June 30th, 2011 → 2:25 pm @ Kyra Coffie // No Comments
If you are in the post-production world, you know an assistant editor. It would be impossible not to know one. It would be the equivalent of living without oxygen. It can’t be done and you don’t know any one who can. Let me rephrase that. Any person just in case there is some organism out there that can live without H20.
Having said all that, where do these AE’s come from and how does a person become one?
Well, AEs can be anyone. They can be a camera assistant, a production assistant, an intern, a messenger, tape librarian, recent high school/college graduate – anyone. These individuals have probably seen what editors do and figure assistant editing is the gateway to that field. They are right and the first step they take on their journey is getting out of their current job and moving into an assistant editor one.
Removing experience from the equation, there are 2 big ways to get a job – networking or hitting the web. Between these two avenues, a potential AE has pretty much got their bases covered. Call anyone and everyone you know with any access to post-production and ask them to inquire with the powers that be if there are any open positions. While those wheels are turning, hit the Internet to check out these popular websites:
www.RealityStaff.com
www.EntertainmentCareers.net
www.Mandy.com
www.ProductionHub.com
www.Craigslist.org
If you don’t mind paying for a service, these sites might also be for you:
www.TvGigsOnline.com
www.wifv.org
www.Media-Match.com
I know I must have said this before but let’s pretend that I haven’t. If you have access to Avid, start playing around with it and see how it works. Assistant Editors are a busy lot but if you ask a question here and there, they should be able to give you a little tutorial or nudge you in the right direction.
Above, I removed experience from the equation but now I would like to solve that problem. Just like with any other job, the position you receive is relative to the experience you have. Don’t worry too much about what you don’t know. Knowledge will come quickly and companies will hire you with what you know. I’ve seen folks come to free Avid training sessions not knowing how to navigate within Avid and now they are fantastic assistant editors in high demand. They learned at those companies and anywhere they could get their hands on an Avid and made the best of those opportunities.
Assistant editors, especially, good assistant editors always have a job because assistant editing is (in my completely biased opinion) the backbone of post-production. If assistant editors went on strike (which I am not advocating in any shape or form), post-production could come to a halt because they are so integral to the process. Be a part of something awesome and take a look at those websites above. Good luck!
Tags: AE, Assistant Editor, Avid, Finding an Assistant Editor Job, The Avid Assistant Editor's Handbook