Film and video editor
Edit footage and audio for film, television, advertising and online content.
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Film, Television, Radio and Stage Directors (2123) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1862 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Film and Video Editor (212314), the closest official match for film and video editor, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 3,300
- Future demand
- Strong
- Work full-time
- 67%
- Average full-time hours
- 44 a week
- Women
- 28%
- Median age
- 33
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 46.5% |
| VIC | 25.9% |
| QLD | 14.7% |
| WA | 5.2% |
| SA | 3.9% |
| TAS | 1.5% |
| ACT | 1.9% |
| NT | 0.4% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 7.9% |
| Bachelor degree | 46.7% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 14.9% |
| Certificate I-IV | 6.1% |
| Year 12 | 16.6% |
| Below Year 12 | 5.1% |
What a film and video editor actually does
Editors spend most of the day in a darkened edit suite or at a calibrated monitor at home. The work runs in passes. First you ingest and log the footage, syncing camera and sound. Then you assemble a rough cut to the script or to selects the director has marked. From there you refine through cuts, viewings and notes (with the director, producer or client), often dozens of rounds. Late stages bring sound design pickup, colour prep, titles and graphics. A documentary or feature edit can take three to nine months. A TV commercial might be a single intense week. Online content (corporate, YouTube, social) is usually a 1-3 day turnaround per piece. Most editors freelance and work in contract blocks ranging from a few days to several months, with quiet weeks in between. Hours sit at 38-45 in a normal stretch but climb to 60+ in the last 2-3 weeks of a delivery. Workplaces are quiet, the work is solitary, and a good chair and a calm room matter more than people expect.
Typical tasks
- Assemble rough cuts and refine to final picture.
- Mix sound and add titles and effects.
- Deliver master files in agreed formats.
Skills you'll use
- DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer
- Story and pacing instinct (when to cut, when to hold)
- Audio mix basics and a working ear for music and sound design
- File management, codec and frame-rate handling, conform and online
- Colour grading basics in Resolve or Lumetri
- Working to a script, EDL, or director's selects
- Calm communication when a client wants 14 rounds of changes
- Awareness of broadcast deliverable specs (PAL, HDR, loudness)
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12, with English, Media Studies, Visual Art or IT helpful but not required
- 2Complete a Diploma of Screen and Media at TAFE, AFTRS short courses, or a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television) at RMIT, Swinburne or VCA
- 3Build a showreel of student film, music video, short doc and corporate work while studying
- 4Take an assistant editor (AE) or junior post-production role at a post house or in-house team
- 5Move up to editor by 2-4 years in; freelancers usually keep an AE day rate as a fallback
- 6Build relationships with directors and producers because most editing work is hired by name
- 7Invest in a home edit suite if you want to freelance for online and commercial clients
Where you can work
- Post-production houses for TV drama, commercials and features
- Broadcasters (ABC, SBS, Nine, Seven, Ten) in-house edit teams
- Production companies for unscripted and documentary
- Streaming-platform commissions
- Agencies and brand in-house content teams
- Independent freelance, working from home or hot-desking at a post house
- Wedding and event videography (entry route)
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Assistant editor0-3 yearsTypical roles: Assistant editor, Logging and ingest operator, Online editor (junior)
- Editor4-9 yearsTypical roles: TV and corporate editor, Documentary editor, Social and online editor
- Senior or feature editor10+ yearsTypical roles: Lead editor on drama and feature, Senior commercials editor, Post-production supervisor
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You can sit and concentrate for long stretches without losing the thread
- You have story instinct and can tell when a scene works
- You can take a hundred notes without getting precious about your cut
- You're comfortable being the quiet person in a noisy production
- You're okay with freelance income variance and patchy months
This might not suit you if
- You want to be on set or in front of camera
- You need a guaranteed Monday-to-Friday salary
- You can't sit still for 8+ hours
- You hate finicky technical detail (codecs, sync, delivery specs)
- You can't separate critique of your cut from critique of you
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for film and video editor. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.