Emily Killick - Film and Animation Editor
Job title - Film and Animation Editor
Experience - 7+ years
“The thing about animation is that you can always re-write/re-record/re-animate etc. etc., so the story is sometimes still evolving right up until the last minute. It’s important to know when to stop noodling!”
Describe your job role and the kinds of projects/clients you work with.
Right now (early 2024) I’m editing an animated feature film, which will be out in cinemas later this year. Recent clients have included Disney, Netflix and Warner. I’ve also worked in visual effects and TV, and would like to get back into live-action editing at some point. My dream job would be to cut a horror movie.
What does an average day look like in your post production working world?
Feature-length animation can take years to make, so as you can imagine the average day varies wildly. At the start, I'll focus on the animatic, which is a rough version of the film that I put together using storyboards and scratch dialogue. I also do a full temp sound and music pass, which helps everyone get an idea of the film’s pacing and tone, all while the visuals are still very rough.
Once we're in production, I'm constantly re-cutting sequences as new material is delivered, up-versioning the edit with refined shots and replacing scratch with the final actors. I'm also keeping an eye on the overall evolution of the story and running screenings for directors and clients, where I'll receive feedback on the cut. The thing about animation is that you can always re-write/re-record/re-animate etc. etc., so the story is sometimes still evolving right up until the last minute. It’s important to know when to stop noodling!
How did your career in post production begin?
After university I was jobless and directionless, so I took a short filmmaking course in London, where the editing module was the highlight. I then went in at the bottom: as a post-production runner. This mainly involved buttering the editors' toast ('Make sure you get the Marmite aallll the way to the edge, this time!') and scouring the Soho streets for whatever late-night snack they’d requested.
After working in non-scripted TV for a while, it became painfully clear that I wasn’t gaining any editing skills or making useful connections. As it happened, The Hobbit movies were being filmed around that time in New Zealand. I’m a huge The Lord of the Rings fan - I’d seen The Fellowship of the Ring twelve times in cinemas as a teen and, more importantly, fallen in love with the production via the behind-the-scenes DVD extras. It seemed like a second chance to be involved, so I saved up some money, quit my job and moved to New Zealand to ask for a job.
It turned out that no one was very impressed with my ability to recite the Fellowship prologue by heart and, without any film experience or contacts, I hit a brick wall. Racking my brains for a Plan B, I noticed that there was a much bigger creative industry just a short plane ride away in Australia. Once there, I emailed the first twenty pages of production companies on Google and landed a VFX coordinator role on a feature film. This got my foot in the door and I went on to work on some great projects over the following years, until I realised that I still wasn’t climbing up the right ladder to become an editor. Going back to basics, I trained myself on Avid and Premiere via Youtube, cutting student shorts and building up a modest portfolio. When an assistant editor position opened up at the animation studio where I was already working, I pestered them until they gave me the job.
What has been your career highlight?
There are two clear, recent highlights for me. A film I did called Mummies was nominated for Best Animated Film at the 2024 Goya Awards here in Spain. Around the same time, I was also nominated at the British Film Editors awards for the short film, ‘Sith’, which I co-edited as part of the Star Wars: Visions anthology on Disney+. I'm slightly in shock over these!
What advice do you have for others wanting to start a career in post?
Try lots of different tactics, talk and write to as many people as possible and don’t be afraid to jump into the unknown; the opportunities are out there. Also try to talk about your ambitions, however silly or out of reach they may sound. You'll be surprised who remembers you later down the line when a project comes up.