The First Assistant Editor supports the editor across all stages, coordinating with camera, sound, and post teams on technical specs, and managing delivery of daily rushes.
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Working Life
The First Assistant Editor supports the editor across all stages, coordinating with camera, sound, and post teams on technical specs, and managing delivery of daily rushes.
Role and Responsibilities
- Work as the editor’s right-hand person throughout all of the production stages.
- Liaise with the relevant people in the camera and sound departments and the post-production facility before production, on the technical specs and the delivery of daily rushes.
- Responsible for synching rushes for the editor and backing them up daily, compiling a daily assembly and exporting them for upload by relevant personnel during production.
- Filing daily camera and sound reports and continuity notes.
- Act as a support to the editor during post-production, usually by carrying out technical tasks, such as exporting weekly assemblies, supplying sound and music, editing temporary visual effects, and liaising with other departments to research and source technical requirements.
- Ensure that each Head of Department (HOD) maintains open lines of communication with the cutting room.
Works with
- Editor
- Director
- Producer
- All of the Heads of Department
- All of the Editing Department
Qualities - First Assistant Editor
Is this role right for me?
For this role, you need:
Great technical competency and knowledge of various types of editing systems and their functions. An understanding of sound and interpreting its best uses.
Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
Understanding of the role of other departments in communicating with the editing team.
Ability to interpret the daily reports from set.
Great administrative skills in labelling and storing all paperwork and hard drives.
Good understanding of the story and the editing process, and to be a sounding board for the editor.
While the role is mainly a technical one, a great first AE will have a passion for film and storytelling and a strong sense of the creative goals for a project.
Interests - First Assistant Editor
This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Creative
Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.
Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.
Administrative
Administrative people are interested in work that offers security and a sense of being part of a larger process. They may be at their most productive under supervisors who give clear guidelines and while performing routine tasks in a methodical and reliable way.
They tend to enjoy clerical and most forms of office work, where they perform essential administrative duties. They often form the backbone of large and small organisations alike. They may enjoy being in charge of office filing systems, and using computers and other office equipment to keep things running smoothly. They usually like routine work hours and prefer comfortable indoor workplaces.
Entry / Progression - First Assistant Editor
Education Route: A qualification in Film Studies can be useful.
Career Path to First Assistant Editor: There is no usual path to First Assistant Editor. Often, they would have worked their way through the editing department, starting as an editing trainee.
Career Path from First Assistant Editor: Editor, Supervising Editor, Post-Production Supervisor, VFX Editor, Creative Producer.
