Editing for the Screen

Combining essays and interviews with editors from film and television, this collection explores the business side of film editing. Over 30 industry professionals dispel myths about the industry and provide practical advice on the business of film and TV editing.

John Rosenberg has brought together contributions from Dody Dorn (Momento), Scott Conrad (Rocky), Kevin Tent (The Holdovers), Bruce Green (Cool Runnings), Nancy Forner (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Yu Jung Hou (American Born Chinese), among others, to provide diverse perspectives on editing a variety of formats from feature films to sitcoms, working with other departments, and breaking into the field as an assistant editor. Building on the craft of editing and looking at how aspiring editors can apply this to the industry, readers are taken through the process from getting started in the industry, to progressing through your career and getting ahead as an editor. Readers will also learn about entrepreneurial expectations in relation to marketing, strategies for contending with the emotional highs and lows of editing, and money management whilst pursuing a career in editing for film and television.

Written for undergraduates and graduates studying film and TV editing, as well as aspiring editors, this book provides readers with a wealth of first-hand information that will help them create their own opportunities and pursue a career in film and television.

John Rosenberg is a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG) and American Cinema Editors (ACE). He teaches the aesthetics of motion picture editing at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is the author of THE FINAL REWRITE: How to View Your Screenplay with a Film Editor’s Eye and the popular guide to modern film editing, THE HEALTHY EDIT: Creative Editing Techniques for Perfecting Your Movie, now in its 2nd edition. For over forty years, he has worked in the motion picture industry as a film editor on nearly three dozen feature films, as well as a producer and production executive for several independent studios. He has collaborated with such talents as Jack Nicholson, Colin Firth, Ice-T, Ellen Barkin, Sam Elliott, Kelly McGillis and companies including 20th Century, Lorimar, Orion, New Line and Artisan. His films have appeared in international and domestic festivals, with multiple Official Selections in the Sundance Film Festival.