Ace internship application form

ACE Internship Program

INTERNSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS

APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED

Applications for the ACE Internship Program
will be accepted between May 1st and June 30th Annually

Starting in 2024, the ACE Internship Program
will be available in both Los Angeles, New York, and London.

Internship MISSION STATEMENT

Each year, the American Cinema Editors Internship Committee selects two interns and provides them with the opportunity to shadow for one week each the editing rooms of a feature, a television show, and an unscripted show. Interns also visit several facilities integral to post-production (e.g. sound stages, VFX vendors, labs, etc.). Interns are being mentored by ACE editors and previous alumni. The ACE Internship Program is geared toward anyone with a passion for editing, who is just starting their career in post-production.

Starting in 2024, the ACE Internship Program
will be available in both Los Angeles, New York, and London.

Internship program structure

The ACE internship starts in October and lasts four weeks.

Please note that if you are selected as an intern, you are expected to attend the program full-time .

The two selected interns are paid a stipend while attending the program and are covered by liability insurance through American Cinema Editors, so they can be considered “paid interns”.

The structure of the ACE Internship Program emphasizes assistant picture editing. The program includes:

• Orientation (begins the day of in-person interviews), interns are assigned editing rooms where they shadow assistant editors.
• Observation of work in a variety of editing venues: scripted television, features, and reality television.
• Exploration of post-production facilities: lab, telecine room, VFX house, sound effects, and music editing rooms, ADR, and dub stages.

These offer the opportunity to observe the different styles and requirements of each room and see what assistant editors are expected to deliver during the making of a project. It is an opportunity for interns to absorb, question, compare, and contrast what they’ve learned in school and on the job.

During this time there are many opportunities to network with other interns, assistant editors, editors, and filmmakers. Before, during, and after the program, the Internship Committee meets with the interns to prepare, encourage, and mentor them.

Thanks to Lawrence Jordan and Richard Sanchez, the interns also receive free access to the online course “Master the Workflow”, which allows them to deepen and refresh what they learned about post-workflows during their time as interns.

Interns are expected to:

• Email a daily journal to their assigned mentor (an ACE member) recapping what they have learned each day of the program.
• Attend the ACE Holiday Party as a volunteer as well as an attendee.
• Work at the ACE Blue Ribbon Panel screenings where ACE members vote for films nominated for an Eddie Award.
• Attend the Eddie Nominee Cocktail Party where interns receive their plaques of participation.
• Attend the Eddie Awards and black-tie banquet after-party.
• Work at the Invisible Art / Visible Artists event (where a panel of the current Oscar nominees screen sequences from their films) the day prior to the Academy Awards.
• Write an article for the ACE CinemaEditor Magazine describing their experience.
• Give a short speech at the ACE Annual Meeting describing your experience with the ACE Internship Program.

It is also expected that ACE interns will return the following year to participate in the orientation of new interns. This helps foster the basic ideology of mentoring.

Internship Success STORIES

The ACE internship program was created in the early 1990s by William Gordean, ACE, and was directed by Lori Jane Coleman, ACE, and co-chaired by Diana Friedberg, ACE for nearly two decades. As of 2015, the internship program has been co-chaired by former interns Carsten Kurpanek and Tyler Nelson, ACE.

The success of this program has been outstanding, and it is due to the practical experience these young filmmakers and budding editors receive while in their first professional editing rooms. Thank you to the ACE Active Members and their teams who have contributed to this worthy mentorship for more than 30 years.

Since the inception of the ACE Internship Program, many of those who have gone through the program have gone on to have successful careers in editorial.

Here are just a few success stories:
Julia Wong, ACE (1996 intern) – Editor of Hocus Pocus 2, Minx, Valley Girl, Child’s Play, The Belko Experiment
Mark Hartzel, ACE (1998 intern) – Editor of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, The Last of Us, Locke & Key, Lost in Space, Agent Carter, Scream, True Blood
Hunter Via, ACE (2001 intern) – Editor of Justified: City Primeval, Mayans M.C. , The Chi , Snowfall , The Walking Dead – ACE Eddie Winner for The Walking Dead
Joi McMillon, ACE (2005 intern) – Editor of Mufasa: The Lion King, If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight , Girls , Togetherness – Academy Award Nominated for Moonlight
Shoshanah Tanzer, ACE (2006 intern) – Editor of The Sandman, Bel-Air, Love Victor, Jessica Jones, Queen Sugar
Melissa McCoy, ACE (2007 intern) – Editor of Ted Lasso, Whiskey Cavalier, Rush Hour
Tyler Nelson, ACE (2006 intern) – Editor of The Batman, Creed III, Tron: Ares
Laura Zempel, ACE (2010 intern) – Editor of Lessons in Chemistry, Beef, Euphoria
Parker Goldsmith (2011 intern) – First Assistant Editor on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Lion King, Assistant Editor on The Mandalorian
Amelia Allwarden (2015 intern) – Editor on Marvel’s Echo, Sunny, Daisy Jones & The Six, Westword
Gretchen Schroeder (2016 intern) – Assistant Editor on Avatar 2, 3, Megalopolis , Post PA on Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Ben Murphy (2016 intern) – Assistant Editor on Avatar 2, Alita: Battle Angel, Smallfoot, The Lego Batman Movie
Irene Chun (2018 intern) – Firs Assistant Editor on Minari, Shang-Chi
Qingya “Emma” Li (2018 intern) – 2nd Assistant Editor on Grand Turismo, Assistant Editor on Avatar 2, Pen15
Katelyn Wright (2018 intern) – 2nd Assistant Editor on Aquaman 2, Post-PA on Malignant
McKenna Cook (2021 intern) – Assistant Editor on Daisy Jones & The Six

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications for the ACE Internship Program will be accepted starting May 1st until June 30th annually. During the online application process through this website, applicants will be able to choose whether to apply for the program in Los Angeles, New York, and London.

