Emory DeYoung
Q What do you do?
“I am a video editor.”
I take the raw footage and audio filmed for movies and videos and edit them together to turn them into a movie or video. I assemble the footage into sequences, incorporate and mix the sound, and adjust the colors to bring a unique tone to the piece.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I left high school after my sophomore year to attend college at the age of sixteen. I fell in love with the process of editing during my first film production class. I found editing to be such an interesting aspect to filmmaking, that all it took was a slightly different choice in music or sound effects or which clips to use in which order and suddenly a video could have an entirely different meaning or tone. I transferred to Sarah Lawrence College and immediately dove headfirst into learning all I could about editing. For a year post-graduation, I edited a short horror film written and directed by a Sarah Lawrence student. Since the film was completed, I have been looking for full-time work as a video editor.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I am dedicated to doing everything I can to help a project reach its full potential, whether it is required of me or not. For the short film I edited just out of college, I learned a completely new program to implement effects that I knew would elevate the piece. I added details that most viewers would never notice to add an air of believability to the project to those that did. Towards the end of the project, I was spending upwards of ten hours a day editing just to ensure the film was released on time. I went above and beyond what I knew was necessary of me because I wanted the project to succeed.
Q What are you working on right now?
Currently, I am working on establishing a YouTube channel. I want to combine my writing and editing skills to create video essays discussing topics I am passionate about. The current essay I am working on discusses the themes of body horror and femininity present in my favorite video game Bloodborne (2015).
Q What’s your style?
I want to reach the level of video editing prowess that I see with some of the incredible video essayists active on YouTube right now. My personal favorite creator is Jacob Geller.
Watch my favorite video of his!
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I wish I could focus more on my reading and writing skills. When I was a kid, I wanted to become an author. I do still want to write my own novels, but my focus has shifted entirely to the film industry and finding work within it.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
My main source of frustration currently comes from having had no positive responses to my applications for full-time work in the film industry. I have applied for almost 200 positions in less than a year and have yet to receive an interview from a single one.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I would have them perform mundane errands such as doing my laundry and purchasing my groceries so that I don’t have to do these things myself. These chores are often unpredictable as to when they need to be done, and I always stress about whether to hold them off until the weekend or do them on work days even though they take time away from my work.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I wish I could have told my eleven year old self to start looking into filmmaking and make their own short movies. I didn’t realize I wanted to be a filmmaker until the year before I went to college and consequently, I went into my classes with less general knowledge on the process of filmmaking than a lot of my peers did. My peers had already spent years working with cameras and making their own movies, and it felt like I was always falling behind them despite being in the same classes.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I would gain more insight into how to get any job in the film industry. I’ve been trying to get noticed for so long that it feels disparaging to have not gotten any sort of positive response from any position. I want to know how to make myself stand out, how to get my foot in the door and get noticed. I would do any sort of job, no matter what it is, if it let me work in the movie or television industry.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
As a freelancer, I’m looking for video editing opportunities. Any project that needs an editor to cut and assemble footage, mix and edit sound, or color grade is exactly the kind of opportunity I’m looking for. I’d also be more than happy to work on something that requires motion graphics or basic visual effects.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My ideal collaboration would be with either the production of a short film or a brand that is looking for an editor for their social media posts. The ideal client would be open to my ideas and professional input, but unafraid to tell me their vision and what needs to be changed in order for the project to reach its full potential.
Q What is your rate?
My rate is $180/day. I am unable to say how much an individual project will be since the length and detail required of each video editing project is different.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
The best way to contact me is via email at emory7claire@gmail.com. In your email, please include the type of project (i.e. short film, commercial, training video, etc) and what you are looking for in terms of editing style. Also specify whether or not your project requires graphics or special effects, please.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Consume other people's art.
This member profile was originally published in May 2023