- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRobert John Dalva
- Robert Dalva was born on April 14, 1942 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a cinematographer and editor, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Jurassic Park III (2001). He was married to Marcia Smith. He died on January 27, 2023 in Marin County, California, USA.
- SpouseMarcia Smith(1964 - January 27, 2023) (his death, 4 children)
- Frequently collaborated with director Joe Johnston.
- Years before his editing career began, his wife got him a birthday present: a course at a driving school in Sonoma, California. Dalva gained a sharpened ability to concentrate, in his own words "focus on what was happening right in front of you." He credits this skill with aiding him in editing.
- I love directing. I wish I had done more. But I also love editing. I can't complain. I'm happy with both. Editing is an intricate look into all of these pieces, trying to put them together and tell a story. That's really what the magic is. But ultimately, editing is about storytelling.
- About working with Joe Johnston: Joe and I have had a special relationship. We work very well together. I really enjoy his movies. I think he has a great sense of humor. I think a great thing about Jurassic Park III (2001) is that it is funny. Jumanji (1995) is very funny. I think October Sky (1999) is a remarkably good movie and it never got the play that it deserved.
- If you are doing a sword fight, the swords are made of rubber on the set, because they don't want to get anyone hurt. When you edit it, it sounds like "thump-thump-thump-thump" instead of "clang-clang-clang-clang." I would, in the cutting process, take out the thumps and put in clangs, because I miss it. I want it to be realistic. I think it's distracting to hear something that you don't expect. But also, I want to enhance it. I think putting temp music in is also very important.
- I have very rich soundtracks when I edit. I think that sound is a very important part of the process. I use as many tracks as I can. Sometimes you don't need many, but sometimes you do.
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