Video editing is a crucial part of any creative process. Whether it is for a production house or a marketing agency, video editors are required to fulfil the post-production process in a seamless manner. Certain skills are needed to ace as a video editor to create visually appealing videos.
Videos are the future of content marketing and advertisements. Everyday brands spend a lot of resources, money, and time on producing videos. This means that there will be a huge demand for video editors in the coming years. Brands and agencies understand how a poorly edited video hampers the reputation of the brand and lowers audience engagement. Hence, having strong skill sets of production and visual aesthetics is imperative for the role of a video editor.
But what does a video editor do?
The roles and responsibilities of a video editor are diverse and vary from project to project.
Independent video editors have more work as they take up multiple projects. Video editors who work on editing feature films and documentaries have a single project for a prolonged period. The roles and responsibilities for each of the projects require different skills and aptitudes from video editors.
Let us look at the different roles and responsibilities of video editors:
- Assembling all the raw footage
The video editor has the core responsibility of taking over the entire post-production process. Assembling and arranging raw footage from the production team is very much required to be done by the video editors.
- Understanding the narrative
The video editor needs to thoroughly understand the videos’ narrative with the production team before the post-production process begins. This reduces the time on feedback as agencies and brands function on a tight deadline.
- Improve the quality of the existing footage
The footage that comes from the production team is raw. It needs polishing to be transformed into a visually viable product. Hence, video editors need to ensure the colour, aesthetics, and sounds are all synced up without any glitches.
- Smooth transitions
Often for video editors who are starting out, transitions are often visible when the scene switches. The cuts between scenes or any introduction of visual effects must be seamless. The editing must not be visible as it reduces the quality of th videos.
Sounds like a tough job, right? Well, it actually is! Therefore certain skills are required to become a good video editor. Let us understand them a bit further.
Skills Required To Become A Quality Video Editor
- Coordination
As a video editor coordination skills are a big asset. Video editors have to coordinate to understand the shots and the creative brief within the pre-production process. They need to give their inputs so the narrative and vision of the director become clear to them. Otherwise, there will constant back and forth to develop an understanding of the flow of the videos.
- Understanding of camera and footage
Before the production team captures the footage, the editor must inform the cinematographer and director about the footage required which can be enhanced. Not all footage can be colour corrected or given effects.
The video editor must have basic knowledge of the camera and footage to guide the production team for the editing process to be smooth.
- Breaking down the scenes and footage
Video editors must have the skills to break down the narrative flow and the scenes. They need to look at the footage to see which one fits the narrative. Every scene must be broken down.
The editor needs to then see what details are important and which can be deleted to make the narrative tighter and crisper.
- Colour correction
The raw footage obtained from production will not be polished or have high quality. It first needs to be stitched together as per the narrative design. After the narrative is tight and approved, then the footage needs to be polished with the right colouring.
The video editor must understand that the colour correction must visually heighten the video and set its tonality and mood.
- Adding sound effects
A video must not only look good but also have a good sound. The video editor must remove all noise and clear the sound quality. The pitch of the video must be aligned with the narrative style.
Also, the video editor needs an idea about the music to add to the background.
Basic sound editing is an imperative skill that video editors must-have.
- Knowledge of tools
The knowledge and practical application of softwares and tools are very much needed by video editors.
Different types of video editing require the usage of different tools.
A feature film or documentary video needs to be edited on Premier Pro, After Effects, and Final Cut. While Instagram Reels can be edited on Filmora or InShots.
Video editors must be flexible to try and apply the knowledge of these tools as per the creative brief and requirement.
Video editing is a job of creativity, but it needs discipline and organizational skills to ace in the job role.
