Editing House of the Year: Final Cut

Why do you think the last 12 months has been so successful?

We stuck to the same principles that we always have and tried to do the best creative work. After rising high for the last five years we didn’t expect to add much to the trophy cabinet this year. 

Little did we know we would scoop Best Edit House at Shots, Ciclope, Little Black Book and Kinsale in the same year.

To use a footballing analogy, we have strength and depth in our team. 

How would you describe Final Cut London's approach to the business and its output?

We let the work do the talking. 

We don’t spend huge amounts of money on advertising and sales. 

We work hard to maintain existing relationships with our clients and always go the extra mile whenever possible.

What marks you out from your peers?

To use a footballing analogy, we have strength and depth in our team. 

Yes we have superstar editors whose names feature on top five lists but we also have a number of editors snapping at their heels as well as fantastic juniors coming up through the ranks.

The production and post landscape has been a constantly evolving beast over recent years; how have you adapted to those changes?

We keep an open dialogue with our clients and try to be responsive to their needs. We know production companies are feeling the squeeze and try to be as flexible as possible to help them adapt to a changing market.

All of the major cutting rooms have rosters bursting at the seams with editorial talent.

We opened sound and music company Machine to streamline audio workflow and allow a creative solution for our clients audio requirements in house. 

We also opened The Lofts, a 9 suite dry hire facility on our fifth floor in order to host long form projects.

Do you see more evolution on the horizon and, if so, what shape do you think it might take?

Almost every agency has some post capability now, including offline, threatening our market share, but we are continuing to work on high end TVCs. 

We hire people we like, after all we’re gonna be seeing them every day for the rest of their lives!

Thankfully at the same time the SVODS Netflix and Amazon et al have arrived in town giving a shot in the arm to london editors allowing them new opportunities to ply their craft.

What have been the biggest challenges for the London office - and the editing world in general - over the last 12 months?

Competition for work. 

All of the major cutting rooms have rosters bursting at the seams with editorial talent. There are more and more of us in a small marketplace. Maintaining existing relationships is paramount. 

Our key clients value the craft and the experience and look for talent-led solutions.

Above: David Webb, editor and managing director, and Michelle Corney, executive producer, picking up the award.

How do you find and nurture new talent? Has it changed at all in recent years?

The same as always. We hire people we like, after all we’re gonna be seeing them every day for the rest of their lives! 

We train them, we try to look out for them and we surround them with the most creative work possible. The majority of our roster started off as runners at Final Cut and have learnt their craft working within an amazing team.

We operate a mentoring system whereby assistants mentor the runners and we allocate each assistant to two editors. It is in everyone’s interest for those editors to pass on all that they know. 

There is incredible value to being surrounded by creative peers.

In the first instance so that the assistants know how to fulfil the editors requirements, but ultimately so that they carry those skills and work practices into their own careers. 

We created New Blood a platform for the assistants to show their work and encourage them to gain experience the same way we did by cutting music videos. 

There is also incredible value to being surrounded by creative peers so that ultimately they gain experience, by both instruction, practice and osmosis.

How important is recognition for the work you produce, and what does winning the Editing House of the Year mean for you?

It’s extremely important. 

Being an editor can sometimes be a lonely occupation but it reminds us that we are a team.

What are your hopes and plans for Final Cut London across 2020?

To continue to develop our roster and give our editors the freedom to develop their careers in any way they see fit.