Career Lookback: Amanda Marie-Rose - Editor
Editor
Experience 5+ years
“Being a good editor isn’t just about talent. It’s about being visible and building genuine connections. And if networking feels overwhelming, that’s okay. Set small goals, find the spaces that work for you, and most importantly, give yourself the grace to leave if you need to. Showing up even just a little, can open doors you never expected.”
After previously featuring Amanda, and having her on an Edit Girls panel, we’ve conducted a special Q&A with DOMA, to delve a bit deeper into Amanda’s trajectory.
DOMA ‘welcomes Amanda Marie-Rose, an editor whose work is defined by its meticulous love of craft and an instinctive feel for story. Whether cutting together performance-led commercials, poetic brand films, or raw, documentary-style storytelling, Amanda’s work strikes that enviable balance between style and substance.’ - something we wholeheartedly agree with!
After DOMA’s managing director, Jake Evans, discovered Amanda at an Edit Girls event (where she spoke through her fantastic cut of the Hounslow Council Project with Lauren Midwinter). He remembers ‘walking away thinking how much we’d love to have her on the DOMA roster. So it’s a real full-circle moment to now be promoting Amanda and her work through that same community.’
Read on for a more detailed version of this full circle moment - we can’t wait to see what comes next for Amanda!
“What stuck with me was how candid and thoughtful she was while talking through the process of her Glimpses project with director Lauren Midwinter. The cut itself was spot on, sensitive, confident, and full of heart. It was one of those moments where you think, ‘OK, this person is seriously good at what they do.’”
DOMA: What excites you most about joining DOMA?
What excites me most about joining DOMA is their genuine belief in talent and their commitment to advocating for new talent. I’ve always valued and sought out mentorship whilst deciding on joining a new post house but I realised I needed more than just guidance, I needed a place that can truly advocate for me and create opportunities beyond the limits of a traditional post house, and DOMA fit the bill perfectly.
What drew me in was their fresh approach, supporting artists for who they are, and not just their reels, associations, or diversity quotas. Even before I signed, they backed me and believed in me. That kind of trust from the offset is rare in this industry. I see myself thriving here, having the room to grow, and pushing my craft forward with a team that truly gets it and gets me.
Edit Girls: Tell us about life since your last Edit Girls interview?
My growth as an editor has been a lesson in resilience, self-belief, and learning to take my own advice when it comes to rejection. I quickly realised that success in editing often hinges more on connections than merit. I was told that repeat work with a director was key but even after building those relationships, I still faced setbacks. Losing out on music videos for songs I loved. Or commercials I felt destined to cut, only to see agencies stick with familiar editors, was frustrating.
One thing about me is that I don’t like or want a pity party. So, I carry on as if everything is fine. One day at the office, I walked past Eve Ashwell, and it was as if she sensed something was off. She invited me to her suite, and we ended up having a long conversation about the editing world beyond the computer screens. The politics, the relationships, and even her own experiences. What stood out most was her unwavering tenacity. It was something I had noticed before our conversation, something I recognised even more as we spoke. And, ultimately, it was exactly what I needed.
It’s strange how the Universe or God works because I got to witness firsthand exactly what we had discussed. Highly experienced editors losing out on jobs, others being taken off projects often for reasons beyond their control. Compatibility issues, companies deciding to finish edits inhouse, or editors becoming scapegoats when a project goes sideways.
What changed for me was learning to believe in myself and back myself tenfold just as much as my directors and many of my co-collaborators do. The ones who saw something in me when I had nothing to show for it, who took a chance on me and kept coming back. Their continued trust reaffirmed that I can do this. And now, that belief is one of the many, many things that keeps me going.
THANKS EVE!!
DOMA: Your path to post wasn’t traditional, how has that shaped you as an editor?
Studying Fine Art taught me the most valuable lesson. To embrace feedback, even when I don’t agree with it. In art school, we had regular critiques, and at first, everyone tiptoed around honesty to avoid offending each other, until our tutors urged us to be more frank. And with that I quickly learned that real growth comes from not just receiving honest critique but deciding which opinions will truly help shape your practice.
It also taught me how to control a room. Explaining my creative choices in front of a room full of classmates forced me to think critically and own my decisions. Because if I didn’t believe in my work, why should anyone else? That lesson has been invaluable as an editor. I learned a soft skill I’m not sure I would have been able to learn without art school.
Amanda has a deep passion for narrative filmmaking and is currently editing ‘From Sidney, With Love’, a short film directed by East Elliott and backed by the Spike Lee Film Production Fund. The project speaks to her love of crafting character-driven stories with nuance and depth.
She tells Edit Girls it’s been her career highlight since her last interview, and that East Elliott ‘reignited a flame’ in her that she needed to keep pursuing this path.
DOMA: What has working on ‘From Sidney with Love’ taught you as an editor?
