Are you a filmmaker who is looking for the best editor for your feature or documentary film?
Why not pick among an elite group of Go-To Editors who are eager to cut one of your scenes (for free) for the opportunity to get a meeting with you?
I call this interview/hiring process Editing Bootcamp.
So far, ten directors have entrusted me with a scene from their edit-ready feature or documentary so that I can run a competitive editing challenge among our pool of 1400 Go-To Editors (only the top 12 editors as preselected by the director get access to their scene).
Every one of those directors ended up hiring one or more of those editors through this unique program.
Test-drive your next editor through our Editing Bootcamp.
Making an offer is not mandatory. But if you do, it needs to include an actual payment (not just back-end points) and an editing credit as set by industry standards.
How much you pay is between you and the editor as part of the negotiation process.
You don’t pay me. I don’t get a referral fee from them.
I run this program because it creates a win-win-win situation:
- You get to test-drive your editor before you hire them
- They get to compete and improve their skills (editing & soft skills)
- I get to incentivize my Go-To Editors to learn on the job by going after a real job
If you’re interested in finding out more, contact me at vip@thisguyedits.com
With eight completed Editing Bootcamps so far, every director has hired one or more of our Go-To Editors.
Here is what past directors say about their Bootcamp Experience:
“Great Walls”
Director Kevin Stea worked with Will.I.Am, Madonna, & Michael Jackson previously.
“Absolutely fantastic experience. I can’t think of any other way that I’d rather get an editor.
Kevin Stea, Director
I’ve filmed a documentary with locations in South Korea, China, and the States. I was looking to hire an editor when a director friend recommended the Editing Bootcamp of the Go-To Editor course.
It’s a multi-week process where students get to submit and move through various rounds that include editing a scene from my film. I then get to interview the top candidates and may make an offer to hire one or more of the editors (with pay and credit).
Being able to see the scene through so many talented eyes provided me a unique and rare clarity about what beats and tone truly worked before actually being in the final edit. Truly invaluable insight.”
Kevin hired two Go-To Editors through the bootcamp for his full-length doc “Great Walls.”
“Not For Nothing”
2022 indie feature with a half-million-dollar budget that premiered and won at the Philadelphia International Film Festival.
This process was absolutely fascinating to me on so many levels.
Frankie Tartaglia – Director
To see our sequence filtered through 11 different artistic minds from all around the globe was beyond inspiring. Ultimately, we decided on hiring a 3 man team that I have named TRIFORCE. I truly wish we could have hired everyone.
“Life In Eight Counts”
A documentary that sheds light on the culture, struggles, and aptitude of one of the dance industry’s most prominent figures.
“HUGE thank you to Sven!
I am currently making a feature-length documentary and desperately needed an editor- but not anymore!
Per the suggestion of my former UCLA professor, I reached out to Sven without knowing what to expect, and I am so glad that I did. Not only was he eager to help me find the best editor, but he also proposed that I participate in an Editors’ Bootcamp that brought together the brightest talent who would then cut a scene from footage I had provided.
I ended up selecting the editor who I felt understood the assignment and grasped the concept of the documentary the best, but making the decision on which person to choose was tough because they each brought a high level of passion, connection, and storytelling in their unique way.
So grateful for Sven, and I would recommend the Editors’ Bootcamp to anybody.”
Deidre Jericho – Director
“PROST!” & “INDEPENDENT BOTTLERS”
PBS-director Greg Swartz first approached me to find an editor for his next documentary, “Prost!” He hired one during Bootcamp, but then looked to get even more Go-To editors for his next project.
“When we were editing our PBS documentary, The Water of Life, we got to joking around that we had enough footage and an entire unused storyline that we could make second film. And then we got serious about it. And we set out to make not just a sequel, but an entire companion docuseries.
Greg Swartz – Director
With Sven and the Bootcamp’s help, we have been able to do exactly that.
Sven helped us assemble a platoon of editors to spread the sizable load of editing a four-part series… about independent whisky bottlers in Scotland.
The entire machine is now running and we have THIRTEEN editors working with us. The results have already been fantastic, and we’re talking with them about how best to move forward on this project and others.
Sven’s team helped get everyone up to speed on Avid (our platform for this film) and the storytelling style and expectations of the series. We held a few masterclasses on the whisky side of things… after that it was off to the races. And we’re now well on our way to picture lock.”
