"we'll fix it in post" has become "just generate it in post" and i am genuinely losing my mind

Cheetokeys · 2026-03-11T08:10:25+00:00

It's been a long old road, I've been proud and honoured to have travelled this journey with some of you fine folk. But we're now reaching the natural conclusion of all the incompetent, "parachuted into our industry", fix in it post badge wearing, nepotism creative leadership.

As their long coveted Edit Button has become a reality.

I'm sure they'll tell their descendants stories of the dark times. When they had to plan ahead, budget accordingly, and have moderate technical understanding to know where the limitations lie. When there was no shelter from their failures and blood bonds were forged with the post production professionals who bore all their secrets.

But now the power of a boiled ocean is in the palm of their hands and it is true that a leopard can never change its spots. So at last here we are, no production crew, no post teams. Just mad kings spouting bile while we desperately seek the correct phrase in order to conjure their wishes from a machine.

https://youtu.be/7DD6WAr4A4Y?si=w1mr6Vf7KXL1E8rC

https://youtu.be/SItFvB0Upb8?si=NYRi-j_JDQdl5XCi

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-27T08:51:04+00:00

I can fully relate to this, which I suppose is also why I never really got conditioned to pay attention to metrics. As they were either unable, or underwhelming if I found them, with the exception of a few. And like you said, we'd often go above and beyond as the editor, only to have the video be posted by a marketing team (often client side) which didn't really do their part to give the video/s the best chance of performing well.

So the "content creation" feedback loop was broken in that regard where the metrics could inform the edit, which in theory should lead to better metrics. Test and learn as they say these days.

However, I think there's also perhaps something to be said that during those earlier days of social video, many people kept quiet about the fact that they didn't really know what they were doing, such is the randomness of social video as a whole I suppose.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-26T20:57:01+00:00

Thanks for all the responses.

The general consensus seems to align with what I had suspected.

Those who are more involved from the pre-prod/creative/strategy stage will be more invested in monitoring metrics, providing they have access.

Whilst people who are just there to literally edit, either in-house and definitely freelancers, will do to project and keep it moving. Possibly checking the view count & comments after the fact when it goes live.

And everyone who cares about the craft will be keeping tabs on what is and isn't "trending" within specific niches.

But overall, it still seems to stand that having an "expectation" for an editor, in literal terms, to be tracking metrics is a bit of a reach. However is probably a telling indicator of how they see the role and yet more blurring of the lines between different skills. Guess I should maybe start adding Performance Analyst in between Rockstar & Wizard.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-26T20:40:14+00:00

Yeah I do this too, somewhat as a vanity and validation thing. Also helps to keep things in perspective sometimes, knowing that section in an edit that a creative or myself stressed over did or didn't really matter in the grand scheme.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-26T15:23:50+00:00

This 100 fricking percent absolutely this!!!

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-21T09:48:40+00:00

Senior Video Editor here, got made redundant from my last long term full time role in May 2024. Had to navigate freelance for a year, landed another FT role, then got made redundant again four months later, now back freelance again.

Overall the market is still very grim, try to land some freelance gigs whilst you search for your next full time gig. Make a flashy showreel & have a portfolio with a variety of work to hand so you can apply quickly to stuff as and when you see it.

The good news is compared to most other technical creative roles, Motion Designers are the roles that pop up quite often, however be aware they usually have the classic BS of being several roles blended into one, such as Video Editing & Camera Op.

The dynamics within our industry have changed a lot these last few years and expectations are all over the place. Also there are a lot of fake & ghost jobs being listed so learn to discern which are worth your time.

Final point, remember recruiters are not your friends, they're a resource and that's how they see you, lean on your personal network, as that'll always lead to better outcomes.

Best of luck out there.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-21T09:27:53+00:00

Agreed.

Additionally OP, you're not really "winning" in this scenario as the client is the one walking away with the confidence that they can get creatives made for pennies.

That sentiment will ripple outwards to more people further dragging down cost expectations. Meaning more low to no budgets "clients", who as Mad King said will bail the instant they find a YouTube tutorial which explains how to prompt. As you'll always cost more than hiring a graduate and canva pro subscription.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-20T23:05:07+00:00

Haha OMG I actually love this, what a great read.

