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]
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 is a crystal rectangle with a corner that has been "cut" off. The front of the award an engraving of an elephant with the winners information engraved on its side. The elephant is a reference to the previous award that was an elephant cast in solid bronze.
It is presented in the following thirteen categories:
Comedy
Commercials
Documentary & Documentary Series
Documentary Feature
Drama
Drama Feature
Drama Short
Factual Entertainment
Music Video
Open Content
Reality TV
Technical Excellence
Trailers & Promos
Complementing the Ellie awards are two Emerging Editor categories that recognise early career practitioners.
