Final Cut’s Arianna Tomasettig on Her 15+ Year Career as an Editor

Describe your job role and the kinds of projects/clients you work with.
I’m an editor at creative post-house Final Cut, working on commercial campaigns, music videos, short films, and, as of late, I am now a feature film editor as well. My clients vary from brands including Meta, Vrbo, and Tinder to artists such as Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Jack White, and Marvin Gaye.

What does an average day look like in your post-production working world?
It really depends on the kind of project I’m working on and the stage we are in. Most days start with a check-in with my team. Shout out to our producers and assistants who make every day so much more enjoyable and allow me to really focus on the creative stuff, knowing they have my back with everything else. Generally, after getting a brief from the director and/or agency at the beginning of the project, I have a couple of days alone with the material. At this stage, I try to take my time watching the dailies, taking in and memorizing all the nuances and coverage of the various scenes, which comes in handy when clients ask for alts or when trying to solve a problem. After pulling selects, I assemble a cut without worrying about the length. I just let the material do what it wants while having fun with it. I’ve been working on a feature recently, so the process is a bit different. We’re currently at the stage where the director comes for in-person sessions, and we go through each scene and work together to make it as strong as possible.

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