Humans are such incredible creatures.
Like a nuclear reactor once 'ignited', we become unstoppable.
We constantly evolve consuming knowledge blistering fast, using every sense available, physical or metaphysical.
Humans are eternal learners.
Curiosity, lighthearted playfulness, and strong observation skills feed this endless desire for exploration.
Trust me, I have verified the above by watching my little ones grow from infancy!
Observation drives Learning!
But the learning continues in our professional lives too.
Through the years I have enrolled in various types of learning: classroom lessons, online courses, live or self-paced training, cohorts, and communities.
The most interesting and effective type is the so-called 'over-the-shoulder' training because, in this advantageous state, you have the luxury of observing a professional making creative, technical, trivial, or complex decisions, in real-time.
My last experience as such was around 20 years ago.
As a rookie in the trailer department, I was mentored by some of the best trailer editors in Greece.
I spent hours and hours 'shadowing' them, often without speaking a word or asking a single question out of respect, trying not to interrupt their sacred creative process.
I felt blessed knowing I had a private 1:1 coaching lesson from the best and I recall sitting on the edge of my seat watching all the tricks, trying not to miss any keystroke used.
Unfortunately, this kind of training is almost obsolete these days.
Especially with the extended use of video calls and remote working, opportunities to connect with other professionals and even 'shadow' senior editors while working are extremely rare!
But... just two months ago, I was surprised to see the announcement for similar training, this time remotely via Zoom!
A one-hour session offered by Soho Editors Training
It was such a fantastic experience watching a professional explaining his editing process and I can't stress enough how beneficial this type of training is for us editors, experienced or not.
Especially if you are starting now, this will be the most valuable and beneficial training you could ever have.
Keep your eyes open for these opportunities.
Join groups like Soho Editors and ask them to create more courses like these.
Visit post-production companies and ask them to let you 'shadow' their editors.
I can imagine this could seem 'intimidating' but I would happily say 'yes' if an editor asked to join me in the edit suite, 'hitting me' with a ton of questions about editing!
In fact, if you are interested I could create a similar training to speed up your learning curve on editing movie trailers!
What would you say about such a crash course?
It will be free and 'over my shoulder' !!!
If you want this to happen just hit the button below!
In the meantime, don't worry.
I will ring the bell when a great training comes to my attention.
-Yannis
p.s.
'To acquire knowledge, one must study, but to acquire wisdom, one must observe'
Marilyn Vos Savant
