Overview of role
The editorial trainee carries out various tasks under the direction, guidance and supervision of the first assistant editor (1st AE) and second assistant editor (2nd AE) to help them develop knowledge of how a cutting room functions. Their initial responsibilities may include admin tasks such as filing away and updating production, dailies and turnover paperwork, managing petty cash and department supplies. As they progress, they will be given more tasks to complete. This role and what it requires can vary significantly depending on each project and the skills and experience of each editorial trainee. Editorial trainees who are more experienced and looking to step up to 2nd AE will have more responsibilities.
Download the PDF version of this skills checklist.
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale/budget band/genre of the production.
- Check the hardware and software is correct and working and know how to prepare the computers for use
- Implement the organisational structure for each workspace and naming conventions for folders and files
- Implement the organisational structure and naming conventions for folders and bins within the Avid project(s)
- Implement the organisational structure for Avid MediaFiles and naming conventions
- Flag any offline media to the 1st or 2nd AE and learn how to troubleshoot offline media including relinking, refreshing database files and using the media tool
- Communicate office supplies and stationery requirements
- Complete petty cash forms to track the spending of the department
- Arrange food, drink and lunch orders as requested for the editorial team
- Ensure that the cutting rooms are tidy and have access to the editorial team’s requirements such as water, food, snacks and stationery
- Implement the editorial workflow including naming conventions, settings, colour coding, scene bins, methods for the exchanging of sequences, clips, and other work between editors, assistant editors and trainees
- Use any frame leaders, title cards, watermarks, burn ins, masks, or effects
- Read the guides or checklists which outline editorial workflow such as dailies, turnovers, exports, and imports
- Store production information in a secure location according to the production’s data protection and security regulations and procedures
- Organise and store the production paperwork which may include cast grids, continuity breakdowns, shooting schedules, scripts, story orders and unit lists
- Liaise with editor(s) to confirm they are happy with the organisation of information
- This may include printing paperwork, filing electronically, or a combination of these
- Organise script updates and amendments, ensuring editors always have the current version of the script
- Organise and store the dailies paperwork which may include call sheets, daily progress reports, editor’s logs, facing pages, lined scripts, sound reports, camera reports, DIT / lab reports and LUT (lookup table) trackers
- Check that all paperwork is complete and accounted for, and flag any missing paperwork with the 1st AE
- Organise and update editorial paperwork such as dailies information, scene cards, assembly timings, episode information and cut continuity
- Organise and update turnover paperwork to accompany picture, sound, music and ADR (automated dialogue replacement) turnovers as required
- Ensure the organisational structure for all material on viewing platforms is implemented
- Download, ingest, organise the dailies in the workspaces and project and backup the delivery from the DIT/lab
- Check clips and metadata against continuity notes to ensure all dailies are correctly slated, labelled, accounted for and online
- Check that metadata is coming through the ALE (Avid log exchange) and CDLs (colour decision lists)
- Sync picture to audio and check sync for each clip. Re-timing, grouping and sub-clipping clips where necessary and labelling MOS (mit out sound) clips and wild tracks
- Troubleshoot out of sync clips, missing picture and audio clips, incorrectly slated and labelled clips and refer back to the continuity reports, camera reports, sound reports, DIT/lab reports if any discrepancies exist
- Flag any issues with slating, syncing, sound, continuity with the 1st or 2nd AE
- Prepare scene bins for the editor(s) according to their preferences
- Create sequences and reels for the editor(s) according to their preferences
- Create and export dailies sequences, or individual clips as required, and upload to the viewing platform, sending to required recipients and distribution lists
- Ingest sound and music libraries and keep track of online libraries to source music, sound effects, stock footage and graphics
- Import new material from other departments which has been requested to be added to the cut, such as dialogue and effects stems, music cues and stems, graphics and logos
- Reference dailies, metadata, and paperwork to find specific shots, scenes, and lines of dialogue when required
- Interpret the editor’s or 1st AE’s briefings and watch cuts to understand the context of creative work for editors
- Complete basic temp sound work which may include dialogue cleanups, spot effects, atmospheres and levelling
- Complete basic online comps, which may include split screens, animates, paint outs, picture in picture, and basic cleanups
- Source and prepare stock footage and graphics
- Prepare, check and upload exports such as dailies sequences, assemblies, and reference clips when required, and send to required recipients and distribution lists
- Assist with preparing the cutting room or online meeting, for viewings, screenings, music and sound spots
- Check confidence QuickTimes (QTs)
- Create deliverables as per the sound turnover specifications, which may include reference QTs, AAFs, EDLs, WAVs and change lists, sending sound dailies and reports
- Create deliverables as per the ADR turnover specifications, which may include reference QTs and WAVs
- Create deliverables as per the music turnovers specifications, which may include reference QTs, AAFs, EDLs, WAVs and change lists
- Organise and update turnover paperwork which may include online or optical lists, music cue sheets and ADR lists
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of editorial trainee.
- Use editing tools such as Avid Media Composer, Adobe After Effects, ScriptSync
- Use additional tools such as, Shutter Encoder, Auto QT, Media Encoder, Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Aspera, PIX, MediaSilo, FileMaker, Evercast and Clearview
- Communication: interpreting other’s requirements and communicating requirements to departments and colleagues
- Diplomacy: receiving various information and tasks from colleagues, understanding their points of views and diplomatically addressing them
- Teamworking: collaboration within own and with other departments
- Problem-solving: troubleshooting and assessing basic issues with hardware and software
- Resilience and enthusiasm: adapt positively to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met
- Proactive and explores new ideas and non-standard ways of working which will enhance and deliver the best results for the production
- Productivity: organises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines
- Demonstrates the drive and energy to get things done in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary
- Ethics and integrity: honest and principled in all of their actions and interactions
- Respectful and inclusive of others, and meets the ethical requirements of their profession
- Flexibility: willing to both listen and learn and to accept changing priorities and working requirements and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing production environment
- Professional development: develop an ethos to learn and seek out learning and networking opportunities, identifying those that will be most beneficial