In the coming year, the role of commercial editors in post production is likely to expand, with a growing emphasis on additional skills, like color grading and finishing. As more editors have these capabilities, they will be able to streamline communication, reduce the number of people involved and meet tighter deadlines with greater efficiency.
I’ve seen firsthand how clients are increasingly seeking color, editing and finishing services from a single source, and I think this demand will only grow as the industry continues to prioritize efficiency and faster turnarounds. This consolidated approach often means less client back-and-forth, realtime adjustments and faster approvals. It’s a much more fluid workflow.
Beyond efficiency, I’ve observed how this way of editing fosters closer communication within our team and a more cohesive vision throughout the entire post production process. I work very closely with my team from the point of ingesting footage to the final delivery of our product, and oftentimes having fewer specialists involved ensures a more polished and consistent look that better aligns with the original vision of the creatives.
I think ultimately the greatest appeal of this workflow is the flexibility it enables with footage. Frequently, budget and time restrictions force creatives to compromise their artistic visions, and some pieces of footage inevitably come out of shoots looking unusable. But, an editor with experience in color and compositing is able to save those shots and show the creatives that their original vision is possible during the offline process.
Overall, I believe the flexibility of this approach and the ability to make immediate adjustments based on client feedback will make editors with diverse skill sets valuable assets to any team. In the coming year, I think demand for these editors will continue to grow as the industry remains fast-paced and constantly evolving.
Max Ferigo is an Editor, Finisher and Colorist at Modern Post (https://modernpost.com), which has locations in New York City and Santa Monica, CA.