Postmen/Postwomen???

Tired of being called an editor when you are so much more? It's true isn't it? We may as well be called Postmen or Postwomen for all the graphic design, animation, DVD authoring, duplication, color correction and grading, , compositing, audio mixing, compressing and don't forget editing!

In large workflow situations such as posting for big national programs that are expensive to produce such as Lost and Heroes, we would simply be a cog in a giant machine all working toward a common goal with our small contribution. Colorists who work with programs like Lustre and focus on just that, compositors focus on compositing, audio techs who mix down sound and finishers who bring together all the elements.

But what is an editor, really? Someone who takes out all the bad bits as Walter Murch stated in his book In the Blink of an Eye"? Of course, an editor takes out the bad bits, organizes footage and focuses on timing.

But this brings us to my point; what is the future of an editor? MTV brought us shows like "Made" where the show was shot with cheap 3-chip cameras with messy videography and a posting workflow that was, well, let's say a little bit unsophisticated. Is the Postman/Postwoman doomed to a career of having to know everything about post!? My answer is 'maybe.' despite the changing landscape of media distribution where people acquire their television from XBOX Live, Hulu.com, iTunes and other such distribution methods; does everything look like garbage? No, it looks ok and it'll only look better and better as new compression algorithms are designed and larger pipes are brought into our homes. It's inevitable. There will be a home for 'messy' and 'unsophisticated' production practices and also the elite in production. It is an exciting time as there will be plenty of work for us all; people who want to do-it-all and others who wish to be a cog in a great machine.