Collegiate Education in Editing

[Roy Schneider]

Editing is a real world craft.It is an art. A natural feel. anybody can edit, but not anyone can be a true editor. Studying editing and composition can be done by watching great movies and music videos closely, but you really have to see it naturally.

If you want a degree to help you in this industry get a marketing degree!!! Editing has been a very rewarding career for me, but the industry has chained dramatically since I started. It has become more about the business then the art.

Study great films and TV, watch music videos, go to editor forums, but study business.

And most of all, always remember to enjoy the ride.
The Best of Everything Always
Roy Schneider

Roy Schneider
Long Live Da Cow!

[Scott Sheriff]

Go with a Ph.D, maybe in Art History. By the time you get done, the production industry should be reduced to the point of collapse by then, at least in terms of jobs and salary, and you’ll be glad you did get into editing. At least then you wont be competing for a gigs with every high school kid in America with a flip cam, and FCE and a YT account.

Scott Sheriff
Director
SST Digital Media
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com

[Mark Suszko]

No reason you coulcn;t pay to audit some Film classes to pick up nuances of editing technique over time. And it is heartening to see someone who wants to learn more about his craft.

That said, I don’t know that getting a degree in it is going to substantially improve your job outlook at this point. It might, but I’m rpessed to imagine how exactly. Editors are judged on their work product more than any kind of academic certificates.

But by all means if you want to pursue more course on theory, you can and should. The more gounding and understanding you have in theory, the faster and better an editor you will become.

But since those courses generally AFAIK boil down to massive reading lists and lectures, I should think you could run your own program at your own pace, by getting the reading lists and lists of films and going thru them yourself. And looking for online or DVD copies of lectures.

[Rocco Rocco]

But what do you want to do? What is your dream editing job?

[Adam Taylor]

my first job in the industry sounds a lot like yours. I taught myself to edit, and used the opportunity of working with experienced people to absorb as much wisdom as i could.

I don’t have a degree but did have a good quantity of high school exams. I was told by my boss during a conversation months after i had started, that had he known how many qualifications i had he would never have even interviewed me, as he had much less! The guy was not the most forward thinking.

For me, a degree would be an interesting way to expand your overall knowledge, but its not a necessity for furthering an editing career. Experience, understanding, and a willingness to try new things would all stand ahead of a degree for me.

one thing i have found really useful for learning styles of editing is to watch “foreign language” films.
There are some fantastic contemporary films from France and Italy which tell really great stories with a visual flair that can be refreshingly different from Hollywood.

adam

Adam Taylor
Video Editor/Audio Mixer/ Compositor/Motion GFX/Barista
Character Options Ltd
Oldham, UK

http://www.sculptedbliss.co.uk