Editor

Editors are a vital part of any media production, their work is based in the post-production section and they are responsible for piecing together the numerous video clips of a production. Editors use their expertise in any section of the media, more or less any media production requires editing afterwards. They edit a film together to create a unique way for the story to unfold, the way a production is edited can have a big impact on the final film and the way the audience sees it. They have the responsibility to choose which clips they think look best and which order to put them in order to tell the story the best way. The editor works closely with the director and uses their editing skills to help create the director's vision. Editor's have to work long and unsociable hours but once a production is finished they may not have to do any work for a while, they spend long hours sat in an editing suite or cutting room and quite often have to work under pressure which is something you would have to be able to deal with. Editors are quite often employed on a free lance basis mainly based on experience, previous productions and their skills. Skills would include things such as knowing the editing techniques, things such as jump cuts, cross cutting, quick cuts and slow cuts and how it affects the outcome of the final film. Being an editor is a highly creative job and a difficult one but is a very rewarding one in the end, they are one of the most vital members of a film crew. Editors also have a say as to whether the clips being used are of a good enough standard, looking at things such as the actors performances to decide whether to use them or not. Generally the clips they have will not be in the sequence intended for the film so it is helpful for the editor to start from the end and slowly work back to the beginning but they must have the ability to maintain a good sense of the story. Another main thing an editor is edit clips down so that all we can see is what should be in the film, quite often there may be things at the start or end of a clip that shouldn't be there or for things such as quick cuts, cutting down is very useful. They will probably spend hours on end cutting down the same number of clips to get it perfect. Editors will also work with people during post production especially with things such as soundtrack and sound effects, they will probably work with experts in that department to make sure they get the best soundtrack possible for the film and also to make sure the sound effects are good enough. Quite often they will use visual effects, usually to represent somethin, for example if they are showing someone who is drunk, they may use blur effects or slow down a clip to make the audience feel the effect.

Quite often an editor will begin as a trainee or runner and then slowly move up towards being a second assistant and assisting the other editors which will give them the experience and knowledge to become a main editor. In today's film industry, second assistant's are only being employed for big budget films to make sure they are perfect, there aren't as many around today. Trainees with some experiences may get the chance to work on a fairly low budget production as an assistant which again is experience towards becoming a main editor. Editors must have a wide knowledge and experience of the post production process, also they need to have a lot of computer skills with lots of different softwares because editing is all done on computers in the modern day film industry. They would need a good knowledge of story telling and how the pace of a film affects the way the story is told, they need to be able to create rhythm and tension. The main skills an editor requires is being able to work in a team, usually as a team leader, patience, attention and be well organised, good communication skills for things such as working with the director, able to work under pressure and they must have a good knowledge of Health and Safety legislation and procedures. No specific qualifications are required to become an editor but there is a lot of training couses and apprenticeships that would definitely be preferred and give an editor more experience and better understanding.