When I’m not having photoshoots while double-fisting iced matcha lattes outside of Fenway, you can catch me rolling in the deep and setting fire to the rain (kidding). You can actually find me exploring my new city the best way I know… food. You can also catch me curled up in bed (re)watching rom-coms or reading my next feel good YA novel — but most of the time, I’m working at Her Campus as a video editor.
So what does a video editor do? The title of the job is pretty self-explanatory: as a video editor, I edit videos. Who would’ve guessed! But actually, there’s more to being a video editor than just editing videos, especially being the only designated social video editor at Her Campus, and I’m excited to help you reach your ~own goals~ of becoming a video editor, or at least learning more about the role.
The basics
To understand my role, and how to get here, you need a basic understanding of how video production works. Think of your favorite T.V. or movie. In order to get what you see on the screen, a lot needs to go into the production process — pre-production, production, post-production. There are writers, producers, directors, editors, crew, talent, and many more that work on a project to get it on screen. Now take that similar concept and scale it down to a video that will go on the ~internet~. Most of the roles it takes to produce a film or movie are still necessary – but everything is scaled down. Fewer people are involved, and oftentimes it’s just one person.
It sounds kind of strange, but it’s actually a very common role nowadays. YouTubers and content creators, wouldn’t be where they are today if they didn’t do all these things. Although it may just look like they go out and film themselves doing cool and interesting activities, there’s much more going on behind the scenes.
If you want to be a social video editor there are some key things you can do to get you here.
1. Get out of your production comfort zone
Whether you have the sauce for editing or an eye pre-pro, getting out of your comfort zone and expanding your skills and knowledge for other roles is key. In this role you need to be well-rounded when it comes to producing the video. You’ll need working knowledge of pre-production, filming and editing. So go for opportunities that give you a chance to build those skills!
2. Buff up your design skills
Knowing basic design is always helpful. Having some working knowledge of design and applications like Illustrator and Photoshop can help you communicate your artistic vision with designers. It also helps with streamlining the video creation process. You won’t have to solely rely on designers to create engaging graphics for a video, especially if the content is time sensitive.
3. Understand the internet and its platforms
If you’re going to be a social video editor, internet culture is one of your major resources and inspo. The unique culture of the internet can throw away any formal video training you’ve gained. Having an understanding of all social video platforms — from Instagram Stories, IGTV, to YouTube — knowing how each platform works and their best uses can really craft how you create your video content.
4. Have some SEO knowledge under your belt
Creating a video you’re proud of is great, but creating a video that you’re proud of and the whole world being able to find it just by searching a topic related to it is even better. When dealing with the digital age, SEO is an important skill to have in your back pocket, especially with an oversaturated market where you want your content to stand out.
5. Be flexible and stay on your toes
My planner and Google Cal is my life, but when working as a social video editor you never know what’s going to get thrown at you. No week, let alone day, is ever the same. One day you can be editing a video, and the next a pop-up event happens, and you need to be ready to capture content.
6. Be authentic
As a content creator, authenticity is something I strive for with my video content. When you want to work as a social video editor (or a similar role) make sure that the content they produce is something you are proud of. For me, producing video content for HC doesn’t feel like work because the videos I create are the same videos I’d produce in my free time if I wasn’t working here.
These tips aren’t a guarantee plan on landing a role like mine, but it will put you in the right direction.
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