The Importance of Video Editing
Video editing is an extremely important part of the video production process. In Hollywood, Directors and Producers actually hand over the rushes (as they are called! – the video footage), together with the storyboard and script to an editor and give them time to edit a first cut – in isolation! This is a good approach as often the Director and Producers can become too involved in the video production process and restrict the creativity that is required to produce an epic blockbuster! With corporate video production, the method is a little simpler as the video content is often much shorter in duration.
A Wholistic Process
Any videographer worth their salt knows that editing actually starts from the concept stage. Editing at this stage, is really about structuring the story. e.g., it could be a simple video case study where immediately you know what you would like your client to say – perhaps it’s how good you were at providing that product or service, but then, if you think about it further, the video will need to be structured in a way that the introduction perhaps, would give some context to the product or service. Then how the client went about finding you and procuring that product or service. Then the solution and then perhaps to conclude with the outcomes and the difference it’s made to their business. So that is structuring and editing in your mind. It is then time to put pen to paper and you should start to develop a storyboard which will help guide the videographer or video production team.
When filming has been undertaken, editing in the studio (on a computer) plays a significant part in how we structure the story and make it engaging to the audience. We look at the storyboard and consult with clients’ and structure the story first, putting together the narrative (the spoken word), especially when it comes to video customer testimonials.
It’s important to get this stage right and approved in principle, because when you start the next stage of editing, which I call ‘beautification’, that can get quite time intensive and it’s important not to waste that time and budget on areas of the video production process that might change. Beautification may include adding B Roll Footage, which is the supplementary footage one takes to help tell the story e.g. you have a software product and when the client is talking about it, you could cut to screen recordings of that software in operation. Beautification also includes all graphical components to the video, the introductory title, the logo transition, chapter headings, name titles and a Call To Action at the end of the video.
The last stage of the video editing process is what I call the finishing processes of video production. So when all is approved, we will look very closely at colour and sound and make the necessary alterations to enhance and improve the video.
The final process is the rendering. When the file is compressed into a format that is required by the client. For instance, an mp4 file extension and a 1920x 1080 resolution, which is High Definition.
So, video editing is a big topic and editing starts from the concept stage, the more you can translate and communicate your thoughts through the use of storyboards , the easier it will be for a videographer to edit and produce something that not only meets but exceeds your expectations. Editing is a skill. It’s a professional skill. Good video editors in the corporate video production world, will have a good grasp of business and the outcomes that you want to achieve. They should also be highly creative and be able to suggest ideas for the video editing process, which will make your video engaging. They will also adhere to your brand guidelines and make sure that your video is on brand.
A Parting Thought
When I first started my video production Melbourne business 10 years ago, when I first accessed software like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere, it blew my mind. It was like entering an aircraft cockpit. I didn’t know where to start, but bit by bit and with training and education and experience, we now have a very good handle of the tools that this incredibly powerful software provides us to help tell our customers’ stories.
One last parting thought – editing is not necessary in some social media style videos as it can reduce the authenticity of a video and the rawness of a message!
John Leonard is Managing Director of Melbourne based Video Production Company Spotlight Productions and Uvideo.
