News Video Creation and Editing

I’m looking for an experienced freelance editor or filmmaker to create a sharp, visually distinctive 60-second film for a professional presentation.

The subject is how the world is changing and what that means for leaders navigating change. The film needs to feel like a compelling piece of editorial filmmaking, with strong creative direction, precise editing and excellent sound design.

The creative direction

The opening should be an intense montage of real news footage and recognisable events from the last few years. Think breaking-news announcements intercut with the events themselves: geopolitical upheaval, conflict, economic shocks and rapid technological change.

Potential material includes tariff announcements, Ukraine, events around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, Venezuela, UK energy prices, market turmoil and AI’s impact on work. The final selection should tell a coherent story rather than simply assemble dramatic images.

Adam Curtis’s use of archive, juxtaposition and sound is a useful reference. I’m interested in that intelligence and atmosphere, rather than a direct imitation.

The opening should build through overlapping broadcast fragments, hard cuts and contrasting imagery, then shift into a calmer, confident message about leadership and adapting to modern conditions. It may finish with a short piece to camera, which I can supply.

What matters

* Real, accurately sourced footage with identifiable moments, not generic stock montages
* Strong pacing, with room for an image or spoken phrase to land
* Carefully constructed sound using original broadcast audio, atmosphere and appropriately licensed music
* Restrained, well-designed typography
* A clear transition from global change into the central message
* A polished finish that works on a large presentation screen

I do not want a conventional corporate promo, an automated AI video or a template with stock footage dropped into it. No repeated clips, fake news footage, excessive transitions or generic motivational messaging.

Scope

I need someone who can take ownership of the edit, including:

* Helping refine the supplied script and sequence
* Finding and sourcing suitable archive/news footage
* Explaining footage and music permissions, availability and any additional licensing costs
* Editing picture, sound, voiceover and typography
* Integrating supplied branding and, potentially, a short filmed contribution
* Delivering a first cut and two rounds of revisions

The initial use is a private professional presentation. Any wider publication would need to be discussed and cleared separately. Please do not assume that short extracts are automatically free to use.

Deliverables and timing

* Approximately 60-second finished film
* 16:9 landscape, presentation-ready MP4 at a minimum of 1080p
* Editable project file and a source/licensing log
* Final delivery by Monday 26 October
* An earlier rough cut with enough time for feedback

The project is confidential. Further background, script and branding will be shared privately with the selected freelancer. Please do not publish the work or identifying details without permission.

To apply

Please send:

* Two or three relevant examples, ideally archive-led films, documentary trailers or news-based montages
* A short explanation of how you would approach the opening
* Confirmation that you can source footage as well as edit
* Your availability and proposed turnaround
* A fixed-price quote, separating your creative/editing fee from any licensing costs

Creative judgement matters more than a long list of software skills. I’m looking for someone who understands why one image should follow another and how sound can make a short film genuinely memorable.