The Responsibilities Of A FIlm Editor.

January 23, 2025
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The Responsibilities Of A FIlm Editor.

One thing you should not do as an aspiring filmmaker is to compromise getting the final footages of your work which can only be done by a film editor.To have the best movie out there, you must ensure that every scene gives your audience the emotions that will never allow them to miss the next scene  because they want to see how the story unfolds.

It is worth noting that you can successfully shoot your story but have it all messed up by the editor, because if he is unable to pair the clips the best way, it will not give the audience the expected emotions that will make the film a must-watch at the end of the day.
The silent architects of every story telling are the film editors. And that’s if they are able to spend long hours, and sometimes days to merge the raw footages and turn the whole movie into a masterpiece.
In this article therefore, we are going to look at some of the responsibilities of a film editor.

The responsibilities of a film editor.

The responsibilities of a film editor are: shaping the entire story, perfect timing, creating the mood, correcting on-set mistakes and collaborating with the other crew members.

1. Shaping the entire story

Even though the director is the one ho  calls the shots  on set, it is the responsibility of the fil editor to decide how the story unfolds from one scene to another. It is therefore the responsibility of the film editor to decide the cuts that enters each scene and the ones that do not.

2. Perfect timing.

Every moment in a movie scene must have that perfect timing and it is the responsibility of the film editor to do this.

For example, an editor understands when a particular joke in a Nollywood comedy will make the audience laugh and therefore fix it just there.

3. Creating the mood.

The mood of a movie is very important because it is what will keep the audience glued to the scene and not leave the movie halfway, and it is worth noting that this mood relies heavily on film editing.

Thus, the film editor must know how to make that quick cuts if he is editing an action movie or make the shots linger in an emotional scene.

It is the film editor who controls how the audience feels when they are watching a movie.

4. Correcting on-set mistakes.

While the cinematography has the responsibility to delete every mistake that is made while producing a movie, it is worth noting time will not favor him most times to do so and as such he passes the unfinished work down to the film editor.

Think about those times that actors forget their lines or the lighting goes off in the middle of the shot, it is the film editor that will ensure that these unwanted shots do not make it to the final cut of the movie.

A fil editor has the right to rearrange the scenes, tweak the audio or even employ visual effects as a means of covering any mistake that was made during any stage of the film production.

5. Collaborating with the other crew members.

Filmmaking is not just about possessing any technical skill of a film production, rather it is about the ability to work closely with other crew members because movie making is not a one -man thing.

Thus, the film editor must ensure he is close to the film director, cinematographer, gaffer etc. in order to understand the concept of the whole story which will help him in the post-production.

Finally, If you’re aspiring to become a rich filmmaker, never underestimate the importance of a film editor. You might have the best script, the most talented actors, and stunning visuals, but without a talented film editor, your resources can end up being a waste when the final cut is out.It is during the film editing that the real magic happens. This is where the raw footages are transformed into scenes that help to interpret the story to the taste of the viewers.

So, when next you’re creating blockbuster or a short film for YouTube make sure you invest in a good film editor who will help take your project to the next level.
Filmmaking