SPECIAL | WOMEN I N POST
would work there one day a week. It was a great place to put my knowledge and craft skills into practice,” Melia recalls. Following her graduation, she joined LA Productions on a full-time basis and has already worked on the critically acclaimed BBC anthology series Moving On , as well as new 5Star prison drama, Clink . She received her first editor’s credit returning to Moving On for the upcoming season, which is currently in production. “For anyone wanting to get into editing, I would say: learn, practise and show initiative,” Melia advises. “Use your spare time to practise and hone your craft skills, and be sure that you keep abreast of developments on the software side. Avid Media Composer and Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve are two tools that feature heavily in my day-to-day.” She concludes: “Right now, editing is a male-dominated field, and it can be intimidating coming in as a woman. However, the industry is evolving. There’s a great range of work from female editors out there – including Star Wars , Jaws , Pulp Fiction , Taxi Driver and Goodfellas . These editors are amazing role models for women starting in their career today.” to get into this industry. I borrowed some money and purchased an edit suite. It gave me the freedom to do what I love and move away from promos into broadcast, documentary and, much later, film. And, so the saying goes, the rest is history.” In a career that has spanned more than 19 years, Nel has completed work on major feature projects, including Tomb Raider , Samson and Last Ones Out . “I am blessed working with some exceptionally talented men and women that value my input,” enthuses Nel. She adds: “Of course, it’s still hard being a woman in a predominately man’s world, but I find people who know me – who know my worth and don’t doubt my skills. I also feel that, as a woman, I can bring another perspective when it comes to cutting stories together, so viewers can watch films through another set of eyes.”
HANNAH MELIA
KAITLYN CORTES
Job title: Freelance editor Location: New York, USA Portfolio: kaitlyncortes.com Recent work : Branded content, Rosa’s Esperanza , Sucker , Half Life A professional freelance editor based in New York, Kaitlyn Cortes always knew she wanted to work in the film industry, but it wasn’t until she first began editing that she found her true vocation in life. She explains: “I decided I wanted to go to graduate school to strengthen my editing skills, as well as be able to work with a variety of people on different projects. So, I ended up going to the Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, where I earned my master’s degree in Post-Production.” Cortes has now worked on a variety of projects including television, narrative, commercial and documentary. She does her editing using Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. She says: “Advice I would give to others who want to work in post is be as involved in the community as you can. Some of my biggest opportunities have come from people I’ve met or have previously worked with.” She concludes: “If they had a good experience working with you, they’re more likely to want to work with you again or recommend you to others.”
Job title: Editor/assistant editor at LA Productions Location: Liverpool, UK Portfolio: laproductions.co.uk Recent work: BBC Moving On, 5Star Clink Melia’s continuous work for Liverpool-based LA Productions presents her as an emerging young talent in the industry. Her career began after completing work experience for the award-winning production company while studying film and television at Edge Hill University in Lancashire. “I worked five days a week over the summer period. And during term time I
Learn, practise and show initiative. Use your spare time to practise and hone your skills
DANIËLLE NEL
Job title: Freelance editor Location: Cape Town, South Africa Portfolio: imdb.com/name/nm4693070 Recent work: Tomb Raider , Inside Man: Most Wanted , Samson , Critters Attack! “In 2001, I started my career as a junior editor at a production company cutting promo videos. I worked a year on minimum wage, cutting 16-18 hours a day for six days a week and struggled to make ends meet,” begins Nel. “So, I made the decision to go freelance. I felt there had to be a better way
RIGHT Alicia Vikander in Tomb Raider, which Daniëlle Nel worked on as first assistant editor
48 DEF I N I T ION | OCTOBER 20 1 9
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