Overflow Editor

What is a Overflow Editor?

Does this sound familiar?

An editor falls sick, gets stuck on a train or in traffic.
Maybe the channel decides they want to the change direction you'd discussed and you're already well into post on the series, increasing the edit teams workload significantly.

What do yo do?

Find another editor...
Who's as good as the ones you've hired?
Who's available now!

Good luck.

An Editor kept 'in reserve' will cost a fortune though?

Well they're not sitting around 'twiddling their thumbs' costing the production a fortune.

They're being productive for the series.
Sync assembling episodes, in whole or part, cutting 'snap ins', replacing temp archive with other footage, swapping out music cues, grabbing frames for publicity, keeping the legal eagles happy, blurring faces, number plates, addresses, doing notes from the director / exec / channel...

It all mounts up and robs the edit team of valuable hours, if not days, doing what you really hired them for...

Making a first class show.

That's where your Overflow Editor comes in...

When you found your edit teams you also found a overflow editor. Someone with plenty of experience, someone that you've vetted, someone who's signed the various NDA's and is up to speed with the series.

Someone who's 'been there' and 'done that' and doesn't mind the less attractive and more mundane aspects of editing a television show, which tend to be left to last and are done in a bit of a rush.

They are held, on a small retainer, to step in at short notice to pick up, some or all, of the editing duties.
This might be for a few hours, days or even weeks.

If the edit teams workload gets to heavy, you have someone available, who knows the project and stories, who can step in to lighten the load.

and you know they're available because you booked them.

You've got your production covered, and all for a small weekly retaining fee.

Sounds like it's got to be expensive, right?

About the cost of 1 editor, for 1 day per week.

And you have how many editors on your team?

Two? Three? more?

And they can be contributing to the the series as a whole, doing the less attractive stuff, leaving the edit teams to concentrate on the main shows.

Not as much as expensive as you thought?

Here are just a few 'what ifs...'

CASE 1

One of your Editor's is taken sick...

It happens, a cold, the flu, it happens to the best of us.
Either way, you have an edit suite sitting idol.

(but it's ok because you have a overflow editor that can step in and keep things moving forward while they're in their sick bed)

CASE 2

The broadcaster commissioned 6 shows. When they saw the first rough cut of episode 1, they were so impressed they commissioned 4 more episodes on the spot. However, they want them in the same timeframe as the first 6.

It's great news but you have to find one or two more editors PDQ and good editors are harder to find than directors...

(but it's ok because you have a overflow editor that can step in and keep things moving forward while you find editors to cover the new shows)

CASE 3

Out of 6 episodes there are two that are 'problematic'.
This can be because of access issues, legal issues, timing,
all manner of issues.

The teams responsible for those episodes are having to do a lot of extra hours to get things 'fixed' and through legal.
Things are backing up, they're under a ton of pressure to hit viewing / delivery dates, and the cracks are starting to show.

(but it's ok because you have a overflow editor that can step in and keep things moving forward while they're snowed under.
They're doing sync assemblies, channel notes, restructuring an episode, snap ins and the million and one other things that your editor do, leaving them to concentrate on cutting a great show.)

(all of which I have happened on productions I have worked on in the last five years...)

CASE 4

You have one show that has proved troublesome...
The Edit team are under a great deal of pressure and you have have concerns for their mental health as a result.

(but you've covered everyone's back, because you have a overflow editor that can step in and lighten their load.
Doing sync assemblies, some channel notes, deliverables like snaps, promos and lifts. Leaving them free to concentrate on
the main show)