Editing is the kind of job where you’re always learning, always looking to develop and improve your skills, and always aiming to absorb information from those around you. That’s what this site is here to help you with, passing on what I’ve learned, and what I’ve learned from others.
This got me wondering what advice top Film and TV Editors would give to their fellow editors. So, I headed to Twitter and asked them….
Robin Hill
British Editor Robin Hill cuts both features and TV, having worked with Ben Wheatley on Sightseers, Down Terrace, and Kill List, and on a range of drama and comedy TV including The Thick of It, Twenty Twelve, Misfits, and Poldark, as well as the Chris Hemsworth series Limitless.
2. Don’t follow the script too slavishly. Find what the film CAN be, not what it was INTENDED to be. Discover the film, don’t just make it.
3. Diversify. Cut as many different kinds of film as possible. Short form, ads, music videos, sitcoms, horror movies, drama. Each requires its own discipline and its own approach to storytelling. Each new skillset feeds and amplifies all the others.
Cheryl Potter
Cheryl Potter has edited the likes of LOTR: The Rings Of Power, The Nevers, The Alienist, Snowpiercer, and Hanna, and worked as an Additional Editor on Solo: A Star Wars Story, Alien: Covenant and The Martian.
#1 Cut shorts! Additional and Associate editing credits on big shows are good to have, but when you are being considered for editing roles, people will want to see work that is yours and yours alone. It’s also a good way to make connections.
#3 Remember you can only see something for the first time once. Take note as you are watching new dailies what affects you on that first viewing – what makes you laugh, or feel emotion – and use those moments.
Tim Streeto, ACE
Emmy-nominated Editor Tim Streeto has edited on the likes of The White Tiger, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Fosse/Verdon, Maniac, Vinyl, Boardwalk Empire, and The Squid & the Whale.
#1 Be on time. To job interviews, to sessions, to screenings. Being late is rude. Being early can make people antsy. Just be on time. It’s the easiest possible way to seem reliable.
#2 Be thorough. Whether you’re assisting or editing. Being thorough is way more important than being fast. It’s probably even more important than being “good,” because if you’re truly thorough, you’ll get to the best version eventually with help from good collaborators. Make sure you’ve seen everything you’ll have to work with. Make sure you try everything you can think of. Be methodical. Cut multiple versions. Think everything through. Try something crazy. Rewatch old versions after time away to see if you agree with the direction you’ve gone.
#3 Be conscious of your first impressions. Take careful note of them. Of scripts, of dailies, of a first cut. What excites you, what makes you laugh, what you have any emotional response to. You only get a first impression once, and soon you’ll be bogged down in the cutting and will have lost perspective.
Nigel Bunyan, BFE
Irish Film and TV Editor Nigel Bunyan has edited the likes of Tom Jones, Noughts + Crosses, Magpie Murders, New Tricks and Spooks.
#1 Know the script and when assembling remember that each scene is part of a whole. Does it need to be very cutty or very sparsely cut? It’s never too early to think about the pace and rhythm of the whole piece.
#2 – Try to do something creative outside of editing. Write, play music, paint. It doesn’t matter what you do – just do something over which you have full creative control.
#3 – Remember to have a life outside of work. Friends and family can bring you as much enjoyment as work. Try not to miss major events in your life or the lives of your family and friends.
Timothy Good, ACE
Most recently Emmy-nominated for his work on The Last of Us, Timothy Good has also cut multiple episodes of The Umbrella Academy, Fringe, Gossip Girl, and The OC during his long career.
#1 Seek out editors you admire and try to connect with them either via social media or via email if they have it available. If you find someone – ask them if you can “shadow” them for half a day – you will be surprised how many will say “YES” and if they say “NO” that’s fine – just keep going until one says YES! Once you see someone doing the thing you want to be doing – it will answer a lot of questions about exactly HOW an editor works and can give you a boost of confidence that will help guide you. It is one of the main ways I learned to edit from other editors who allowed me to watch them work!
#2 Collaboration. It is great to think that you know exactly how you would tell the story, but you have to remember that without people adding their ideas into the mix, you might be stuck in your own smaller version of a nice house when a beautiful villa is just waiting to be built. Your job as the editor is to figure out how to integrate all of the best ideas into that. This requires a strong taste level which you will develop over time, but if you reject an idea outright without even trying it, you may not see the idea behind the idea that brings the whole thing forward. Always be curious.
