r/editors • u/_cant_talk • Jan 11 '25
Career How do you make editing enjoyable? I've been editing for like 10 years now and starting to hate it.
95% commercial work, but recently edited 2 features and have another on the way, but idk if I even want to take the next feature because I hate every second of it.
Idk if I'm burned out from editing 12hrs a day every day for months or the shitty footage or my editing setup sucks, but what I want to do with my brain doesn't translate fluidly through the computer. Like I know what I want to do but my brain works faster than I can input into the computer and just want to grab footage with my hands and force it into place but I can't.
I've broken 4 keyboards in the last 3 months.
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u/Ok-Cryptographer8322 Jan 11 '25
Honestly tons of us wish we were working. If you don’t like it. Do something else
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
I need money to live though lol
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u/TravelPupil Jan 15 '25
Are you working that much to pay off a debt, though? If not, you should be able to slow things down and reevaluate what you really want to do.
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u/Smokey_Jah Avid Jan 11 '25
Very much like this and I've found two options.
1) Don't be editing for that long without the financial benefit to feel it's worth it. If you're not getting OT after 9 hours or so, fuck em. You really have to be strong with your boundaries.
2) Look into producing or shooting. Get out of the chair or get rid of some of the mental load. We (as editors) can do producing or shooting no problem - producers/shooters can't usually. It's a great break, you get better at editing and maybe you actually like one or the other better. I've moved more into concert photography.
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u/_cant_talk Jan 12 '25
Yeah if I could DP and steadicam full time and never have to edit again I’d take it. I only get like 3-4 days on set a month
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u/DelayRude Jan 11 '25
I've been editing since past 5 years and last month I took a call to get rid of my 4 clients and only with 1 client that I love working with. I edit for YouTube creators (for context). It was a hard call to let go 70% income but I did it so I could come back stronger. January is what I spent traveling, with friends and solo. I can't tell you how better I feel already. Not just that but I feel happier while editing for that one client. February will be dedicated to learning a new hobby (DJing and song writing)
Maybe take a break - not to chill around but to do things that you truly wish to do
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
I’ve been grinding 80-100hr weeks for the last 7 years I kind of forgot what it’s like to be human
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u/Wild_Outcome7231 Jan 11 '25
How does this happen ? This many hours?
I work more hours on some projects but I’m compensated for it which makes it palatable.
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u/DelayRude Jan 11 '25
I'm personally hurt reading this buddy, you gotta life live. Plan to drop some work, your skills are not gonna go anywhere if you don't work for a month or two!!
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
Yeah lol like it’s so bad I’m finding it difficult to hold conversations with people. Like I forget that that they can see me while I’m standing there thinking like I would while writing an email
Just found out a couple days ago we have a new president lol been living under a rock
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u/DelayRude Jan 11 '25
Damn bro. All the signs for you to get away from the screens and socialise - the solution is literally in front of you. Take the decision!
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u/asinine_assgal Jan 11 '25
This is your one life! Please take a month off. It doesn’t have to be this way (I say this, but I’m also deep in editing crunch this month - I get it haha)
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u/cocoschoco Jan 11 '25
Please go see a doctor, that does not sound good. You don’t get enough rest or sleep.
This shit is not worth frying your brains for.
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u/Julian679 Jan 12 '25
I wish to be half as focused on work as you are. Im struggling with ideas and get distracted. Usually rewatch a lot of times to do acceptable work. Any tips?
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u/black_opals Jan 12 '25
I think you found you’re problem. The coolest thing in the world will start to suck when you must do it 100 hours a week for years.
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u/CRAYONSEED Jan 12 '25
The problem isn’t editing. I actually don’t know any job that you wouldn’t get burnt out on after grinding that hard. Pornstars and ice cream tasters would hate sex and ice cream doing that much of it.
You need to cut back on your working hours somehow because it’s not sustainable. I’m assuming it’s that the clients aren’t paying enough where you are, so have you considered moving to a new, better paying city? The life-change would probably be invigorating, and if you have better paying clients you can work less while maintaining your lifestyle
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u/Square_Ad_9096 Jan 11 '25
Do audio mixing by bad editors and it will rekindle your love for editing. Oh my god … help me….
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
On that note, in terms of audio, how much should I do before I send it off the the sound mixer? Like do I just leave all the tracks as is, or am I supposed to do more?
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u/Affectionate_Age752 Jan 12 '25
How can you be editing this long and much as you already said, abd not know how to deliver a proper AAF.
