VOTD: What Does An Editor Do On An Animated Movie?

Everyone knows that the job of an editor on any movie is to take all the footage that was shot during production and attempt to assemble it into the motion picture that we'll see playing on the big screen in front of us. But when it comes to an animated movie, what exactly does an editor do?

The process of editing an animated film is far different from editing a movie that was shot on camera, and it's actually even more in depth than what we're used to an editor doing on your average film. That's because, as a new video essay explains, animated films are basically edited first, and then have all the footage "shot" after that process is done.

Find out more about the job of an animated movie editor after the jump.

Thanks to The Royal Ocean Film Society for putting this video essay together to explain the role of an editor on an animated film.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in animation probably could have guessed that this was the role of an editor on an animated film, but the average movie goer out there may have no idea. It really is the same process as a live-action movie, just done in reverse.

The editor of an animated movie helps plan the story and puts together a story reel with sound effects and temporary music to help figure out what the movie will look like when it's animated. Meanwhile, the editor of a live-action movie does the exact same thing, but they just do it after the movie is shot. It's tough to say which one is more difficult, so we'll just call it a draw.