Lecturer and professional editor, Chris Roldan, discusses his approach to instruction:
I tell students on the first day of class that this is not Devry Institute. That's because a lot of students are under the false assumption that once they learn the Avid, they will get some kind of certificate that makes them an editor. That's as ridiculous as me thinking I can build a house just because I know how to use a hammer! Yes, the tools are very important but only to the extent that the tools get the story from your head to you hands. My class is all about teaching students how to be efficient with the Avid so that they can use that tool to create the best story possible in the shortest amount of time possible. And we apply that to everything, whether it is feature filmmaking, narrative television, documentary or unscripted TV.
Yes, there are a few examples of editors who never had to be assistants, but if I taught a class for those fortunate people, that would be like teaching a class about how to spend your lottery winnings.
One of the first projects we do is music editing, which always confuses my students. I've been asked, "Why are we doing this? I want to learn to edit picture, not music!" Well, that's great but unless you learn skills that will allow you to become an assistant editor you have very little chance of becoming an editor. Yes, there are a few examples of editors who never had to be assistants, but if I taught a class for those fortunate people, that would be like teaching a class about how to spend your lottery winnings. So we learn the skills that make you valuable as an assistant in the hopes that maybe (if you beat the odds) one day you will get to the big show.
I assign a lot of homework, but that homework is to analyze everything we watch outside of class. And I make it a priority to see films in the theater (the way they were intended to be seen). After all, if you can't do homework like that, you have to ask yourself if you're doing this for the right reasons. The ability to deconstruct and analyze edits may ruin the viewing experience, but it is a major element in my class because without being able to take apart something, how will we know how it works?
As a professional editor, I know how hard it is to get and keep work. That's why I teach my class like it is a professional edit room and I expect from them what would be expected in a professional edit room. Because this approach is not for everyone, about 1/4 of my students drop in the first week and not everyone passes. That's fine with me because that's better than their odds in the industry. Mislabeling a sequence, showing up late or turning in mediocre work may not be a big deal to most students, but in my class it will get you a failing grade. I would rather my students get a failing grade here than get fired out there.
Most of what I deal with as an editor is responding to notes that I receive from directors and producers and because of that I make criticism (giving and receiving) a huge part of the class. Honesty is something some students are not prepared for but it's so important to build that thick skin if you want to succeed in this incredibly competitive business. I tell my students that we have one of the best athletic programs in the country here at UT and those athletes are expected to perform at a professional level every day. I think it's totally reasonable to expect that dedication and discipline from my students.
Here are some former students of Chris Roldan's who have had success in post production:
- Marc Hall, Assistant Editor at Secret Headquarters Post Production in LA
- Breannah Gibson, Post Production Assistant on Walking Dead
- Andy Young, Behind-the-Scenes Coordinator for Intramural
- Rehman Ali, Assistant Editor Untitled Terrence Malick Project
- Mindy Le, Assistant Editor
- Andy Irvine (former TA), Assistant Editor "Shipping Wars"
- Tony Costello (former TA), Assistant Editor "Shipping Wars"