Video editing and production

What interviewers look for

• Storytelling in the edit: you can find the story in raw footage, choose the strongest moments and cut to the audience and length. A 45-second social clip is not a five-minute donor film.
• Technical control: clear speech at steady levels, natural and matching colour, and the right frame size and export settings for each platform or channel.
• An organised workflow: clear folders and file names, backups on more than one drive, and projects someone else could open and continue.
• Ethics and consent: permission from the people you film, extra care with children and vulnerable people, no edits that change what someone meant, and music you have the right to use.
• Speed and reliability: event or news footage out the same day, versions delivered on time, and an early warning when something will be late.
• Honest tool levels: which of Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, CapCut or After Effects you use daily, and the projects you used them on.

Questions they ask

1. 1“Walk us through how you edit a video, from receiving the footage to the final export.”

   Why they ask: They check that you work in a clear order: safe files first, story before polish, and a final check before anything is delivered.

   How to answer

   • Start with backup and organisation: copy the cards to two drives, clear folders.
   • Then selection and a rough cut for the story only, agreed with the producer.
   • Then the fine cut, audio, colour, titles and subtitles, a check on a phone, and delivery.

   First I copy the cards to two drives and organise folders by date and camera. I watch everything and mark the best moments, especially strong quotes. Then I build a rough cut for the story only, without music or colour, and share it with the producer. Once the structure is agreed, I tighten the pacing, clean the audio, correct the colour and add titles and Somali subtitles. I export a test file, watch it on a phone, then deliver the final versions and archive the project.

2. 2“What is the difference between colour correction and colour grading?”

   Why they ask: A technical check. They want to hear that you fix problems first and create a look second, and that you trust scopes more than a laptop screen.

   How to answer

   • Correction fixes exposure and white balance and makes shots match each other.
   • Grading comes after and creates a mood or style for the whole piece.
   • Mention scopes (waveform, vectorscope) and keeping skin tones natural.

   Colour correction fixes problems so the footage looks natural and consistent: exposure, white balance and matching shots from two cameras. Grading comes after and gives the piece a look or mood, like warmer tones for a hopeful story. In DaVinci Resolve I correct first using the scopes, because a laptop screen in a bright office can fool my eyes. For NGO films I keep the grade natural, because people's skin tones must look real.

3. 3“How do you make sure the audio is good?”

   Why they ask: Viewers forgive average pictures but switch off when they cannot hear. They check that you use meters, keep speech clear, and test on the speakers people really use.

   How to answer

   • Watch the meters: speech steady and clear, peaks well below 0 dB so it never clips.
   • Keep music well under the voice, and reduce background noise such as generators or wind.
   • Check on headphones and on a phone speaker; for TV, ask for the channel's loudness standard.

4. 4“What export settings would you use for social media, and for TV?”

   Why they ask: Wrong settings mean blurry uploads, black bars or a file the channel rejects. They check that you know the common settings and ask for a spec instead of guessing.

   How to answer

   • Social: H.264 in an MP4 file, sized to the platform, for example 1080 × 1920 for vertical video.
   • TV: ask for the channel's technical spec (codec, frame rate, loudness) and follow it exactly.
   • Always keep a high-quality master so new versions do not lose quality.

   For social media I export H.264 in an MP4 file, because it uploads quickly and plays everywhere. I set the frame size by platform: 1080 by 1920 for TikTok and Reels, 1920 by 1080 for YouTube. For TV I never guess; I ask the channel for their technical specification, including codec, frame rate and loudness, and export exactly that. I also keep a high-quality master, so I can make new versions later without losing quality.

5. 5“How do you handle consent when you film people, especially children?”

   Why they ask: NGOs, UN agencies and serious media houses fail candidates on this. They want to hear that consent is informed, recorded, and respected in the edit and in storage too.

   How to answer

   • Explain the purpose in Somali before filming and record consent in writing or on camera.
   • For children: a parent or guardian's consent and the child's own agreement; for survivors, no face, name or location.
   • In the edit and after: follow the organisation's policy, blur where needed, and store raw footage securely.

6. 6“The footage arrives at 5 pm and the video must be online by 8 pm. How do you manage?”

   Why they ask: News, events and campaigns run on tight deadlines. They check that you prioritise, deliver a working version early and communicate instead of going silent.

   How to answer

   • Confirm the length, key message and who approves it before you start cutting.
   • Use ready templates for titles and subtitles and build a simple structure first.
   • Send a complete version early for approval, then polish, and warn early if something is at risk.

   I would first confirm with the producer the length, the key message and who approves it, so I do not edit twice. I keep templates ready for titles, lower thirds and subtitles. I pick the three or four strongest clips and build a simple structure first. By about seven I export a complete version and send it for approval, even if it is not perfect, then use the remaining time for audio and colour. If anything is at risk, I say so early.

7. 7“How do you add subtitles, and why do they matter?”

