The Assistant Editor's Toolkit
We are excited to announce the release of the Assistant Editor’s Toolkit, our new professional resource to support Editorial Trainees and Assistant Editors’ career development in the cutting room.
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Check out our article to find out more about why we created the Toolkit.​ The Assistant Editor’s Toolkit is an exclusive resource for Bectu Members.
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Please email us to request the Toolkit and include your Bectu Membership Number.
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What is the Assistant Editor’s Toolkit?
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The Skills Guide: A comprehensive document to keep track of technical skills you have learnt from job to job, separated into Avid Media Composer, Paperwork, Rushes, Turnovers and Editing.
The Review Guide: A document to give you the space to reflect on your current job, including what skills you have learnt and what you would like to learn next.
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What does the Assistant Editor’s Toolkit do?
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For 2nd Assistant Editors and Edit Trainees
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Empowers you to build a roadmap for your training and professional development
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Keeps track of what you have learnt across different productions
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Provides clarity on what makes up an Assistant Editor’s skillset
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Contextualises tasks as part of the overall post production process
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Builds confidence in the skills you have learnt
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Encourages gradual, self-paced and steady learning through your career
For 1st Assistant Editors and 2nd Assistant Editors responsible for training
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Details a thorough list of skills that make up an Assistant Editor’s skillset
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Aids workflow design and team management
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An easily accessible resource for training team members
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Gives you a list of tasks your team members have learnt on previous jobs
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Supports delegation of tasks by identifying team member’s strengths
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Provides a template for reviewing your team member’s progress
For Post Production Supervisors
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Promotes cohesion and consistency between cutting rooms
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Allows new team members to integrate more quickly into busy cutting rooms
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Supports smoother transitions from education or other careers into editorial
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Encourages mentorship and camaraderie within the department
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Having not gone to university or film-school, starting my initial traineeship on a feature film was a lot to take in. However, with this Assistant Editor’s Toolkit, new entrants into the industry will be able to easily manage and monitor their training. In a currently booming industry, this toolkit can be hugely beneficial for trainees wanting to become a well-rounded and successful assistant editor.
— Harry Allpass (Napoleon, Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Eternals)
How do I get started?
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If you are a Post Production Supervisor or a 1st Assistant Editor, you can download this toolkit to pass on to your 2nd Assistant Editor or Edit Trainee or use it as a guide as a trainer.
If you are a 2nd Assistant Editor, you can download this toolkit to track your own development from job to job or you can download it for your Edit Trainee if you are responsible for their training.
If you are an Edit Trainee, you can download this toolkit to keep track of your own training. After some time into your job during a quieter week, politely ask the 1st Assistant Editor or 2nd Assistant Editor if they can review your progress with you using the Review Guide.
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I have suggestions to improve the Toolkit!
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Please let us know your thoughts here: http://bit.ly/AEToolkitFeedback
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I would like to submit a testimonial!
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You can submit a quote about the Toolkit here: http://bit.ly/AEToolkitFeedback
Comprehensive and accurate Assistant Editor training can be patchy to come by for new industry entrants and varies widely depending upon the opportunities trainees are exposed to. The Assistant Editor’s Toolkit is a solid, easy-to-use tool trainees can utilise to ensure they are learning everything they need to and can ensure there are no gaps in their knowledge as they progress.
— Aideen Johnston (The Crown, Romantic Getaway, Love Without Walls)
Acknowledgements
The Assistant Editor’s Toolkit was created by a team of our branch. Thank you to our committee members for endorsing, supporting and providing invaluable feedback on the toolkit throughout the process. A special thank you to our wider team of Editors, Assistant Editors and Editorial Trainees who reviewed the Toolkit during its development.
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Lead: Eleanor Adler (2nd Assistant Editor)
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Consultation: Ben Whitehead (Editor), Raluca Petre (Editor), Aideen Johnston (Editor), Arthur Davis (Editor), Paschalla Sharpe (Associate Editor, 1st Assistant Editor), Danny Salas (1st Assistant Editor) Jay Kishan Patel (1st Assistant Editor), Paola Bacialli (1st Assistant Editor), Harley O’Brien (2nd Assistant Editor), Ellie Stiles (2nd Assistant Editor), Harry Allpass (2nd Assistant Editor), Idoia Hernández Colorado (2nd Assistant Editor), Henna Hanif (Edit Trainee), Samuel Cabrera Marquez (Editorial Trainee)
This Toolkit is an invaluable resource not only for new entrants to the industry, but also for Second Assistant Editors and First Assistant Editors wanting a thorough, complete guide of topics to go through with their Trainees. It is a fantastic functional way to ensure Editorial Trainees have a well rounded knowledge to truly excel as the future of film and television.
— Paola Bacialli (The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Midnight Sky, Godmothered)