#3 Editing itself. You have to break out of the box of being overly attentive to what was filmed and the order it was filmed. In order to DESIGN the pace of a film, you have to resist the urge to mimic the pace on set which is oftentimes not the pace of the scene because the actors are being respectful of the other actors by inserting pauses between all of the lines. You have to create a rhythm. That is the power you have as the editor. You have to design the way it flows and never be satisfied until it flows exactly how you think it should. Then you’ll collaborate with others and it will adjust, but make sure you don’t just throw up what they did and say “well this is how they did it.” They are relying on YOU to elevate the material.
Curtis McConnell
I was fortunate to be invited to interview Cutis McConnell and Mohamed El Manasterly, part of the Emmy-nominated editing team on Welcome to Wrexham. You can check out their full interview here. Mohamed’s tips follow below.
After several years editing true crime docs, Curtis now primarily cuts sports docs, having worked previously on Last Chance U, Golden: The Journey of USA’s Elite Gymnasts, and Fate of a Sport.
#1 Be a nice person and a hard worker. Even if you are not the most skilled editor, if people enjoy working with you, know that you can take notes and know that you are going to work hard, they will want to work with you again. Your network will become incredibly important and your reputation is essential to protect. Your skills will develop over time, but your reputation can be made or broken, depending on your attitude.
#2 Customize your keyboard! The more you can do with keystrokes, the faster you’ll get. The faster you are, the more you can experiment, hit your delivery dates and avoid working insane hours. If you’re looking for direction on your keyboard setup, find an experienced editor with a reputation of cutting fast and ask if you can use their settings or get advice on your own setup.
#3 Watch your cuts on multiple devices. After each cut is exported, try to watch that cut on a big screen TV AND your phone. Sound mixers do this with audio, where they will find the balance between 5.1 and phone speakers to ensure it will be mixed well, regardless of the device. If you follow this principle, you’ll likely find that the pacing feels different early on between devices. Take note of where it feels different and see if there’s adjustments in those spots to make on your timeline.
Mohamed El Manasterly
A Primetime Emmy winner for his work editing The Square, Mohamed has a long track record in political documentaries, including the upcoming The American Question.
#1 Embrace Diverse Opportunities: Seize every chance to engage with different genres, whether it’s music videos, commercials, scripted or unscripted. Learning from each discipline enriches your skillset, and the true magic often emerges when you fuse genres to craft something truly distinctive.
#2 Freedom from Rigidity: Avoid confining yourself to a specific style or template. Stories can be conveyed in countless ways, and there’s no definitive right or wrong. What matters is finding what resonates best with a particular plot.
#3 Ego Aside, Kindness Ahead: Leave your ego behind and cultivate kindness. Arrogance has no place in collaboration. Cultivate humility and a cooperative attitude. Serving the story should be your pride. Furthermore, consider extending a hand to aspiring editors, opening doors for their growth.
Kate Sanford, ACE
Kate’s career has included work on everything from Sex and the City, The Wire, and Treme, to more recent shows like Vinyl, The Deuce, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
#1 Practice active listening and nurture your connection with the director. This is your primary relationship, and they need to know you are always on their side, working in service of the story. Ask to attend tone meetings on TV shows or even production meetings so you understand more fully what is intended in every beat, and how each department plays a role in achieving that. If you don’t see those beats reflected in dailies, you’ll have to find solutions in post.
#2 Many have said it, but it bears repeating: try everything. An idea or a note points to a problem, which may not initially be easy to diagnose. Changing something else may solve the issue. The exploration will lead somewhere fruitful, even resulting a small adjustment, and the journey is always worth it. Screen your work for those who haven’t read the script!
#3 Be patient. As an editor, you are working with the footage before the director has a chance to explore. Give them time to catch up. Give your honest opinion with empathy and care, and move on if it’s not accepted. The film will often come back around to meet your initial instincts but it could take a while. (And don’t gloat when it does!)
I’ll be tweeting more of these tips over the next few weeks, so subscribe to The Cutting Room on Twitter to keep up with the latest.