Geoff Walters
Freelance / Video Editor / Director / Writer / Brisbane / Australia
1) What made you decide to get into editing in the first place?
Of all the areas in Film Production editing was the only one that had defined jobs in the market. I wanted to be a director but you need a reel of stuff you’ve directed to get anywhere. I always knew there were companies with edit suites who would need operators. On a more creative level it is by far the best place to be in a production as every element has to go through you.
2) What do you find most rewarding about your career?
Making a deadline, Every day at work is completely different, it’s never the same & you get to catch a glimpse of nearly every other sort of work others do. Loving what you do for a job makes going to work easy!
3) What do you find most challenging/difficult about it?
Pompous / disrespectful / smelly & downright rude clients.
4) Is it possible to be a freelance editor and be working all the time?
Yes, but you can never rest, you must always be ringing people for work and harassment is the number one name of the game.
5) How is the demand and competition for editors in the local industry?
In Brisbane it’s good, because the industry has so many editors out there but very few with more than 10 years experience as they mostly migrate straight to Sydney or Melbourne.
7) Over your career as an editor what changes (if any) have you witnessed
With the price drop on hardware & software for editing there are far more people getting involved in telling their stories and getting amongst it. I started out editing on analogue (tape to tape) suites, so from that point of view I have seen many changes. I think it’s important to acknowledge where we have come from as a lot of the new kids coming up don’t appreciate what the older editors had to go through when they made a cut using film.
8) What are some things you wish you knew when you were starting out?
I may come off arrogant here but the truth is I knew I had to write to every single production company in Brisbane half way through my final year of University begging for work experience if I was to get anywhere by the time I graduated. When you consider that I started out with 55 students who were in my course in first year and only 7 graduated by the final year you’re made aware of how little work is out there unless you’re committed completely.
9) What are some indispensable skills new graduates should have if interested in editing as a career?
One man band. You have to be these days. An editor has to be able to trans-code video, author DVD’s, perform sound editing and mixing, run Photoshop with their eyes closed and know a compositing package (After Effects, Digital Fusion) inside and out. You have to do it quicker than anyone else and have tricks up your sleeve that other editors might not know to set you apart; be it Visual FX tricks or whatever.
10) Any general advice for a student addicted to editing leaving uni?
Don’t whinge that you don’t have enough stuff to put a show reel together. Make up shit. Make scam adverts. Make music videos for your favourite songs. Post them on www.youtube.com and follow the three rules of getting work experience. Harass, Harass & Harass some more.
