In the ever-expanding world of reality TV, editors wield incredible creative power. They often are responsible for creating a scenes or even an episodes storyline from nothing but a rambling tangle of raw footage. In this sense, they are a shows writers, drawing engaging drama from a murky pool of images and comments. As reality TV invades every channel and time slot, the demand for editors who are comfortable with and conversant in the genres styles, formats, and requirements increases daily. Editing Reality TV: The Easily Accessible, High-Paying Hollywood Job that Nobody Knows About is the first book to address this burgeoning gig. Written in an appropriately casual tone by an author who is well-seasoned in all sorts of reality TV, this guide provides sound advice about finding, landing, and keeping a reality TV editing job. In doing so, it also details the editors duties and responsibilities, while providing a wealth of invaluable tips and tricks for doing the job well.
Jeff Dawson graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Film and Television Department before venturing to Hollywood and into the world of reality TV, where he has worked steadily for years as an editor on such shows as The Bachelor, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and Nanny 911. He has also been co-executive producer of such shows as the Food Network's Restaurant Stakeout.
This book breaks down something that takes years to master into digestible bites. It makes something that is incredibly complicated and esotericediting, or writing with videototally accessible. I intend to use this book in any editing class I teach. The way Jeff Dawson breaks down how to use and edit music is like a master class in editing. I have been editing professionally over ten years and I learned techniques from this book I will utilize in my craft from here on out. This is a book for both amateurs and professionals. There are secrets of the trade exposed here for anyone to use! Ali Grossman, Editor, The Real Housewives of New York and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Jeff Dawsons advice on the art of editing and navigating the industry has been essential to building the career I have today. His book, Editing Reality TV, is the perfect starter kit for anyone looking to break into Hollywood and make money doing it. Jeffs instructions are clear, entertaining and proven to work. Joe Talbot Hall, Editor, ABCs Once Upon a Time
This is by far the best exploration into the unknown world of reality TV editing. Sax Eno, Editor, Hells Kitchen, The Real World