If you love digital content and the idea of becoming a part of multimedia creation, video editing should be one of the best career options for you. But it can be a daunting task to understand what career path you should choose and how to get started on the journey.
Having an idea of where you want to end up should make it easy to pave the way. Comprehensive knowledge of the available career options for professional video editors would help set the focus and look for opportunities that get there.
In this post, let us look at some of the career paths you can take to make a successful video editing career.
What Is Professional Video Editing?
Content of Job Posting
Video editing is the process of selecting the best footage for a video, removing unwanted clips, and putting together what is left to create the final product that meets the intent. A professional video editor starts with the idea of the story and brings together video footage using video editing tool to best convey the message.
A video editor is generally also responsible for graphics, sound, music, and other elements present in the content. While this is the basic definition of a video editor, it can really mean different things in different cases. Your role can look different based on what project you work on and who you are working for.
Career Paths For Video Editors
Let us talk about some of the most common roles a professional can take up in the world of video editing.
Film editor
This type of editor works on full-length video productions, ensuring that the movie matches the creative vision of the director.
He is responsible for assembling clips in the right sequence, cutting the shots, and creating the flow of the story.
TV Studio Editor
Most of the work done in a TV studio is about real-time events. The editor’s job is to switch between cameras, graphics, and other elements to deliver a captivating experience to the audience watching the broadcast.
Event Editor
Events like weddings are often captured as video. This type of project requires professional editing, so it is a good way to get started with this career.
Web Video Editor
Such a professional works on perfecting short-form videos designed to be posted on the internet through social media and video sharing platforms.
This is a highly lucrative career path for video editors today as you are likely to find endless opportunities from a variety of niches and clients.
Colorist
This is a special editing role focused on color perfection and other visual settings that give the video a polished and professional look.
Animator
This professional is responsible for working with motion graphics and adding touch-ups to finished videos. They are skilled in special programs apart from common video editing software techniques.
While you can easily pick a special role from these, smaller productions can also give you a generalist role where you wear multiple hats to perfect the video.
Highly specialized jobs like that of an animator are only available in large teams and enterprises capable of hiring multiple editing professionals for a project.
How To Become A Video Editor?
Now that we have looked at some of the types of editing jobs available, we can talk about how you can get there.
The first step is to ask yourself what type of editing task appeals to you – whether you are more attracted to movies and documentaries or commercials, wedding videos, or TV shows.
The paths to becoming a professional in these fields can be different. This is why it is important to be concise about what you would like to pursue.
Career Path To Commercial Video Editing
You don’t need a college degree or training to pursue a career as a freelance editor. The courses available on the internet and free videos should help you learn how to edit videos.
This knowledge combined with some experience should suffice for getting started. Focus on the genre that interests you the most and find listings on the web for some initial gigs.
If you want to get a job with a marketing or advertising agency, you need at least a bachelor’s degree and some prior experience in video editing.
You also need to show excellent communication skills as the agency cares about how you represent them and interact with clients. You can start as an editing assistant and progress to becoming the senior editor.
Career Path To Movie & TV Video Editing
This area is so vast and presents you with several opportunities like working on reality TV, live TV, news broadcast, and movies.
In general, this career path may appear to be – post-production assistant, editing apprentice, assistant editor, and senior editor. Many people chose to work as assistant editors in this field and make good earning.
It might take a few years before you gain enough experience to join the editor’s guild. Till then, you should always be ready to work on small projects like a freelance editor.
Working As A Generalist Video Editor
One of the biggest advantages of starting out as a generalist is that you get a chance to gain experience and show off your skills across genres and roles. Such a varied experience gives you an advantage over others and helps attract your dream job.
The increasing rise of YouTube and other platforms means you are likely to get enough opportunities to refine your skills. As a web video editor, you work across genres to promote content creators, businesses, and brands.
Some of the best video editors have started by spending time working across fields and roles. You might not like the idea of being a colorist for your entire life, but a color-focused role for a project can give you an edge.
An ideal career path in video editing should include shifting through positions at different production companies and marketing agencies.
When you start, you should find yourself working as an assistant editor helping the senior editor, and learning along the way. You need not decide on your specialization right away; try different areas and roles to see what appeals to you the most.
Final Thoughts
This guide should help you understand what career paths lead you to a successful career in video editing. As videos become more prominent, there are endless opportunities waiting for you out there.
The toughest part is sometimes to break in; start wherever you can without any fear and you are sure to learn along the way and find your own path.
