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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.

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