Video Editing Career

The articles under the Video Editing Career category focus on aspects of life as a video editor. They cover freelance fundamentals like how to charge professionally for a project. Other topics include deadlines, tracking stock music licenses, and project management.

If you want a career in video editing, the resources in this category will make you a better, more confident editor.

The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #38

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Hey there and welcome back to the Video Editor’s Digest!

In case you’re new around here, in the Video Editor’s Digest you get the lowdown on some cool happenings from around the internet on things related to video editing, video production, or just being a creative professional. It also gives me a chance to update you about new pieces on the EVF website and YouTube channel and tell you any freelance, work, or life stories I may have.

If you have a resource of your own or one you stumble across that you want to share in a future Video Editor’s Digest, you can submit it here.

Alright, let’s get into it!

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Why Being A Video Producer Is A Lot Like Being A Waiter

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I have a theory: being a video producer is a heck of a lot like being a waiter waiting tables.

Quick background: I’ve been video editing professionally in the corporate world for nearly 10 years now. Over the past year I’ve started to take on more and more producing roles with my company and for freelance projects I’ve worked on. Now I’m full-time producing while freelance video editing and writing on nights and weekends. I’m still new in my mind to this whole producer thing. But so far, I think I’ve done a good job (and I feel like most of the people I’ve worked with would say that’s being modest). Also, I worked in the restaurant industry for nearly a decade busing tables, working the fryer, washing dishes, bartending, and of course waiting tables. So I have a fair amount of personal history to draw from.

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Recent Life and Career Changes

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Eight months ago my personal life got flipped upside down. Four months ago my professional career took a drastic turn. And a few weeks from now every waking second of my existence will forever be altered.

You can probably guess one of the changes already — my wife and I are pregnant. Our son will be here before we know it. Man, I’m nervous and excited and every other emotion in between.

crib in nursery

The other twist of fate life threw at me was a career change. I traded in the edit bay for another role. In February I started transitioning off of editing projects and over to the producing / project management side of things. I’m with the same company and working on the same product but in a completely different role. As of mid-March I moved over to this full-time and started growing a team under me.

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The only thing you need to succeed in 2019

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(Sorry for the clickbait-y title… I’m rusty at writing good, catchy titles)

It’s early in 2019. The confetti is still falling. Most of us are back to the office. Ready or not it’s time to begin another year in our careers. Another year of our lives.

Looking back at 2018 maybe there was something you didn’t do. Something you didn’t learn. Or something you didn’t accomplish. A project, a habit, a new NLE to master, a documentary to edit. So we look to 2019 as our saving grace. We have a whole fresh calendar for us to get X done. And that fills us with a glimmer of hope. That we can make that change this year. Heck, we have 12 whole months.

As the confetti is swept up and the hangovers from NYE are cured, we head back to the edit bay or cubical or home office. We got this in 2019. Then…we check our email.

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Why are you in post production?

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Am a video editor because… I’ve been seeing this question lately on Twitter: Why are you in post production? Why are you in Post Production? #postchat — #PostChat (@postchat) October 25, 2018 My answer is a bit different than most. It’s not because I have a passion for telling stories. It’s because… well… I explain … Read more

Finding Your Path from Student to Professional Editor with Grace Novak — Command+Edit Podcast Episode 86

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Hey there! This is a very special episode of the Command+Edit Podcast. I interview Grace Novak. Grace is in the midst of one of the scariest points in her life — trying to figure out how to make the jump from student to professional. Our discussion focuses on topics such as networking strategies, how to make … Read more

The Most Difficult Part About Mastering a Skill

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There are an infinite amount of projects one can work on. New project after new project pop into our heads and we want to pursue each one. So we start down a path hoping to make this one great thing. But then a new idea pops in our heads for something completely different. Ahead, the path we’re currently on seems shrouded in mystery and overgrown with bushes and thrones. So we backtrack and start down a new path. Mastering a skill is so darn difficult.

Path through the woods
Photo by Zack Silver courtesy of Unsplash

We get far enough down this new path when the same thing happens. Maybe we go a little further this time before starting something new. Maybe we stop at the first bend in the road or rain cloud in the sky. Time for a new path.

The most difficult part about accomplishing a project or completing a goal or mastering a skill is staying on that same path regardless of obstacles.

A path I recently vacated was learning Vietnamese. I reached a point in my Mango lessons where it was too difficult to retain the information in the time I was allowing myself to focus on the mission. My willpower was gone and I have zero guidance. I quit. I gave up. It got too hard. The thrones were too much to take.

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Some brief thoughts on creating creative work

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There several dozen half-written and probably twice as many fully-written but never published blog posts scattered across my computer, laptop, Google Drive and various Moleskins. They contain thoughts I’ve had on many post production-related topics that I’ve worked countless hours on. And they’re just sitting there in digital purgatory.

“It’s not good enough.”

“Someone could say that you don’t mention ______ method/shortcut/etc.”

“You aren’t really an expert. Who are you to give advice?”

I could think of endless reasons not to ship each one of them.

Today I was watching some random YouTube video from this guy another YouTube guy I routinely watch recommended. His production quality was low. He knew it. But he said something that struck a nerve with me.

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How Video Editors Get Paid (Podcast)

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In this podcast we discuss how video editors get paid including topics such as how to invoice, how to accept payments, LLCs, taxes, and more.

I Got A New Job!

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It’s been awhile since I’ve truly written something for EVF. Actually it’s been awhile since I’ve written much of anything. My writing muscle was burnt out after letting my former daily blog expire and disappear into a digital black hole back in August. Two years of writing and publishing everyday… Fast forward a quarter of … Read more

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