freshman carrying 18 hours,
which was way too much. So I
chose not to stick with the TV
station job, and concentrated
on the university job--I lived
and worked there year round
for four years. I never went
home. I loved the work and
was having a great experience
learning more than I could
possibly imagine." In his
senior year, he was hired as a
full time staff member.
Situated just over the border
from Tennessee, Western stu-
dents were frequently hired
whenever Nashville produc-
tions needed extra help.
"Generally it was carrying
wardrobe, props, and sets; that
sort of job. They'd call the uni-
versity and a bunch of us
would drive down and make
union wages, rubbing elbows
with the Hollywood types."
Initially interested in direct-
ing, he gravitated toward post-
production once in college.
When the staff editor quit
during Askin's sophomore
year, he was offered the full
time position. "It was the
closest thing to directing
without directing, because
you're deciding what shots go
where and in what order."
After graduating in 1977,
Askin went to work for
WDCN, the Nashville public
television station. He was there only four months when a college friend
who was working in Los Angeles on Hee Haw called to offer him a job. He
started the job in January 1978, but after two years realized that Los
Angeles was not where he wanted to raise a family. So, he returned to
Some editors are
`jacks of all trades,'
skilled at editing a
variety of formats, but
many specialize in one
genre. Comedy editors are proficient at
timing and making a joke work. They know
how to cut the reaction shot to generate the
best laugh and really play out the joke to its
fullest extent. The same goes for cutting
together a romantic love scene or a big action
sequence. "When a producer is looking for
someone to work on their project, they're
probably going to gravitate toward someone
who has a lot of credits doing that
[genre]."--Joe Askin
"In our company, there is not a single
clock in the building and there is a reason for
that: you can't worry about going home.
That's the work ethic thing; you're so
wrapped up in the job that not just minutes
slip by, but literally seasons slip by. We don't
have windows. Not for any good reason other
than it would probably be disheartening to
see the sun rise and go down and the seasons
change, and realize you're just pounding
away on the same piece of work. If you're
sheltered from that, it keeps your concentra-
tion. It's like when sports figures says they're
`in the zone.' You want to focus entirely on
this one moment that you're trying to get
across to the audience."--Joe Askin
Get your hands on a video camera and
begin editing your own footage on your home
PC, and discover whether you have a talent
for editing.
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