We recently had the chance to connect with annette davey and have shared our conversation below.
annette, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
i think the most misunderstood aspect of working in the film industry is how vital each component is to the whole film. People often dont understand the role of an editor and when i explain all the different aspects of my work, they are usually very suprised, often saying “oh i thought you just take out the slates or the bad bits!”
Editing is a very all consuming job and looks at all aspects of the film, images, performance, story, pacing & music. It is very easy for 8 hours to fly by and not feel like its been more than 10 minutes which makes it a lot of fun
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
hi i am a film & TV editor. I work freelance ,so i work across a range of projects, sometime it will be a dramatic TV show or movie. Whilst the next project could be comedy. I choose my projects based largely on the script, and the director and the team involved with the project. But script is my first priority as ultimately you telling the story in the best possible way.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
i was very fortunate early in my career to meet an academy award winning editor whilst i was still in australia. She invited me to work with her in Los Angeles and this was an incredible opportunity. I learnt a tremendous amount about filmmaking and the craft of editing from her.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
i never actually gave up, but i grew up in south australia which did not have a film industry and i did not know one single person who worked in film. In fact i was studying social work at university but realized this was not for me and realized that i really wanted to work in the film industry. Being young i had no idea of how hard this could be , but packed up and moved to sydney to see if i could break into the industry there. In sydney I also knew no one who worked in film but i persisted and the first day I arrived in sydney i went to the unemployment office to register for unemployment where they asked me what type of work was i looking for. I answered film which would normally provoke laughter or some derisive comment but they said “we have a job in film”. “and there’s one position open!! A group of women in sydney had gotten money from the government to train women for 6 months in all aspects of filmmaking. And we were paid a decent salary for 6 months, so when the project finished i had met lots of people who worked in the industry and knew enough about the basics of post production to wrangle a job as an assistant editor!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
i think the current discussion about the impact of AI is very shortsighted and possibly naieve. I think esp in post production AI will swoop in (in the not too distant future) and completely change the entire landscape of post production.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
i would regret not pursuing other aspects of film, like writing or directing or producing. Esp if i did not pursue them. because i was just always too busy editing. its important to find time to do other things, and not be complaining when you are old that you should’ve done it!!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @nettsdavey
- Linkedin: Annette Davey
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