A video edit is not finished when it looks right, it’s finished when it feels right.
If a story doesn’t make you feel something, then what is the point in creating it? A story void of feeling is hardly a story at all, right?
I will admit, before we go on, that filming and interviewing is my favourite part of the production because I love helping to bring out the knowledge and expertise from my clients.
Gaining insight into the why and capturing the raw moments on camera is a buzz for me!
However, I believe video editing is an art form. The camera operator captures the story, but the video editor is the storyteller.
It requires finesse to turn the hours of raw footage from a film shoot into a beautifully told story.
A video editor has the power to shape a story in a thousand different ways. It is a puzzle open to interpretation, and there is no right or wrong way of solving it.
Some stories seem to tell themselves. Cutting footage of excellent storytellers makes the flow of the edit almost effortless.
Other edits, when a story is buried deep, can take a little longer to bring together – but I believe there is always one waiting to be told if you know how to listen.
I’m often asked the question, “am I saying the right things?” when interviewing a client. The answer is always the same – there is no wrong thing to say when you are telling your story.
Deciding what to cut out – and more importantly, what crucial parts to leave in – from potentially hours of footage is the biggest challenge for the editor.
I find interview driven pieces the most rewarding. I will listen, and cut, listen, and cut until the story feels right.
So many moving parts, so many possible ways to bring it all together.
But always coming back to what is the key message, what is the single most important thing you want the viewer to take away from the video. How do you want them to feel at the end. And how do you take all the great content you’ve captured with your client and scale it down to a few precious minutes…
This is why editing can be the longest part of the video making process. There are many stages of refining and then trial and error to make sure you are giving the story the respect it so deserves on video.
The editing process can take two, three, four times as long to complete as the filming – a three minute video could take anywhere from 6 hours-30 hours to edit depending on the intricacy.
There is a lot of power in where a story ends. Where do you leave your audience? What do you want them to feel at the close of your video.
It’s the same as when we finish reading a novel or watching a film – the ending can determine whether we are left feeling satisfied, disappointed or ultimately craving more.
The video editor has the power to influence how the audience will feel – whether they like it or not.
Let me know in the comments, is it better to have closure or craving at the end of a story?