Mike Figgis - Editing

The editor should be the person on set - or the editor's assistant, certainly someone from the editing department - who makes sure that the footage is being issued and catalogued in a way that they understand. Also, the tapes should be viewed on a a daily basis, in the way that 35mm used to be viewed. So that when a tape gets put into a box they have some idea of what has been shot. Digital Film-Making, pg.113, Mike Figgis 

I have always seen that an editor's work begins when they are in the editing suite. However, after reading the post production chapter of Digital Film-Making I have realised that an editor's role does in fact starts from the first day of shooting. An editor on set is responsible for making sure that all of the footage is correct and is taken off of the memory cards and imported onto a device correctly. They are also responsible for looking through the rushes of the footage and making sure that there are no problems with it, so that if there are any they can be resolved or re-shot while on set there and then. This makes the process a lot easier when realising these problems on set rather than when in the editing suite and it is too late. It also the role of the editor to make sure that all of the footage is organised and that when it is imported onto a device that it is separated into different folders of video, audio and external audio. Then for it to be organised into different folders that represent each camera so that it will be completely clear to someone who were to look at the footage for the first time and for them to be able to know what footage is what and what camera or marantz it has been recorded from. So from this i have found that a key skill for an editor is that they need to be organised in order to be successful and to make the entirety of the process of post-production as smooth as possible. It is getting into the routine of checking rushes, importing footage, organising files and then backing them up that is key to becoming successful.