If you are thinking about changing careers and becoming a Video Editor, you might be wondering what kind of jobs you can get in the field. Video Editing is a popular career option that is expected to show strong job growth over the next ten years. With the right training, you can become a TV Studio Editor, a Film Editor, a freelance Event Video Editor, or a Web Video Editor.
Television Studio Editor
Studio editors put together footage for news programs and sometimes direct live programming and cameras. Sports highlights and interviews all need to be edited to fit in a time slot and to tell a particular story.
TV Editors are expected to work fast and meet deadlines. This is a high-stress job but if you thrive on the excitement, this might be the career for you. TV Editors need to use and understand editing software and other computer applications which change frequently. A successful TV Editor is flexible, able to complete projects on a deadline, and communicate with other members of the team.
Duties of a TV Editor
The day to day activities of a TV Editor, whether employed at a local affiliate or a national broadcasting company, revolve around video production. Some of the things they might do include the following:
Editing
The Editor looks over the footage shot by the camera technicians and edits it to create an interesting sequence that will attract an audience. It must conform to the company guidelines and industry standards.
Meet Deadlines
Once the Editor receives the footage, it must be prepared in time for broadcasting. Deadlines are extremely important.
Communicate with Colleagues
As part of a team, the Editor needs to make suggestions to improve program quality, content, and working conditions. Editors add their input to increase viewership and ratings.
TV Editor Salary and Job Outlook
The median pay for a TV Editor was $54,030 in May of 2020. There are 33,000 people working as Editors in the film and television industry and another 8,600 new jobs are expected to be added each year for the next ten years. Of the people employed as Film and Video Editors in 2020, 7 percent worked in the television industry.
Film Editor
Film Editors work in post-production to put the film together according to the director’s vision. Editors choose the footage, cut it together, and correct the sound and color. In large companies, there will be more than one editor on the team to handle different parts, such as special effects and sound. A talented Editor can make or break a film.
Although they often work as part of a team, Film Editors work alone much of the time. Editors use sophisticated and complex computer programs like Adobe Premiere Pro in their work, so they need to enjoy working with technology. Creativity is another important part of the job of a Film Editor. The way the footage is assembled has a major impact on the story of the film.
Duties of a Film Editor
The Film Editor’s job starts after the footage has been shot. Some of the things a film editor does includes the following:
Editing
Much like a TV Editor, a Film Editor’s main job is to take raw footage and put it together to tell the story the director wants to tell. Today’s feature films involve animation and special effects, and there are often multiple Editors working on a single film.There can be separate Editors for film, sound, special effects, animation, graphics, and color.
Sound Mixing and Fixing
When an Editor works on a film or a long video, the sound often needs to be fixed. Editors use software like Adobe Audition to make the dialogue more prominent, add sound effects like slamming doors, ringing telephones, or dogs barking or remove unwanted sounds. An Editor can also add ambient sounds like water running in a stream or people murmuring in a restaurant.
Color Correction
Another task that falls to a Film Editor is color correction. This means using software like Davinci Resolve to alter the color of clips so that everything matches throughout the scene. Sometimes footage is shot at different times and under different conditions, and color correction adds an overlay to make the frames match. Color correction can also be used to add a certain feeling to a scene. Darker color adds a sense of foreboding. Black and whiteor sepia is sometimes used to signal a memory or dream sequence. Some Editors choose to specialize in color correction.
Special Effects
Some Film Editors, particularly those who work alone or with small film companies, will also add special effects to the film during post-production. Fire, explosions, green screen effects, and more can be added with software like Adobe After Effects.
Planning
Film Editors are often included in the planning stage for a film. Mock ups of planned shots are put together to create a storyboard, which tells the story of the film. The Editor follows the storyboard to pick the best shots to convey the story as the director wants to tell it.
Film Editor Salary and Job Outlook
The median pay for a Film Editor was $66,700 in May of 2020. There are 33,000 people working as Editors in the film and television industry and another 8,600 new jobs are expected to be added each year for the next ten years. Of the people employed as Film and Video Editors in 2020, 36 percent worked in the film industry.
