Career
Film and video editors
Shape raw footage into a finished story.
$75,420
Median pay
+3.7%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,100
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on creation & expression, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $75,420 a year and 3,100 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Film and PhotographySee the degree →
- Radio, TV and Digital MediaSee the degree →
- JournalismSee the degree →
- PhotojournalismCIP 09.0404
- Radio and TelevisionCIP 09.0701
- Communications Technology/TechnicianCIP 10.0105
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Editors$77,920 · -1.1%
- Producers and Directors$90,360 · +4.0%
- Special Effects Artists and Animators$102,030 · -0.3%
- Desktop Publishers$55,290 · -14.5%
- Media Technical Directors/Managers
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.