Rob Van...
Butcher
Co-Founder/Executive Producer
Santa Monica, CA
http://butcherpost.com
STRENGTHS: As competition continues to saturate the offline editorial sector, a critical ingredient for success as a creative editor is having knowledge and exposure to the innumerable tools available. Requests for editors now include a greater understanding of the additional skills they can bring to the edit process. One of the skills that has added value is the capacity to work with 2D and 3D software. As an editor, understanding additional programs and contributing to other aspects of post production can help offset unexpected costs in graphics-heavy projects, and allows you to anticipate any potential issues needing VFX solutions early on in the job.
WEAKNESSES: In this past year, timelines for the post production phase have been reduced so drastically that the creative editorial process seldom gets the proper chance to breathe anymore. In most cases, working weekends and very late nights is necessary to accommodate the tight schedules, and this drives up costs for what would seemingly be straightforward projects. With clients now sharing as many as five agencies to handle the work for their brand, it’s common for the front side of a project to become longer while back-end timelines get shorter. Since the delivery dates can't always shift to reflect these changes, we work together with our clients to make sure we meet our deadlines despite these challenges.
OPPORTUNITIES: The new breed of editors is a very electrifying group of talent. Their inherent “I can do anything” attitude and adoption of new technologies significantly benefits our creative output. There’s a lot of opportunity when new lines of thinking are brought to traditional workflows.
THREATS: One growing threat that continues to change the competitive landscape is the saturation of the market. With new technologies becoming increasingly affordable, it’s much easier for everyone to jump into the editorial game. As budgets are reduced, it becomes each individual shop’s responsibility to come up with the most cost-effective way to get the job done.
OUTLOOK 2015: It’s becoming increasingly widespread for businesses to present offerings that would traditionally fall outside their original business model. For creative offline editorial, the idea of offering full finish and VFX capabilities was once considered a bit taboo, whereas now, the request for these additional services comes with almost every bid inquiry. With timelines and budgets continuing to tighten, the convenience of a one-stop shop will become a lot more desirable in the coming year.