Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · Holland code ACR

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.

Also called: Editor, Film Editor, News Editor, Video Editor, News Video Editor, News Videotape Editor, Non-Linear Editor, Online Editor.

O*NET 27-4032.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $75,420; Middle half earn $52,720 to $105,310. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 65% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.4 / 5
Speaking3.3 / 5
Active Learning3.3 / 5
Writing3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Communications and Media4.9 / 5
English Language4.6 / 5
Computers and Electronics4.5 / 5
Telecommunications4.1 / 5
Fine Arts4.0 / 5
Production and Processing3.7 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic36
Investigative15
Artistic77
Social16
Enterprising35
Conventional46

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

special effects artist · DE Spezialist für digitale Effekte/Spezialistin für digitale Effekte · FR infographiste effets spéciaux
storyboard artist · DE Storyboardkünstler/Storyboardkünstlerin · FR scénarimagiste
video artist · DE Videokünstler/Videokünstlerin · FR infographiste vidéo
director of photography · DE Kameramann/Kamerafrau · FR directeur de la photographie/directrice de la photographie
video and motion picture director · DE Film- und Fernsehregisseur/Film- und Fernsehregisseurin · FR réalisateur de films cinématographiques et vidéos/réalisatrice de films cinématographiques et vidéos
post-production supervisor · DE Postproduktionsleiter/Postproduktionsleiterin · FR chargé de postproduction/chargée de postproduction

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Graphic and multimedia designers (2142)123,000 employed
Artists (3411)64,500 employed
Arts officers, producers and directors (3416)113,500 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.99. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (27-4032).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test