Kamila Daurenova - Editor
Editor
Experience 5+ years
“Growing up in the Tumblr era, I made my fair share of fan edits, which I see my nephews doing now on TikTok when they watch a movie they’re excited about. Even though it’s not necessarily something you can use for a reel, I feel like spending a bunch of time playing around with things you’re excited about and have an emotional connection to is invaluable.”
Describe your job role and the kinds of projects/clients you work with.
I’m a commercial and music video editor from Kazakhstan, currently based in NYC and represented by Cut+Run. I’ve edited commercials for Nike, Lululemon, Vogue, Under Armour, Stuart Weitzman, and others, as well as music videos for Zara Larsson, JT, Audrey Nuna, and Orion Sun.
What does an average day look like in your post-production working world?
Every day can be pretty different depending on the project I’m working on. I love that variety, and it’s one of my favorite things about editing short-form. I’ll start the day either making my way to the Cut + Run office in Soho or staying in my apartment in Brooklyn to work remotely. First, I review any notes or emails from the day before and make a list of things that need to be done that morning.
Then, the day varies depending on which stage of the project we’re at - sometimes, it’s a kick-off call with the creative team, after which I start to look through footage and pull selects. This part of the process usually takes the most time. I like to pull anything that feels usable, even if it feels like a stretch, so I’ll usually have three select layers going up in my timeline, with the top layer being my absolute favorite moments. I’ve found it helpful to have my projects organized in a specific way where everything looks like a color-coded and highly labeled map, so when the time comes for supervised sessions, I know where every moment is and can find it quickly.
Once my selects are pulled, I’ll start putting together a first cut. I like to start building from the top, sound designing, and finessing each section before I move on to the next moment, rather than putting together a rough assembly and then going in to tweak things. I feel like this allows me to build a precise rhythm and understand the mood forming, which then impacts shot selection and timing for every section following. Then I’ll go back and tweak moments, now looking at the piece as a whole. Once I feel like it’s as polished as possible, I’ll share it with the director, and we’ll go back and forth on notes - either in person or over a remote session. After that, I’ll usually move into supervised sessions with the creative team from the agency, and we spend that time making changes to the piece until everyone is happy with it.
How did your career in post-production begin?
I started editing around the age of 14. I would make little claymation films in my room and put them together in Windows Movie Maker, but at the time, I didn’t really know that it was something I could pursue as a career someday. I knew I needed to get a scholarship if I wanted to study in the US, so I focused on science and math in high school, but applied to the Film program at NYU Tisch on a whim, and was really lucky to get a full ride. I focused mostly on writing and directing classes during my time there, which really built my understanding of storytelling and structure. During my junior year, I got a job at MTV as a Tech PA in the Promos Department, and spent my senior year as a Post-Production Intern at Saturday Night Live, where I got to assistant edit the Promos every Tuesday. When I graduated, I went back to MTV to work full-time as an assistant editor. I knew I really wanted to be an editor, so I would assist with editing during the day and then work on passion projects or low-budget commercials at night so I could build up my reel.
What has been your career highlight?
Several music videos I edited premiered in Times Square, and I got to see them live there. It always feels surreal when you’ve been staring at something on your screen for so long, and then it’s out there in the real world in front of everyone.
Who are your role models in post?
I’ll always look up to the editors who mentored me while I was assisting them. Sean McIlraith at SNL was the first editor I assisted, and he was so generous with his time and incredibly encouraging. I don’t know if I would have gone into post-production if it hadn’t been for him. Mah Ferraz was the first female editor I ever assisted. I learned so much from her and continue to be inspired by her to this day. Seeing her dedication to her craft and her work ethic really set the standard for me. Gianluigi Carella, Carlos Flores, Sophia Lou, and Kat Yi are all incredibly talented editors that I got to work with, and I learned so much from each one of them.
What advice do you have for others wanting to start a career in post?
I learned so much about the technical side of editing through YouTube tutorials, and I still spend a lot of time on there learning about new plugins or watching breakdowns. Growing up in the Tumblr era, I made my fair share of fan edits, which I see my nephews doing now on TikTok when they watch a movie they’re excited about. Even though it’s not necessarily something you can use for a reel, I feel like spending a bunch of time playing around with things you’re excited about and have an emotional connection to is invaluable. It’s also a great way to naturally build speed and intuition, both of which are super important when working in short form. After that, I feel like it’s all about finding the people whose work makes you excited and working on as many passion projects as possible.
Connect with Kamila on Instagram