experience. Look into local television stations, commercial production
houses, or postproduction facilities. Don't limit yourself to features or
series television when looking for an internship.
Professional Profile: M. Edward Salier, Editor
It's hard to believe that editing was an accidental career choice for
Edward Salier. As a young boy, he loved putting puzzles together to see
the finished picture. Interested in visual arts, photography, and graphic
design, the New Jersey native attended college before taking a postpro-
duction assistant job at a small New York film company. Eventually he
became an apprentice editor, although he was still undecided on a career.
"To be honest, it was a job: money. I was in the business for probably five
or six years before I decided it might be a career."
Having put in two years as an apprentice, Salier moved up to first
assistant, working on a film called Little Murders. He landed a sound
editor position on his next picture. "Supervising the sound editing of that
movie, I got a real solid insight into how you put a movie together, how
you construct the sound effects, and the whole process from beginning to
end, as far as postproduction and editorial is concerned."
In his early twenties, Salier
began editing promotional
pieces for upcoming movie
releases. His first project was a
behind-the-scenes making of
the movie piece for Song of
Norway. While working on it,
he discovered his love of
editing. "I decided this was
intriguing, because you really
get to construct something. I
got to do the kind of things I
enjoyed . . . the structural
aspect of making puzzles."
As work opportunities
dwindled in New York, Salier
relocated to Los Angeles in
1978. Although he had worked
in the industry for a number of
years, he still faced difficulties
getting into the union in Los Angeles. Without union membership, he
was unable to work on features and television series, which were almost
What do you like
least about your job?
"The negative part of it
is the insecurity of
finding your next job
when the [current] job
is over. And occasionally,
working with very unpleasant people."
--Edward Salier
What do you love most
about your job?
"Every show is its own little puzzle. You get
to see the picture when you're done. That's
what I love about it. I [also] love the collabo-
ration, the people I work with, and the envi-
ronment and atmosphere."--Edward Salier
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
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