During the virtual Q&A, Hansen-Fliedner discussed his editing experience since graduating from Penn and "Tiger King." (Photo by Meredith Truax)
“Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness" is the breakout documentary series of the year, capturing the attention of millions worldwide, leading to questions over the ethics of big cat owners and the disappearance of Carole Baskin's husband. And at the heart of Netflix's mega-hit is 2014 College graduate Dylan Hansen-Fliedner, who was an editor on "Tiger King."
On Wednesday, Hansen-Fliedner connected with over 130 students, faculty, and non-Penn affiliated individuals online to discuss his experience editing the viral sensation in a virtual question and answer session hosted by Penn’s Cinema and Media Studies department. Hansen-Fliedner accredited Penn to launching him into the world of documentary editing and answered questions ranging from how he came to work on "Tiger King" to the types of editing programs he uses.
Cinema and Media Studies Director Peter Decherney led the Q&A on video conferencing platform Zoom during which Hansen-Fliedner answered questions that viewers were able to submit in Zoom’s chat window.
“Tiger King” is a documentary series that explores the lives of America’s big cat owners, in particular Joe Exotic, a former zoo owner who is currently serving a 22-year sentence for his part in a murder-for-hire plot. Released on Netflix on March 20, roughly 34 million people watched the series in the first 10 days of its release, according to CNN.
Hansen-Fliedner said that he became interested in documentaries after taking FNAR 675: Image and Sound Editing at Penn. For Hansen-Fliedner, documentaries are a way for him to meet and understand the lives of people he otherwise might have never come in contact with, as he said was the case with “Tiger King.”
Hansen-Fliedner said he started working on the documentary after having previously worked with the producers of "Tiger King" on “Before the Flood,” a documentary featuring Leonardo DiCaprio traveling the world to witness climate change fist-hand.
While editing “Tiger King” in parts of 2016 and all of 2019, Hansen-Fliedner said he and the other editors sorted through at least 1,000 hours of footage.
“It just involved 10 to 12 hours a day of watching Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin at war with each other,” Hansen-Fliedner said. “A lot of laughs and a lot of tears along the way [between the editors], because things were brutal and hard to watch.”
Carole Baskin is the founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue and is opposed to the practices of big cat collectors such as Joe Exotic. The vicious war of words between Exotic and Baskin drives the narrative of "Tiger King."
Hansen-Fliedner said seeing the success of “Tiger King” has been rewarding. But he said there is a “cognitive dissonance,” as he is experiencing personal success while much of the world is quarantined by stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hansen-Fliedner said he hopes the Netflix documentary series is a "conversation starter" for animal abuse. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have used the popularity of “Tiger King” to promote their message and educate the public about animal abuse.
“We definitely tried to include the gruesome animal rights abuses and we did try to recenter the narrative towards the end so that people would start considering the world [of exotic animal owners], because it is a huge issue," Hansen-Fliedner said.
College senior and CIMS major Kelly Huang said that she tuned in to the Q&A, because she enjoyed watching “Tiger King” and hoped to have some of her questions about the series answered.
“'Tiger King' has such a pop cultural relevance right now, and it was cool to hear from a Penn alum that was directly involved in it, especially an editor, who in the documentary process is so much more influential in the end story,” Huang said.
Urwa Khaliq, a College senior and CIMS major, helped to moderate the Q&A, choosing questions from the Zoom chat to ask Hansen-Fliedner. Khaliq said she enjoyed the online format, because she thought it enabled more people access to the event.
“This was so successful, because the virtual allowed not just people from Penn, but also people from outside of Penn to actually get to be involved inside the conversation,” Khaliq said. “I just feel like this one reached out to corners of the world.”
Hansen-Fliedner said that he and the editors are happy with the final product, as is the show’s main character, Joe Exotic.
“He’s glad he’s finally famous,” Hansen-Fliedner said. “It’s what he’s always wanted.”
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