Jobs / Design, media, and writing / 27-4032.00

Film and Video Editors

Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May work with a producer or director to organize images for final production. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images.

US jobs
25,610
Median wage
$75,420 a year
Job family
Design, media, and writing

Can agents do the work of film and video editors?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Design, media, and writing:

  • Task levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. OSWorld-Verified includes tasks in image, slide, and document apps, and the best agent passes 90.2% of all its computer tasks. No task-level benchmark in our collection scores the quality of design or writing work.
  • Project levelNot yetOn the Remote Labor Index, which includes graphic design, video, 3D, audio, and web projects from freelance platforms, the best agent completed 15.8% of projects to a standard a client would accept. GDPval deliverables score higher (84.9% wins or ties against professionals, reported by OpenAI), but those tasks are one-shot and fully specified.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in design, media, and writing, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
  • Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
  • Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.
  • Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product.
  • Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product.
  • Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect.
  • Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible.
  • Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary.
  • Verify key numbers and time codes on materials.
  • Manipulate plot, score, sound, and graphics to make the parts into a continuous whole, working closely with people in audio, visual, music, optical, or special effects departments.
  • Program computerized graphic effects.
  • Study scripts to become familiar with production concepts and requirements.
Other job titles for this occupation (25)

Editor · Film Editor · News Editor · News Video Editor · News Videotape Editor · Non-Linear Editor · Online Editor · Tape Editor · Television News Video Editor · Video Editor · Content Creator · Contract Video Editor · Cue Selector · Digital Media Coordinator · Digital Video Editor · Electronic News Gathering Editor (ENG Editor) · Filmmaker · Movie Editor · Multimedia Specialist · Optical Effects Layout Person · Video Content Creator · Video Production Editor · Video Tape Duplicator · Video Tape Transferrer · Videotape Editor