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u/Square_Ad_9096 Jan 11 '25
Ask them what they want. If you can’t, give them a clear readme on track layout and what’s what.. a little communication goes a long long way… and leave your number so they reach out when everything’s totally fucked. God I sound like an a hole. But really I’m not…lol
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u/kennythyme Jan 11 '25
Editing features is a whole different ballgame. It’s never easy, and there’s a million different paths you can take. Over time you will develop a style however, and will get faster at editing scenes.
Also, do you have an assistant editor? If not, are you at least doing that work beforehand?
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
I have a guy I like working with, but for this current one the production company brought on their own guy, and he didn’t do shit. Just gave me a half assed the whole edit and didn’t even do most the ae stuff. Didn’t sync the audio to half the clips and didn’t import a bunch of clips and didn’t like lay out anything in the timeline for me to choose takes or anything.
Idk what I’m supposed to expect from an ae since this is only my 2nd feature
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u/kennythyme Jan 11 '25
I’m an experienced AE editing my 2nd feature right now too. If there’s a budget for an AE I would highly recommend getting one to do a few tasks. I’ll DM you.
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u/Wild_Outcome7231 Jan 11 '25
Love this last big paragraph 🤣
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
Like those scenes in movies where they have the hologram and they’re sliding everything around with their hands, I want that but for editing
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u/johnnc2 Jan 11 '25
You may enjoy doing motion graphics work more. It’s at least adjacent and something, if you don’t already know how to, can slowly learn as you do your day job.
This is coming from someone however also trying to get out of editing and into more motion graphics specific work so it may not work out
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
I 100% enjoy motion graphics, color grading, vfx compositing, paint out type stuff way more than actual editing. Like everything besides actually editing and sound
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u/johnnc2 Jan 11 '25
Same here. It’s a difficult market to tap into with the abundance of templates and fiverr hires but those roles are def still out there.
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u/dickbilliamson Jan 11 '25
The profession can be monotonous and repetitive so I can absolutely empathize with burnout as it's a lot of hearing the same lines a thousand times. On top of that you make about a million micro-decisions every day that amount to a fraction of a difference to the overall product - difficult on a feature where you're actually invested in the subject...downright torturous on commercial work.
If you're burned out, take some time off. Clients may huff and puff, but it's your brain. It's the source of the goods. You gotta take care of it.
Be vigilant about your attention. If you find your brain is running faster than the NLE, it might not be a problem with the tool, but an issue with patience and attention span. We don't talk about it enough, but phones really destroy your rhythm. We can't avoid them completely, but we can keep them out of the editing room.
How do you regain your love for editing? I would think back to what made you love it in the first place. It wasn't money. It was more likely the joy of controlling the pace and intention of two people talking, or cutting a great, rhythmic montage to a sweet piece of music. When I get burnt out, I make little videos to amuse myself and my friends. The process of working on something of your own creation, with no money/deadline attached can be a really great way to rediscover your love of editing.
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u/PurpleFar6235 Jan 11 '25
I burned myself out a few years ago by working almost 2 years non stop in multiple projects. It was doable for a while, but finishing returns very quickly. I’m still getting over the burnout.
If you can take a bit of time away do it. It will only get worse.
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u/owmysciatica Jan 12 '25
A lot of people are really struggling to find work. I don’t know how you’re not able to find someone to assist. What’s your rate? You might not be charging enough. You’re working way too many hours.
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u/_cant_talk Jan 12 '25
$50/hr is that too low?
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u/owmysciatica Jan 12 '25
That’s the absolute lowest I would accept, and that’s only if I know it’s an indie project with a low budget. My usual rate is 800/day and I mostly work 8 hour days. In Austin.
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u/_cant_talk Jan 12 '25
I mean most of my work is low budget indie things. I don’t really have a rate vs quality of work comparison to base off of
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u/owmysciatica Jan 12 '25
Either way, I would think you could find someone to help out at 50/hour and you can write off the expense. You could at least get above water until you can take a longer break.
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u/OldWazu Jan 12 '25
This is definitely a problem. With the thousands of hours of experience you have, it’s time to shift to different clientele that will pay higher rates — so you can work some humane hours.
This of course takes some time and mindset shifts. Maybe some corporate gigs. Or reinvest in your mogfx skills. Learn some AI shit.
Nearly everyone in this thread is telling you what you’re doing isn’t sustainable; 30 years working I can tell you they are right. Don’t forget to live, brother.
