Australian Screen Editors (ASE) was founded in 1996 by Henry Dangar (who became its first president) and Jenny Ward. The guild is "dedicated to the pursuit and recognition of excellence in the arts, sciences and technology of motion picture and televisual post production. It aims to promote, improve and protect the role of editor as an essential and significant contributor to all screen productions." [1]
The current President of ASE is Fiona Strain. Immediate past presidents include Deborah Peart, Dany Cooper, Jason Ballantine, Karen Pearlman, Lindi Harrison and Peter Whitmore. It currently has about 500 members in all Australian states, predominantly in NSW and Victoria.
Membership
Applications for ASE membership are invited from professional screen editors, assistant editors, students of screen editing and associated film industry professionals. Applicants must have a folio of significant editorial work in film and/or television. There are three types of memberships: Full members, associate members and student members. Some notable members such as Jill Bilcock are members of both the Australian Screen Editors and American Cinema Editors. Members are not permitted to use the acronym "ASE" after their names on screen credits until they obtain ASE accreditation.
Accreditation
ASE accreditation is like an honorary degree given to members who have made a significant contribution to editing. There are currently 46 accredited members. Accreditation is presented at the annual ASE awards night and are given under the following guidelines.
- It is an acknowledgement of a very strong body of work over a period of time.
- It is given by editing peers and therefore has a high value attached to it.
- It is an acknowledgement of an editor who has continued to pass on the craft of editing to those who want to learn.
- It is an acknowledgement of an editor who has continued to work actively in promoting the values of good editing and editing practices.
Guild structure
The ASE has an executive committee based in Sydney (New South Wales) and sub committees in Melbourne (Victoria), Brisbane (Queensland),Perth (Western Australia) and Adelaide (South Australia), who meet monthly to discuss issues and organise events such as talks by industry professionals, technical events and screenings.
Resources
ASE owns and operates both "Editsearch", an online based bulletin board for ASE members providing information on editorial related jobs, and a mentor scheme, where younger or less experienced members can gain work experience with senior industry professionals. In addition, ASE also provides a wealth of resources such as an online forum, technical articles and information about Australian editing culture as well as the history of editing. A newsletter is also published quarterly and distributed to members.
Awards
ASE awards and accreditation nights are held annually in Sydney. Eligible members are presented with their ASE accreditation during this ceremony. The ASE Award itself is called an "Ellie" and resembles a small bronze Elephant with its trunk up and the winning film as a rubber stamp on the bottom. It is presented in the following eleven categories:
- Short film
- TV (factual)
- TV (drama)
- TV (comedy)
- Documentary
- Documentary (series)
- Documentary (program)
- Feature film
- Commercials
- Music Video
- Open Content
The award for TV (comedy) is the most recent addition to the categories, having been added in 2014.
Best Editing in a Feature Film
Best Editing in a Documentary Feature
- 2014: Once my Mother, Denise Haslem
- 2013: Show Me The Magic, Scott Walton
- 2012: Paul Kelly: Stories of Me, Sally Fryer
- 2011: Girls Own War Stories, Antoinette Ford
- 2010: My Asian Heart, Andrew Arestides
- 2009: A Good Man, Nicholas Beauman
- 2008: The Cars That Ate China, Andrew Arestides
- 2007: Choir of Hard Knocks, Steve Robinson
