Features

The job of the animation editor is often a misunderstood one. “Animation editors are still an enigma throughout the industry and even within the ranks of fellow editors,” claims Darren T. Holmes, ACE (How to Train Your Dragon, 2010; Ratatouille, 2007). “I take every opportunity to inform and enlighten anyone who will listen.”

Of the many crafts essential to making movies, only editing came into existence because of the medium itself.

It was the film serials, from the early days of cinema, that were the true forerunners of contemporary franchise pictures and tent-pole releases.

In 1970, as an apprentice in the cutting room of Richard Marden, editor of Sunday Bloody Sunday, we were a happy bunch; Dick, two assistants and myself. Now, as a motion picture editor, I’m mostly by myself, only sharing occasional intense sessions with the director and/or producer.

As the motion picture industry grew during the silent era, Hollywood borrowed the serialization of stories from magazines and the cliffhanger from popular drama to create the movie serial.

For over 100 years now, from episode to episode and sequel to sequel, whether serial or series or saga, these entertainments have drawn the interest and attention of vast audiences.

The ever-accelerating pace of technological development is literally putting the tools of post- production into the palms of our hands. The dramatic spread of Apple’s iPad has stirred software designers to create new applications combining Internet cloud technology and post-production work procedures.