Saskia Wood - Video Editor/ Motion Designer
Job title - Video Editor/ Motion Designer
Experience - 3+ years
“Apply for things even if you don’t feel qualified!!! Usually you are qualified, or if not, the best way to learn is by doing.”
Describe your job role and the kinds of projects/clients you work with.
I work using both Premiere and After Effects to create videos for the client TikTok at Vayner Media. This could be compilations of User Generated Content or bespoke videos for a new campaign they're running.
What does an average day look like in your post production working world?
I only started at Vayner recently (from a job posting on Edit Girls!) so I've only just finished the onboarding process, but a typical day so far looks like: We have a morning meeting with the Creatives, Strategists and Editors who are also working with TikTok, to discuss what everyone is working on that day. Then I'll get a brief and any assets provided by my Project Manager, and work on that for the rest of the day. My workflow is usually using Premiere to make a rough cut, and then Dynamic linking that into AE to create the titles, motion graphics and transitions (this means that if I have to amend the edit, it won't affect any of the transitions or graphics I've made). The next day I'll have a check in with my PM and the Senior Creatives to either sign off or amend the work. It then gets sent to the client, TikTok, who does the same.
How did your career in post production begin?
I actually studied Fashion Styling at uni and did an Adobe Accredited Premiere course in the summer to keep myself occupied, but still under the impression that I wanted to work in Fashion. After that turned out to be quite exclusionary as an industry, I started applying to anything and everything, and got a paid internship with Bad Vibrations Records as a Socials Video Editor. I then worked my way up to Head of Video within their sister company, LNZRT WRKS, who program the Moth Club, The Shacklewell Arms, Someday, Wide Awake Festival and South Facing Festival. I was given a lot of creative freedom and the venues/festivals are quite varied in style, which helped build my show reel to where it is today. I got to try everything from cam opping to Live Streaming to Directing, and eventually honed in on Editing and Motion as my favourites. I also had an incredible Graphic Design counterpart, Adelaide De Alfaro, who made the most beautifully detailed and textured posters that I then had to figure out how to animate, which really advanced my AE skills.
What has been your career highlight?
That would be filming The Streets' full set at South Facing Festival in 2021; the bouncers were supposed to kick everyone out of the photo pit after the first 2 songs, but because I was filming on a Sony VX 2000 (I love making "proper" glitches using MiniDV) and it's such a large camera, they thought I was filming for the iMag screens either side of the stage and let me stay there by myself for the whole thing. I've been a huge Streets fan since I was a teenager so that was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Who are your role models in post?
During the pandemic when live music was mothballed, I freelanced for Matches Fashion with Meg Lavender as my manager. I really look up to her and she's given me incredibly useful career advice and always been generally lovely and inviting at a time when I'd never met another female video editor. Meg was instrumental in my learning of After Effects and giving me the time to try out new ways of working; together we even learnt how to automate versioning using a spreadsheet to specify different variables like text, comp size & source footage which was really cool. She's now gone freelance to focus more on shooting and I'm really excited to see what she does next!
What advice do you have for others wanting to start a career in post?
Apply for things even if you don't feel qualified!!! Usually you are qualified, or if not, the best way to learn is by doing. It's extremely rare that someone will be able to do every specified thing on a job posting; showing a willingness to learn and try new things will look much more adaptable. Also, never take an unpaid internship; these are actually illegal in the UK and very exploitative. If there's an internship you'd like to take which doesn't specify pay, politely mention that you expect at least minimum wage. Lastly, if you need more on your showreel, don't wait for the perfect client, fill it with personal projects or make a fake ad for your favourite brand. As long as you specify Ownership and Copyright, you can be your own perfect client!