High school grad can’t get film editing career rolling

Edgar Andres caught the movie bug when he was 16 years old, after a filmmaker came to his high school to talk about the craft. Soon after, the teen joined a couple of programs, the Urban Oasis Film Academy and Inner City Filmmakers, which teach urban youth the basics of filmmaking.

For Andres, who prefers classics such as “Casablanca” and “The Godfather,” the programs were a chance to see how movies were put together. He was so eager to get started on his career that when he graduated from Santa Monica High in 2009 he decided to look for work immediately.

“I had been looking into college and film classes, but it all seemed like stuff I could learn more quickly from a professional,” Andres said.

His first real break came this past summer, through a film editor he had met a year earlier. The editor was working on two low-budget films and wanted to set up an editing studio in his home office. He offered Andres $10 an hour to help.

Andres jumped at the chance. He helped set up the computer and video equipment and learned the editing software. In the mornings, Andres was there to receive the film footage from production assistants, load up audio files and handle all of the paperwork and reports.

“I got to work on two films. I was learning from a professional. I got to watch and learn all of his tricks,” Andres said.

The dream lasted just eight weeks. With no other films lined up, his boss had to let him go.

“He said I was young. He told me to just get out there. Those were his exact words,” Andres said.

But it’s not easy without a Rolodex full of contacts or even a working cellphone. Andres is so broke that he sometimes can’t afford to keep his mobile stocked with minutes. He knows he may be missing callbacks.

In the meantime, he trolls the Internet constantly for job leads and drops by postproduction houses at least twice a week to inquire about openings. It’s always the same refrain.

“ ‘We’re already fully staffed.’ They’ll tell me I’m not experienced enough. They want someone with two years of experience. They will tell me they already have the team they want,” Andres said.

Then there is the familiar Catch-22, involving the Motion Picture Editors Guild.

“I have to have a union card to get a union job, and I need a job to get the union card. That is one of the biggest barriers right now,” he said.

In the meantime, he cadges odd jobs here and there, mostly doing photography or video for special events. A typical gig pays $50 to $100 cash. A big payday came recently when he earned $350 to shoot a cousin’s birthday party. As is his custom, he gave a portion to his parents.

Andres’ mother is a nurse. His father works in building maintenance. He said they’re supportive of his artistic bent. But they want him to keep moving forward and not get stuck.

“My parents aren’t pressuring me, but at the same time, they are expecting me to find a job soon or to figure out a way to go back to school,” Andres said.

He’s now looking for work at supermarkets, clothing stores, art supply stores, bookstores and other retailers with the goal of saving for college. His plan is to spend two years at Santa Monica College, then transfer to UCLA, where he’d like to study computer engineering. He figures it would give him a leg up working in postproduction.

“The better you know a computer, the better you can fix a problem,” Andres said.

To keep his film skills sharp and earn a little extra money, he’s been making video tutorials for How-To.com on such subjects as building a box kite and making “the perfect water balloon.”

“I just have to keep getting out there and trying as much as possible. Something will come along,” Andres said. “But it feels like I’m not living up to my potential.”

ron.white@latimes.com