CCollegeMatcher

Film and Video Editors

US occupation · SOC 27-4032

Job titles people report: Editor, Film Editor, News Editor, News Video Editor, News Videotape Editor, Non-Linear Editor, Online Editor, Tape Editor, Television News Video Editor, Video Editor

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025
$75,420
Half earn more, half earn less
Middle half earn
$52,720 – $105,310
25th to 75th percentile
People employed, May 2025
25,610
Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
Projected change, 2025–35
+3.7%
At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
Openings a year (projected)
3,100
New jobs plus replacing people who leave
Typical education to enter
Bachelor's degree
BLS
  • All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
  • Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
  • Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May work with a producer or director to organize images for final production. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images.

Main tasks

  • Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
  • Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
  • Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.
  • Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product.
  • Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product.
  • Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect.
  • Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible.
  • Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)
Bachelor's degree
O*NET Job Zone 4
Considerable preparation
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Interests it suits

The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.

  • Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression
  • Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
  • Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 7 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Communications & Media

  • Photojournalism
  • Radio and Television

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Communications & Media at the Major step.

Where many students take communications & media

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Visual & Performing Arts

  • Cinematography and Film/Video Production
  • Documentary Production

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Visual & Performing Arts at the Major step.

Where many students take visual & performing arts

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Other fields

Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.

Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services

  • Communications Technology/Technician
  • Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician
  • Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

← All careers

Sources

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0

Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk