Here is a diary of a day in my life which I wrote while I was an Editorial Trainee on Temple Season 2 many moons ago!
On Temple, we have three Editors, a 1st Assistant Editor and myself as the Edit Trainee in our editorial team, also known as ‘the cutting room’. We are working across seven episodes which are separated into groups called ‘blocks’. Each block is currently in a different stage of the offline process so there’s quite a bit going on!
Block 1 = Episodes 1, 2 and 6 = Editor 1
Block 2 = Episodes 3 & 4 = Editor 2
Block 3 = Episodes 5 & 7 = Editor 3
Morning
After I arrive at work in the morning, I unpack my bag, take out my notebook and open our Assistant’s Avid project “TEMP S2 ASSIST” in Avid Media Composer. All our Avid projects and files are stored on our Avid NEXIS. The Avid NEXIS is like a giant hard drive which can be accessed by all our computers which is great for sharing files and collaboration.
One of our episodes has just locked so we’re about to start heading into turnovers season! Once an episode locks, it is ’turned over’ to other post production departments so that they can start working on the episodes. This involves preparing the episode and then exporting it as very specific files such as EDLs, AAFs, and Quick Times (QTs) to send. It also involves creating spreadsheets of information to accompany the turnover to help the post production teams and post production supervisor identify and manage the work that needs to be completed.
For example, a list of all the shots which require VFX or Online work in a VFX & Online spreadsheet and a list of all the lines which need ADR in an ADR list. We still need to complete the paperwork, but our priority is to get the picture and sound departments the files they need so that they can begin to start work. During my first trainee job, I learnt how to do sound turnovers and so today, the 1st Assistant Editor has set the sound turnover for our new locked episode as my first task of the morning, while he starts the picture turnover. I get started and use our turnover checklist and my to do list pad to ensure I have exported everything that is required.
Cut to… the to do list pad!
Throughout the day, I use this small notebook and a to-do list pad to help me keep on top of tasks and to make sure I dont forget anything, especially when there are many things happening in the cutting room at once! Often more urgent tasks come in to the cutting room when you’re in the middle of working on something and the 1st Assistant Editor may ask me to put the first task on the backburner and to start the new task. I write the initial of the Assistant next to the task to keep track of what is still on my plate and what I have passed back and no longer need to do. Assistant Editors would make great Octopuses!
Writing everything down also allows me to remember new things that I have learnt and gives me a place to go back to to reference something in the future. Sometimes I go back to my old work notebooks to look something up. If you would like to do something similar, you can use any notebook or any method that works for you to keep track of things, this is just what personally works for me. If you’re like, nah I’m good, I don’t need this, then that’s great too. Keep it simple and keep it easy. Apple notes, word, google docs, paper, whiteboard paper and post it notes are all good alternatives.
I considered using a digital to-do list, but for the times when you have every Avid window open, whilst you are editing a spreadsheet, whilst cross referencing with instructions from an email, sometimes there simply isn’t enough screen space available. I like having a physical notebook too as it literally sticks to me throughout the day like glue. If I’m called into one of our Editor’s rooms to receive some information, or a new task to do I can quickly make notes and be ready to go. It also acts as a diary for me to look back on the job and remember things that we got up to. The weeks fly by so it’s nice to have a memento.
I brought my notebooks with me on my first day in a large bag which houses what I’m now calling my ‘edit suite kit’. My Mum and Dad were like "Eleanor… why are you moving in?" Ha! I know… I am an over packer…. But it all comes in useful! Stationery, my mouse pad, SFX USB stick, water bottle and recently a blanket! We spend most of our day in the cutting room so you might as well make it comfy! Welcome to my home away from home, haha! I leave everything in the cutting room for the duration of the job, so each morning I’m only unpacking what I have brought with me on the day.
Throughout the day, the cutting room receives requests from a variety of different places. Via email, phone calls, text messages as well as Editors popping their heads around the door. If we’re working remotely this can become more complicated, and so it is important to keep on top of incoming information. As the Edit Trainee, if the Assistant is working remotely, or has not been copied into an email by accident or has simply popped out of the cutting room for a moment, and someone passes on a message to you or asks you to carry out a certain task, inform the Assistant immediately so that they can assess the task and decide how and if it needs to be done. They may ask you to do it, delegate it, put it on the back burner or need to have a further conversation with the person who requested it to gather more information.
Let's have lunch!
Lunchtime changes frequently and depends on the flow of tasks coming into the cutting room. If it is busy in the early afternoon, I might eat a little later, whereas if there is less coming in, I will have a break earlier. It's important to be flexible and flow with what is happening during the day whilst ensuring that you do have a well-deserved break and contractual break! There will usually be a communal kitchen with a fridge/microwave and cupboards to store food, but this can depend on where you are working. You can also keep a bag of stuff near your desk. I take my lunch outside and go out for a walk around the area and come back after an hour.
It can be very easy to get into a habit of eating your lunch at your desk which has been shown to have a poor effect on our mental and physical health. We can often also feel pressured to do what everyone else is doing… we may worry that we have to be “on” all the time, eat lunch at our desks and be available throughout our lunch break. It is okay, in fact it is important to take a full, restful break. Especially for lunch. If you're a Trainee and are finding it difficult to take your break, consider the following questions.
Do you deserve to have a break? Yes.
Is there a lunch break in your contract? Yes.
Is the cutting room going to set on fire while you’re out? No.
Do humans need lunch breaks? Yes.
If it all goes sideways and all hell breaks loose, can you be contacted to come back?
Yes. So, go on, have your lunch and take a break.
Perhaps you could all go for a walk together? Grab lunch from a local cafe together and eat it in the sunshine? Let your Editors know you’re grabbing lunch. Maybe they’ll want to come too, which is a great way to get to know your colleagues!
Afternoon
Now that we have sent out picture and sound turnovers, it's time to move on to VFX (we don't have a VFX Editor). The 1st Assistant Editor decides to complete the VFX turnover and asks me if I would like to learn how to do one.
We spend the next hour or so going through VFX turnovers and I make notes while watching him explain all the different parts, processes and files on the screen. Every now and then, I ask if I can check that I have understood the process correctly and relay my notes to him. I ask some questions and we clarify the parts I am confused about.
He then prepares a bin for me to practice on and I save it into my ELEANOR folder within our project. I go back into my room to practice what I just learnt and he continues with the turnover.
End of the day
Towards the end of the day at around 5pm, I have a look at my to-do list pad to see if there are any outstanding tasks. If they are urgent, I complete them, and if not, I write them down for the next day. If I’m unsure whether a task is urgent, I will ask the 1st Assistant Editor. I usually work from 9-10 am to 5-6:30 pm but this changes depending on how busy we are. It seems that our working hours are very much dependent on the production as well as the team you are working with. On Temple, during busy periods I’ve stayed later to support the team and, on a few days, where there has been less demand, the 1st Assistant Editor has told me to go home early!
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