In a thought-provoking masterclass organised by the Film Editing Department at Annapurna College, nine-time National Award-winning editor A. Sreekar Prasad shared insights on the evolving craft of editing, the growing role of technology, and the skills future filmmakers must develop to thrive in a rapidly changing industry.
He said that editing is far more than assembling shots; it is the craft of shaping characters, story worlds, rhythm, and emotional engagement. Discussing AI, VFX workflows, and emerging technologies, he argued that technological advancement is making editorial thinking more important, not less.
Drawing from his own experience, he highlighted the growing importance of previsualisation, particularly 3D visualisation, helping explore infinite audio visual possibilities, editorial planning, and early collaboration between directors and editors. Such processes, he noted, can strengthen story development, enhance visual design, improve production efficiency, and reduce unnecessary shooting while delivering better creative outcomes.
Addressing AI, he observed that while technology can generate vast amounts of assets and possibilities, human judgement remains central to storytelling. AI may produce technically efficient and structurally perfect outcomes, but cinema derives its emotional power from human imperfections, intuition, unpredictability, and conviction. As AI expands creative possibilities, future editors will require stronger skills in curation, compositing, shot construction with AI generated assets, visual design, and emotional interpretation.
Prasad also spoke about the importance of observation, pacing, shot duration, rhythm, and visual choreography, reminding students that meaningful cinema ultimately emerges from experimentation and a filmmaker’s conviction in the story being told. He further stressed the value of audience research, enabling filmmakers to assess a project’s creative and commercial viability before committing significant resources.
