Education:
65%
Bachelor's Degree
17%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Film and Video Editors
This is a sub-career of
Film and Video Editor or Camera Operator
More sub-careers
Select a specialized sub-career for more details.
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Job Outlook:
Faster than average
Education:
Bachelor's degree
Salary
High:
$166,730.00
Average:
$80,990.00
Hourly
Average:
$38.94
What they do:
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.
On the job, you would:
- Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
- 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.
Important Qualities
Communication skills. Film and video editors and camera operators must communicate with other members of a production team, including producers and directors, to ensure that the project goes smoothly.
Computer skills. Film and video editors must use sophisticated editing software.
Creativity. Film and video editors and camera operators should be able to imagine what the result of their filming or editing will look like to an audience.
Detail oriented. Editors look at every frame of film and decide what should be kept or cut in order to maintain the best content.
Hand–eye coordination. Camera operators need to be able to move about the action while holding a camera steady.
Physical stamina. Camera operators may need to carry heavy equipment for long periods, particularly when they are filming on location.
Visual skills. Film and video editors and camera operators must see clearly what they are filming or editing in the postproduction process.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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99% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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98% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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95% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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95% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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94% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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94% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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94% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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94% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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93% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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91% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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90% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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87% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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84% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. | |
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79% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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76% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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75% | Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Artistic - Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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72% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. | |
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67% | Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. | |
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67% | Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. |
Aptitude
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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72% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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72% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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69% | Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |
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69% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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66% | Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). | |
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66% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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66% | Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Edit audio or video recordings.
Study scripts to determine project requirements.
Edit audio or video recordings.
Edit audio or video recordings.
Determine presentation subjects or content.
Label production materials.
Determine presentation subjects or content.
Verify accuracy of data.
Edit audio or video recordings.
Manage content of broadcasts or presentations.
Create computer-generated graphics or animation.
Manage content of broadcasts or presentations.
Edit audio or video recordings.
Operate communications, transmissions, or broadcasting equipment.
Operate audio recording equipment.
Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.
Edit audio or video recordings.
Coordinate activities of production personnel.
Edit audio or video recordings.
Develop promotional materials.
Edit audio or video recordings.
Provide information to coworkers.
Collaborate with others to prepare or perform artistic productions.
Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.
Determine technical requirements of productions or projects.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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100% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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100% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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97% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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93% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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89% | Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting? | |
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88% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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87% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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86% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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77% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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76% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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69% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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97% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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93% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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90% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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87% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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82% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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78% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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77% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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76% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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76% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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74% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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69% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. | |
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67% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. | |
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65% | Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. |
What Film and Video Editors and Camera Operators Do
Nearly all video editing work is done on a computer.
Film and video editors and camera operators manipulate images that entertain or inform an audience. Camera operators capture a wide range of material for television, movies, and other media. Editors arrange footage shot by camera operators and collaborate with producers and directors to create the final content.
Duties
Film and video editors and camera operators typically do the following:
- Shoot and record television programs, films, music videos, documentaries, or news and sporting events
- Organize digital footage with video-editing software
- Collaborate with a director to determine the overall vision of the production
- Discuss filming and editing techniques with a director to improve a scene
- Select the appropriate equipment, such as the type of lens or lighting
- Shoot or edit a scene based on the director’s vision
Many camera operators supervise one or more assistants. The assistants set up the camera equipment and may be responsible for its storage and care. Assistants also help the operator determine the best shooting angle and make sure that the camera stays in focus.
Likewise, editors often have one or more assistants. The assistants support the editor by keeping track of each shot in a database or loading digital video into an editing bay. Assistants also may do some of the editing tasks.
Most operators prefer using digital cameras because the smaller, more inexpensive instruments give them more flexibility in shooting angles. Digital cameras also have changed the job of some camera assistants: Instead of loading film or choosing lenses, they download digital images or choose a type of software program to use with the camera. In addition, drone cameras give operators an opportunity to film in the air, or in places that are hard to reach.
Nearly all editing work is done on a computer, and editors often are trained in a specific type of editing software.
The following are examples of types of camera operators:
Cinematographers film motion pictures. They usually work with a team of camera operators and assistants. Cinematographers determine the angles and types of equipment that will best capture a shot. They also adjust the lighting in a shot, because that is an important part of how the image looks.
Cinematographers may use stationary cameras that shoot whatever passes in front of them, or they may use a camera mounted on a track and move around the action. Some cinematographers sit on cranes to film an action scene; others carry the camera on their shoulder while they move around the action.
Some cinematographers specialize in filming cartoons or special effects. For information about a career in animation, see special effects artists and animators. Other cinematographers function as a film’s artistic director. For information about these workers, see art directors.