   Why they ask: Much social video is watched with the sound off, and audiences switch between Somali and English. They check accuracy, readability and that you do not trust auto-captions blindly.

   How to answer

   • Say why: silent viewing, bilingual audiences, and people with hearing difficulties.
   • Know the two types: a separate SRT file, or captions burned into the picture for social media.
   • Short lines, good timing, readable style, and a fluent speaker checks the Somali and English.

Example answers are in English, the language most panels use. Say it in your own words.

Topics to revise

• Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, CapCutPremiere Pro is common in agencies and media houses; DaVinci Resolve is strong for colour and has a free version; CapCut is fast for phone and social edits. Say which you use daily and be ready to use theirs.
• Cuts and pacing (J-cut, L-cut, B-roll)Pacing is the rhythm of the edit. In a J-cut the next clip's sound starts before its picture; in an L-cut the sound carries on over the next picture. B-roll is supporting footage shown over an interview.
• Audio levels (dB, LUFS, clipping)Meters show level in dB; at 0 dB the sound clips and distorts. LUFS measures overall loudness, and TV channels and platforms have loudness targets. Expect: “How loud should music be under speech?”
• Colour correction vs gradingCorrection fixes exposure and white balance and matches shots; grading creates the final look. Scopes like the waveform show brightness objectively, which matters when your screen is not calibrated.
• Frame rate and resolutionFrame rate is pictures per second (for example 25, 30 or 60 fps); resolution is the frame size, such as 1080p or 4K. Keep one frame rate across a project, and match what the channel or client asks for.
• Aspect ratios (16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5)16:9 is horizontal for YouTube and TV; 9:16 is vertical for TikTok, Reels and Stories; 1:1 and 4:5 are common for feed posts. Frame your shots so a vertical crop still keeps the speaker's face.
• Codecs and containers (H.264, H.265, ProRes, MP4, MOV)The container is the file type (MP4, MOV); the codec is how the video inside is compressed. H.264 plays almost everywhere; H.265 makes smaller files; ProRes is a high-quality editing and master format.
• Bitrate and file sizeBitrate is how much data is used per second of video. Higher bitrate means better quality and bigger files. Useful when a file is too big to send on slow internet, or looks blocky after upload.
• Subtitles (SRT vs burned-in captions)An SRT file holds timed text that viewers can switch on or off; burned-in captions are part of the picture and always show. Social media often needs burned-in; YouTube and TV may ask for a file.
• Proxies and project organisationProxies are small copies of heavy camera files so a normal laptop can edit smoothly; the final export uses the originals. Organisation means clear folders for footage, audio, graphics and exports.
• Backup (3-2-1 rule)Keep three copies of important footage, on two different kinds of storage, with one copy in another place. Cards fail and laptops get stolen; losing an interview that cannot be filmed again is serious.
• Music and footage rightsUse only music and clips you are licensed to use, such as royalty-free libraries or tracks the client owns. Platforms can mute or block videos with copyrighted music, and a client can be embarrassed publicly.

Practical tasks you may get

1. 1An editing test of 30 to 90 minutes: cut a 30 to 60 second video from raw footage they give you, sometimes on their computer. Ask in advance which software it will be, practise on it, know the main shortcuts, bring your own headphones, and deliver on time: a finished short cut beats an unfinished long one.
2. 2A shoot-and-edit task: film a short interview or story around the office and edit it the same day. Charge batteries, clear memory cards, monitor sound with headphones while filming, and ask everyone on camera for consent.
3. 3A fix-and-export task: a clip with noisy audio, wrong colour and the wrong shape, to be fixed and exported for TikTok and YouTube. Know the common frame sizes and export settings by heart so you do not waste time searching.
4. 4A showreel review: the panel stops your reel and asks about one shot. Know every clip in it: the client, your exact role, the tools, and one thing you would do differently now.

Portfolio questions

• A showreel of 60 to 90 seconds with your best work first, plus two or three complete pieces, because the panel wants to see you can tell a whole story, not just cut fast.
• For each piece, be ready to say the purpose, your role (filming, editing, colour, motion), the software and the result.
• Only include footage you may show and that has consent, especially of children or beneficiaries; ask former employers when unsure.
• Host it where it plays without a login (unlisted YouTube, Vimeo or Drive), and keep offline copies on your phone in case the internet is slow.

Mistakes to avoid

• A showreel full of effects and flashy transitions, but no complete story anywhere.
• Music louder than the speech, or audio that clips, checked only on good headphones and never on a phone speaker.
• Using copyrighted music or clips from the internet in client work or in the showreel.
• Filming or publishing people, especially children, without informed consent, or cutting a quote so it changes what the person meant.
• Keeping one copy of the footage on one drive, then losing the whole project when it fails.
• Missing a deadline silently instead of telling the producer early and sending a working version first.

Quick check

5 questions. Answer each one to see the explanation.