F&L editing agreement near
Talks on desktop TV editing in Factual & Learning Division look as if they are heading for a formal agreement.
BECTU called for talks last November after F&L announced a plan to introduce dozens of workstations equipped with editing package Final Cut Pro.
Members feared that producers and directors could be pressed into editing their own programmes instead of using professional editors, as part of the Creative Desktop initiative that had been announced shortly before.
However, during discussions it became clear that F&L management were not attempting to squeeze traditional editors out of the production process, and were willing.
Final Cut Pro, they said, would be used by production staff to perform the electronic equivalent of a "paper edit", an existing procedure which is meant to be carried out before going in to an edit suite.
After this "sync pull" is performed, F&L intend that production staff would then hand over to dedicated editing staff who would put the programme together as normal, but using desktop equipment instead of traditional edit suites.
In a draft document that may form the basis of an agreement with the unions, management state that "craft skills remain the realm of the craft editor", and make it clear that production staff should hand over their programmes once the sync pull stage has been reached.
Further talks are due on other aspects of F&L's plans, particularly health & safety issued raised by desktop editing equipment, and the long-hours culture in the Division.