TV_Editor
Los Angeles, CA
Male, 38
I edit day-of-air video segments for a national television entertainment news show. I piece together 1-3 minute segments by laying down the audio of the script (the narrative voice-over), including any “sound bites.” I then take previously-shot footage, including, but not limited too, interviews, still photographs, and graphics. I also add music and a variety of effects to these pieces.
Both. One can be a freelance editor selling their services to different studios and/or production companies, or one can be a contracted (staff) editor working for one studio or production company.
It varies. Different producers do different things. Some producers let me do it all on my own, others know what they want, shot-by-shot.
It varies with experience. An experienced editor can make anywhere from $500-$800 a day. In my current staff salaried position, I make $140,000/year with benefits.
The director/producers probably want to convey a person of "value" in their commercials.
Sr. Software Engineer
Is it basically impossible for a skilled programmer to be out of work these days?Hairstylist and Makeup Artist
What's the grossest hair ailment you ever saw?Investment Banker
How much can bankers earn in a year?Via satellite feed, we received the celebrity interview at the very last moment before we had to feed our video to the East Coast stations. I had to add a ten-second sound bite from this celebrity, but I also had to cut a few words out of the middle of the sentence, which created a “jump cut.” This means the video does not flow seamlessly, and I did not have time to cover the jump cut with a different shot (i.e. a reaction shot from the interviewer). Since we were literally out of time, we had to send the video as is.
For the most part, yes.
Final Cut Pro is a good program for the consumer. It's fairly easy to use and pretty cheap.
It varies from project to project. Sometimes I work solo, other times I have 5 different people in the bay telling me what to do (which sucks).
In college, I majored in broadcast industry communications knowing that one day I wanted to work in television. After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-90s, I found work at a small production company answering phones and running errands. At this point I had little to no editing experience. However, I was given the opportunity at this company to become an Avid editor. I started out as an assistant editor, gaining hands-on experience and knowledge of editing. After assisting for a year, I was promoted to a staff editor position.
Sort of. We can stretch the video to make a person look a little thinner. Doesn't really disappear in Hd.
Different projects demand different hours. As a staff employee, my current hours are roughly 9 am to 6 pm. However, I sometimes work nights and weekends.
My day is broken into two different edits. My morning edit has to be ready to air by 1 pm. There is no room for error and no time to focus on anything else. My afternoon edit, while no less important, is a bit less intense and it leaves me some breathing room as these pieces usually air at a later date. I cannot speak for other editors regarding “medications” to focus. I usually just have a cup or two of coffee and that seems to get me through the day.
Short answer, yes and no. Most "good" actors have the voice training to pull it off. That does happen when there is a problem with the audio recording and the need to re-record. Usually if it's an off camera voice over read, they'll hire different voice talent.
Actually that's up to the make-up artist. However, I've put on a "soft filter" effect to help. Some older celebs have this done religiously!
The biggest thing for me where I work is that fact that we are a "tapeless" company. I no longer have to physically load tape and digitize it in my edit bay. Cameramen bring back the footage on disk and it is "ingested" into our system faster than real time.
One can become an editor by completing an assistantship, or by working up through the ranks as I did. However, while there is no formal training required, there are a number of bootcamps and classes devoted to learning to be an Avid editor. Best advice: get on a system and start using it!
I currently edit entertainment news which isn't 60 Minutes but it is what it is. And right now, in this job market, a paycheck is a paycheck. Beggars can't be choosers. It's brutal out there.
Usually there is around a 7 second delay for any unwanted mishaps.
What I love most about my job is when I go home and turn on the TV and see my work. Knowing that a couple million people watch what you do every day is pretty fucking cool. What I hate? When my editing gets nitpicked or "frame fucked" (Google it) by a bunch of people who justify their high-paid, pointless jobs by making me fix things that do not need to be fixed.
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