2. What does an editor do?
• The editor puts together (cuts) the pictures (rushes) as they come in from the set (or lab,
if the drama is being shot in celluloid). Films tend not to be shot in the order in which the
story unfolds, so editors might be working on scenes from the end of the film before the
beginning. Their job is to take scenes in non-story order and edit them bit-by-bit into a
whole.
• In pre-production, editors work closely with the director to decide how to make the most
of the script. Once filming starts, they look at the rushes each day, checking technical
standards and the emerging sense of story and performance and editing it into a series
of scenes. By the time the film wraps editors will have spent hours reworking scenes and
cutting them together to create a rough assembly.
• During post-production, the editor and director will work closely to refine the assembly
edit into a director’s cut, which must be approved by producers, until they achieve
picture lock (known as final cut). After that, the music and sound are added to the mix, a
process that editors will oversee.
3.
4. How do I become an editor?
• The traditional route to becoming an editor is to start as a post-
production runner or trainee and go on to become an assistant
editor. See the post-production runner job profile for details. It’s
common to work as an assistant editor in lower budget productions
before moving into feature films.
• At school or college:
If you want to go to university, A-levels or Highers in art and design,
photography, drama and theatre, English, film studies, graphic
design, graphic communication, media studies, physics, psychology
or computing science are useful. Or you might want to take the
following Level 3 vocational qualifications:
6. What does a TD do?
• A Lighting Technical Director (TD) is an essential member of the CGI
team who adds surface qualities to objects, through adding depth to
sets and characters with shadows, as well as light to provide
illumination that helps accentuate the mood and emotion of a scene.
7. Key skills?
• Knowledge of basic art concepts
• Good communication
• Experience with software such as Nuke, Python and After Effects
• Strong leadership skills
• Good problem-solving
• Knowledge of lighting techniques
8. How do I become a TD?
• The role of Lighting Technical Director is a very technical position, and
therefore it requires quite an extensive education as well as a fair
amount of experience. Knowledge of basic artistic concepts, such as
shading and composition are a good foundation, however many
individuals who have gone onto become a Lighting TD have pursued a
degree in computer science, mathematics or engineering.
