On the Brink of Editing
It is possible for you to move up from assistant editor to editor on a television series as quickly as five years after the day you set foot in Hollywood! Some people even land a job as an editor on a student film, documentary, or independent feature right away. This is rare but not impossible.
I got my break to move up to editor on a movie of the week, Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery, when I was 24, just three years after moving to Hollywood. Understand, though, that prior to this opportunity I had worked my butt off. I cut film every chance I had, found several mentors, and worked outrageous hours. I was primed and ready to cut when Bud Isaacs, A.C.E., the editor, had to leave the film for health reasons. Bud recommended that I be moved up to editor during his absence. The director, Delbert Mann (Separate Tables, Marty), asked me to cut a reel (about 10 minutes of screen time) for the following morning. He liked what he saw, and I got the gig plus a great credit for my resume!
–ljc
When you set your goals, set the bar high. You just might surprise yourself and accomplish everything you hoped for. Do not be disappointed if your plans take longer than scheduled. Reevaluate the path your career takes at all times and make the necessary adjustments to reach your goals.
At the end of your first five years of being an assistant editor (or maybe even 10 years, if you’ve chosen features), you should be ready to advance to editing. Before opportunity knocks, you will have accomplished the following:
• Already been promised that the next available editing seat will be yours
• Expanded your network (it now includes producers and directors)
• Advanced your skill set to include heavy VFX
• Studied the editing styles of many editors and be able to emulate various styles
• Edited projects during hiatus and received credit
There is no guarantee that your TV show will get the back nine (a pickup of nine more episodes to add to the original network order for a pilot and 12 episodes). If you have the misfortune to be on a show that is not renewed or gets canceled midseason, you have to start your journey to move up to editor on the next show. Making friends, winning support, and clearing the path becomes your mantra. Choosing the right TV show becomes a talent. You will either follow your editor or the producers of the recently canceled show. Maybe they are one and the same. During your tenure with these colleagues, you must always let it be known that you want to move up to editor, show that you are willing to go the extra mile whenever asked, and remind them that you hope you will be considered for the next available seat. Remember, all the people involved in post must want to see you succeed. Continue to take every opportunity to cut—scenes, gag reels, titles, montages. Do their notes and changes with enthusiasm, and remain passionate about each project.
Sometimes, one of the editors will leave the show early to cut a pilot or a feature. You can go with the editor to his next gig, which is probably his preference, or you can stay on the show, and if asked, cut his episode. The politics of this decision is tricky and can be evaluated in a case by case scenario. Moving up to editor is what you have been working for, so we suggest you take the opportunity to edit if it presents itself!
Be prepared at the beginning of your editing career to move up and then back down to assistant while in this transitional stage.
After cutting my first MOW, I had to go back to assisting on a feature, Divine Madness, directed by Michael Ritchie. Glenn Farr, A.C.E. had to leave the show early, and he promoted Alan Balsam, the first assistant, to editor. When Alan had to leave, I was moved up to editor for the second time in my career, before Glenn came back to finish up. My next gig was Zorro, the Gay Blade, directed by Peter Medak. The first film editor, Ray Lovejoy (2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining), was from England, and the production needed a standby American editor. While on location, I assisted Ray and I was moved up to editor for the third time in my career when we returned to Los Angeles. When that film was completed, I decided I would try to not go back to assisting. I turned down several assisting jobs and waited for an editing offer. Ray Lovejoy was kind enough to convince Peter Medak to hire me again on his next gig. I had to wait seven months, but it paid off, and Peter hired me on his next project, a movie of the week. I never looked back!
–ljc
If you have remained on a successful show for the last three years and not one editor has left, you must evaluate whether it is worth your time to remain on this show. If the producers have moved up the other assistant instead of you or brought in an editor from outside to fill in the vacant slot, read the writing on the wall. Changing shows at this point might put you behind your schedule, but you need to look for another job where you can move up to editor successfully.
By now, your network of editors, assistants, and postproducers has expanded. To move up to editor on television, you must also have access to the heads of postproduction of the major studios. Contact them all, or better yet, go and see them, and send them your new resume that reflects your credits as an editor.
When you do make the move up to editor, it is important that your networking now include as many directors as possible. They will remember having worked with you as an assistant, and it is to your benefit to let them know how well you have progressed and that one day you hope to get to work with them as their editor.
Your network should also include producers and co-producers for television. With a good reference from your editor, they will most likely hire you. They want an editor who will work their heart out for them, stay late willingly without demanding much overtime, and possibly bring a youthful point of view to the show. Start to cultivate these relationships as soon as you can.
You will impress your producers and directors when you have a broad base of knowledge about the latest digital technologies. You will be able to utilize these skills as an assistant and when you become an editor. It’s an exciting, changing world in post, and there are countless opportunities to take seminars and classes.
Watch the way your editor cuts a scene. Notice if he prelaps or postlaps (L-shaped cuts that allow audio to start before or after the visual edit), how often and when he uses the master, and when he chooses to score a scene and where he likes to start the cue. You can learn so much from recognizing these editing patterns. If you are able to recognize how your editor likes to cut, then you will be able to emulate his style when you cut a scene for him. After receiving change notes from him, make a mental note about how to apply these suggestions to the next scene you cut. The next set of change notes will be a much smaller list!
One of my all-time favorite scenes is the train wreck in the film The Fugitive. I asked Richard Nord, A.C.E., one of the six editors on the movie (Don Brochu, David Finfer, Dean Goodhill, Dov Hoenig, A.C.E., and Dennis Virkler, A.C.E.), which editor had cut this exciting scene. He said that almost every editor on the show had taken a pass at one time or another! I was amazed. The entire movie had a seamless, unified flow and style. The combined efforts of many editors and the overall look of the show must end up being uniform.
–ljc
In addition to learning the style of editing that your current editor has, you should become familiar with the body of work of your original five favorites. You will learn some wonderful techniques to add to your bag of tricks!
If you have done everything we have discussed so far to prepare for the day you get the opportunity to cut, there is still one more step you should take. During hiatus you must find independent editing jobs. Look for webisodes, training videos, documentaries, student films, music videos, or your own films to cut. That way, when your editor or post producer tries to advocate for you and get you moved up, there will be more editing credits on your resume with which to impress the executives.
The temptation to go on vacation or just relax during hiatus is tremendous. Remember that you are making a deposit in the bank of your career when you continue to pursue jobs that will help expedite the realization of your dreams.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay an assistant. If your reputation is solid, the advantage of staying an assistant editor is that you will always be in high demand and have a steady income. You can pick and choose the shows and people with whom you would like to work.
There are multiple venues that will teach you the nuts and bolts of assistant editing as well as editing. There are Avid and FCP training courses given worldwide. There are free seminars, extension classes, and the lecture series offered annually through A.C.E. Through these classes and lectures, you will meet fellow assistants and film editors, all of whom are willing to discuss their career paths, open their editing rooms to you, and encourage you with their tales of how they got started in the business. These are opportunities to network, which is an essential part of starting your career. Be proactive about meeting people and learning new skills by checking the Editors Guild and A.C.E websites. Subscribe to The CinemaEditor magazine!
Participate. Be Helpful. Be Cheerful.
You will be remembered that way.
If you follow all the steps we have enumerated, we can assure you that you will eventually have an opportunity to become a film editor. If you stay in your hometown, from San Francisco to New York, Sydney to Rome, London to Cape Town, Beijing to Mumbai, the same rules still apply. Cut, cut, cut. Stay your course. Work hard and shine.
It is ultimately you who has the power to make the cut.