The editor skill shortage explained. 🧵
For certain genres of editing there is an editor skill shortage. There is literally more footage going to post than there are editors to edit it.
Our audience might be familiar with the YouTube editor skill shortage... but this week we saw Doug Blush give a presentation on docs editors at @lacpug.
Doug is a producer at @Madpix & has a never ending IMDB page of docs he's worked on. Here's what he said...
Doug is a producer at @Madpix & has a never ending IMDB page of docs he's worked on. Here's what he said...
There are several factors that led to documentary editors being in short supply.
1. The Pandemic
Documentaries EXPLODED during the pandemic. If you've cozied up to a serial killer doc then you know how addicting this genre is! Streamers can't make them fast enough!
1. The Pandemic
Documentaries EXPLODED during the pandemic. If you've cozied up to a serial killer doc then you know how addicting this genre is! Streamers can't make them fast enough!
2. The amount of footage
Doug said it's not just hundreds of hours of footage...sometimes it's THOUSANDS of hours of footage. That means editors are on jobs longer due to the amount of footage they go through.
Doug said it's not just hundreds of hours of footage...sometimes it's THOUSANDS of hours of footage. That means editors are on jobs longer due to the amount of footage they go through.
3. Money
During the Q&A someone asked Doug about the money and he said "what money?" 😂 However, he said that times are changing and people are willing to pay for documentaries now. He also said if you're clever, you can even turn a profit if you want to make a doc yourself.
During the Q&A someone asked Doug about the money and he said "what money?" 😂 However, he said that times are changing and people are willing to pay for documentaries now. He also said if you're clever, you can even turn a profit if you want to make a doc yourself.
4. Predisposition for narrative.
Many new editors want to work on narrative. Doug said not to knock documentary -- that nonfiction stories are just as compelling, if not more, than fiction...and a lot of times you have more creative freedom as a docs editor than narrative.
Many new editors want to work on narrative. Doug said not to knock documentary -- that nonfiction stories are just as compelling, if not more, than fiction...and a lot of times you have more creative freedom as a docs editor than narrative.
So what does this mean for editors? Doug had a few takeaways..
-If you want to jump straight to editing without being an assistant you should try docs.
-If you want more creative freedom in the edit you should try docs.
-If you don't want to edit serial killers, don't worry, there's many types of docs & u will find the right story for you
-If you want more creative freedom in the edit you should try docs.
-If you don't want to edit serial killers, don't worry, there's many types of docs & u will find the right story for you
-Docs are also a great way to accelerate your understanding of storytelling.
Because there is no script, you, the editor, have to find the story.
This levels up your storytelling, and if you transition to narrative, that skill is very valuable.
Because there is no script, you, the editor, have to find the story.
This levels up your storytelling, and if you transition to narrative, that skill is very valuable.
So how do we connect with people in the documentary field?
-Networking events like @lacpug
-Film festivals
-And let's not forget...twitter! The hashtag #postchat is a great way to connect with other editors.
-Networking events like @lacpug
-Film festivals
-And let's not forget...twitter! The hashtag #postchat is a great way to connect with other editors.
Again, thanks to @madpixfilm and @lacpug for putting on a great event.
This speech definitely clicked with us because YouTube editors are also in a skill shortage and we noticed a lot of similarities.
This speech definitely clicked with us because YouTube editors are also in a skill shortage and we noticed a lot of similarities.
If you want a doc rec, MadPix has a gaming documentary I think our audience will love... 🎮✂️🎞
This thread is pretty popular. Should we do another thread about the YouTube/TikTok editor skill shortage? 👀
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