Farah Khalid - Director/Editor
Job title - Director/Editor
Experience - 10+ years
“Be loud. Be bold. And Be Assertive. Take up space and do not apologize for taking up space. You belong in that room as much as your male counterparts...”
Tell us about your job role and the kinds of projects you work on;
I’m a director/editor. Throughout my career, I’ve been very fortunate to work with a variety of different clientele ranging from celebrities to first-time directors. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with people like Mariah Carey, Prince, Beyonce on the music side and brands like Calvin Klein, Tory Burch, Sephora, Shiseido, and La Mer on the fashion/beauty side. I love editing music videos and live concerts. I also really enjoy fashion, beauty, and documentary work. I like jumping around within all these genres to keep things interesting and keep my editing muscles working.
What does an average day look like in your post-production working world?
Depending on the project, this can vary greatly. Currently, I am editing a nine-act documentary with a very tight deadline. On this project my day consists of addressing all the notes from the previous night’s edit and then getting on calls to discuss updated scripts. Going through new archival pulls and adding new bites finding new music, and smoothing out the current edit. Basically, by the end of the day, I have a solid rough cut of whatever act I’m working on but by the next morning, we are pulling it apart again to build on it some more. It’s exhausting at times but also so rewarding to see the story come to life with everyone’s contributions. There’s a lot of team support so it’s a nice change from the usual solo edit world where I may not hear from clients for days.
How did your career in post-production begin?
When I was 18, I had a friend who was an editor. I wasn’t sure what that meant. He offered to edit a film I was directing for a cinema club. I went to his house and saw this massive Avid (this was back in the ’90s) set up in his living room. I was immediately fascinated by this machine. As I watched him edit my film, I couldn’t believe how involved the process was and the creativity required of an editor to tell the story well. I was hooked. I signed up for an Avid Bootcamp that summer and immersed myself in editing. The next year when I attended film school at USC, I started editing every student film I could get my hands on to build my reel. And that’s how I landed my first project while still in school- I edited a featurette for Clive Barker’s DVD release. And that was the start.
Tell us about a career highlight;
I’ve had quite a few highlights in my career so depending on what is considered a highlight I could name a few. If we are talking about the most glamorous moment of my career, I would say it was hanging out on a yacht with Mariah Carey in Puerto Rico while we waiting for the Avid to arrive. The most iconic moment of my career was working with Prince. I don’t think one can top that in terms of excitement and awe. A music video I edited for JLo “On The Floor” became the most viewed music video of its time. And more recently, I co-directed (and co-edited) my first feature documentary The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion that is currently streaming on Netflix.
Which women in post do you admire?
I admire any woman who has a career in post. When I was starting, there were barely any female editors. 99% of the editors I assisted for were men. I didn’t really see myself in many mentors. The first post house I signed up with, I was their only female editor. I was overlooked for a lot of projects because I was a female. So I feel like any woman who does make it in post has already overcome similar obstacles and deserves admiration for making it this far.
Favourite piece of work?
I honestly can’t pick a favorite. It’s rather like picking a favorite food or book, it depends on my mood, my memories of the project, and my experiences making it. So many of them hold a special place for me.
What advice do you have for other women wanting to start a career in post?
I have a few words of advice for women who want to start a career in any field. Be loud. Be bold. And Be Assertive. Take up space and do not apologize for taking up space. You belong in that room as much as your male counterparts- and I’ve found many times, even more so, because you’ve had to overcome more. It’s intimidating at times but always admit the things you don’t know and always trust your gut.