Sundance 2025: Behind the Scenes with the Editor of “BunnyLovr”

Sundance 2025: Behind the Scenes with the Editor of "BunnyLovr"

Image Source: Sundance Institute

Katarina Zhu's debut feature "Bunnylovr" premieres at Sundance on January 25th. Directed by, written by, and starring Zhu and edited by Stephania Dulowski ("Tendaberry"), the film follows a drifting Chinese American cam girl, Rebecca, struggling to navigate an increasingly toxic relationship with one of her clients while rekindling her relationship with her dying estranged father.

Zhu offers a vulnerable performance as Rebecca, who is both yearning for connection and vigilant about maintaining her emotional and physical safety, while co-producer Rachel Sennott is abrasively funny as Rebecca's more grounded best friend.

We sat down with Dulowski for an inside look at how she used Premiere Pro and Frame.io to craft a story that offers a nuanced, nonjudgmental approach to sex work, while also raising important questions about the commodification of intimacy and fragmentation of family. Working closely with Zhu and the rest of the creative team, Dulowski said Frame.io's integration with Premiere Pro was crucial to the team's collaborative workflow: "Using the 'Review with Frame.io' feature within Premiere Pro was especially helpful as I could ingest everyone's comments on the exact frame they left their notes on. It's fantastic and a game changer for remote collaboration."

Read on for a behind-the-scenes look at editing "BunnyLovr."

How did you first get involved with this project?

Neon Heart Productions, one of the production companies behind "Bunnylovr," recommended me to edit the film after our collaboration on "Tendaberry," which premiered at Sundance 2024 in the NEXT Category. "Tendaberry" was a multiyear editorial process with a shifting script, and Neon Heart often praised my ability to navigate its complexities, which made their recommendation for "Bunnylovr" especially meaningful. Additionally, Radish, another production company involved in the film, strongly advocated for me as well. There was a lot of buzz in NYC around "Bunnylovr," which made me super excited when I joined the team.

Where were you when you found out you got into Sundance? How did you feel?

I found out "Bunnylovr" got into Sundance when I walked into the edit bay at Exile Edit in NYC (the commercial shop I'm represented by that graciously let us use their edit bays for the film) and Katarina Zhu, the director, greeted me with the news and a bouquet of flowers. Coincidentally, it was also our picture lock day, which made it even more special to complete the edit knowing it would premiere at Sundance in just over two months. This marks my second consecutive year having a feature film premiere at the festival, and the moment felt surreal both times-I was just more stunned getting in for the second year in a row!

How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?

When I begin a project, I collaborate closely with the assistant editor to develop a strategy for breaking down the footage and organizing the scenes in a way that best suits the workflow. I prefer fewer sequences per scene, otherwise, I'm spending time just clicking through sequences. All my selects go into new sequences along with the different ways I can assemble the scene. These little scene assemblies show the director some of the best takes and how the scene may come together. I also keep the breakdown sequences close because there are multiple times throughout the edit process where the director and I will screen all the performances again when we know how a scene will work, to ensure we chose the best takes. It becomes too cumbersome to click through lots of different sequences when I'm editing so an organized workspace is essential to my focus during editing a film.

I also take time to read the script multiple times to fully understand the story's intent and underlying themes. This preparation ensures that when I screen all the footage, I can make thoughtful creative choices that align with the director's vision.

Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.

One of my favorite scenes in "Bunnylovr" is also the longest and serves as a pivotal moment in the story. It was one of the first scenes we assembled, and it worked so well initially that we left it untouched for a long time. During fine cutting, we focused on building the tension between the two characters, layering in subtle microexpressions and sound design to shift the tone from lighthearted to deeply unsettling. I love this scene because it challenged us to make nuanced decisions, gradually transforming the mood over its duration. It's a complex and rewarding sequence that significantly impacts the story and the main character's journey.

What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?

One of the biggest challenges for this film was the incredibly tight timeline. The production team was determined to submit the film to Sundance, which meant we needed a full assembly of the film by the end of the third week of editing- incredibly fast for any feature-length project. We ultimately hit this goal, but it required a very organized project and understanding of the director's vision before I began editing.

What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them?

I edited Bunnylovr in Premiere Pro using Productions to keep my project moving fast. We'd used Frame.io daily to post cuts for reviews and offload the picture lock edit with notes to all the finishing departments. I also used Speech to Text to help me find specific lines from characters within their lengthy monologues.

We shared roughcuts with the producers almost daily on Frame.io. Using the 'Review with Frame.io' feature within Premiere Pro was especially helpful as I could ingest everyone's comments on the exact frame they left their notes on. This helped Katarina and I take into account everyone's notes while actively re-editing scenes. The comments would stick to the scenes they were on even though the timeline was shifting. It's fantastic and a game changer for remote collaboration!

If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?

Always create hotkeys for your shortcuts! Cutting down the time it takes to perform an action will give you more energy and time to focus on the creative side of editing. My favorite hotkey on this project was 'close gap,' which the director actually showed me.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

When editing, I often think of Walter Murch's "In The Blink of An Eye." Specifically, how he says performance and story always are more important than continuity. So many times you can be a little nervous that the viewer will catch inconsistencies in production, but I like to remind myself that if the story is working, the viewer is engaged and the inconsistencies fall to the background.

What's something tough you've had to face in your career, and how did you overcome it? What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers or content creators?

I've mentioned this before, but burnout creeps up quicker every year. It's important to take care of yourself on long projects that require a lot of stamina.

My advice to aspiring film editors is to be a part of an editorial community. Post-production can be very isolating since teams are smaller and it can feel like you're severed from the rest of the production. It's so rewarding for me to spend time talking and sharing with other editors about our experiences.

What's your favorite thing about your workspace and why?

My favorite thing about my workstation is my vertical mouse which helps prevent pain in my arm by keeping it in a natural position. This helps when editing 8-10 hours a day 5-7 days a week. I'm never going back to a regular mouse!

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