Study Overseas

How many people watched the Beijing Olympics as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt flashed to three world records? How many followed swimmer Michael Phelps' every stroke in his historic quest to win eight gold medals?

More than a billion viewers worldwide tuned in for the spectacular opening ceremonies. As the games rolled on, hundreds of millions also clicked onto the Internet to find images of their favourite athletes.

In addition to the complex live coverage from more than a thousand cameras, there were hundreds of feature pieces to be edited and aired -- interviews, highlights, athlete profiles, and mini-documentaries - all stitched together with clever motion graphics and visual effects.

For digital editors, sound engineers and motion graphics and effect artists, the challenges of an epic production such as the 2008 Olympics requires extraordinary teamwork, speed and accuracy. The same standards apply to Hollywood productions.

Hollywood - Legendary Home of the "Hollywood Industry"

Editors and digital artists must be well-trained and prepared if they wish to pursue careers in the world's 16st, most famous entertainment venue, known everywhere simply as the "Hollywood industry."

Beyond Southern California, nations on every continent have joined the digital revolution, too. Filmmaking and high-definition TV have become an interconnected global enterprise where competition and cooperation thrive. Career-seeking editors and artists need to be trained to the upper levels of expertise in nearly every aspect of post-production, wherever they may work.

Fast Pathways Speed International Collaboration

Thanks to the globe-spanning high-speed synapses of the Internet and super-fast video links, writers, camera crews and editors can collaborate from any location. Let's say that a European documentary producer filming in Tahiti emails his show's editor in Canada and his writer in San Francisco, saying "Hey guys, here are the best takes from today's shoot. Can you rough-cut the sequence and rewrite the standup? Just send them to my laptop when you're done. - Cheers, C.B."

Imagine a Career in Post Production

"Post-production" is an all-inclusive term that applies to everything that follows the shooting and acting phase of a film or TV project - editing, sound mixing, music, visual effects, titling, and color-correction

A post-production career can be quite rewarding, aesthetically and financially. Skilled editors and digital artists are always in demand. There's work out there, and plenty of it, for those who possess the determination to excel at their chosen craft. In fact, the whole digital media market is growing rapidly worldwide.

Once you have acquired the appropriate training, practiced your skills, mastered the software and systems, and worked on some challenging projects, you'll be prepared to launch yourself into the job market with confidence.

Film and Video Editing

Creative film and video editors are so much more than "cutters." Top editors are regarded as true storytellers who are equal, in many respects, to screenwriters and directors.

An editor at the controls of a professional-grade non-linear system, such as Avid's Media Composer or Apple's Final Cut Pro, has immediate access to all the "assets" of a production - every reel, every take, every action. For a major film or TV project, the assets can amount to hundreds of hours of film or tape.

From these assets an editor puts the story together, scene by scene, revealing the plot moment by moment, often with dramatic effect. Even sports stories can be dramatic, as we saw during the Olympics.

Sound and Music Editing & Mixing

Today's sound editors perform their audio magic on digital editing systems, such as Digidesign's Oscar-winning Pro Tools, that can graphically display every track and manipulate every note and noise.

Sound-for-Film post-production involves dialog, background sound, effects and music. A creative sound editor can weave dozens of tracks into an audio tapestry that plays to our senses and emotions. Was it the story that made you cry? Or was it the music? Or was it both?

Motion Graphics & Visual Effects

Look carefully at the motion graphic effects employed in nearly every news program, commercial advertisement, game show and sports event. Motion graphics artists create those complex titles and transitions, which can be inserted into live broadcasts or edited into prepared spots.

Thanks to motion graphics and visual effects, much of modern moviemaking isn't real at all. Explosions, disasters, and clashing armies are likely to be computer-generated illusions composited with live action.

Performance Over Paper

One big question for career-seeking editors and artists is: "Do I need a college degree to get a job in the post-production industry?" The answer is definitely "No, a degree is isn't necessary. It's one industry where skills rule."

Video Symphony is a well-known post-production training institute near the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. As Director of International Services, Sally O'Steen is asked the "college degree" question nearly every day.

"A few years ago, we surveyed dozens of studio managers all around Hollywood. They all valued skills over a degree, or 'performance over parchment' as I call it."

"Because productions, and production managers, are always under pressure from deadlines and creative requirements, serious practical skills are essential in the post-production trenches, rather than four-year degrees."

Veteran sound editor Solange Schwalbe, says, "Among all my seasoned colleagues in the Hollywood film industry, I can tell you that none of us hire sound editors on the basis of a college degree. We hire on the basis of technical skill, competence and creativity."

While a degree may not be so significant, industry certification from software manufacturers often is. Certification exams for major post-production products, such as those conducted by Avid Technology, Pro Tools, Adobe and Apple are regarded worldwide as proof of ready-to-work competency on their systems.

Tips for Selecting a School

"Look for schools that train on the same systems that professional studios use, rather than on consumer version equipment. Video Symphony's O'Steen recommends, "Find out if the school's instructors have depth of industry experience. It's a big plus if you train near a city where the Industry thrives, like Los Angeles, London or New York. If you can, find a school that provides upgrade training to working studio professionals."

A Career You Can Love

Professional-level training requires dedication, and post-production jobs can be demanding at times, but there's also the ever-welcome feeling of satisfaction when you see your name appear among the credits of a well-told, well-edited story - "your story," "your show."

The Industry doesn't give out Olympic-type gold medals for editing, but they do award nice golden statues every year. Perhaps you will win one of your own someday. Training and performance are the master keys to success in the arena of post-production.

For in-depth information about the Hollywood post-production industry, including dozens of articles, survey results from studio managers, and wage info, visit the "Job & Industry Knowledge Center" at www.videosymphony.com/jobs.php

By Robert Johnston