Published 3rd March, 2017 in Corporate.
So you want to be an
editor, and work on Drama?
Often, I have been
asked my advice on how to become a professional editor. Strangely, even though the technology used to
create edited content has radically reinvented itself many times over the
years, the advice I have offered has remained pretty consistent.
Just to explain, the
reason I get asked for career advice so often, emanates from my role as one of
the founding partners of Soho Editors, Europe’s leading freelance
Post-Production Talent Agency. Soho Editors has two main business areas and
both have informed my opinion and my advice to aspiring TV and Film editors.
The first, established
about twenty years ago, is a Post-Production Talent Agency that supplies the
best freelance talent to many of the top production, advertising agencies, and
post facilities in the UK. Alongside this, Soho Editors Training offers
manufacturer accredited training on all the technology available from the major
players. Including Avid, Adobe, Final
Cut Pro, Blackmagic Design and Maxon.
From that profile, you
can guess I always get asked two questions. The first one is “how do I become an
editor?” And the second is “now I’m an editor, how do I
get to cut drama?”
Rory Cantwell
The second problem is
far more complex than just saying “learn an NLE”. Drama cutting as a
discipline, is rightly or wrongly perceived to be the pinnacle of the editing
craft; the place where technology is definitely secondary to the creative art
of storytelling. Arguably, the editor that
still manages to grab the attention of the viewer of a low budget corporate
will often have to work much harder to achieve their result. Even more
important than choosing to become an expert in the technology required in the
drama sector, are the network of peers that you establish as you navigate the
series of catch-22’s that defeats all but the most determined wanting to cut drama.
Essentially, the problem is “You only get to cut high-end drama, once you have proved you can
cut high-end drama.”
The simplest way to
deal with this consistent and universal barrier, common to all sectors of the
creative industry, is to hone and then deliver the proof of your skills, initially working for low pay, with others on
a similar journey, all striving to succeed in their own disciplines. Clearly,
all of this is relevant only if you are able to deliver the skills and vision
that will create content that, for example, compels everybody watching to cry
at exactly the right time.
To progress your
creative career, there are two very important ways of approaching the problems
you face. The first draws on the old maxim ‘luck is a combination
of preparation and opportunity’; never more true than in our industry. If you are prepared for that moment when
creative demand outstrips supply, you’ll be able to take advantage of that
opportunity and progress. I’ll round this off by pointing out the obvious: if you’re in the preparation
stage, you can short-cut the pain of this learning process with some
career-targeted training from Soho Editors Training.
The second approach
speaks to your attitude to any opportunity that may arise.
Essentially any
aspiring editor must be prepared for possible setbacks, as they get confronted
by new challenges, for example, a difficult client, time constraints or missing
shots. As opportunities arise, it will
only be the brave that step up and put their preparation to the test. Critically, even if they do fail, the process
of trying will educate them and improve their performance for the next time
fortune shines on them.
Preceding all of these
issues, I would first ask you to be honest with yourself to answer one very
important question: Are you passionate about the target of your career? If you are, you will probably have the
determination and commitment necessary to overcome the myriad of challenges and
obstacles that will inevitably attempt to hamper you on your way to success.
By Rory Cantwell – Founder of SohoEditors.com
So you want to be an
editor, and work on Drama?
Often, I have been
asked my advice on how to become a professional editor. Strangely, even though the technology used to
create edited content has radically reinvented itself many times over the
years, the advice I have offered has remained pretty consistent.
Just to explain, the
reason I get asked for career advice so often, emanates from my role as one of
the founding partners of Soho Editors, Europe’s leading freelance
Post-Production Talent Agency. Soho Editors has two main business areas and
both have informed my opinion and my advice to aspiring TV and Film editors.
The first, established
about twenty years ago, is a Post-Production Talent Agency that supplies the
best freelance talent to many of the top production, advertising agencies, and
post facilities in the UK. Alongside this, Soho Editors Training offers
manufacturer accredited training on all the technology available from the major
players. Including Avid, Adobe, Final
Cut Pro, Blackmagic Design and Maxon.
From that profile, you
can guess I always get asked two questions. The first one is “how do I become an
editor?” And the second is “now I’m an editor, how do I
get to cut drama?”
Rory Cantwell
The second problem is
far more complex than just saying “learn an NLE”. Drama cutting as a
discipline, is rightly or wrongly perceived to be the pinnacle of the editing
craft; the place where technology is definitely secondary to the creative art
of storytelling. Arguably, the editor that
still manages to grab the attention of the viewer of a low budget corporate
will often have to work much harder to achieve their result. Even more
important than choosing to become an expert in the technology required in the
drama sector, are the network of peers that you establish as you navigate the
series of catch-22’s that defeats all but the most determined wanting to cut drama.
Essentially, the problem is “You only get to cut high-end drama, once you have proved you can
cut high-end drama.”
The simplest way to
deal with this consistent and universal barrier, common to all sectors of the
creative industry, is to hone and then deliver the proof of your skills, initially working for low pay, with others on
a similar journey, all striving to succeed in their own disciplines. Clearly,
all of this is relevant only if you are able to deliver the skills and vision
that will create content that, for example, compels everybody watching to cry
at exactly the right time.
To progress your
creative career, there are two very important ways of approaching the problems
you face. The first draws on the old maxim ‘luck is a combination
of preparation and opportunity’; never more true than in our industry. If you are prepared for that moment when
creative demand outstrips supply, you’ll be able to take advantage of that
opportunity and progress. I’ll round this off by pointing out the obvious: if you’re in the preparation
stage, you can short-cut the pain of this learning process with some
career-targeted training from Soho Editors Training.
The second approach
speaks to your attitude to any opportunity that may arise.
Essentially any
aspiring editor must be prepared for possible setbacks, as they get confronted
by new challenges, for example, a difficult client, time constraints or missing
shots. As opportunities arise, it will
only be the brave that step up and put their preparation to the test. Critically, even if they do fail, the process
of trying will educate them and improve their performance for the next time
fortune shines on them.
Preceding all of these
issues, I would first ask you to be honest with yourself to answer one very
important question: Are you passionate about the target of your career? If you are, you will probably have the
determination and commitment necessary to overcome the myriad of challenges and
obstacles that will inevitably attempt to hamper you on your way to success.
By Rory Cantwell – Founder of SohoEditors.com