How did you first become involved in video and editing? What was your first project?
My interest really started when I took media studies at sixth form, mainly because I was curious. We were given a project to make a trailer for a western, and that sparked something in me. I loved the whole collaborative process, especially when it came to taking everything we’d worked on and piecing it all together. It was such a rewarding and fun experience that I thought: this is what I want to do now.
University was then very much about trying lots of projects and getting experience. After I graduated, I spent a year as a runner and second assistant camera on very low-budget show and feature sets. That’s when I really saw that editing was the way ahead for me. Things just snowballed from there.
Give us a brief run-down of what your day-to-day work involves.
inEvidence video work is very well structured. When I’m given a fresh edit to work on, I start with the content cuts and gradually assemble them into an initial version of the project. I like to be as organised as possible during those early stages, and it’s important to know the material inside out – the more you do that, the faster and better the edits will be.
On any given day I’ve likely have a core edit that I’m focusing on, but I’ll also juggle and multitask between other projects at different stages of the cutting process. I also try to spend some time researching workflows and ways to improve the post-production process.
How much do those initial edits tend to vary from the final approved job?
That really varies from project to project. Sometimes people are very happy with the initial content selection and the change requests are pretty minimal. At the other end of the scale, a client might want to restructure the edit completely, take content out and replace it with new stuff. The initial cut is usually the foundation for that part of the process, though.
What makes a good day for you? What’s the real fist-pump moment?
Some projects particularly resonate and feel very rewarding. As an editor, I’m in a very privileged position of handling the excellent work and efforts of a whole crew, if not multiple crews. That’s always a buzz and a motivator for me.
How have client requests changed in recent years?
That very much depends on the client, their brief and the desired output. In recent years there’s been much more focus on social and short, branded digital content, and material that can be adapted to as many platforms as possible. Clients also tend to be very much on top of advances in tech, particular in cameras. You’ll sometimes find people asking for everything to be shot in 4K, for example, which is great, but it might not always suit the project. Our video team are very skilled and consultative with clients to walk them through the options.
You’ve built an impressive reputation as inEvidence’s resident horror movie aficionado. Do you do anything that doesn’t involve the moving image?
Haha, sometimes! I really enjoy making comfort food. I do my own fried chicken and sides – it’s not the healthiest thing ever but my friends really enjoy it, especially when I make cookies as well. I’ve been meaning to get back into music too; I have a guitar and a midi keyboard that I really should pick up again, just for my own entertainment. I do spend a lot of time at the cinema and play lots of video games, though!
What work are you most proud of?
The inEvidence job that always comes to mind is Cisco’s 2023 Pride video. That was such a fun project to be part of, and very interesting visually with lots of colour everywhere. Being part of that community myself, it was great to tell people’s stories and see what our clients do to uplift them.
Outside the day job, I recently edited a very low-budget feature film in London called Sound Proof. I volunteered my time and it was a mammoth task, but it’s a really solid story and everyone was right behind it. I also worked on a short documentary about a young man at a boxing club in Hackney, which is a very warm and heartfelt piece of work.
Getting the chance to tell stories like these is such a good experience, and every project brings more variety. You get windows into lots of new worlds that you wouldn’t normally be part of. I’ve always loved that with editing – I’ve seen so many different industries and come across so many different people.
