Video editor & motion designer

What does a video editor & motion designer do?

A video editor and motion designer turns raw footage, graphics and sound into finished videos.

You cut interviews and event clips, add titles and animation, fix colour and audio, and export files for each platform.

In Singapore, this role sits in marketing and brand teams, in-house studios at banks and tech firms, production houses, agencies and media companies. Many people also work as freelancers on project contracts.

You work with producers, copywriters, graphic designers, social media managers and camera crews. Product teams also ask for app demos, explainer videos and interface animation.

What the work involves

• Review the brief and raw footage, then plan the structure of the video.
• Cut footage into a rough edit and refine pacing, music and sound.
• Build titles, lower thirds, logo animation and simple graphics in After Effects.
• Resize and export the same video for different platforms, with captions added.
• Collect feedback from producers and clients, then make revisions and save versions.
• Organise project files and back up finished work.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills a video editor & motion designer needs

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Video editor & motion designer job description

We are hiring a video editor and motion designer to produce videos for our brand, product and social channels.

You will edit footage, animate graphics and deliver finished files on tight schedules. You will work with our marketing, design and content teams in Singapore. Please send a portfolio of past work.

Responsibilities

• Edit video from raw footage, scripts and storyboards into finished pieces.
• Create motion graphics, titles, captions and logo animations in After Effects.
• Produce short-form videos for platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
• Adjust colour, clean up audio and set sound levels before delivery.
• Export files in the right formats, sizes and aspect ratios for each channel.
• Apply brand guidelines to fonts, colours and logos in every video.
• Work with producers, designers and writers to turn feedback into revisions.
• Name, organise and archive project files so other editors can pick them up.
• Try AI video tools for tasks such as captions and rough cuts, and check their output.
• Check music, images and footage for usage rights before publishing.

Requirements

• A diploma or degree in digital media, film, communications or design is common. A strong portfolio can count for as much.
• Typically 1 to 3 years of editing experience for a mid-level role. Junior roles accept internships and personal projects.
• Working skill in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. Some teams also use Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
• Experience editing short-form video in CapCut or similar apps.
• Good sense of timing, storytelling, typography and sound.
• Ability to manage several deadlines and take feedback calmly.

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Video editor & motion designer career path

Most video editors in Singapore start as junior editors and move into senior or lead roles as they take on more complex projects and teams.

Titles differ between agencies, studios and in-house teams.

1. Junior video editor

   Entry

   You do rough cuts, captions, resizing and file preparation under the guidance of a senior editor.

2. Video editor and motion designer

   Mid

   You own whole projects from footage to delivery and build your own animation and graphics.

3. Senior video editor and motion designer

   Senior

   You handle campaign and brand work, set the look of the video, and guide junior editors.

4. Post-production lead

   Lead

   You manage editors, schedules, tools and quality checks across many projects.

5. Head of video or creative

   Head

   You set the video direction for the organisation, manage the budget and work with senior stakeholders.

The titles are ones commonly used in Singapore; employers may name the levels differently.

Related jobs and their pay

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Video editor & motion designer interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. How do you organise a Premiere Pro project for a 20-minute interview film with several editors?

   What a good answer covers

   • Sorts media into bins by type, scene or camera
   • Uses clear file and sequence naming rules
   • Uses proxies for heavy footage
   • Saves dated sequence versions and a shared project structure
   • Keeps a backup and archive plan

2. How do you cut a two-person interview so it feels natural?

   What a good answer covers

   • Chooses the best takes and trims filler words
   • Uses J-cuts and L-cuts so audio leads or trails the picture
   • Adds cutaways to hide jump cuts
   • Keeps audio levels and room tone steady
   • Watches pacing with fresh eyes

3. How would you build a lower-third animation in After Effects that a non-designer can edit later?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses text layers and precompositions that stay tidy
   • Exposes only the controls others need
   • Exports as a Motion Graphics template for Premiere Pro
   • Sets easing and timing so the move feels smooth
   • Names layers clearly

4. What does the graph editor do in After Effects, and why does it matter?

   What a good answer covers

   • Shows and changes how fast values move between keyframes
   • Lets you ease in and out so motion looks natural
   • Distinguishes the value graph from the speed graph
   • Gives an example such as a title that slows into place

5. How do you prepare one video for Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube and a website banner?

   What a good answer covers

   • Reframes for 9:16, 16:9 or square instead of simply cropping
   • Keeps text inside platform safe zones
   • Adds burned-in captions for viewers who watch on mute
   • Adjusts length and export settings for each channel
   • Checks file size and playback on a phone

6. How do you hold attention in the first three seconds of a short-form video?

   What a good answer covers

   • Opens on the strongest image, line or result
   • Uses on-screen text and fast, clear pacing
   • Cuts dead air and slow intros
   • Checks music rights before using trending audio
   • Compares versions using view and retention data

7. The footage has mixed lighting and noisy audio. How do you fix it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Sets white balance and matches shots using scopes
   • Applies a consistent colour look
   • Reduces noise and uses EQ so voices don't sound thin
   • Sets loudness to the delivery target
   • Checks the result on headphones and phone speakers

8. Which AI video tools have you used, and where do you not trust them?

   What a good answer covers

   • Names real tasks, such as auto captions, transcript-based editing or background removal
   • Checks captions for errors, especially names and mixed languages
   • Keeps confidential client footage out of unapproved tools
   • Checks licence terms for AI-generated material
   • Keeps final creative decisions with the editor

1. A client sends contradictory feedback from three people at 6pm, and delivery is due tomorrow morning. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Lists every comment and flags the conflicts
   • Asks the producer to get one decision owner
   • Does the clear changes first
   • Offers two options for the disputed point
   • Saves a new version and confirms what will be delivered

2. You get 90 minutes of event footage and must deliver a 60-second recap tomorrow. How do you start?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks for the brief, audience and must-have shots
   • Logs the best moments quickly
   • Plans a simple structure with an opening, middle and close
   • Builds a rough cut before polishing
   • Agrees one review point with the producer

3. Premiere Pro shows offline media and the export fails two hours before deadline. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Relinks media and checks that drives are connected
   • Clears cache files and checks the export settings
   • Exports in sections to find the faulty clip
   • Tells the producer early about any risk
   • Describes backups that prevent repeats

1. Tell us about a time your cut was criticised. What did you change?

   What a good answer covers

   • Gives a real example with context
   • Listens and asks what the feedback aims to solve
   • Shows a specific change and the outcome
   • Stays calm and professional

2. Walk us through a video from your portfolio that you are proud of. What would you change now?

   What a good answer covers

   • States the brief and your exact role
   • Explains choices about structure, pace and graphics
   • Shows awareness of weak points
   • Links the work to a business result if there was one

1. You are editing customer testimonials and staff shot at an office event. What do you check before publishing under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)?

   What a good answer covers

   • Confirms that people gave consent for the use and platform
   • Asks who holds the consent records
   • Handles requests to remove someone from a video
   • Takes care with names, faces and screens that show personal data
   • Refers unclear cases to the data protection officer or legal team

2. A campaign targets English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil audiences in Singapore. How do you plan the edit and subtitles?

   What a good answer covers

   • Leaves space for text length that differs between languages
   • Gets translations checked by native speakers
   • Uses fonts that support every script
   • Keeps captions readable on mobile
   • Plans separate exports and version names

Common questions about a video editor & motion designer job

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