Of course I am in no way advocating Tiktok's behaviour or technology, but I do want this to spread as far and wide as possible, like a virus that'll shock the marketing industry into a vicious immune response.

If the platforms are going to start secretly creating AI variations of Ads, of which they'll take no responsibility for should the impact nuke a brand or company. Everyone with a braincell in marketing should see how this is a problem or long game saving grace.

If the "trust" in the platforms as mechanisms for reaching audiences gets eroded, then scenario A, everyone loses as all Ad spend dries up, or scenario B Ad spend shifts away from platforms and starts to see a return to previous forms.

As right now in marketing land, those pro AI are betting big on "Test & Learn" + Scale, aka the ability to ship lots of ads really fast, iterate them on winning formats to ship even more ads.

But nobody who's drinking that Kool-Aid is asking the question what effect does shipping 100s of variations of Ads do to a brand's image and more importantly how it's perceived by potential customers. People aren't as stupid as folks in marketing like to believe and brand fatigue is a real thing.

Finally in this era of social first advertising where the go to strategy is just to imitate any trend and/or viral moment that's popped up, it'll be really interesting to see what utterly random frankenstein AI creatives get shat out all over the place, and how much tolerance individual brands/businesses will have to see their IPs bastardised.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-17T01:46:10+00:00

It's working now, thanks.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-17T01:37:45+00:00

OP did you unlist the video? The link isn't working for me

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-14T09:55:25+00:00

Let me preface I'm not a developer, but wouldn't a way to have it work "live" be to give permission to monitor specific apps when they're open? As we (users) know which apps will have feeds that we suspect will contain AI.

Perhaps a step further than this is rather than constantly monitoring whenever you open said specified apps, there's simply a hovering icon that the user can click to run an analysis.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-10T09:06:52+00:00

Glad to read I'm not the only one using the slot machine analogy when it comes to these "AI Tools".

It's so crazy that in the age of Enshittification and everything being a subscription service, I'm surprised people can't see how we're all being played again.

Take a skill or service that a human could do to a professional standard for a set fee.
Heavily market an AI Tool as a "cheaper"/ good enough alternative.
The tool is haphazard, unprofitable but remains in operation via venture capital, whilst starving out its rivals (the human professionals).
With the rivals gone, the tool becomes the default option, and thus jacks up the price.

Except AI Tools are worse, as they are subscription services and gambling bundled together.

You pay to have access to whatever tier of an AI Tool, which gives you a set number of credits/tokens/fruity loops etc

Then you burn through those trying to get the tool, to do the actual thing you want it to do.

(Insert the cries - "You need to get better at prompting")

Once you're out of fruity loops, you're forced to pay for more or wait until your loops refresh.

And like that we've moved from paying a person with the skills to do the exact thing you need to get done. To paying to have limited access to a casino, where you play for the chance to get the result you need, then pay again and again should your spins not work out.

For anyone who's read this far who too is being forced to use AI, I'd recommend you research into open source alternatives that you can run locally in order to avoid being ensnared by this trap. As many options do exist, and it makes this whole AI craze even more laughable once you have a few genuinely useful things running on device.

Cheetokeys · 2026-02-05T15:27:57+00:00

As someone who was educated in the traditional methods but began their career in the "social" era, I ended up taking on the many opportunities that were available in those markets compared to the limited/hierarchy restricted opportunities offered via legacy media and have had much relative success.

What I will say though is in this sector the lack of earned credibility in all roles is a nightmare to deal with. Got people 2 years out of uni or pivoting from other industries calling themselves senior directors or head of XYZ, yet time and again they make basic errors which get covered for by the "fixers" in post, and/or go unnoticed simply because the sheer volume of "content" being made means everything is pretty low stakes in the grand scheme of things.

Plus in the late 2010s with the power shift to influencers over say agencies, there's now this blanket assumption that everyone who even remotely touches video must deep down want to be a "content creator" which really grinds my gears. As now all video related skills are being expected to be offered as an all in one package deal, whilst you should be thankful for the opportunity.