Working on From Sydney, With Love has taught me to truly trust my craft. The director East was an absolute Godsend during a time where for a while, I struggled with imposter syndrome, constantly feeling like I wasn’t as talented as the people I admired. But what I did and still do have is passion. I cared so much about East’s film and his approach to filmmaking that I cleared my calendar for two months, determined to make it my best work yet.
Before our first review, East told me that if Spike didn’t like a film, he wouldn’t give feedback. Just a lot of umm-ing and ahh-ing. Usually, after an export, you hope for very few notes because that means less changes, and you’ve done your job well. But secretly, I wanted notes. A lot of them. I wanted a challenge. I wanted him to tear it apart so I could make it even better. When we got on the Zoom call, he actually liked it! The few notes he did give completely changed the trajectory of the film. One in particular was cutting a scene that both East and I loved. East had said, “We’ll try and address them” and almost immediately, Spike left the camera frame, East said, “Oh no. Oh no”. I thought Spike had enough and left the call. But Spike came back, and held up a picture of Yoda with a quote from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, "Do or do not, there is no try."
That moment has now stuck with me. It was a reminder that I am good at my job. And the amount of notes or lack thereof doesn’t indicate how good I am as editor. But me ‘just doing it’, is my way of staying committed to the craft. Now, that picture lives on my desktop as a daily reminder to JUST DO IT (not in the Nike way either… well, maybe a little).
“Honestly, meeting THE East Elliott, is what I’ll remember most. I’ll big him up ’til the end of time. If you don’t know him yet, get to know him. He’s an incredibly talented director and writer in his own right, and also one of Spike Lee’s mentees. He’s the director of From Sidney, With Love, probably my favourite short I’ve cut so far. He reignited a flame in me that I needed to keep pursuing this path.”
DOMA: How do you approach different types of projects as an editor?
For longform projects, I’m super regimented. I like everything meticulously organised; script syncing nearly everything so I don’t waste time when assembling. I stick closely to the script at first, watch it over, and then create a new sequence with alternative takes and experimental ideas for the director to consider.
Shortform, however, is a different beast. I’ve tried to be as structured as I am doing longform, but honestly, I just want to dive in. I still keep things relatively organised, but I start assembling right away, especially with directors I’ve worked with before.
With new directors, my process is a bit more fluid. I assemble as I go, very roughly I might add, and send an early cut to get a sense of what they’re after. I tend to include more than necessary because I find it easier to strip back than to keep adding later.
At the end of the day, every project, whether commercial, documentary, or narrative, requires a different approach, but my goal is always the same: to shape a story in the best way possible. Whether that means following a script to the letter or taking a more instinctive approach. For me it’s about finding what serves the story best.
Edit Girls: What inspires you and impacts your style?
To me, my sources of inspiration don’t always have to be highbrow. Narratively speaking, I draw a lot of inspiration from real life, and when real life isn’t 'life-ing,' reality TV fills the gap. Instead of being inspired by perfectly crafted characters in scripted TV shows, I love seeing how cast members shape a narrative in real time, especially under pressure, like during season finales or reunions. For example, in the season finale of RHOSLC (the best season finale of any reality TV series ever), the women were visiting Bermuda, the island where a new cast member, Monica, was from. They were there to celebrate her birthday and support her as she visited her estranged family. But it was later revealed that she was one of the many admins of a gossip account called Reality Von Tease, which had been used to troll the rest of the cast for the past three years. Watching the storyline unfold, seeing the women yell and cry, and visibly witnessing the mental anguish between cast members during the confrontation, reactions like that have definitely influenced how much or how little I need to manipulate human dynamics in the edit.
I also draw inspiration from moving image artists like Duncan Campbell, Elizabeth Price, and Isaac Julien, particularly for short-form work. Much of their work influenced my studies and exploration during university, and it has continued to inspire my editing. With the more abstract works, watching video artists encourages me to experiment with non-linear storytelling. For example, I might edit something fashion-heavy with no clear narrative, focusing instead on building the edit thematically. The use of colour and shapes, like Pipilotti Rist’s work, and the movement of talent across the screen, like Bill Viola’s, help me create flow, pace, and anchor a more concise edit. Ultimately, these elements and these artists influence my ability to generate visual interest in my work.
“‘I used to crave big and extreme reactions like tears for charity, cackles for comedy, or a “wow, I didn’t know that!” moment for documentaries. But honestly, I’ve come to realise it’s less about forcing a specific emotional response and more about just getting the job done right.’ ”
Edit Girls: Is there any new advice you would share?
If you want to begin and sustain a career in editing, it’s crucial to build relationships beyond the suite. Go to events, mixers, all sorts. I know this can seem challenging to some, especially my fellow neurodiverse babes, but honestly, some of my favourite jobs came from just having a chin wag, including From Sidney, With Love. I met the producer, Susie Hunt, at a mixer and not long after, she sent me the job.
Check out Amanda’s portfolio on DOMA’s website, and connect with her on Instagram