Video: Editing & Post-Production

Editors organize, trim, and assemble clips of all the recorded footage into a sequence that tells the story.

It is the editor's job to tell the story in the most effective way possible.

Often editors work on other postproduction needs such as titles, credits, the audio track, and color correction.

Editors work to:

  1. Provide continuity - the clips follow each other in an order that makes sense.

  2. Pace the movie, so that scenes are not too slow or too fast.

  3. Highlight the emotions and key moments in the story.

Editing is an art, and editors display style!

Walter Murch, a famous editor, is famous for his 6 principles of editing.

Check out an Editor's reel from Adele Ray.

Eyeline (following characters' eyes) vs. Eye trace (similar framing of shots)

Walter Murch Principles

Titles, credits

Pan & scan - Ken Burns technique - good for lacking footage, take a photograph, pass over it while narration or text plays over

How to edit in B-roll for docs

Working with lighting in footage

Copyright for using music - free sources, or asking permission, or make your own

With great power comes great responsibility:
Kuleshov Effect as explained by Alfred Hitchcock

YouTube mini-doc on breaking the 180 degree rule

Resources

  1. List of Online Video Editors (from a Video Editor maker...)