Research into Roles - Editor

Editors are one of the key Heads of Department on productions, responsible for First Assistant Editors, and on bigger productions, Second Assistants and Trainees.

The Editor works closely with the Director, to ensure that the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end, each shot is carefully chosen and edited into a series of scenes, which are in turn assembled to create the finished film.

Because scenes are shot and edited out of sequence, Editors may work on scenes from the end of the film before those at the beginning, and must therefore be able to maintain a good sense of how the story is unfolding.

Editors select the best takes and edit them together to create scenes and to develop a story.

During the post production period, the Editor and the Director work closely together, refining the assembly edit into the Director's Cut, which must be approved by the Producers, until they achieve picture lock or Fine Cut (when the Director and/or Executive Producer give final approval of the picture edit).