Overview of the role
The online editor essentially receives a copy of the offline timeline but with all footage now from master high quality sources. The online editor’s role is to polish and enhance the video by making improvements and adjustments to the images. Work completed by online editors is a widely varied mix of technical and creative. They do everything from special effects to correcting errors in footage, they add title cards, captions (aka Astons, lower 3rds) credits and signed off motion graphics - all checked to ensure they are within the broadcasters text safe area. They add the correct line up before the programme and may be asked to blur people, number plates, locations for legal reasons.
Online works in tandem with the colourist, combining the images returned from the grade with the online effects, graphics and text elements to create the final piece. This tandem process can mean there is some crossover such as correcting issues or adding effects, communication with the colourist throughout is essential. In some circumstances depending on the budget, workflow and needs of a production one person will be tasked to complete both the online and grade. They work in either one software or across a number of platforms such as Avid Media composer, DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere.
This stage is the last time for a client to creatively finesse their programme and to make any crucial legal changes. It is also when all technical adjustments are completed to meet broadcaster or streamer requirements before it is sent to be mastered for QC and delivery.
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.
- Frame rates corrected to remove frame skipping/duping
- Remove or reduce defects and artefacts such as dead pixels, blanking errors, camera hood/thumb/microphone in frame, unstable images, etc
- Treatment of stills and archive to maintain highest quality while complying with the broadcaster/streamer’s technical requirements
- Suggest to the director ideas to enhance any effects applied in offline.
- Propose any additional effects which would serve to enhance the programme while keeping within the set style or setting a style.
- Ability to effectively manage green screen and graphic keys for a desirable result.
- Collaborate with the director to select a font which works well with the content. They may already have one in mind. There can be different fonts for the main title, captions and subtitles but whatever is chosen for each it should be applied consistently throughout.
- Correct spelling of any on screen text should be provided and it is recommended that it’s copy and pasted into the software so that you have not added any finger
- Trouble errors. However many directors will be thankful if you do query any spelling you have been provided that you are not sure is correct.
- Subtitles create rules and consistency, full stops or not, other onscreen grammar for 2nd person talking, and as with spelling for captions, copy and paste what you have been provided (often subtitles are just what the offline left) and question spellings you are not sure are correct.
- End credits end end card layouts are specific to each broadcaster. They will need to be followed meticulously so that it is not rejected at QC or delivery stage.
- Manage the timeline in such a way that text layers can easily be removed to generate textless elements whether textless version is required or not.
- If texted graphics have been supplied from an external source, establish if a textless delivery is required and request textless versions.
- Check the technical specifications for the required min/max overall duration, what the part break duration is (if a parted programme) and what the correct credits duration is
- If snap-ins are required check these also comply with the duration requirements
- Ensuring any picture or duration changes are passed on to grade and audio. Work in such a way that the changes can easily and accurately be passed through to both departments.
- Details of any legal changes you are asked to make are also passed to relevant departments such as grade and audio so they can be aware of what to look out for.
- You are responsible for the final pictures of the delivery master. Your review with the client will be their last chance to make any amendments. By review you must have done everything to ensure it both complies with the technical specifications and any legal guidance you have been made aware of
- Technically it must follow all the broadcaster’s guidelines in terms of duration, lineup, credits, PSE etc.
- While legal decisions are not your responsibility you are a second pair of eyes in the online for the director. If you have blurred a specific person or document in one shot keeping an eye out for it in others as this attention to detail is greatly appreciated
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills, and attributes for the role of online editor.
- Creativity: having the ability to sense when framing or timing are right. Suggestions for layout and style of text which feel part of the finished programme up to creating main titles graphics from scratch. Offering ideas for effects and enhancements which complement the programme and its overall aesthetic.
- Attention to intricate levels of detail: from the technical details of dead pixels, blanking and compression, to the delivery details of title safe and durations, to the aesthetic details of consistency across effects and text.
- Problem solving: ability to provide creative and alternative solutions when issues with footage are spotted at this late stage are essential. This could be anything from camera wobble to painting out a rogue dog walker in the back of shot, or repairing damage to archive or removing the reflection of the crew in a window.
- Collaboration: not only with the director in the room but with other departments such as the online assistant, grade and audio to ensure everyone is working at the same timeline and timeframe.
- Calm under pressure: this stage of the production is the last stage before delivery. Other issues and delays prior to your involvement might mean that the timeframe to deliver is now extremely tight. Staying calm to reach the goal is essential.
- Organised: maintaining a clearly labelled and organised project with a tidy arranged timeline that would easily be navigated by anyone else. Ensuring all media and renders for a project are on the drive or partition they should be.
- Time management: knowing when the requirements of a programme are not achievable and alerting those responsible for schedule. If you can prioritise essentials and be clear about what is achievable in the current timeframe it will allow those in control of the schedule to decide how to plan accordingly.
- Breadth of knowledge: a wide understanding of software, knowing which provides the best solutions for the needs of the programme. Also knowing how your part in the final stages works with the grade and audio departments, to be able manage your sequences to provide the information or files needed for any changes to ripple through to the other areas.
- Communication both with the director in the room to provide creative ideas but also with other departments to provide or explain technical processes.
- Providing solutions when faced with any challenging footage or issue the ability to think of creative solutions beyond what is
- Taking direction and being able to work alone to achieve the final finished programme without supervision.
- Flexibility in how you are working depending on arrival or non arrival of late footage, legal changes and deadline.
- Proactively taking an interest and embracing new technologies which could offer better workflows and solutions to the online process.
- Sharing of knowledge and explaining the parts of the online process to other departments or assistants to enable everyone in the process to offer better workflows and delivery of final masters.
- Highly organised - clear labelling of sequences and maintenance of a organised timeline
- Time aware
- Not taking any critic of your work personally. Changes can be necessary for legal reasons or because the director has a different idea. Working with them to achieve what they want is part of the process and shouldn’t be taken as a personal slight.
Discover more checklists
Take a look at additional editor skills checklists