It is eight in the morning and yesterday's footage has just arrived on a drive from set. Before the editor sits down at ten, every clip has to be copied, checked, matched with its sound and sorted by scene. One clip is missing its audio, so the assistant editor calls the sound department before they leave for the next location. The assistant editor is the person who keeps the cutting room organised and technically sound, so the editor only has to think about the story.

What an assistant editor does

The assistant editor works for the editor, usually from the first day of the shoot until the film is delivered. Footage comes in from the digital imaging technician on set, together with the sound files and the notes of the script supervisor. The assistant brings it all into the editing system (ingest), lines up picture and sound (syncing) and organises it so the editor can find any take in seconds.

Later in post-production the job becomes more technical. The assistant exports cuts for screenings, adds temporary effects and titles, and prepares the files and lists that the sound team, the colourist and the visual effects vendors need. Those handovers have to be exact, because any mismatch means expensive work being redone.

Responsibilities

  • Ingest, back up and check the daily footage and sound
  • Sync picture with sound and organise the project by scene and take
  • Keep logs of what has arrived and report problems to set quickly
  • Export cuts and screening copies with the right watermarks
  • Add temporary visual effects, titles and sound where the editor asks
  • Prepare turnovers, the files and lists sent to sound, colour and VFX
  • Track the VFX shot list and drop finished shots back into the cut

How the role touches the budget

Lightly. The assistant editor's own costs are a weekly fee and sometimes overtime when footage arrives late. They do help others keep costs down, because clean turnovers prevent the sound and VFX teams from billing extra hours to fix mismatched files. On smaller productions the assistant may also track the number of VFX shots, which the VFX producer and post-production supervisor use to manage that part of the budget.

How people become assistant editors

Most start as a runner or trainee at a post-production house or on a production, learning the editing software and file workflows on the job. Film school helps but is not required. After a few years as assistant, many move up to editor, often starting on shorter projects or as second editor on a series.

In TV and commercials

On a TV series one assistant often supports several editors at once, and turnovers run per episode on a tight rhythm. On large films there may be a first assistant with a team of second assistants and a VFX editor. In commercials the assistant editor usually works at an edit house and handles many short jobs a month.