Which businesses are messiest apart from baking?
It’s Video or Film making. We have seen bakers covered in the sweet dust of flour and their aprons stained with dark chocolates. Similarly, a video/filmmaker has to bear a lot of pressure.
Even BuzzFlick is now offering live-action video production services, and believe me, and it’s much more difficult than making a simple animated video.
Scheduling shoots, gathering all the crew, and keeping all the equipment in place. A single disruption during this process often feels like sailing around in choppy waters with no dry land in sight.
However, there is one part of the video production process that is reliable, simple, and methodical: editing. And that’s editing.
Oftentimes, editing is a haven of peace after the chaos of production, and it even allows for a catch-up. Assuming, of course, that the tried-and-true 5-step procedure is followed.
So, without any further ado, let’s learn more about the 5-step video editing process.
5-Step Video Editing Process: Start to Finish
The video editing process seems to be a very daunting task but trust me, it’s way easier than production.
Once the video is shot or produced, all you need is to sit in front of your system and dedicate all your time to editing.
Let’s explore the 5 stages of video editing in detail together!
Stage #1: Logging
Initially, you will be tasked with recording all of your shooting data. This is where you go through all of your source video footage, take out all the usable clips, organize them into bins, then name those bins properly.
That way, when you’re searching for a specific take from a specific scene, later on, you can save yourself the hassle of trawling through hours upon hours of footage and instead delve directly into its bin.
Logging may seem like a chore, but it’s also the first time you’ll get to see how your video looks on screen, which can evoke a wide range of feelings, from excitement to terror.
If the videographer finds that any of the video’s footage isn’t up to snuff or is missing an essential element, he or she will likely order a re-shoot, which is an inconvenience but not a deal breaker.
The reason for this is that on most major projects, logging occurs simultaneously with shooting, so if anything isn’t right, the editors may alert the director relatively instantly, and the director can schedule a do-over while the cast and crew are still in place.
A tight-ship feedback loop like this one is obviously not achievable if your team is small or if you are also serving as the video’s director and editor.
Your logging will likely take place days, if not weeks, following a shot. Not perfect, but hey, nothing is perfect in low-budget production.
Note that video editing software like Adobe Prelude and Kyno exist if you feel uncomfortable keeping track of your material on your own.
Stage #2 First Assembly
In the initial assembly, all of the recorded footage is put together in a sequence that follows the video’s script.
This can be a huge undertaking, especially for longer videos; therefore, editors will generally organize each scene separately before putting them into a larger sequence.
The initial assembly, like the first look at the footage in logging, is the first time you see your movie set out in a linear, organized style, although a very long one.
To preserve flexibility until the next step, you should include many takes of the same scene at various points in your timeline, leading to a first assembly cut that is roughly twice as long as the final output.
Which is just what you need! Why? Because in the following phase, you’ll be taking a pair of hedge clippers to your unruly, fuzzy timeline.
Make sure you preserve the whole, untidy state of your first assembly before you get started. You may always start again from scratch with a whole new set of parts and a fresh assembly if you make a colossal error in the future.
Stage #3 Rough Cut
Okay, now it’s truly time to wake up and switch on that wonderful video-making mind of yours.
So far, it’s been all about cruising on auto and following fundamental methods. But from here on out, you’ll be needed to make some very harsh decisions, and nowhere will they be tougher than during the rough cut.
With the rough cut, you’ll be cutting that crazy-long initial assembly down to one clean, tidy first draft. This means going through all of the different versions of each take and picking out the best one to keep. Delete even more of your Facebook pals than you do every year.
The video’s structure and pacing will be your next focus as you insert cuts, transitions, titles, dummy narration, and anything else that will assist transmit the story’s intended feelings and messages to the audience.
A videographer will be watching over your shoulder and giving significant input throughout this phase.
When you’re on your own, you get complete freedom to express your originality.
