The Perfect Festive Present for a Film and TV Editor
Browse through a list of Christmas present ideas for an editor…
The New Year of 2023 is arriving on the doorstep and what better way to celebrate navigating through 2022 than by filling up a stocking with a few of these editing-themed gifts. They’ll save any Film & TV Editor the all important element of time, decorate an edit desk or just provide some light relief in those minute by minute-pressured edit endurance sessions.
If there is a Film and TV Editor in your life and you do not know what to purchase for them, browse through this list of festive present ideas for an editor and guaranteed they’ll happily accept at the very least one item from this list.
Go find the perfect present for the Film and TV Editor in your life… or indulge in a bit of retail therapy as you wait for feedback notes.
Keyboards, Wacom Tablets, SSD Drives, Candles and Plants to decorate the edit suite
1) Edit Desk Essentials
Fancy an upgrade to your current set of keys? With these beauties from Editors Keys you will want to keep the crumbs away from these shiny keyboards. Some even light up. So feel the glow on your face with this multi-coloured essential piece of kit.
If you prefer to retire the mouse, then opt for a pen and tablet. I personally edit faster with a pen and tablet and my edit desk prefers it too. Less swiping around the desk surface with the mouse. The tablet and pen are also ideal for colour grading, masking and working in Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects.
If you are not sure what tablet and pen you require then check out Wacom’s site for a handy pdf that will point you in the right direction. A suitable starter is the Wacom Intuos Pro, ideal for a dual screen set-up.
If you want to actually see your screen in the tablet then choose the Wacom Cintiq. Certainly more expensive but I’m sure any Film and TV Editor would happily work away with this set-up!
Even if you think you don’t need it, you do. There is always a need for an external SSD as there is constantly material that requires storage.
Reset your colour grading pupils with the warm light from a candle. Many scents to avail of, with even a surprise one. Just don’t place it near a monitor.
Greenery and a sprinkle of shrubbery can be a useful backdrop for those Zoom interviews and screensharing moments while also adding a bit of zen to your environment. My personal favourite at the moment are the plants on offer from Patch Plants - their Bruce Christmas Tree would brighten up any desk.
You always need a mug in the edit suite
2) Coffee and Tea Break Essentials
MUGS - we all need them, they bring us joy and comfort, the faithful loyal edit suite fixture. Although sometimes the half full cold vessel conveys a silent form of judgement as it sits there waiting for a rinse and refill when you realise you haven’t stepped away from the monitor for a few hours that day. Expand your collection.
Every Film and TV Editor enjoys quality sound
3) Audio Equipment Essentials for the edit suite
Indulge and invest in a solid set of headphones, or speakers or a microphone… You’re worth it and so are your ears. Those audio mixes must be treated with the tools that they deserve. There are a whole host of incredible headphones, speakers and microphones and here are a few that are highly recommended.
Headphones
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X. These Japanese-designed headphones are popular with musicians and vocalists and receive widespread positive feedback for their quality of monitoring playback.
Speakers
I love my Finnish-produced Genelec set - portable, small with excellent sound. A pleasant sound experience in the edit suite.
Microphones
Make your voice sound ever so professional and clear on those voiceover recording sessions, Zoom meetings and screenshare sessions by investing in this digital recorder and USB microphone…
SL 150 Condenser USB Microphone
Even if it is only scratch VO recording in your suite, you can eliminate those pops with this filter - Dual Layer Pop Filter for your microphone
Expand your film library and update your editing skillset
4) Knowledge Essentials - Learn From Masters
Every project presents a new learning curve and there are plenty of resources online where you can skill up on software or glean plenty of knowledge and advice from the masters of their field.
Masterclass - currently offering 2 for 1 and this offer totals £168 per year. Self-described as a place where you can learn from the world’s best, you can virtually attend masterclasses from cinematic legends - the list is long and impressive - Mira Nair, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Jodie Foster, Spike Lee. Halle Berry even credited Masterclass with helping her, through Ron Howard’s class, to approach her directorial debut feature film - Bruised.
FutureLearn - an online treasure chest of courses from leading global universities, where you can “learn 100% online with world class universities and industry experts. Develop hobbies, new skills and career-changing expertise with our flexible courses.” As part of their Christmas offer you can buy one and gift one free membership for a year - all for the price of £199.99
Coursera - open an online account with Coursera and study units about writing your first novel via the University of Michigan or discover the celluloid world of Scandinavian Film and Television through a course at the University of Copenhagen… the list is impressive.
Back in the physical world of books - add one or a few of these to the shelves in your edit suite.
Eat What You Watch - from the creator of the YouTube series Binging with Babish appears this cookery book that showcases 40 recipes featured in some of the world’s most famous films, commanding their own roles in cinematic history. Recreate the food from a selection of the most iconic movie scenes in your own kitchen. Featuring dishes from Big Night and Chocolat among many others…
In The Blink of an Eye - by Walter Murch
With a stellar and enviable career spanning across cinematic classics such as The Godfather I, II & III, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, The English Patient, Julia, Jarhead and the list continues, Murch’s In The Blink of an Eye is always to be found in film school libraries and high up in the essential reading list of any aspiring and experienced filmmaker. There are plenty of nuggets in here from one of the world’s most legendary sound and film editors. Start from the Rule of Six and work onwards…
A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far Far Away - by Paul Hirsch
This gem of a book is soaked in superb stories from one of the most acclaimed editors of the last half century. Paul Hirsch edited classics such as George Lucas’s Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, Herbert Ross’s Footloose and Steel Magnolias and John Hughes’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The book offers an insight into the editorial decisions that resulted in iconic scenes - fuel for thought and useful guidance for any editor.
Cutting Rhythms - Intuitive Film Editing - by Karen Pearlman
Having received a recommendation for this book - it’s the one I am adding to my collection for a 2022 read… Cutting Rhythms - Intuitive Film Editing by Karen Pearlman. Described by Routledge as a book that “offers an in-depth study of the film editor’s rhythmic creativity and intuition, the processes and tools editors use to shape rhythms, and how rhythm works to engage audiences in film. While respecting the importance of intuitive flow in the cutting room, this book offers processes for understanding what editing intuition is and how to develop it.”
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life - by Twyla Tharp
If you need a routine in your creative life, then add this book to your collection. Starting with “I walk into a white room” it provides useful advice on how to start a creative project and then keep on your journey. With chapters named Scratching, Ruts and Grooves, An “A” in Failure, The Long Run, it provides a framework to help you navigate your creative career. This is a book I can happily re-read every two years or so.
Style out your edit suite
5) Style It Out
You can easily squeeze these clothing items into a stocking.
Check out these jumpers to disappear in.
Etsy never disappoints. In colours grey, white and pink you can proudly calm any tense edit situation by flashing these words about - “We’ll fix it in post” and then collapse later.
T-shirts for the eat, sleep and edit wardrobe.
Key rings for those blurry-eyed evenings and mornings which will make it easier for you to get back into the office.
Well done, you made it through the year, now go and decorate your edit suite with one of these items… From this list you should also be able to find that perfect Christmas present for any Film and TV editor.
Happy Christmas and New Year, onwards to a productive 2023.
