The first time she watched Joel Schumacher's 2004 film The Phantom of the Opera, Noami Holi, 22, was transfixed. Her favorite part? “The scene where the dust and grime lifts off the seats as the movie goes back in time is amazing. Every time I watch that part I think, ‘That's what I want to do.’”

“Terry Rawlings was the film editor,” she adds. “And he was absolutely incredible.”

But Rawlings is her second muse. William H. Reynolds—who edited Ross and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews—is her first.

She discovered Reynolds’ creative genius while watching the special features addition to the film, in which the producers show the locations and sites where they filmed each Sound of Music scene. Holi was amazed to learn that the back of the Von Trapp family house was a different location than the backyard with the lake and veranda. “When I learned this,” enthuses Holi, “I realized how much work must go into making sure that the two sites appear to be one location. It was this movie that made me think about going into film editing.”

Holi began tinkering around on her computer in eighth grade, in response to a request from her elementary school to make a slideshow for that year’s graduating class. Later, in high school, she was the resident “producer,” creating videos for school productions, dinners, and “color-war breakouts.”

 Now, the LAS sophomore spends half her days in college and the other half in seminary at Machon Basya Rochel in Far Rockaway, is aiming for Hollyood herself. At LAS-Flatbush, she’s majoring in digital multimedia and English. Her future career plans?

Film editor… or perhaps screenwriter. Aside from editing, this Brooklyn-native is itching to write film adaptions of novels or historical based films. Her inspiration? Andrew Davies’ screenplay for the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Holi, of course, loves the book and the movie.

“It's hard to take an old novel and turn it into a movie people will love – while still keeping the essence of the book and ensuring the audience understands what's happening. But Davies did it.”

And Holi believes that she’ll someday do it, too.