
SNL editor Adam Epstein argues that the job of an editor now encompasses many surprising new roles, from sound designer, to motion graphics creator, to ego-massager.
(Welcome to Editor at Large, a new column by SNL editor Adam Epstein.)
Earlier this summer at the wedding of a friend Ive known since we were babies, I had the pleasure of being reacquainted with friends of my parents who I had not seen for roughly 20 years. Fun times!
"Adam, your mother tells me youre a, um, an editor, yes?"
"Uh huh."
"So thats where you get all the pictures and movies, yeah, and then you take them in there and make them into the show, right?"
"Well actually its a lot more tha -- I mean yes thats exactly what I do."
"Wow, that sounds like so much fun. Working with celebrities!!!"
The slightly drunk, middle-aged Jewess raised a valid question. What does it mean to be a film and television editor today? Does anyone really just "edit" anymore?
"I am an editor," is now assumed to be the start of a list rather than a declarative statement.
Modern editors, pushed by the immense technological advancements in digital post-production over the last 20 years, are now asked and expected to have a solid grasp on a wider variety of skills and disciplines than ever before. "I am an editor," is now assumed to be the start of a list rather than a declarative statement. "I am an editor who is also a sound designer. And a compositor. And I can make motion graphics. And know how to troubleshoot computer systems. And follow the trends in software, hardware and storage technology. And know color theory. And camera systems. And try to stay immersed in music. And can function as a personable armchair psychiatrist in a roomful of stressed out people who are each trying to make their mark on a project. And can do all of this under pressure, on a deadline, and under budget. Yes, I got your e-mail about the budget changes. Sure, sounds fun. Lets never, ever leave this dark room. No, thank you."
Dont get me wrong. It is AMAZING that we now have the tools to be able cut, score, color-correct, sky-replace, skin-smooth, and ass-shrink (just make the picture 5% skinnier -- far more common than you would imagine) feature-quality footage, and do all of this on a laptop while flying Virgin from JFK to LAX. (Relatedly, Virgin from JFK to LAX is the Dockers of flying.)
I love new tools. Sometimes too much. Coming across a new wonderfully designed piece of software that makes a workflow easier is always a pleasure, often creepily so. Knowing how to re-wire an Avid never hurts. But I dont think the more left-brain focused pursuits required of modern-day editors should ever lessen the time, attention and importance devoted to the bigger picture, right-brain side of editing, the far more important part of the equation.
No matter what, the technical side should always be there to enable and empower the innate sense of "is this working."
In the end, "IS THIS GOOD?" should be the only question you should be trying to answer.
On Saturday Night Live, where Ive been cutting the film pieces for the last 4 seasons, the manic pace of the show coupled with the high level of quality we strive for each week requires a lot of technical variety. Because of our time constraints (we tend to shoot everything late Friday night for air the next evening), on a standard piece Ill be green screen keying and compositing, sound designing (normally involving some variety of fart medley), music editing, creating motion graphics (again, probably something with farts), title designing, blah blah blah in addition to the, ya know, "editing" part. Again, the fact that the tools exist and allow us to accomplish all this pretty much simultaneously in less than a day IS A GIFT FROM EVERY GOD.
But .all of it, all the tools and techniques, in the case of SNL, must be in the service of making it funny.
One can have memorized the manual for every NLE out there along with every keyboard shortcut to be able to slam together 22 minutes of international house-hunting footage faster than the other guy, but if you dont have an innate sense of whether or not something is working then the technical is all for naught.
Does the piece "feel right?" From the most reverse-cymbal filled, dip-to-black-between-every-shot Bravo promo, to the next $120 million Vistavision robot-rap-battle sex comedy (see you guys there), in the end, "IS THIS GOOD?" should be the only question you should be trying to answer.
And its a question that can only be answered by the people in the room -- a good editor working with a good director. And sure, a producer or agency rep can come in for a bit.
Some advice to aspiring editors: learn every program in the Adobe Creative Cloud. Actually open up Final Cut X. Find a copy of Nuke online and start to teach yourself that insanity. Become the fastest keyboard wrangler the coked-up associate creative director in the room with you has ever seen. All of these are brilliant ideas that will only help you as you move forward.
But instinct, feel, and intelligent personal interpretation of material should always be the driving force behind being an editor.
Though that new set of plug-ins does look pretty damn cool.
(Adam Epstein will be sharing his ideas and advice on the subject of editing (and beyond) in this column regularly. You should follow him on Twitter - Ed.)
Most recent headlines
18/02/2025
Press Release: ToolsOnAir to release new just:in mac 2025 capture solutions for ...
18/02/2025
February is Black History Month, a time to honor the rich cultural heritage, triumphs, and adversities of the Black community. One powerful way to celebrate is ...
18/02/2025
Sweden has always had great success showcasing its musical talent globally, especially in the dance and pop spheres. But 2025 is shaping up to be a special year...
