,” she says. “It’s really about keeping the conversation going and finding out what they’re about. And keeping up with camera is very important for a first-time director, because you can see if there is anything missing before they leave a particular location.” After the Joy Ride shoot, Erb put together her cut. “Once Adele was in the editing room, we could explore and experiment to see what made people laugh,” she says. “I usually have at least two, and sometimes three or four, versions of each scene, which everyone could review and react to.”

Time and budget pressure is a given, but Erb makes sure to build in time to maintain perspective.

"I USUALLY HAVE AT LEAST TWO, AND SOMETIMES THREE OR FOUR, VERSIONS OF EACH SCENE..."

“It’s critical to the creative process to have time to step away and think things through.” she says. “Often, I’m putting these versions together without polishing them. The next morning, I look at what I did the day before, and it’s incredible how immediately you can see what’s working and what isn’t. Then the fine-tuning begins.” 

Although much of the film takes place in China and Korea, it was shot in and around Vancouver. Joy Ride was photographed with the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF by cinematographer Paul Yee (Reality, The Fits) with ARRI DNA LF lenses, shooting 4K ARRIRAW and relying on CODEX in-camera recording and offload. Erb found stock shots that felt right to use as placeholders in the rough cuts, lending the right atmosphere and timing. When the pandemic limited production from shooting establishing shots in Asia, these shots remained in the film and had to be approved and licensed.

Scene from Joy Ride

“The producers looked at the shots in context and decided which ones worked best visually for the film,” says Erb. “Anne Boyle, our colorist at CO3, did a great job tying these shots into our film.”

For stock shots and throughout the project, the team relied on PIX to facilitate creative communication and experimentation. PIX is the Academy® award-winning media asset management platform, delivering secure asset reviews and approvals, with powerful collaboration throughout the production process on a global scale.

"THE PRODUCERS LOOKED AT THE SHOTS IN CONTEXT AND DECIDED WHICH ONES WORKED BEST VISUALLY FOR THE FILM"

“The heart of the film is the themes of family, friendship and belonging,” says Erb. “Those are universal themes that everyone can relate to so we leaned on making the characters likeable and relatable, while also making it really funny. It’s great to see how people have responded to the film.”

Erb recently worked on a Marvel project that is currently under wraps. Joy Ride premiered at SXSW and hit theaters in early July. 

In her Indiewire review, Marisa Mirabal called Joy Ride “easily the gold standard for progressive, raunchy comedy,” and added that “a sequel is a no-brainer.”