Film and Video Editors
Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May work with a producer or director to organize images for final production. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images.
- Median pay
- $75,420
- Doing it now
- 39,400
- By 2035
- Up 3.7%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
3,100 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible.
- Study scripts to become familiar with production concepts and requirements.
- Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
- Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.
- Verify key numbers and time codes on materials.
- Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
- Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Film/Video and Photographic ArtsSee 425 colleges that teach it
- JournalismSee 409 colleges that teach it
- Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationSee 405 colleges that teach it
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies/TechniciansSee 64 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Creative and expressive
Organised and precise
Hands-on and practical
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $75,420 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.