Soho Editor's Creative Blog

Many of our Freelancers have quite a story behind their experiences in the Film and TV industry. We caught up with a few of our editors to share their time in the suites.

Meet Ashley. An experienced Director and Editor, who specialises in commercials, fashion and music promos. With a background in fine art and fashion from Central St. Martins, his edits artistically draw upon the narrative and engage with powerful imagery.

"The technical aspect of editing is relatively easy to learn. What's not easy to learn is developing an eye to know what works and what doesn't."

When did you realise you wanted to be an editor?
I was working on lots of projects where I was shooting and editing and producing. It finally became more and more clear that I should focus on being an editor, because I think editing offers you the opportunity to, unless you're the director, really shape the project as a whole.

What are the benefits of working as a freelancer?
I love being an editor and I really love working with clients. But, there's nothing more satisfying than working on your own projects, and so being a freelancer offers me the opportunity to really focus on those projects.

How has it helped having an agency?
If you're constantly having to look for jobs, then you can't focus on those projects that really matter to you; personal projects. So having an agent really just furthers that benefit of being flexible with time.

What project are you most proud of?
Probably my first feature documentary that I've directed. It's been a long process, but we are coming to the final stages which is very nice. 'Are You Proud?' is a documentary that I started as a lone ranger. No one wanted to commission it, no one wanted to finance it, no one wanted to contribute to the story. We've been able to formulate a team and actually rework the project completely. At the BFI Flare, it was reviewed as one of the most important films of the Year by the independent, and its been picked up for distribution in the UK. I'm very excited to get that out into the world.

What was the most rewarding part of the experience?
The fact that we have been able to show just how diverse our communities are, and I think that's something that us as a community really struggle with. We do come in all shapes and sizes, races and faiths, and I think the film has done a very good job in encapsulating that, not just in the present but also throughout its history.

Was it difficult to cut a film you had also directed?
When you get to the end of a project, and you are making those final revisions, it could get to a point where you have to cut somebody entirely. Having spent all of that time building the trust with people in order to get that story in the film, that can be quite difficult. So, forcing yourself to have a detachment from something that you feel very personal about, is quite difficult

Do you have advice for anyone looking to become an editor?
My advice for anyone that would like to be an editor is just edit. Just go out there and keep editing. I've made countless really bad films, but all of them taught me something. I've never had any formal training, but the technical aspect of anything is relatively easy to learn. What's not easy to learn is developing an eye to know what works and what doesn’t. That taste level and that, only comes by working with a variety of content, on a variety of projects, with a variety of clients, and so for me it's just about keep doing.

To see Ashley's interview in full please visit sohoeditors.com/talent-pages/the-creatives-blog.

This article is also available in the May edition of Broadcast Film & Video.