Skip to main content

The Role of an Editor

The role of an editor is one of the most important roles in the creation of a piece of film, as this is the point which can make or break the quality of the final product. A good editor can turn mediocre footage into a masterpiece, whereas a bad editor can create a mess out of some of the best footage ever shot for film or television. Therefore, when undertaking the role of an editor, you need to have a very clear idea of what you are doing.
Despite what people may think, being an editor doesn't mean that you are only part of the project after all of the footage has been shot. The Editor works closely with the director before shooting begins, deciding how to maximise the potential of the screenplay. This is in order to create a mutual image of what the film is going to look like. There would be no point in shooting with the intention of making a comedy if the editor creates a love film from the footage. Editors check the technical standards, as well as the emerging sense of story, and the actor's performances. All of this is useful for an editor to visualise the final product

 In order to help me to understand what it means to be an editor, I researched several websites to see what the qualities and skills required were. One website that helped me understand what it means to be an editor was 
http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/2940_editor

 This helped me to better understand my role as it listed numerous roles that an editor has to undertake, some of which I did not know, such as editors usually working in a supervisory role during the subsequent music and track laying, and sound mix. I had previously thought that the editor had some opinion in the choices of these components, but were not in charge of them

 Another website, https://www.mediacollege.com/employment/television/editor.html listed a few ways that an editor's role may be different, depending on what job they are in:

 The Editor's job description depends on the situation, the editor's skills and other factors
- The Editor is required to perform specific edits as instructed by the director or producer
- The Editor is allowed to make their own editing decisions, perhaps using a particular style or their signature technique

 This was quite helpful, as it tells me that the editor can have some freedom when editing, however it may only be a small piece of freedom, as the director or producer is the one who ultimately has the final say in the matter.

 I have found these pieces of research very helpful, and feel like they have given me more confidence in my role as an editor on this project.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transition Unit: Shoot Day 2 - Maidstone Studios

Our second shoot was at the Maidstone Studios in the car park. We were shooting at night for an interrogation scene, and night time would give the scene some more depth and feel.  We encountered quite a few problems during the shoot. On the day, at about 11:00, our actor who was going to be playing the villain dropped out, so we had to find someone else for a 8:00pm shoot. Fortunately, we were able to find someone by 12:30, which was a relief. The next problem we had was that as we needed it to be quite dark for our shoot, it was staying light for quite a while. due to this, we were late to start filming. This had a knock on effect with our schedule, as the actor who was playing our villain had to get a train back to London at 10:03. This problem, accompanied by some more technical problems with our equipment, forced us to cram a three hour shoot into just 50 minutes.  we just managed to do it, but if I were to do this shoot again, I would try and make sure that the equi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Storytelling – Preparing and shooting news packages

News packages •These are self-contained news items. • Unlike VOs/SOTs, the news anchor need do no more than introduce the item and then wrap it up at      the end. • The reporter themselves also wraps up the story with their ‘TAG’ at the end (name, location) • The package contains the reporter usually both on camera and also their voice as “track” ( aka              VO/Comm). • Use the script as a template for structuring and guiding your edit. • Ensure you fully research what you are trying to shoot so that you are as prepared as possible. Structure and Content A good package will contain a mix of the following elements :  – Interviews, vox pops & set ups  – Sequences and actuality  – GVs/archive  – PTCs and walky talkies  – GFX It is useful to structure your piece as you might a good written piece of work:  – INTRO  – BODY OF ARGUMENT – expert opinion, stats, backgrou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pre-production: Locations

I have been able to secure access to the Holy Trinity Church in Sittingbourne to be the main location of my documentary, as this is where the Lunch Club is held, and is the Church where many of the volunteers go. In order to secure this location, I spoke with the person who runs the club, Pauline, as well as the Vicar, and they were both happy to let me make my documentary there, and to also do a test shoot. I have managed to secure a couple of other locations as well. They are both the homes of two of the volunteers at the club. The first one that I secured is the house of a woman called Barbie, and she is the person who got my nan interested in the Lunch club. I wanted to interview her as she was close to my nan, and has also been volunteering at the club for a long time. she lives along the road from my Grandparents house, so it easily accessible. The second location is the home of another volunteer that I spoke with when I went to the club on October 31st. Her name is Penny, an...
Post a Comment
Read more