Miriam Kamara - Video Editor
Job title - Editor
Experience - 5+ years
“Stay in your lane and focus on YOUR goals - comparing your journey to others can sometimes cloud your judgement. Your journey is unique to you and keeping that in mind will keep the passion alive.”
Describe your job role and the kinds of projects/clients you work with.
As a Mid-Weight Editor at VaynerMedia London, I have produced social media content for well known brands such as TikTok, Natwest, Indeed, Heinz. This requires me to work alongside an art director to help create really engaging and exciting content for our clients.
What does an average day look like in your post production working world?
An average day would start with an internal stand-up with the creative, strategy and delivery team to work out what content needs to be created for the day. Shortly after, the creative team brief me in to discuss the structure of the content and what assets we are working with. Once all the information about the project is gathered, I set up a project template and begin to ingest the media and prepare my sequences for the edit. As most of the content is for social media, I create multiple sequences to match the ratios for certain social media platforms such as TikTok - 9x16, and Instagram - 4x5 & 9x16 and so forth. Music makes a huge difference to my edits as I find the most impactful part of the track to guide the editing process. At the end, I use an edit checklist to ensure everything is covered before handing the video over to the creative team.
How did your career in post production begin?
My interest in post production began when I was 12. Unbeknownst to my lovely mum, I used to stay up late and watch horror films as they were my favourite films EVER! One evening in particular, I watched a John Carpenter film called Halloween (1978). The opening scene stood out to me as I started to question why and how the film was making me scared. It was then that I realised that I’m analysing the film rather than watching it. At the time I didn’t know what editing was or the art of filmmaking in general. Once I studied media in school a few years later, I then knew what it was and decided that I wanted to be an editor. When I was 15, I started learning how to edit by downloading free trial versions of Sony Vegas Pro and Cyberlink PowerDirector. I used these programs to make short films with friends and also made music video compilations of my favourite artists. I then went on to study film at college and then at university. Throughout the years, I continued to learn different editing techniques and worked on a freelance basis to gain more experience.
What has been your career highlight?
My career highlight has to be the TikTok Men's EUROs 2020 campaign. I created a jumbotron that was broadcast during the Euros final at Wembley Stadium. This was such an amazing experience as I created the video entirely in After Effects which really allowed me to flex my creative flair. I also received amazing feedback from the TikTok & UEFA client with ZERO amends! I'd also say the International Women's Day video I created for Natwest was a great highlight as it was about successful women in business! It was an inspiring project that gave me a lot of insight about being successful in my career.
Who are your role models in post?
I’d say the standouts for me are Stephanie Filo, Sally Menke, Amber Saunders and Zeb Achou. Honourable mention is my senior editor Paul Chamberlain for being the most supportive mentor EVER!
What advice do you have for others wanting to start a career in post?
Start creating your own content to practice with, experience is worth so much! Don’t be afraid to reach out and network with others in the industry for some help and guidance. Some may be responsive and some won't but don’t let that stop you. Stay in your lane and focus on YOUR goals - comparing your journey to others can sometimes cloud your judgement. Your journey is unique to you and keeping that in mind will keep the passion alive.