REQUIREMENTS
A $100 application fee, which pays for the costs of the networking and educational events during the program, which are OPEN TO ALL APPLICANTS (e.g. Lecture Series). This fee will be paid online during the application process, once the application window is open.

If you require financial assistance, Blue Collar Post Collective is providing help through its Professional Development Accessibility Program . If eligible, they will cover the application fee. Please visit their website for more information or apply by following this link .

An application including the following documents:

• • Your Resume (max 1 page)
  • Your letter of intent in which you state “Why I Want to be an ACE Intern” (max 2 pages).
  • Two Letters of Recommendation (with name, phone, and email) by someone who can speak about your character and career potential

  PLEASE NOTE : You will be required to compile these three documents as ONE document in pdf form, and upload it, during the application process.
  
  ELIGIBILITY
  T o be eligible to be selected as an ACE Intern, you need to fulfill the following requirements:

  • • You have a passion for editing and your professional goal is to begin a career in post-production.
    • You are beginning your career in editorial. Members of the Motion Picture Editor’s Guild will not be considered.
    • If you are still actively attending a college or trade school at the time of the application, you must have graduated by the time the internship commences (October).
    • International applicants also need a valid visa & work permit ONLY if selected as interns. It is not needed at the time of the application.
      NOTIFICATION
      All applicants will be notified at the beginning of August whether they were selected as finalists or not. Up to ten finalists will be invited to interviews which are held in September . After the interviews are concluded, two Interns are selected.

    SOCIAL EVENTS

    The ACE Internship Program is designed to be inclusive. It strives to give ALL applicants the guidance and tools required to become successful in this industry. To achieve this, the program features several events that are OPEN TO ALL APPLICANTS!

    Picnic Social
    The ACE Internship Program begins with an in-person networking event: a Picnic Social in early October. All applicants are invited to network amongst each other, and connect with members of the ACE Internship Committee and former interns. Networking is an integral part of any successful career in post and the program is helping facilitate building friendships that can last a lifetime.

    Virtual Lecture Series
    The week following the Picnic Social features various Zoom panels each night (around 6pm-10pm Pacific Time) as part of the Virtual Lecture Series. The panels are designed to give all applicants who join these sessions a large overview of all aspects of post-production and allow attendees to connect with both fellow applicants and panelists.

    The 2023 Virtual Lecture Series featured the following topics:

    • “ACE Internship Introduction –Getting Started, Etiquette in the Cutting Room, Protocol, and Skills“ – Carsten Kurpanek, Tyler Nelson, ACE and Sabrina Plisco, ACE
    • “The Big Picture – An Overview of the Post Production Pipeline through the view of post-supervisors” – Michael Urann & Leah Farrell
    • “The World of Animation: From Storyboard to Finish” – John Venzon, ACE –
    • “Editors Who Took Interesting Career Paths: Cutting Features, Scripted & Reality TV”– Aaron Butler, ACE & Nena Erb, ACE
    • “Becoming Interesting & Planning Your Career – The Unteachable Skills to Get Ahead“ – Jesse Chapman
    • “VFX In Editorial: Why Films and TV Shows Look Bigger & Better”– Esther Sokolow & Ben Stringfellow
    • “It’s Not Just You: How to Deal with Stress & Burnout”– Len Ciccotello & Gretchen Schroeder

    The Lecture Series
    One of the main events of the ACE Internship Program is the in-person “The Lecture Series” (in LA, NY, and London respectively). ALL applicants are invited to attend . It features three separate panels of Editors and Assistant Editors with a wide variety of experience in features, scripted television, and non-scripted. The panelists will share insights about their careers, workflows, and body of work.
    

    Over the past few years, we have hosted the panels with some wonderful and talented ACE editors, including Angus Wall, Mary Jo Markey, Pam Wise, Matt Chessé, Stephen Mirrione, Steve Rivkin, John Refoua, Bonnie Koehler, Briana London, Susanne Malles, Alan Heim, Michael Tronick, Maysie Hoy, Tina Hirsch, Mark Goldblatt, Diana Friedberg, Troy Takaki, Stephen Lovejoy, Chris Cooke, Hunter Via, Tom Cross, Fred Raskin, Alan Bell, Dody Dorn, Maryann Brandon, Dan Lebental and many more.

    Before and after the panels, there will be time to socialize plenty. Food/Refreshments are provided during The Lecture Series.

    ALL applicants are allowed to attend. The cost of admission is part of the application fee. Also included is a free copy of the following books:

    • “The Post PA Handbook: Your Guide to Life as a Post-Production Assistant in Television and Movies” by Alyssa Carroll
    • “Don’t miss out on any Avocado Milkshakes”by Troy Takaki, ACE
    • “Make the Cut – A Guide to Becoming a Successful Assistant Editor in Film and TV”by Lori Jane Coleman, ACE and Diana Friedberg, ACE