The Film Editing Room Handbook

The assistant film editor has many more responsibilities than simply helping to edit the picture. He or she must work with all the numerous members of the filmmaking team, juggle the demands of copious amounts of footage from various sources, keep notes during the shoot's dailies screenings, process sound, oversee the creation of optical effects and integrate them in the editor's workflow, and many more detail-oriented, simultaneous tasks that require skills on a technical and organizational level. Widely regarded as THE guide for helping you get through it all, Norman Hollyn, editing whiz and longtime instructor, is the ultimate master at making the process fun while making you a pro. In this fourth edition, he continues in the celebrated style of his previous editions with a hands-on approach, assuming the role of an assistant editor to describe the myriad workflows involved. Not only will you learn everything you need to know about how the editing process works, but you'll gain the wisdom that normally only comes with on-the-job experience, putting you way ahead in your career and making you a better, more efficient editor.

In The Film Editing Room Handbook, you'll learn:



Everything the assistant editor needs to know on the job-from pre-production to the shoot, to editing and adding visual effects and sound, to the mix and color finishing.

How to work in a variety of scenarios, whether it is a feature, television, commercial, musical, or web-based project.

Best practices for organizing and optimizing your systems and files, useful to editors working on any nonlinear editing platform.

How to find a job in this competitive market and put together an attractive resume that proves you've got the skills to succeed.


Praise for The Film Editing Room Handbook, Fourth Edition

"The Film Editing Room Handbook systematically explains everything you need to know about the editing process, exactly as it exists in the making of major motion pictures. Complicated technical concepts are made totally clear and easily understandable in this absolutely essential book for all assistant editors, indie filmmakers, and those who aspire to break into the industry."
- Mark Goldblatt, A.C.E., editor of The Terminator, Starship Troopers, and True Lies

" This is a wonderful book that explains the complexities of the editing room assistant's job with clarity and wit."
- Alan Heim, A.C.E, Oscar-winning editor and former president of American Cinema Editors

" The Assistant Editor is the unsung hero of the editing room, tip-toeing around land mines to keep everything running smoothly in a job where all the important rules are unwritten. Until now. Norman Hollyn does an excellent job explaining the process of editing, the role of the assistant editor, and clearly labeling where all the booby traps are buried."
- Larry Jordan, producer, director, editor, and Apple-certified trainer

" This book is an excellent introduction to editing in the real world. Norman Hollyn not only tells you what is necessary, he tells you what is efficient. He knows how important that can be because he's been there."
- Burton J. Sears, film instructor at Savannah College of Art and Design, editor of Virtuosity, Jacob's Ladder, and Henry and June