- 2006: Unfolding Florence, Nick Beauman
Best Editing in a Documentary Program
- 2014: Cronulla Riots – The Day That Shocked the Nation, Melanie Annan
- 2013: Buckskin, David Banbury
- 2012: A Law Unto Himself, Andrea Lang
Best Editing in a Documentary Series
- 2014: Kakadu – Ep 4, Caspar Mazzotti
- 2013: Desert War Ep 1, ‘Tobruk’, Lawrence Silvestrin
- 2012: Australian Story, ‘Streets with No Names’, Steven Baras-Miller
Best Editing in Television Drama
- 2014: Redfern Now: Where the Heart Is, Nicholas Holmes
- 2013: Devil's Dust Part 2, Katrina Barker
- 2012: The Slap, Episode 1 ‘Hector’, Mark Atkin
- 2011: Spirited, Series 1, Episode 2, Martin Connor
- 2010: Packed to the Rafters, Episode 44, James Manche
- 2009: Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, Episode 4, Deborah Peart
- 2008: Underbelly, Episode 9, Peter Carrodus
- 2007: Bastard Boys, Veronika Jenet
- 2006: The Society Murders, Ken Sallows
Best Editing in a Television Comedy
- 2014: The Moodys – Ep 1, Paul Swain
Best Editing in Television Factual
- 2014: Taking on the Chocolate Frog – Ep 1, Marcos Moro
- 2013: Kings Cross ER, Series 2, Ep 1, Bob Burns
- 2012: Go Back To Where You Came From, Series 2, Episode 1, Orly Danon
- 2011: On Trial, Episode 1, Denise Haslem
- 2010: The Science of Teens, Episode 4: Moods, Fiona Strain
- 2009: Bondi Vet, Episode 12, Dave Redman
- 2008: Charlotte & Jordans Runway to LA, Episode 2, Philippa Rowlands
- 2007: Jamie's Kitchen, Australia, Episode 5, Philippa Rowlands
Best Editing in a Commercial
- 2014: RACQ ‘Rescue Me’, Sue Schweikert
- 2013: John West ‘Running with the Bears’, David Whittaker
- 2012: Volkswagen Tiguan ‘Cross Country’, Drew Thompson
- 2011: AB ‘3 Year Olds’, Bernard Garry
- 2010: ANZ ‘The Chase’, Peter Whitmore
- 2008: Toyota ‘Earth's Greatest 4WD’, Drew Thompson
Best Editing in a Music Video
- 2014: Belle Roscoe ‘Let Me Cut in’, Scott Walmsley
- 2013: ‘Come into My Head’ Kimbra, John Gavin
- 2012: Angus Stone ‘Bird on the Buffalo’, Peter Barton
- 2011: Schvendes ‘Lay the Noose’, Matt Osborne
- 2010: The Thomas Oliver Band ‘Goin’ Home’, Katie Hinsen
Best Editing in a Short film
| Year | Title | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Godel Incomplete | Gwendalina Sputore |
| Rabbit | Patrick McCabe | |
| I am Emmanuel | Adrian Rostirolla | |
| The Landing | Derryn Watts | |
| 2013 | No Quarter | Alexandre Guterres |
| Time | Scott Walmsley | |
| All God's Creatures | Kelly Cameron & Mary Elizabeth Hutson | |
| Cargo | Shannon Longville | |
| 2012 | The Wilding | Anthony Cox |
| Dave's Dead | Annabelle Johnson | |
| Peekaboo | Katie Flaxman | |
| Spine | Melanie Annan | |
| 2011 | Something Fishy | Melanie Annan |
| Fully Famous | Brad Hurt | |
| Kiss | Danielle Boesenberg | |
| Ostia – La Notte Finale | Adrian Chiarella | |
| 2010 | The Love Song of Iskra Prufrock | Adrian Chiarella |
| Driven | Fiona Strain | |
| Drowning | Adrian Rosirolla | |
| Entanglement Theory | Karen Pearlman | |
| 2009 | Bleeders | Zen Rosenthal |
| Plastic | Ann Foo & Vladimir Jovičić | |
| Salt | Lindi Harrison & Ingunn Jordansen | |
| Boundless | Christopher Mill | |
| 2008 | The Ground Beneath | Adrian Rostirolla |
| Jerrycan | Jack Hutchings | |
| Four | Zen Rosenthal | |
| A Natural Talent | Katrina Barker | |
| 2007 | 25 cents | Richard Greenhalgh |
| Meditations on a Name | Peter Crombie | |
| Len's Love Story | Jodie Gallacher | |
| Pension Day | Trevor Holcomb | |
| 2006 | Brother | Hayley Lake |
| A Message From Fallujah | Adam Wills | |
| Sexy Thing | Milena Romanin | |
| Vend | JC Frugaard |
Best Editing in Open Content
- 2014: Canon, Jessica Mutascio
- 2013: Fragments of Friday Ep 5, Ann Foo
- 2012: Event Zero, Episode 4, Julian Harvey
Accreditations
- 2014: Karin Steininger
- 2013: Christopher Branagan, Deborah Peart
Lifetime Membership Award
- 2014: Nicholas Beauman
- 2013: Mike Honey