Roles · role

Assistant Editor

Also known as AE, First Assistant Editor, Editorial Assistant.

An Assistant Editor builds and protects the technical workflow around the Editor. They ingest and organize media, sync picture and sound, prepare dailies and projects, track versions, create review exports, troubleshoot editorial systems, and assemble accurate turnovers for sound, music, visual effects, color, and delivery.

Assistant Editors make creative editing possible by keeping the project complete, searchable, synchronized, secure, and technically healthy. A mislabeled clip or bad turnover can waste hours downstream, so precision is central to the craft.

The job may also include temp sound, string-outs, rough assemblies, visual-effects pulls, cue preparation, and delegated editing. Duties vary widely with team size and workflow.

Pre-production responsibilities

Design media, project, storage, naming, review, and backup workflows with the post team.
Build templates and test camera, sound, proxy, and turnover paths.

Production responsibilities

Process incoming dailies and keep the Editor supplied with organized material.
Report missing, corrupt, unsynced, or mislabeled media quickly.

Post-production responsibilities

Maintain cut versions and prepare precise downstream turnovers and final archives.
Support conform, online, mix, grade, titles, visual effects, and delivery reviews.

Common questions

Does an Assistant Editor edit scenes?

Sometimes. The Editor may delegate assemblies or sequences, but the Assistant Editor’s core responsibility is the technical and organizational editorial workflow.

What software should an Assistant Editor know?

The production’s editing platform is essential, along with media, transcoding, review, storage, backup, and turnover tools.

What does an Assistant Editor do day to day?

Day to day, Assistant Editor work commonly includes Ingest, verify, sync, group, label, and organize picture, sound, and metadata., Maintain bins, projects, shared storage, backups, permissions, and naming conventions., and Prepare dailies, selects, string-outs, review files, captions, and viewing links.. The exact balance changes with the production schedule, crew size, and the point at which the role joins the project.

What skills matter most for an Assistant Editor?

The most useful skills are Media organization, Editorial software, Metadata and version control, Troubleshooting, and Detailed communication. Together, they help the role make dependable decisions, communicate a clear handoff, and respond to notes or changing conditions.

Which tools and documents does an Assistant Editor use?

Common tools include Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere, and DaVinci Resolve, Shared storage, transcoding, checksum, and backup tools, Review, transfer, caption, and delivery platforms, and Audio sync, metadata, and visual-effects tracking tools. The role also relies on Camera and sound reports, Lined scripts and continuity notes, Edit decision and change lists, and Turnover manifests so decisions, approvals, continuity, and delivery requirements remain traceable.

How does someone build experience for an Assistant Editor?

Post-production assistant work is a common entry point, followed by Assistant Editor roles on increasingly complex projects.

How does an Assistant Editor vary by production?

The scope changes with format, budget, location, crew structure, and the production's technical method. Assistant Editors spend long periods at workstations and shared storage systems, often handling urgent requests while protecting accuracy across many versions.

Production variations

Episodic television: Several Editors and assistants may share a show project while episodes overlap in dailies, cutting, notes, and turnovers.

Often compared with

Assistant Editor vs. Editor: The Editor leads story and picture decisions. The Assistant Editor maintains the media, systems, versions, outputs, and turnovers that let those decisions move safely through post.

Union and local practice notes

Motion Picture Editors Guild Local 700 represents editorial crafts on covered U.S. productions. Classification and coverage vary.

Sources

Educational reference only. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, employer, venue, and production context.