3    Traditional and New Postproduction Roles

Postproduction joke, circa 1998:

Question: What do you call a producer who edits?

Answer: A predator.

Fast-forward ten years, and it is not even clear anymore why this is funny. Today, it is completely normal to see job postings for a producer/editor, but back in the late 1990s, it was still the norm for one person to produce (make the decisions) and another to edit (push the buttons). Therefore, just being a producer who edits was an affront to some people: you are breaking the rules; you are taking someone's job; you are a carnivore.

With the emergence of tools such as Final Cut Pro, many professionals are asked to play the role of jack-of-all-trades. Generalists have become as common as specialists ...

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