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ANZSCO 2122Skill level 1Creative and media

Film and video editor

Edit footage and audio for film, television, advertising and online content.

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Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1700Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

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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

  1. 1Finish Year 12, with English, Media Studies, Visual Art or IT helpful but not required
  2. 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
  3. 3Build a showreel of student film, music video, short doc and corporate work while studying
  4. 4Take an assistant editor (AE) or junior post-production role at a post house or in-house team
  5. 5Move up to editor by 2-4 years in; freelancers usually keep an AE day rate as a fallback
  6. 6Build relationships with directors and producers because most editing work is hired by name
  7. 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 salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Assistant editor
    0-3 years
    Typical roles: Assistant editor, Logging and ingest operator, Online editor (junior)
    Salary band: $50,000 - $65,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Editor
    4-9 years
    Typical roles: TV and corporate editor, Documentary editor, Social and online editor
    Salary band: $75,000 - $110,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior or feature editor
    10+ years
    Typical 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

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for film and video editor. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.