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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Animation Editor

💰 $ - $

AnimationPost-ProductionEditorialVFXFilm/TV

🎯 Role Definition

An Animation Editor is responsible for assembling, timing, and refining animated shots and sequences from animatics through final delivery. This role collaborates closely with directors, supervising animators, compositors, sound designers, and post-production leads to ensure storytelling clarity, rhythmic pacing, continuity, and technical compliance for broadcast, streaming, film, or game cinematic deliverables. Key outputs include editorial assemblies, scene pre-lays, conforming sequences, versioned deliverables, QC reports, and editorial notes for animation and VFX teams.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Assistant Editor (Animation/Post)
  • Editorial Intern (Animation or Post-Production)
  • Junior/Associate Animator or Editorial Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Senior Animation Editor
  • Lead/Head of Editorial (Animation)
  • Supervising Editor or Post-Production Supervisor

Lateral Moves:

  • Story Editor or Storyboard Artist
  • VFX Editor or Compositing Artist
  • Pipeline Coordinator / Technical Editor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Assemble and refine animatics, pre-lays, and cut sequences by combining animation plate renders, temporary FX, and placeholder sound to establish rhythm, pacing, and narrative clarity for director and producer review.
  • Edit and fine-tune timing of animated shots to optimize comedic beats, dramatic tension, and character performance while respecting frame counts, animation cycles, and keyframe timing constraints.
  • Create and maintain editorial timelines in industry-standard NLEs (Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro) and timeline export formats (AAF, XML, EDL) for downstream departments and remote collaborators.
  • Manage shot lists, plate inventories, versioning, and metadata across ShotGrid/Shotgun, ftrack, or similar production tracking tools to ensure accurate editorial context and version history.
  • Prepare and export dailies and review files (DPX/ProRes/H.264) with timecode burn-ins, slate information, and camera metadata for director, animation leads, and VFX review sessions.
  • Conform sequences for review or final output, relinking offline edits to full-resolution renders, applying editorial trims and transitions, and generating deliverable masters per show specs.
  • Collaborate with supervising animators and animation directors to resolve continuity issues, correct timing inconsistencies, and implement direction from notes and review sessions.
  • Generate and maintain detailed editorial notes, change logs, and cut lists after review sessions to clearly communicate required animation, lighting, or compositing fixes to production teams.
  • Integrate temporary sound design, dialogue, and music cues to present cohesive editorial mixes for internal and client approvals; coordinate with sound editors and mixers for final audio conforming (AAF/OMF).
  • Work closely with compositing and VFX teams to ensure handoff-ready sequences, including annotated reference frames, mattes, passes, and layer breakdowns required for final composite.
  • Run QC (quality control) checks on sequences and final masters for frame integrity, color shifts, audio sync, codec compliance, timecode continuity, and deliverable naming conventions.
  • Produce executive and festival screening reels, highlight reels, and promotional assets by selecting shots, establishing pacing, and crafting a narrative arc tailored to stakeholders and audiences.
  • Maintain an organized editorial drive structure and backup policy (LTO, cloud, RAID) for shot media, timelines, and project files to protect production assets and facilitate disaster recovery.
  • Build and refine animatics from storyboard panels and previz, adding timing notes, camera moves, and temporary FX to communicate edit intent to animation and VFX departments.
  • Coordinate and manage review sessions (in-person and virtual) including playback prep, shot version selection, annotation capture, and follow-up distribution of updated cut materials.
  • Collaborate with colorists and finishing teams to prepare graded timelines, reference stills, and LUTs for final color grade and ensure editorial changes are reconciled during finishing passes.
  • Implement editorial pipeline improvements and tool integrations (scripts, watchfolders, transcode automation) to increase throughput, reduce manual errors, and standardize deliverables.
  • Liaise with producers and episode/show leads to prioritize editorial backlog, manage timeline milestones, and communicate schedule impacts related to editorial deliverables.
  • Ensure all edited content adheres to technical delivery specifications for platforms (broadcast, OTT, theatrical, or game engines) including aspect ratio, frame rate, codec, bitrate, and closed captioning/subtitle placement.
  • Support localization and international deliverables by preparing split-reel edits, timecode-accurate tracks for dubbing/ADR, and exportable stems for translators and localization partners.
  • Coach and mentor junior editors and assistant editors in editorial systems, best practices for versioning, and standards for shot documentation and metadata entry.

