The ASE was invited to present at the AFTRS Meet the Guilds Night in Sydney on Tuesday 24 September 2019. It was a fantastic night with a great turnout from the students and our fellow guilds alike. Each guild spoke for a few minutes about what we do and what we offer students and the wider industry. It was really inspiring to hear from the other guilds that we are all on the same page, all working towards better conditions for all disciplines in our industry, and that the only way to make it happen is to stick together and communicate.
ASE Executive Committee Members, Scott Walmsley, Danielle Boesenberg and Fiona Macintosh represented the ASE. Scott gave an upbeat and informative speech to the interested audience. You can read the transcript below And thank you again, Scott, for speaking!
Fiona Macintosh
ASE Secretary
AFTRS - Meet the Guilds Speech – by Scott Walmsley.
The Australian Screen Editors Guild represents Editors and Assistant Editors working in a wide range of disciplines from feature films, documentaries, television, commercials, online content and many others. We also have a presence in most states around the country.
As an organisation we have three key functions; to represent the interests of post-production workers, to promote the creative art of editing, and to provide training and information.
So if you are thinking of joining the guild, here are some of the things you get out of it.
Probably the most immediately useful thing we provide is a Rates & Conditions card that not only gives you a baseline of what you should be charging, but the full version - available only to Members - details a lot of employment specific stuff in easy-to-understand language such as super, loadings and overtime, contracts, insurance, etc. This stuff can be complicated and hard to look up, and we have done a lot of the hard work for you.
We host a series of editing events and talks, from film screenings, social meet-ups and the Edit Royale, which is a fun editing competition.
We provide training, which in the past has included informal information nights by an Adobe representative, business skills with Monica Davidson, and technical courses co-run with TAFE. All of which are free for our Members.
There is a mentorship scheme where we match emerging Editors with established working professionals.
We run an awards night where we recognise the work of Editors in 13 categories as well as offer a path to accreditation where you can eventually have the honour of using the ASE letters after your name in credits.
But on a personal level I would say the biggest benefit is becoming a part of the broader post-production community. As Editors it can be difficult to have contact with other Editors and Assistants. My own experience with the Guild has expanded my editing social circle. and because of that have been able to share my experiences and learn off of others. I have also found that a significant source of new opportunities that I’ve had to progress my career has come through other Editors. When you are unable to do a job for whatever reason, usually you recommend someone who can. I am currently cutting a feature that has come directly from a contact I have made and kept up with the Guild. So it’s a pretty invaluable way of building up not only your network but also your circle of friends, and who doesn’t want more of those?
The media landscape is changing pretty fast so having a close connection to the pulse of what’s happening has never been more important. And the only way to do that is to go meet others who are in the same boat as you. So don’t get stuck behind wondering what is what. Get out of that dark edit suite and come join the ASE. Membership is only $150 for the year and we have a student membership option that gives you nearly all of the perks for free, so why wouldn’t you?