In short: An assistant editor runs the cutting room on a film or TV drama so the editor can focus on the cut. They set up and back up the edit systems, organise the dailies, check sync and metadata, prepare the turnover deliverables and source music and graphics. A podcast or talking head rarely needs one.
An assistant editor keeps the cutting room working: the systems, the files, the paperwork and the deliverables, so the editor can concentrate on the picture. The senior assistant is called the first assistant editor, and that role runs the room day to day.
What an assistant editor does on a shoot day
A first assistant editor sets up and maintains the edit projects, the storage and the backups. They organise the dailies and the paperwork, set up the scene bins, and check sync and metadata. During the shoot they process the footage that arrives from set, so the editor can start cutting the day's scenes.
Later they prepare the reference and turnover deliverables, and they source music, sound effects, stock footage and graphics. They may also do light online and temporary sound work.
Who they work with
The assistant editor works with the editor or editors, the post production supervisor, and the other assistant editors and trainees. They liaise with hire companies and with camera, sound, art, the script supervisor, the DIT or lab, picture post, sound post and production. The first assistant editor is the cutting room's point of contact with the other departments.
Kit and skills
ScreenSkills lists these skills:
- Technical: dailies and turnover processing, formats and codecs, and data management.
- Software: Avid Media Composer, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve and ScriptSync, plus tools for moving and reviewing media such as PIX, Aspera, Evercast and MediaSilo.
- Interpersonal: communication, diplomacy, leadership, and training junior staff.
- Working style: problem-solving, organisation, meeting deadlines under pressure, and flexibility.
How to become an assistant editor
The usual route starts with the runner's job. ScreenSkills describes the post-production runner, also called the edit trainee, as an entry-level role in the facilities that edit film and TV drama. The job covers keeping the suites tidy, labelling picture and sound files, filing, ingesting footage, running errands and looking after petty cash. Training is not expected at the start, but a willingness to learn the software is.
Routes into the runner's job include:
- Work experience and trainee schemes. Post-production companies take on trainees directly, and ScreenSkills' Trainee Finder is another way in.
- Qualifications. A-levels or Highers in relevant subjects, or Level 3 diplomas such as BTEC, OCR, UAL or Aim Awards courses in art, design or digital media.
- Apprenticeships. Earn while training, either directly with a post-production company or through a related industry.
- Portfolio. Making your own films, which ScreenSkills calls essential.
- Networking. ScreenSkills events such as Open Doors, LinkedIn, online film groups and Production Base. Most post-production companies are in London, though not all.
Bectu, the union for workers in the creative industries, offers career development support to members and publishes a post-production ratecard.
Do you need one on a small shoot?
- A podcast or talking head: usually no. The files are simple, and the editor or producer can manage the project.
- A multi-camera event with many hours of footage to log and sync: yes, or at least one person whose job is the sync and file management, so that nothing is lost.
- A drama with daily rushes: yes.
Granary's crew rates include an editor, and the film crew hire page has the detail.
Related roles
Sources
- ScreenSkills, First assistant editor (skills checklist), read 5 November 2026
- ScreenSkills, Post-production runner (film and TV drama), read 5 November 2026
- Bectu, home page, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
Questions we get asked
What does an assistant editor do on a film?
They run the day-to-day work of the cutting room: the edit projects, storage and backups, the dailies, scene bins, sync and metadata, and the reference and turnover deliverables. They also source music, sound effects, stock footage and graphics.
How is an assistant editor different from an editor?
The editor shapes the story with the director. The assistant editor keeps the cutting room running so the editor can do that. A first assistant editor also recruits, trains and manages the assistants and trainees.
How do you become an assistant editor in the UK?
Most start as a post-production runner or edit trainee. ScreenSkills says runners often come in through work experience, trainee schemes or its Trainee Finder, and it calls a portfolio of your own films essential.
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