After finishing your rough cut, you will present it to your client or director in the hopes of hearing the words “Love it!” This will indicate that no major structural changes need to be made and that you are in the final stages of post-production.
Stage #4 Fine Cut
In contrast to the rough edit, which focuses on polishing the picture as a whole, the fine cut pays meticulous attention to every single frame.
Therefore, you should probably put on your microscope glasses. No, but in all seriousness, you’ll have to scrutinize each cut meticulously to ensure a smooth transition from one to the next. If there are any blemishes, the fine cut is your last chance to catch them.
This is because, after the fine cut, the video is given a “Picture Lock,” which means it can be sent to other departments for post-production work (such as color corrections, special effects, etc.), but the timeline and TRT (total running time) are locked in and cannot be changed. Because if they are, it’ll be really expensive and things if they are.
It goes without saying that if you are in control or working alone, you can disregard the time-honored Picture Lock rule and make as many revisions as you like. This is the last chance to make changes if you’re working with a video animation production company or group.
Stage #5: Final Touch
When working on a huge production, your input towards the end result will be minimal at best.
During post-production, the editor usually takes a back seat as a specialist in areas such as color grading, audio mixing, special effects, and closed captioning, transforming the picture into something truly spectacular.
This last step will appear significantly different if you’re working alone. Instead of kicking back, you’ll be frantically searching the interwebs for royalty-free music, sound effects, motion graphics, and anything else you can find to spruce up your video.
This step can be particularly challenging and time-consuming because of the wide variety of websites selling a wide variety of items for a wide variety of processes.
Therefore, in order to lessen some of the responsibilities, you will want to locate one marketplace providing all the things so that you do not have to flutter around from site to site for hours on end.
You might call us prejudiced, but we think our market is very good. More than 70,000 items, including motion graphics templates, royalty-free music, and stock video footage, are available for download from the Motion Array library.
Source: Motion Array
All of their resources, including our cloud-based video review system, video portfolio builder, and selection of Premiere Pro plugins, are available to you as part of our different membership packages.
Those who are thinking about it but aren’t 100% committed can try out our no-risk, beginner’s plan.
P.S.: If you’re not ready to do it yourself and looking for assistance in video editing, then check our list of top-rated video editing companies.
What’s Next?
It doesn’t matter if you’re a one-man band working on your own passion project or a big post-production company cranking out videos for A-list customers; the following 5-step video editing technique will always yield the best results. To put it simply, that’s the most logical choice.
You can approach post-production in any offbeat fashion you choose. Remember that any deviation from the standard procedure will add unnecessary work and delay the process, which is terrible.
5-Step Video Editing Process – FAQs
What are the common steps in video editing?
Following are the 5 common steps in video editing:
- Organize
- Assemble and Review
- Rough Cut
- Final Cut
- Finishing Touches
How much does video editing cost?
The price of video editing can vary. While some companies charge a fixed rate, whereas freelancers often charge per hour.
What is the 321 rule in video editing?
If you’re a video maker, you must be familiar with the 321 rule. This rule means that you always keep three copies of every asset you have created in two different places. The ultimate goal is to tell your audience an engaging story through an interesting video. You can achieve this easily by editing, editing, and editing your concept until you have reached perfection.
Who offers video editing services?
Freelancers and video production companies offer video editing services. However, if you want to do it yourself, then you can use any video editing tool.
How many stages are involved in video production?
The video production process is divided into three core stages:
- Pre-production
- Production
- Post-production
What are the 5 primary types of edits?
The following are the primary types of edits:
- Developmental, content, or substantive editing
- Copy editing
- Structural editing
- Mechanical editing
- Line editing
Which are common video editing techniques?
The three common video editing techniques are:
- Continuity editing
- Montage
- Juxtaposition
Other Useful Resources:
An animation enthusiast who enjoys explaining complex animation techniques, mediums, and videos. Her love for animated films drives her. In her spare time, she enjoys watching animated films from Pixar, Disney, and Illumination productions.
