9:00am-5pm, Monday 9th – Thursday 12th June | Screen Queensland Studios, Cairns
Screen Queensland, in partnership with Screenworks, is offering an exciting career-boosting opportunity for emerging editors from North and Far North Queensland to be mentored by leading industry expert Stephen Cooper.
Four participants will be selected to take part in the four-day intensive in Cairns this June, under the mentorship of one of Australia’s most experienced editors, post-production and visual effects supervisors. With a particular focus on drama, the program will equip emerging film and television editors with a solid foundation in the art and technique of editing scripted content, focussing on the three principal stages of the edit—the assembly edit, rough cut and fine cut.
NQ Screen Skills: Post-Production Intensive provides tailored training using industry-standard software to give participants a clear understanding of shaping story, performance and rhythm, and how to effectively collaborate within a post-production environment. The intensive is designed for early-career editors with experience in Avid Media Composer or similar.
Key topics include dialogue editing, building emotional arcs, guiding eye trace and shaping subtext—all essential tools for crafting compelling narratives. Participants will learn to approach a script analytically, breaking it down to uncover editorial opportunities and narrative intent, while exploring a range of editing styles and how they shift across genres.
The intensive also dives into the practical workflow of editing—guiding participants through the process of evaluating rushes/dailies, identifying the strongest performances and making confident creative choices. In addition, participants will gain valuable insights into the role of sound at the offline editing stage.
Light refreshments will be provided, but participants will need to bring their own lunch and water bottle.
Registrations close 9am, Monday 28 May with selected participants notified on Monday 2 June.
Eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be available for the full duration of the course. There will be no exemptions on this.
- Applicants must have their own laptop or desktop computer they can bring and use for the duration of the course.
- Applicants must be over 18 years of age to apply for this course.
- Applicants must be an Australian citizen or resident, living in Far North or North Queensland for a minimum of the past 6 months.
Course Activities:
Day 1: Foundations of the Edit
- Morning Session:
o Welcome and course overview
o Introduction to the role of the editor in film and television
o Workflow overview from script to screen
o Introduction to Avid Media Composer interface and basic navigation
- Afternoon Session:
o Rushes overview: understanding the footage you’ve been given
o Script breakdown from an editor’s perspective
o Organising a project: bins, metadata and preparing for the assembly edit
o Q&A discussion
Day 2: Crafting the Assembly Edit
- Morning Session:
o Approaches to the assembly edit: structure, rhythm and performance
o Strategies for reviewing rushes and selecting ‘go’ takes
o Demo: building a basic assembly in Avid
- Afternoon Session:
o Independent work: students begin assembling their own edits
o Supervised editing with one-on-one guidance and feedback
o Group debrief and discussion of discoveries and challenges
Day 3: Shaping the Rough Cut
- Morning Session:
o From assembly to rough cut: refining structure and performance
o Techniques: L and J cuts, eye trace, cutting for subtext
o Case study: viewing and analysing a professionally edited scene
- Afternoon Session:
o Independent work: refining the rough cut with instructor supervision
o Peer-to-peer viewing and constructive feedback
o Wrap-up discussion on creative choices and narrative clarity
Day 4: The Fine Cut and Sound Design
- Morning Session:
o The fine cut: polishing timing, transitions and performance nuances
o Introduction to sound editing in the offline stage
o Using sound for narrative enhancement: ambience, effects and music
- Afternoon Session:
o Independent work: applying sound and refining the final cut
o Final screenings and group feedback session
o Closing discussion: next steps for developing as an editor
Course Trainer: Steve Cooper
Steve commenced his career in film and television as a trainee film editor with commercial television station QTQ9 Brisbane. In 1975, he joined local Queensland based film production company Martin Williams Films where he spent a further five years working as a film editor before starting his own company in 1979. Brisbane Post Production Services, subsequently known as BEEPS and more recently The Post Lounge (TPL), was Australia’s first specialised editing and post-production company. The Post Lounge is highly regarded as one of Australia’s leading boutique post-production facilities.
In March 2019, after 40 years in business, Steve sold The Post Lounge to continue his career as an editor and post-production supervisor.
Through his extensive industry experience, Steve has earned the reputation as one of Australia’s best and most experienced editors, post-production and visual effects supervisors, winning multiple awards including the prestigious British Royal Television Society award for best visual effects for his work on Space with Sam Neill.
This initiative is part of Screen Queensland’s North Queensland Regional Program, delivered in partnership with Screenworks. Registration and personal information will be shared with Screen Queensland to assist with the delivery of future projects.
