Ciclope 2025: A Swarm on the horizon.

8 October 2025

On day two of Ciclope, attendees learned about 'The Swarm'— not the 1978 disaster movie, but a collaborative approach to editing used by Paul Rogers and the team at Parallax.

On day two of Ciclope, attendees learned about 'The Swarm'— not the 1978 disaster movie that pits Michael Caine against killer bees with unintentionally hilarious results ("I never dreamed that it would turn out to be the bees. They've always been our friend"), but a collaborative approach to editing used by Paul Rogers and the team at Parallax.

Rogers, who cut 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' for The Daniels and won an Oscar for his efforts, admitted he "could be full of shit" as he talked about how editors and non-editors alike could tackle a film, commercial, or music video together. Suffice to say, no one in the videos Rogers played thought he was full of shit—some of them sounded like customer testimonials from people whose lives were changed by the power of the Swarm.

In fairness to Rogers, the American has no desire to convert people like a cult leader (that's the hope, at least). Instead, he wants to foster a more "humane" work culture and help others reach a better work-life balance. The Swarm takes the weight off an individual cutter's shoulders and draws other Parallax editors into the fold; they, as Rogers puts it, "push and challenge each other to uncover unexpected narrative directions".

Is it a case of too many cooks spoil the broth? Not if you ask talent like The Daniels, Isaiah Seret, and Kahlil Joseph (co-director of Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' opus and the man behind 'BLKNWS'). Brands such as Nike and Expedia, meanwhile, have also warmed to the hive mind idea. If you happen to hear the sound of the Swarm near you, no need to call Michael Caine's harassed entomologist—it just means Rogers is onto something.