Studio camera operators work in a broadcast studio and videotape their subjects from a fixed position. There may be one or several cameras in use at a time. Operators normally follow directions that give the order of the shots. They often have time to practice camera movements before shooting begins. If they are shooting a live event, they must be able to make adjustments at a moment’s notice and follow the instructions of the show’s director. The use of robotic cameras is common among studio camera operators, and one operator may control several cameras at once.
Videographers film or videotape private ceremonies or special events, such as weddings. They also may work with companies and make corporate documentaries on a variety of topics. Most videographers edit their own material.
Many videographers run their own business or do freelance work. They may submit bids, write contracts, and get permission to shoot on locations that may not be open to the public. They also get copyright protection for their work and keep financial records.
Many editors and camera operators, but particularly videographers, put their creative work online. If it becomes popular, they gain more recognition, which can lead to future employment or freelance opportunities.
Work Environment
Camera operators, television, video, and film held about 36,500 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of camera operators, television, video, and film were as follows:
| Self-employed workers | 33% |
| Motion picture and video industries | 27 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 10 |
| Government | 2 |
Film and video editors held about 51,000 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of film and video editors were as follows:
| Motion picture and video industries | 37% |
| Self-employed workers | 34 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 10 |
Film and video editors and camera operators typically work in studios or offices. Camera operators and videographers often shoot raw footage on location.
Film and video editors work in editing rooms by themselves, or with producers and directors, for many hours at a time. Cinematographers and operators who shoot for movies or television may film on location and be away from home for months at a time. Operators who travel usually must carry heavy equipment to their shooting locations.
Some camera operators work in uncomfortable or even dangerous conditions, such as severe weather, military conflicts, and natural disasters. They may have to stand for long periods waiting for an event to take place. They may carry heavy equipment while on shooting assignment.
Work Schedules
Most film and video editors and camera operators work full time, although part-time work is common. Work hours often vary with the type of operator or editor. Those who work in broadcasting may put in additional hours to meet a deadline. Those who work in the motion picture industry may have busy schedules while filming, but they go through a period of looking for work once a film is complete and before they are hired for their next job.
Getting Started
How to Become a Film and Video Editor or Camera Operator
Most editor and camera operator positions require a bachelor's degree in a field related to film or broadcasting.
Film and video editors and camera operators typically need a bachelor’s degree in a field related to film or broadcasting.
Education
Film and video editors and camera operators typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. The degree is often in film, broadcasting, or a related fine and performing arts or communications field. Many colleges offer courses in cinematography or video-editing software. Coursework involves a mix of film theory with practical training.
Film and video editors and camera operators must have an understanding of digital cameras and editing software because both are now used on film sets.
Training
Employers may offer new employees training in the type of specialized editing software those employers use. Most editors eventually specialize in one type of software, but beginners should be familiar with as many types as possible.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Editors may demonstrate competence in various types of editing software by earning certification, which is generally offered by software vendors. Certification requires passing a comprehensive exam, and candidates can prepare for the exam on their own, through online tutorials, or through classroom instruction.
Advancement
Experienced film and video editors and camera operators with creativity and leadership skills can advance to overseeing their own projects. For more information, see the profile on producers and directors.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of film and video editors and camera operators is projected to grow 7 percent from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.
About 8,200 openings for film and video editors and camera operators are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Projected employment of film and video editors and camera operators varies by occupation (see table).
The number of online-only platforms, such as streaming services, is likely to increase, along with the number of shows produced for these platforms. This growth may lead to more work for film and video editors and camera operators.
The consolidation of roles—such as editors who determine the best angles for a shoot, the use of robotic cameras, and the increasing reliance on amateur film footage—may lead to fewer jobs for camera operators. However, more film and video editors are expected to be needed because of an increase in special effects and overall available content.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about film and video editors and camera operators, visit
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of film and video editors and camera operators.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians |
Broadcast, sound, and video technicians set up, operate, and maintain the electrical equipment for media programs. |
See How to Become One | $53,960 |
|
Editors |
Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication. |
Bachelor's degree | $73,080 |
|
Special Effects Artists and Animators |
Special effects artists and animators create images that appear to move and visual effects for various forms of media and entertainment. |
Bachelor's degree | $98,950 |
|
Photographers |
Photographers use their technical expertise, creativity, and composition skills to produce and preserve images. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $40,170 |
|
Producers and Directors |
Producers and directors make business and creative decisions about film, television, stage, and other productions. |
Bachelor's degree | $85,320 |
|
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists |
News analysts, reporters, and journalists keep the public updated about current events and noteworthy information. |
Bachelor's degree | $55,960 |