film editing

Film editing is not just a job or career for me, it is something that I love to do even in my free time. Everytime that I think about the fact that I am getting paid for my work in film editing, I feel blessed. There are hundreds of schools across the United States that have film and television programs, and each have different focuses. I attended University of California at Irvine, which had an emphasis in film theory. I took courses in Japanese, German, and French Cinema, and also studied screenwriting and basic production, among dozens of other film department classes. At the time I attended, there were no Avids to practice on, and the only hands on experience I was able to get was to take a video production course offered in the drama department, where we were able to check out video recorders and edit on tape to tape systems.

If you are thinking about a career in film editing, I would suggest finding a school that offers both theory classes AND hands on production, with editing equipment available to learn on, free if you are a student.  I have found that having a technical background, in addition to being educated about the classic forms of cinema, where the rules of film language were born, and the history of film, has always given me an extra advantage that a lot of people don't have.  I have several friends who have attended film programs at Columbia, UCLA, USC, NYU, and more, and all have loved their schools.

If you are not sure which area of production that you would like to go into, you might consider getting a very broad education in film and then if you decide to specialize in film editing, you can supplement your knowledge later with continuing education or Avid training camps or Final Cut Pro courses. Digital editing has become the norm for cutting films, and there are many programs available to practice with right at home on your own computer.  You can purchase Final Cut Pro, Avid Express, and more simple programs like iMovie and others to get started on your editing career.