Joanna Cavlan

BA Filmmaking

Joanna is a Freelance Edit Assistant, originally from Malta, who graduated from MetFilm Brighton in 2018.

Since completing her course at Screen and Film School Brighton, Joanna has worked on projects from BBC Studioworks (Strictly Come Dancing) and Virtual Post Production.

She has also freelanced with shows such as Geordie Shore, SAS: Who Dares Wins, First Dates, 24 Hours in Police Custody, Celebrity Ex On The Beach, Sink or Swim and others.

What were the most valuable skills you gained at MetFilm School?

“I’m going to sound like a nerd, but DIT/data wrangling is super important and often the last thing a student production is thinking of. I learned this the hard way. You will sleep better knowing there are multiple copies of your footage in different locations. 

As an editor, studying the script and storyboards was a valuable lesson as it helps predict whether it will all work in the edit – you might find there is something missing. Learning to voice my opinion with VFX heavy shorts was very important – and test shoots were my best friend.”

What advice would you offer current students at MetFilm School?

“If you want to get into post-production, especially in TV, you should learn AVID. Not just for the techie roles – Edit Producers use it daily too. There are plenty of entry-level positions in post facilities that will help you work your way up to being an editor/colourist. 

Bringing it back to data, have someone who is specifically dedicated to being your DIT on set. If you’re the editor, volunteer to be one – it’ll make your life a lot easier down the line. Never underestimate the extra hours and power it takes to handle 4k footage. Always transcode before you edit and make sure you know how to consolidate it back on the software you are using.”