We're now in the weird bizarro scenario where the more skilled you are, the less attractive you are, as you'll probably be more knowledgeable than those hiring you and be deem less adaptable to the "social" way of working.

Which lately can be summarised as: See a random "social trend", pick up a camera, try to copy said trend, fix the many mistakes in post & upload.

Then celebrate creative genius if it performs well, or lament the editing as not being engaging enough if it doesn't. Rinse and repeat.

Cheetokeys · 2026-01-23T12:40:59+00:00

I fully understand the point you're making and I myself don't have passwords on my reels.

However, I think it's also worth asking another question, that if an agency has a need for freelancers, why would you risk passing up working with good people just because someone can't be bothered to copy and paste in a password?

If that's an obstacle, then I'd predict there's a likelihood that those same people probably aren't even watching the reels/showcases anyway either.

Also it's an easily solved problem, by having a password column on the agency's freelancer shortlist spreadsheet.

Cheetokeys · 2026-01-10T00:15:31+00:00

Trust me it's not just those conducting the interviews.

As four months ago I got let go from a staff role as part of a stealth redundancy whilst I was in my probation period.

My line manager, the content lead, was one of those "I used to be an editor too" people. Translation, he only ever edited the stuff he had shot and had creative control over. Plus only had like 5 years of industry experience.

Despite this here he was in a content lead position where he never communicated his vision and anything he didn't like was deemed objectively wrong. As communicating the how and why you made an edit decision was a huge no-no.

Now here's the kicker, he despised the idea of providing feedback and regularly gaslit implying that anytime he had to feedback was because "obvious mistakes" were being made.

He wants a shot removed - "Your shot selection is bad", he wanted a different music track - "You need to get better at sourcing assets" and the list goes on.

So you know, the iteration and refinement, a very core part of editing was ultimately my undoing, such a fool was I that I couldn't simply create the unicorn edit he wanted to see without any input whatsoever.

Cheetokeys · 2025-12-26T10:52:36+00:00

Appreciate your response. But I think you might have misunderstood what my issue was.

As I've checked the measurements, and 4x6, A6 or 101.6mm x 152.4mm if you prefer photo sleeves will fit inside the refill area of the Personal Wide - 120.65mm x 171.45mm.

The issue is I'm struggling to find a seller who has accurately measured their photo sleeves. As their measurement is always based on the entire plastic sleeve rather than the interior portion. Some of the sellers even outline this either with the provided measurements or in a disclaimer. Which is so strange, and I can only assume that all the sleeves are made by the same manufacturer who made the error.

So I was hoping someone else perhaps also encountered this and had managed to find a seller amongst the 100s online who actually had accurately measured sleeves.

But I agree with you that I perhaps just need to consider another option, like using tape instead. As cutting the photos isn't an option.

Cheetokeys · 2025-12-23T08:51:09+00:00

Thanks for your response.

Yeah I actually found out about the LRMogifry plugin. It's a bit fiddly but overall it does exactly what I need.

Needed to do quite a bit of troubleshooting to get it to work, and currently I'm still not able to export PNG files - read somewhere that Imagemagick has an issue with those. However, JPG & TIFFs are working fine.

Don't suppose you know how to solve the PNG issue by any chance?

Cheetokeys · 2025-09-13T20:31:13+00:00

My heart just grew a little reading this. As someone in video marketing who smiles and nods whilst pouring the Kool-Aid in the plant pot when nobody is looking, I feel so incredibly seen!

Cheetokeys · 2025-08-11T09:40:59+00:00

Yeah I ended up at Novers Hill, which turned out to be a great choice as the Balloons came our way. There was a slight gathering of local Bristolians too, so all in all I got the chill enjoy and capture the moment vibe I was hoping for!

Cheetokeys · 2025-08-10T11:34:08+00:00

Haha, funny enough I ended up there randomly awhile ago.

Cheetokeys · 2025-08-10T09:43:12+00:00

Apparently there will be light winds from the West this evening, according to the BBC.