18/02/2025
(05:02 PM) Wiesbaden, February 18, 2025. The Board of Management of SGL Carbon S...
18/02/2025
The Board of Management of SGL Carbon SE today decided, with the approval of the...
18/02/2025
The L3Harris hC2 Software Suite, powered by Systematic SitaWare, delivers an agile battle management system adaptable to evolving force needs and technology fro...
18/02/2025
Artist rendering shows NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket lifting off f...
18/02/2025
The Global 6500 business jet can significantly reduce operators fatigue based on...
18/02/2025
Streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico saw a slight decrease during January, dipping by 0.6 percentage points compared to December. Streaming accounted f...
18/02/2025
The January winter weather encouraged people to spend more time in front of their TVs. Poles consumed video content for an average of 4 hours and 17 minutes per...
18/02/2025
NYE, Golden Globes and scripted dramas also elevate broadcast viewing.
Netflix achieves a new platform record, powered by 9B viewing minutes of Squid Game'...
18/02/2025
NEW YORK - February 18, 2025 - The NFL's Super Bowl LIX, broadcast on FOX, FOX Deportes and Telemundo and streamed on Tubi and NFL digital properties, conti...
18/02/2025
Network equipment provider increases international sales in communication networ...
18/02/2025
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, announces the conclusion of an order fr...
18/02/2025
NEW YORK TV viewing in January was up 5% compared with an already robust December, with games across the NFL and NCAA drawing big audiences and contributing to ...
18/02/2025
NEW YORK Paramount+ and EverPass Media has signed a multi-year distribution agreement that allows EverPass customers to stream all of CBS Sports' UEFA Champ...
18/02/2025
SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution to power broadcasts of 58 ATP tournaments that reach a billion global fans through 70+ broadcast partners
Luxembourg...
18/02/2025
Ikegami Electronics Announces US Market Introduction of IPX-100 IP Gateway
Brie Clayton February 18, 2025
0 Comments
Accompanying image shows an examp...
18/02/2025
The Ninth Order Completed WithURSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 and Fairlight
Brie Clayton February 18, 2025
0 Comments
Film shown at 20 global film festivals use...
18/02/2025
Clear Angle Studios is leading a quiet revolution in the art of 4D scanning. CEO, Dominic Ridley, tells TVBEurope about the tech behind their remarkable progres...
18/02/2025
Pro-Grade Inventory from Global Leader in Audiovisual and Entertainment Technolo...
18/02/2025
Zombie Repellent Created With Blackmagic Camera and Blackmagic Cloud
Brie Clayton February 17, 2025
0 Comments
Horror film finished using DaVinci Reso...
18/02/2025
I Tested Adobe's New Firefly AI Video
Graham Quince February 17, 2025
0 Comments
A few months back I submitted a request to get access to the Adob...
18/02/2025
Save the Date! SVG Cloud Production Forum Returns to NYC on May 15 Third-annual event will address one of the hottest topics in the industry By SVG Staff
Tue...
18/02/2025
Unleashing the power of spectrum monitoring with the R&S ADD507 compact DF anten...
18/02/2025
Groundbreaking achievement: ipoque's 5G network analysis detects unauthorize...
18/02/2025
Rohde & Schwarz first to achieve GCF approval for 5G FR2 RRM standalone mode con...
18/02/2025
Back to All News
Five Women, One Dangerous Recipe: Netflix's Dabba Cartel T...
18/02/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
18/02/2025
Major League Soccer kicks off its 30th season this Saturday on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, with all 30 teams taking the pitch for MLS is Back weekend....
18/02/2025
Key takeaways for this year's report include:
Call to action from the industry
Industry leaders from the IPA, ISBA and the PPA have penned a letter remi...
18/02/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales and Sopra Steria form a strategic partner...
18/02/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
This new contract covers over 300,000 cards annu...
17/02/2025
Visit ToolsOnAir at NAB 2025 April 6-9, 2025
The ToolsOnAir team is looking forward to meeting you again in person at NAB 2025 in Las Vegas from April 6-9....
17/02/2025
Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) was successfully executed at Yuma Proving Grou...
17/02/2025
L3Harris T7 and T4 robots offer a combination of powerful lift strength, reach, unmatched dexterity and precision....
17/02/2025
MONTREAL, CANADA - February 17, 2025 - Grass Valley, the market leader in innova...
17/02/2025
Mumbai, February 17, 2025: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, dat...
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
17/02/2025
Rob Beckett's Smart TV returns for its second series to Sky Max and streamin...
17/02/2025
Buffer's burning love: Michael Buffer helps rugby league fans celebrate thei...
17/02/2025
Charities and organisations in every county invited to apply
Statement by Community Foundation Ireland and RT
The huge generosity of viewers of December'...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...