Thoughts on Editing, Time and Timing (editing tips 1)

When it comes to producing video projects, time plays a huge role not only in the conceptual process, but in the editing- great timing makes better editing.

When we get to the editing, we can easily assemble our video footage to reflect our thoughts and ideas. Computers make it easy to manipulate the order of events, or shots- that's the first step in the editing process. The next step is the usage of timing to lead the viewer through the ideas.

Deciding when to cut a shot- when it ends, when the next shot begins, is critical to creating a seamless viewing experience. If we cut on action, matching the action from one shot to the next will move the ideas forward, hopefully making the editing invisible so the viewer will be drawn into the content. Our goal with editing should be to emphasize the content of the experience, (disguising all our hard work and focus on detail) through the usage of movement and sound.

Chopping up footage and assembling it has become very easy with the use of computer assisted non-linear editing, (Final Cut Pro). Working with timing gets more advanced and can be tricky. We must begin to think about the editing even before we begin to shoot the video footage. How one shot will lead to the next, and so forth. We can start this process when creating the storyboards.

While creating the storyboards, or series of ideas, think about how the separate shots will eventually tie together into the expression of the whole idea. Though each storyboard will be drawn separately, we should consider the whole idea of the separate images as one fluid experience.

When we are shooting the video, consideration of movement within the shots will lend itself to the editing process. It can help to begin to think about editing before we start shooting. As we do so, movement of the subjects within the shots becomes relevant, as does movement of the camera (if any). If we think about these things ahead of time, we'll be ready to take our editing to the next level.

Timing plays a critical roll in the editing process. Matching one shot to the next at the right time will help the shots either flow together seamlessly, or create an abrupt transition to the next image, depending on the feeling we choose to emphasize. For maximum impact, abrupt cuts should be used sparingly, while smooth transitions make the rest of the editing appear seamless (and invisible).

Topics for further discussion:
Smooth transitions.
Timing in editing.
Usage of movement in editing.
Precision editing.
Usage of sound in editing.
Timing with sound.