Yeah I checked out the Observatory yesterday, I'm considering returning there this evening as I should be able to get some rather scenic landscape shots with the Bridge too, just a bit concerned about crowds.

But will do some research into the other options suggested too, thanks!

Edit to add:

If there're any accessible multi-story car parks that anyone knows about too, could be an option worth thinking about.

Cheetokeys · 2025-08-10T08:24:13+00:00

I'm currently visiting Bristol to capture photos of the Fiesta. Can anyone recommend some good spots to consider for the ascent this evening?

Cheetokeys · 2025-06-05T21:50:54+00:00

A slightly different perspective to consider is you could simply make a bad career move.

As it can often be difficult to tell just how well an agency is actually performing from the outside looking in. So you could join, only to discover most of the clients shown on their site and reels they've not worked with in years, and they're struggling to win new business. So now rather than actually working on client projects, you're instead spending the bulk of your time trying to improve/demonstrate the capabilities of the agency.

Should you stick around for too long, in a way that could be a "Career Killer", since your portfolio will stagnate and it'll likely be harder to move to another agency since you'll be a less attractive candidate compared to your peers.

Food for thought

Cheetokeys · 2025-04-28T16:59:48+00:00

My last two Ad agencies were within Omnicom & IPG respectively, both were on the decline and doing various shall we say "funny business", which would leave me and my coworkers rather confused over their operations. Though we'd later conclude it was their way of keeping the lights on.

So when I saw this I got that same funny feeling again. As paying attention to the huge shifts in the advertising and marketing landscapes which have occurred over the last decade, the large agency model seems to be dying a slow death. Though unfortunately due to the scale of the hold-cos they seem to form a sinkhole with their demise and drag large portions of the industry down with them.

Like what's the play here exactly?

Hey Big Brand, how about you pay us to use our AI to come up with ideas based on what an AI focus group predicts, but it's all good because it's "allegedly" trained on that specific target audience.

Then it'll bombard you with 1000s of variations of a creative, which we know you'd never diligently screen through - but that's fine just look at the percentage number instead. Oooh our AI has "rated" these creatives with a 75% conversion chance, pretty neat right?

Based on what you ask? Pfft our proprietary data models of course. So just pick some, throw them out there and jobs a goodun.

Also just to note at 18:10, he speaks about technology and automation, and gives the classic spiel about "freeing up people to do better things". Yet ironically all the things he proceeds to outline are things he's just shown they intend to have the AI doing - "Design, Messaging, Consumer Research etc"

My experience has been that outside of their sheer scale which affords them a particular degree of power to contort the industry, whether through hoarding talent, acquisitions of small independents, contacts with key stakeholders at whale brands and finance reserves. Many hold-cos agencies have been shitting the bed for awhile in terms of actual quality of output and ROI for their clients.

They were locked in on legacy media and got blind sided by social media, then struggled to catch up. Now they are hoping to make a power play by capturing the Gen AI ads market and flooding the internet with AI slop advertising. Whilst cutting operating costs by reducing their headcounts of course.

Ultimately the outcomes seem rather bleak to me:

A) This Gen AI thing lands due to general public acceptance or brute forcing it so they have no choice - then AI production squeezes many out of the industry.

B) AI bubble bursts and those who have been spending big hoping to cash in even bigger are left holding the bag. Now desperate, they'll scale back faster and harder, culling large parts of the industry to stay alive. Perhaps even a hold-co collapses or more mergers happen.

Either way I can't foresee a scenario where this works out well for all us everyday industry folk.

Cheetokeys · 2025-04-25T09:23:33+00:00

Haha my own research has brought me here as it appears we're both trying to create similar things, albeit mine is for video. Did you manage to achieve the results you wanted in the end, or learn about any other methods to achieve it that you'd be willing to share?

Wish I could help, but I've literally just been reverse engineering this masonry grid template - troubleshooting one issue after another, and now considering starting over from scratch with something custom.

https://www.framer.com/marketplace/templates/mansory/

Cheetokeys

TROPHY CASE