Hi guys! To all professional editors working in entertainment post-production, what would be your best advice on how to start working for movie or TV post-production for someone who's always been a greedy consumer of TV and movies but has been working on professionally editing documentaries mostly for pharma industry?
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Mauro, It's a tough transition to make, for sure. When I staff up my departments, I'm always looking for editors with the strongest TV resume. If my "go-to" regulars are all working, I'll move into less experienced TV editors with more feature experience. Keep in mind, that for every "out of the box" option I might propose for hiring, I have to work that much harder to sell it upwards to the Studio and Network. One suggestion would be to look for small budget indie feature work in order to build a reel. Another option would be to train to work as an AE in scripted. Mind you, that's still a competitive area with a similar experience necessary Catch-22, but in the right circumstances it can happen. I recently hired an unscripted Editor as an AE so she could learn the rigors of editing in scripted. She made the long term commitment, and she's done great. I would definitely consider her for the right future opportunity. Any route you choose is likely to require both a long term commitment and a hefty portion of determination, but if you're as passionate about scripted TV and features as you say, it'll be worth it.
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Agree with Brad. Plus, it's important to keep the elements of collaboration and fun in what you do. As a director-producer, I so enjoy working with with competent, talented editors who make the time go by with a fun attitude.
Thank you so much Brad and Pamela. So helpful to have your feedback. Cheers :)