Event Video Editor
Many Video Editors start out shooting and editing videos of events such as weddings, anniversary parties, or other ceremonies. Event editors are usually self-employed freelancers. As such, they also need to pay attention to other aspects of running a business in addition to editing videos.
Duties of an Event Video Editor
Working as a freelance Event Video Editor is one way to get into the editing field. People are always looking for someone to produce videos of their family or corporate events and there is a great deal of work available.
Many of the people who work as Event Video Editors do so as freelancers. This means that they are hired for that event only, so their job duties also include advertising their services, talking with clients, and billing for services.
Shoot Video Footage of the Event
For private events like weddings or anniversary parties, freelancers will often shoot the footage, edit it, and deliver the finished video to the client. It is sometimes necessary to visit the venue ahead of time to plan shots, and it is also a good idea to meet with the client to get a clear understanding of expectations.
On the day of the event, a freelance Event Video Editor will arrive before the event begins, shoot video footage of the event, and then take it back to the studio for editing. Event Video Editors need to be able to think on their feet and prepare for anything that might go wrong by having back ups for things like batteries, lights, or other equipment.
Edit the Video
The Event Video Editor will take the raw footage from the event and edit it using software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Pro. After choosing the best clips from the footage and putting them together in a sequence, the Editor will create transitions and effects, fix the audio, adjust the color, and add graphics.
Deliver the Video
The Event Video Editor should deliver the finished video to the client in a timely manner, and be prepared to listen to feedback. It helps to enjoy working with people when building a career as a freelancer.
Pay Attention to Business
When you work for someone else, you do your job and get a paycheck. Freelancers need to advertise, talk to prospective clients, and write bills and invoices. Quite a bit of time goes into finding work, and that is time that you aren’t directly paid for.
Event Video Editor Salary and Job Outlook
The pay for an Event Video Editor varies widely depending upon level of experience and examples of past work. Of the people employed as Video Editors in 2020, 38 percent worked as freelancers. According to the freelance job site Fiverr, Event Video Editors start anywhere between $10 and $350 for an event. Glassdoor lists the average yearly salary for freelance Editors as $61,730.
Web Video Editor
Web video editors are hired to make videos for release on the internet. They can be freelancers working for small businesses and non-profit organizations, or work in-house as part of an advertising team.
Duties of a Web Video Editor
The duties of a Web Video Editor are very similar to a Film Video Editor, except that producing videos for release on the internet and social media sometimes involves different software applications than those for film editing. Adobe Premiere Rush and Apple iMovie are popular for web editing programs.
Editing
The Web Video Editor’s job is to take raw footage and put it together to tell the story the director of the team has chosen to tell. There can be separate Editors for film, sound, special effects, animation, graphics, and color, or the Editor can be working alone to shoot the footage as well.
Fixing, Mixing and Special Effects
How much an Editor is expected to do to the video depends upon the nature of the project and the budget. If the client is looking for a raw-looking video for social media, it might not involve as many extras as a more polished advertisement.
Planning
Web Video Editors often work as part of a team to plan an advertising campaign. This involves storyboarding and mock ups, plus scheduling, and communicating with other team members.
Web Video Editor Salary and Job Outlook
Web Video Editors are employed both as freelancers and in-house members of a team, so their salaries vary widely and depend upon experience and reputation. The job outlook is strong in this field.
How to Learn Video Editing
If you are interested in video editing and are thinking of switching careers, you will need to learn to use video editing software. There are many tutorials out there to get you started, but editing software is complex and many people find it easier to learn technical information through classes.
You can choose classes that meet in-person or online to learn video editing. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.
The best way to prepare for a career shift to a technical field like video editing is to enroll in a bootcamp or certificate program. These are intensive training courses that run for a few weeks to a few months and will cover video editing in much more depth than tutorials can. Another plus of training is that you will leave class with a professional-quality sample video portfolio that you can show to prospective employers.
It’s easy to learn video editing and start a new career. Check out Noble Desktop’s video editing classes. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online video editing courses and attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other courses in video editing in your area.