Suitability of commercial certification assessments for film and video editing course

This study investigated the current status quo regarding certification programs for film and video editing. The study was divided into 3 questions. The first question was to determine what (if any) certification assessments and/or programs exist. The second question involved attempting to determine the quality of the existing certifications based on reliability and validity. The third and final question attempted to ascertain the attitudes of the stakeholders of these certifications. The stakeholders chosen for this study were educators, students (and trainees), professionals, and employers. Individuals self-selected their industry roles and were allowed more than one choice of role. The results and outcomes of this study determined that there are several editing applications used within the industry. Three of these applications have developed certification assessments and/or programs. None of those assessments could be confirmed to have good reliability and validity. The attitudes towards these certifications are neutral to slightly positive at best by all of the stakeholders. Common attitudes against the assessments included too much technical and not enough creative knowledge tested, not as important as experience. Common attitudes in favor include the positives of having a set process, importance of the training itself, and potential for beginners.