Secondary Functions

  • Support cross-departmental asset requests by compiling reference sequences, annotated screenshots, and edit decision lists for animation, rigging, lighting, and VFX teams.
  • Participate in review board sessions, offering editorial perspective on pacing, continuity, and story clarity alongside story artists and production leadership.
  • Contribute to editorial and finishing documentation, templates, and style guides that scale across episodes, seasons, or marketing campaigns.
  • Test and evaluate editorial plugins, automation scripts, and pipeline tools; provide feedback to pipeline engineers on usability and integration with editorial workflows.
  • Assist in preparing materials for festival submissions, broadcast delivery packages, and archival exports with correct metadata and checksum verification.
  • Maintain continuing education on editorial best practices, codecs, and emerging tools to improve team capabilities and production quality.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced proficiency with non-linear editing systems: Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, and/or Final Cut Pro.
  • Experience creating and exporting editorial media formats: AAF, XML, EDL; knowledge of conform workflows and relinking offline to online media.
  • Comfortable working with compositing/prep tools such as Adobe After Effects, Foundry Nuke, or Fusion to assemble passes and temporary composites.
  • Familiarity with 3D DCC and playback tools (Maya, Blender, RV, ShotGrid/Shotgun) to ingest playblasts, camera data, and animation passes.
  • Strong understanding of codecs, color spaces, frame rates, aspect ratios, and technical delivery specs for broadcast, streaming, theatrical, and game engines.
  • Proficient with production tracking and review tools: ShotGrid, ftrack, Frame.io, SyncSketch, or similar platforms for versioning and review workflows.
  • Experience preparing deliverables and masters (ProRes, DNxHR, DPX) and running QC checks including waveform and vectorscope diagnostics.
  • Audio editing capability: multitrack editing, basic mixing, and export of stems (dialogue, music, SFX) and OMF/AAF handoffs for mixing and localization.
  • Knowledge of metadata management, file naming conventions, and backup/version control best practices for editorial media.
  • Experience generating animatics from storyboards, integrating temporary score/music, and refining timing to inform animation passes.

Soft Skills

  • Strong narrative sense and storytelling instincts; ability to impact story through edits and timing adjustments.
  • Clear and proactive communicator; skilled at translating director feedback into actionable editorial notes for cross-functional teams.
  • Collaborative attitude with a proven ability to work in tight feedback loops with directors, supervisors, and artists.
  • Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills and an ability to manage multiple sequences and deadlines concurrently.
  • Problem-solving mindset; comfortable troubleshooting technical issues and proposing process improvements.
  • Calm under pressure and adaptable when schedules shift or when rapid iteration is required to deliver client-ready sequences.
  • Mentorship and team leadership experience; able to train junior editors and document best practices.
  • Strong time management and prioritization skills to balance creative quality with delivery constraints.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree or equivalent professional experience in film/video production, animation, or post-production.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree (B.A./B.S.) in Animation, Film Production, Post-Production, Media Arts, or related discipline.
  • Additional coursework or certificate training in non-linear editing, color grading, and audio post-production is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Animation
  • Film & Television Production
  • Post-Production / Editing
  • Motion Graphics / Media Arts

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–6 years of hands-on editing experience in animation, VFX, or post-production environments.

Preferred:

  • 4+ years editing animation or hybrid animation/VFX projects, with demonstrated credits on episodes, shorts, feature animation, commercials, or game cinematics.
  • Prior experience in a studio pipeline environment using ShotGrid/Shotgun, Frame.io, or equivalent collaboration platforms.
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