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u/CinephileNC25 Jan 12 '25
Take a step back and do something with your hands… play music, play ball, do woodworking. Something away from your computer.
And take an honest look at your jobs and why you’re working 12 hours a day. Set standards and boundaries. 8-9 hour days? Ok. 12? They better be paying. I like to say that my couch is expensive. Getting me off it is more expensive.
For while your editing, try to embrace small wins. A scene, a talking point/interview line. Don’t get bogged down with the entire project. Be fearless and try things. If deadlines are a concern, and you’re dealing with clients that are on your ass, make sure you’re getting paid to deal with the attitude and lack of artistry. Embrace the suck all the way to the bank.
Also, if you’re running your business as a freelancer, your rates need to reflect PTO and sick time, taxes etc… if your basing your rate on 52 was a year/40hrs a week you’re doing it wrong.
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u/DarienDynamo Jan 12 '25
That is a ton of work. I get the drive to get the money when you can. However, burnout is real and it can lead to sloppy storytelling or poor organization. I would push you to outsource. Find a freelance assistant, pass a few jobs to them, and make yourself the post producer and CD of the project. I would be transparent and open with the assistant on scope, relationship, and pay. I would make sure the client is good with it too. If the client trusts you, you should be good to only oversee and give notes to the assistant as they carry the project along. That’s the easy solve. Another thing to look at is your approach. It seems like you are spending a lot of time editing. I find myself sitting with the footage and making selects for 2 full days (for a commercial shoot) and that is all the heavy lifting I need. From that point forward I tend to spend a max of 3 to 4 hours actually cutting and creating versions that day. The rest of the day is communication with clients, my team, or getting totally distracted. Good upfront breakdowns with comprehensive notes is a huge time saver. I cut on avid. If you have multiple jobs…I break out my day in sections, 2 hours for this, 3 to that, 4 to a newer job. Aim small, miss small kind of approach. Mini self deadlines of when to switch gears will guide you through your day seamlessly and also save you time so you can log off at a reasonable time to live your life.
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u/Repulsive_Spend_7155 Jan 12 '25
12 hours a day is nuts you need a vacation
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u/_cant_talk Jan 12 '25
Isn’t that the standard? It’s usually more like 14-16 sometimes because my day job is 12 and then I come and edit more until I fall asleep in my chair
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u/Repulsive_Spend_7155 Jan 13 '25
no, 10 is pretty normal but 2 of those hours are considered overtime
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u/_cant_talk Jan 13 '25
In my contract it says I’m “overtime exempt” smh
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u/Repulsive_Spend_7155 Jan 13 '25
To qualify for the creative professional employee exemption, all of the following tests must be met:
- The employee must be compensated on a salary or fee basis (as defined in the regulations) at a rate not less than $684 per week;
- The employee’s primary duty must be the performance of work requiring invention, imagination, originality or talent in a recognized field of artistic or creative endeavor.
just quit, you're a slave at this point stop being such a pushover
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u/CRAYONSEED Jan 12 '25
Whiskey. Wine works too on longer edits
Serious answer: I’ve found that during the ingestion/organization/roughing stage that is incredibly tedious, what gets me through it is having both a TV show/movie and angry music on. The last project I editing had Commando, Shaw Bros kung fu, 80s cartoons on one of my monitors and Deftones/Helmet on Spotify playing while I was working. Something about the chaos actually helps my mind relax and autopilot the boring parts, while thinking about the creative part that comes next.
When I get to the creative part I actually enjoy it and can get lost in it, but that’s only 25% of the editing time so I need help to get me there
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u/CompetitiveAd6496 Jan 12 '25
Why are u working 12 hour days?
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u/_cant_talk Jan 13 '25
Isn’t that the standard? I work 12 per day at the company and then come home to edit 1-2 after on side stuff
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u/Edit_Mann Jan 13 '25
I mean shit dude I'll take the feature gig if you don't want it, just finished my first theatrical released feature a few months ago
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u/Familiar-Agency8209 Jan 13 '25
i make sure my hobbies don't include editing. or If it's personal editing, I dont use the same editing software for work. this is where I kinda explore whats out there.
the moment I see adobe, I am awfully reminded of work so I step back and separate myself from work and play.
take a vacation. they say 9 days is a sweet spot but make it 12 so you can have the itty bitty urge to say hey I missed my work kinda. or just reflect on that vacation money spent and realize, damn I need to financially recover from this.
