Exeter Hill College is packed with mystery, tension, and the moody charm of dark academia—but long before the animation was complete, editor Lil Lonely was already shaping the tone, pacing, and atmosphere of the series.
Below, Lil Lonely walks us through his creative process and the unique challenges of editing an animated drama.
Q: How do you edit when the visuals are still rough or incomplete? Do you rely mostly on timing, sound, or emotional beats in the animatic?
LL: Starting the edit during the rough stages is always the biggest challenge because everything is still a blank slate and finding the right direction before investing a lot of time is nerve-racking. In the case of Exeter Hill College, finding sound and music were the biggest elements that helped steer everything in the right direction.
Q: What’s unique about editing an animated drama compared to live action, especially one with mystery and suspense at its core?
LL: To me, I treat animated content the same as live-action ones, especially since EHC has a darker and more dramatic undertone.
Q: Did the fact that it’s animated allow you to take creative risks in pacing or transitions that wouldn’t work in live action?
LL: Absolutely. There’s a touch of self-awareness that needs to be taken while diving into the editing of EHC. Of course, we can sprinkle humor here and there—it is a fun cartoon after all!
Q: Exeter Hill evokes secret societies, academic obsession, and darker emotional undercurrents. How did you use rhythm and pacing to sustain that tension?
LL: Letting things breathe during scenes helps a lot with building tension. More importantly, sound design helps establish mood. For instance, using a heavy ambiance tone during a more dramatic or suspenseful scene.
Q: What was the most technically-challenging scene for you to edit—and why?
LL: The intro and outro sequences! I had to improvise and be creative with the limited resources I had. And choosing the right theme song for the series was challenging, but it ended up being the right fit!
Q: Which scene are you proudest of from an editing standpoint?
LL: All of them!
Exeter Hill College – “Theirs,” the final part in this 6-part series, releases today, April 8, exclusively on ASGmax!
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