I’m a Perth based Editor with over 30 years of experience in the edit room, which means I’m lucky enough to have been an actual film Assistant with a trim bin and a Steinbeck.
I started my career as a Drama Editor but now sit comfortably in both the scripted and documentary worlds.
What inspired you to apply for accreditation?
I don’t know why, but there are very few female Editors in Perth. This is changing with some fabulous younger Editors coming through, but we’re nowhere near close to the guys in numbers. I hope this will show current and upcoming female Editors that they can be successful in Perth.
I also get frustrated when out-of-state productions come to Perth to shoot, but then take the rushes home to edit, or bring over their own editing team. I have been told by visiting Producers that they didn’t realise there were experienced Drama Editors in WA so I hope that by having my accreditation it will help lift our profile.
And of course it’s wonderful to be recognised for your work, especially by your peers.
How do you feel when you reflect on your career?
When the kids were younger, I was often stressed and exhausted. As the only wage earner in the family, I had to work, and while I love my work, freelancing to support a family is not easy, as most of you will know. But with the added stress of night feeds, expressing milk at work, racing to school assemblies, etc. it was just completely exhausting. I became a very fast and efficient Editor because I had another job to go to.
I’ve definitely had some challenges….I was told I couldn’t edit a film because I had a 3 month old baby, even though the father was a full-time stay at home dad. At the age of 42 I was told “you’re too old to edit drama”. I was asked by a teacher when I was going to stop working because my children needed me at home, and on and on…
But I’m still editing, telling stories and enjoying every day in the edit room. The wonderful people I work with far out number the not so wonderful people and that’s what matters. I’ve edited a really diverse line up of productions, switching between scripted (children’s TV, animation, films and series) and documentary, which has been truly amazing and very rewarding. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done and the help I’ve given others.
What do you think are good ways to support fellow Editors and Assistants?
Having an editing community that meets regularly is really important. Getting together, talking about projects, sharing edit tips, sharing job leads, downloading about a tough day/week/job, all of this helps immensely. And through this network, Assistants and emerging Editors can be part of the editing community and feel comfortable asking all sorts of questions about the work and the industry.
In the edit room it’s important to bring your Assistant along on the storytelling journey. Get them to cut scenes and talk them through their edits. Get them to choose music tracks, talk to crew, talk to Directors/Producers. Learning how to take feedback is also an important part of the job and helped by seeing how Different editors manage this.
What do you feel are some good editing practices you have shared over time?
Stay calm and try not to stress. Be really organised. Break rushes down into manageable chunks so you don’t feel overwhelmed (I put this into good use when cutting Ningaloo Nyinggulu recently with over 1000 hours of footage).
Tag and note the “wow” shots because after you’ve seen them 30/40/50 times you forget that initial impact.
Keep trying new things. There are no hard and fast rules in the creative process so you never know what will work, and it’s a joy to save a scene with an out-of-the-box idea.
Why should Editors apply for accreditation?
Editing is an under-appreciated craft and very few people understand what an Editor actuality does. I think that when the letters ASE are seen in the credits, it’s an indication that our craft is judged and worthy, hopefully bringing recognition to what we do.
And to have your body of work acknowledged and appreciated is a wonderfull thing.
Why did you join the WA Committee?
The Perth editing community is quite small and as a founding member of the WA ASE I have always been a Committee member. It’s really important for me to support the industry I work in and mentor the next generation of Editors.