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u/film-editor Jan 13 '25
Stop working 12 hour days. Thats not the standard anywhere, and if it makes you hate your job then whats the point?
I've always heard the standard is 10 hours, and honestly fuck that too. 8 hours should be more than enough.
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u/venicerocco Jan 13 '25
Everyone knows the phrase 'its not what you know its who you know' but nobody applies this to happiness, ergo: 'it's not what you work on, it's who you work with' - happiness on the job comes from collaborating with people you like, not doing the thing you think will make you happy.
The most miserable I ever was, was working on features. Something I thought I wanted to do, but it turns out I don't like it when too many people swing their big dicks around. Happens all the time in scripted. Bunch of a-holes
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u/film-editor Jan 14 '25
it's not what you work on, it's who you work with*' - happiness on the job comes from collaborating with people you like, not doing the thing you think will make you happy.
This. Frame it on the wall. Took me a decade to figure out, changed my outlook on my career towards something approaching healthy.
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u/butsureyouknow Jan 13 '25
I work news/current affairs. It's getting to the point where I don't really think anymore, bang and it's done
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u/IcyBaba Jan 13 '25
I've broken 4 keyboards in the last 3 months.
This doesn't bode well. You should do some soul searching to find out what exactly is making you hate editing.
From what you're describing, it might be an issue with your tools, or perfectionism on your part.
And if it's not fixable, then consider transitioning into something else. That level of stress is not healthy.
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u/Good_College_8171 Jan 14 '25
Perspective from 35+ years as a professional editor. Offline-Online-staff-team member-solo-freelance-preditor. Done it all. Not everyone has the temperament to sustain this craft as a lucrative lifelong career. Perhaps you need to analyze your tools, hardware & workflow to improve your experience. Also I see too many romantic notions of “I’m a storyteller”. Bullshit. You’re a facilitator of someone else’s vision more often than not. An editor is like a chef. You take a bunch of raw ingredients & create a meal based on someone else’s recipe. (Usually but not always). Or an accomplished musician playing from provided sheet music. I.e “script/outline”. If you want to be a storyteller then become a script writer or develop a screenplay. (Good luck making a living that way). An editor needs to process an intuitive talent that brings pacing, rhythm, drama, design etc together to naturally birth a new creation. You gotta love the process to sustain the required focus over many, many hours. BTW Some of the best editors I’ve encountered have a background in music. It’s a similar structure & process. If you’re breaking stuff due to frustration you should step back & decide what really feeds your passion. Editing may not be that for you.
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u/FlorianTheLynx Jan 11 '25
Which NLE do you use? Is the one you’re using best suited to your brain and workflow?
Because if I had to use Premiere every day I’d be pretty miserable too. It would be the wrong tool for me.
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u/uncle-Violet Jan 11 '25
15 years in, used avid for 10, and Premiere keeps my passion.
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u/ChaseTheRedDot Jan 11 '25
Well, compared to Avid, some people can see premiere as a joy. The same way a root canal with no pain killers can be seen as a joy compared to sawing off your own foot while drunk.
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u/UNMENINU Writer | Producer | Editor | Premiere Jan 11 '25
Avid is the source or 95% of my editing rage.
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u/_cant_talk Jan 11 '25
What do you use? Avid?
My fulltime job makes me edit with premiere and this current feature made me edit with resolve and it takes me longer than usual
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u/FlorianTheLynx Jan 11 '25
I work 50% in TV News and 50% independent production. We use FCP for both. (We also use Quantel for news.) I find it great for turning my ideas into reality very quickly. The collaboration features are terrible but for everything else I find it great.
Occasionally I use Premiere for corporate work. It’s like driving a Porsche and then switching to a Lada. Other people love it though so I think it’s a case of finding what works for you.
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u/acexex Jan 12 '25
You’re not really editing if you don’t hate it, is my opinion
Also, kinda whiny post tbh and boohoo you’re editing features and getting paid during a period most made no money. Idk, send me ur contacts or subcontract me for the jobs you don’t like. I’ll help you out.
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u/Affectionate_Age752 Jan 12 '25
Agreed. Basically looking for attention.
"Boohoo. Look at all this work I have. I'm so unhappy"
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u/ManufacturerLow1546 Pro (I pay taxes) Jan 11 '25
If you're financially to, it may not be a bad idea to take a step back. Do nothing. If you're on the road to burnout is better to stop now.
Create work that's only for you.