“The job of a film editor is flexible and depends on the film’s release date. For instance, UTV Motion Pictures’ Barfi! was set for a September release, so the final editing work began in April. And from April till August, we worked for 16-18 hours a day,” says Akiv Ali, editor of the film.

• 11am: Reach the studio
• 11.30am: Go through the plans, proposals related to editing, and the footage of the scenes to be edited that day
• Noon: Meet the director for further discussion on the film
• 3pm: Interact with people from other technical teams
• 4pm: Work on the film’s editing
• 2am: Call it a day

• You should be willing to work hard and for long hours
• Film editing requires a lot of patience
• It is an extremely creative process based on individual as well as collective opinions
• You have to re-work a lot on your editing so you need to have the perseverance to deal with it and ensure a great result

A film editor should have basic knowledge of the software. What you learn at a training institute may be different from what you actually do as a film editor. You have to be a little “film literate,” your basics have to be strong and you should be able to pick up editing skills easily. A long or short-term course in film editing may be useful.

• Film and Television Institute of India, Pune
• Whistling Woods International School, Mumbai
• Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata