8 ways to move your editing career forward

July 05, 2022

What do you do when your editing career is stuck?

Like any other career path, an editor can stall out in their trajectory. Where once new jobs were coming, now you’re stuck doing the same promos, the same unchallenging jobs for low pay. 

Today let’s look at 8 ways to get out of the rut and move your editing career forward.

1. Learn your program

Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro X, Davinci Resolve, Avid, Lightworks—there are dozen or more programs to edit with. Just like a master chef knows what kind of pan to use, you need to know our editing software.

This means you need to know what tools are available, how to use them, and when to use them. If there are 4 ways to trim clips in Premiere, when should you use them? 

The important reason to learn your program is so that you can stop thinking about the program.

Not being frustrated with the tool lets you quickly fix issues and respond immediately to notes. 

And that lets you focus on creativity. On telling a story that moves people and changes lives.

Resources to learn your program:

2. Learn story structure

From a single-shot TikTok video to 3-hour feature film, every video tells a story. 

Take any video and you’ll find three elements:

  • Beginning

  • Middle

  • End

What does each section need? How do you create the most compelling version of each? 

After 100+ years of film (and millenia of stories) there are key elements that draw people in, evoke emotions, and provide a satisfying ending. 

Out of this whole list, story structure is the one skill that will move you from a button-pusher to a collaborative partner. 

To learn more about this topic, search for “story structure” on Youtube or read screenwriting books. It will be tailored for writers, but you can find the elements that apply to editing. 

Resources for learning story structure

3. Learn yourself

Beyond all the technical parts of editing is one vital ingredient: You!

You are the one pushing the buttons, fixing the problems, responding to notes, telling the stories, interacting with directors/producers/clients. Do you know how you work? 

What conditions do you need to be focused? What makes you creative and inspired? How do you handle the emotions of equipping not working or negative feedback? What workflow fits your personality? 

Becoming more self-aware of how you are wired mentally and emotionally will pay massive dividends.

Resources for learning yourself

4. Learn people 

There’s a nearly inescapable part of being an editor: you work with other people. 

Projects don’t originate with us. We often work with shooters, writers, designers, directors, producers, executives, or coworkers.

If we interact with them so much, we should learn how to work with them. 

Learning to communicate your ideas and ask for clarification in theirs is vital. Beyond that, how can you push back on feedback while still saying yes? How does a director like to work? 

Everyone has their own process. Moreover, everyone has their own personality. Asking questions and understanding how to flow with them instead of against them will reduce friction and help everyone focus on creativity. 

Resources to learn people

5. Study while you watch

We watch thousands of ads and hours of video every day. But do we stop to pay attention?

Next time you watch something, whether it’s a Youtube ad or the latest Netflix original, pay attention to how you feel afterward. Were you convinced? Did it grab your attention? Did the story hold your attention? 

The ones that you don’t like, ask yourself why it didn’t work. The ones you do like, analyze what kept your interest. 

One of my favorite things to do is outline a movie to see how the structure works. What were the turning points? What was the hook in the opening? What could they have done differently to keep me engaged? 

Resources to learn while you watch

6. Edit all kinds of things

Editing one genre is like making one kind of food. There is a lot to be gained from being a master of that dish. Jiro in Jiro Dreams of Sushi (go watch it now) has spent his whole life making great sushi. 

But if you want to expand or grow, you need to branch out. If you have only edited short form, there are other muscles you’ll work by doing long-form. If you’ve only done fiction, there are things you can learn by doing nonfiction. 

Every part of your editing will grow: techniques, ways to tell stories, understanding of the program, and working with people. 

Ways to edit all kinds of things

  • Ask other editors if they need help

  • Pitch for jobs outside of your comfort zone

7. Work with other editors

My career wouldn’t be where it is today without the numerous editors I’ve worked with. 

I’ve seen how editors have managed, how they’ve approached story, the way their rough cuts play, what they do to polish a project, the opinions and worldviews and insights they bring to a project. 

“Co-editing” can seem like a substandard credit. But it’s an opportunity to learn from others and start relationships that can last for years. 

Ways to work with other editors

  • Connect on Twitter

  • Ask an editor for coffee/video call

8. Stay humble

What’s the one thing all of these ways have in common? You are always learning.

To keep learning, you must be willing to say “I don’t know.” That takes humility.

Learning involves letting someone else teach you. You have to admit you don’t know something and be quiet long enough for another editor/book/video teach you. 

Be willing to try new things and learn from editors around you and yes, even under you. 

Ways to stay humble

  • Say, “I don’t know.”

  • Actively look for editors who are better than you

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As editors we are in charge of our own careers. And your career will expand as much as you do. 

Pick one of these this week. Learn something new in it. Take notes. Do it again next week. 

If you do that for the next 25 weeks, your career will have everything it needs to grow to the next level.

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That’s it for today! Personally I want to learn more about myself.

Which area do you want to focus on this week? Hit reply and let me know.

Keep cutting,

- Jesse

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For daily tips, I’ll see you on Twitter.