So you wanna be a cutter above the rest?

What’s the job?
In a nutshell, the editor is the person who takes all of the raw footage, and then re-assembles it into a coherent whole: rather like doing a jigsaw, really.

Split decisions
There are two types of editors: film and video. A film editor deals solely with long strips of film, cutting and re-assembling the strips until everyone’s happy. A video editor uses a computer, into which the video footage has been fed, and presses lots of buttons in order to assemble a programme.

So editors are basically robots sticking bits of film or tape together?
Er, no. Any editor worth their salt is part technical wizard, part creative genius. The editor works closely alongside the producer and/or director of a programme, and they work together to create the final cut. Often, the producer/director has a fixed idea of what shots they want to use, and how they want the finished piece to look, but a good editor will always be encouraged to voice their own ideas, and will therefore have a major creative input into how the final programme turns out.

Glamour rating
Not very sexy at all. Editors tend to work in small, cramped rooms, either surrounded by reels and reels of film footage, or banks of computers. The hours can be extremely long if you’re working to a broadcast deadline, it can be very stressful for the same reason, and at the end of the day, it’s the producer/director who takes all the plaudits for your fantastic work.

So why do it?
Because when all is said and done, the editor is the master of a programme’s destiny. The skills and the creativity of an editor are often the difference between a good programme and an outstanding one.

Where do editors work?
Like all of the major television stations, the BBC has in-house editing facilities for both film and video. Often, different departments – sport, news, drama, comedy, actuality – have their own editing departments. Increasingly though, both the major television stations, and the independent companies who make programmes for them, use outside facilities houses.

What’s a ‘facilities house’?
Basically, a facilities house is a company set up to deal in all aspects of post-production. For example, Pyramid Post Production, which is where the ‘It’s A Wrap!’ television series was edited, is a building containing a number of different editing suites and other facilities, to which a television company can take their footage, edit it, and add sound, voice-overs, graphics, and computer-generated effects.

Does the editor do all of that?
No. Although an editor will need to know how to mix sound, correct colour, use a voice-over booth, and add basic graphics and effects to a programme.

So how do I become an editor?
There are no hard and fast rules to becoming an editor. Modern editing, particularly in video, requires a good knowledge of computers and electronics, as well as a good understanding, if not experience, of camera and sound work, and how to create, structure, and pace a television programme.

How do I learn all of that?
These days, you can teach yourself the basic principles of editing at home on your own computer. Video cameras and home-editing software are very cheap, and you can start making your own test programmes for well under £1,000. As for professional editing, you’ve got two basic pathways:

Run, run, run
Most television companies and facilities houses employ runners. Now don’t kid yourself about this, a runner is basically a glorified tea boy or girl with some technical duties thrown in. However, runners do get the opportunity in quiet periods to work on their own material in editing suites, and to gain knowledge of editing that way. It’s quite common for runners to move up the editing ladder from these humble beginnings.

Qualifications
Learning to be an editor doesn’t necessarily require any formal qualifications. However, many editors entering the profession now do have some form of degree, usually in media, television, or film studies (see Links for UCAS website address for a list of suitable degree courses and qualification requirements).

Training
‘Skillset’, the national television and film training organisation funded by the industry and the government oversee a number of NVQ-based training schemes for people starting out in television and film, including:

1. Cyfle offer one and two year NVQ-based training courses in Electronic Post-Production assistant (Level 2), Film Post-Production assistant (Level 2), and Editing (Level 3 & 4).

2. FT2 offer one and two year NVQ-based courses in Editing – Electronic (Level 2), and Editing – Film (Level 3).

3. Skillset oversee other NVQ courses in Electronic Post-Production Support (Level 2), and Film Post-Production Support (Level 2).

For more details about ‘Skillset’, ‘Cyfle’, and ‘FT2’ see: Y is for Why?

Future prospects
With the advent of the digital age, there has been a proliferation of new channels and facilities houses. Smaller budgets and tighter schedules have meant that across the rest of the television industry, ‘multi-tasking’ has become the norm (a ‘multi-tasker’ is someone who can produce, direct, write, and film a programme if required): however, editing is one of the few skills that most multi-taskers find a step too far, so there’s a need for new editors in the television industry.