Category Archives: Anatomy of an Edit

Match Cuts and Hiding The Edits

September 16, 2014Anatomy of an Edit, Cuts, Match ActionHiding The Edit, Match Cuts, Video Editingshawnmontano

You see match cuts all the time; movies, television shows, and commercials contain match cuts.

Take this Heineken commercial for example

At [:13], you see match cut of the gentlemen in pink juggling the beer in glasses.

At [:18] is a match cut of the gentlemen throwing beer bottles from the stage to the men on the couch.

At [:30] is a match cut of a man opening bottles of beer.

Match cuts are an edit that connects two shots together via the action within the two shots. Editors who are meticulous with match action understand how edits work.

The idea is to edit to shots together using the action within the shot. Having movement in both shots, editing on that movement hides the edit.

In the commercial you see
• The action continues in two uniquely composed shots
• It appears as if the shots are done with two different cameras rolling at the same time 
• It’s an easy way to create a very clean looking sequence
• The match cut edit hides that there is, in fact, an edit
Editing two shots together on a movement will often make the edit invisible. Good edits are invisible edits. Good edits are edits your audience doesn’t notice.
Our story for this post is Michaela.

There a lot of match action in this story. I mean a ton. I mean…well you get the point.

The beginning of the story is a sequence of Michaela and her mom in the kitchen. Within that sequence I use match cut from the shot of Michaela tight at [:11]

to the wide shot of her and her mom in the kitchen.

Match cuts make edits very smooth. Match cuts are not always made with a person, you can use an item.

In this next example, you see Michaela lifting the weights and then begin to put them down. She doesn’t complete the action of the weights going to the ground in this shot.

In the next shot, you see the weights land on the ground completing the action.

When the barbell leaves the frame, your eye naturally dropdown. Your eye expects to see the barbell hit the floor. The match cut is very natural.

Here is another match cut beginning with the barbell on the ground, and then Michaela picks it up.

I make an edit while the barbell is moving up and out of frame. The next shot, you don’t see the barbell right away. You do see Michaela coming up and then the barbell. So the action completes in the second shot of the sequence.

It looks like what you would see if you were in the room with her. This is one of the tools to help take your audience to your story. When Michaela drops the barbell, I again have a match action shot at [:38].

This is a simple three-shot sequence with match cuts connecting each shot together.

Here is another three-shot sequence with each edit connected with match action [:42].

Michaela comes up with a machine, takes the weight, and does a squat.

Starting at [1:22], my match cuts go into overdrive. Can you tell me how much I like to match cutting?

I try to use Michaela’s movement of starting and stopping points for my edits. Here’s another one at [1:44]

Michaela’s entire family is at the weight-lifting competition. From [1:41] to [2:03] is all match action except for one cutaway of Michaela’s mom.
I had a lot of fun putting this story together. I had even more for honing my match cut editing abilities.

Putting Images Together in Video Editing to Tell the Story

September 9, 2014Anatomy of an Edit, Video Editing 101shawnmontano

You have to put images together in video editing to tell a story. You’re a storyteller. It doesn’t matter if you are editing a news package, a documentary, a film, or an online feature using stills, It’s all storytelling.
Putting the images together to try and tell a story is video editing. Every edit should be made for the story. Before sequencing, action/reaction, movement, eye trace, or continuity, there is the story (See guideline of six for more).

You learned about telling stories with pictures when you first started reading. When my sons were little, I would have them read to me. They were taught when they don’t know a word to look around at the pictures for clues.

As video editors, we need to help the audience with clues. We need to give them picture clues.

When the wild things “made him (max) king of all wild things,” Maurice Sendak shows a picture of this happening.

As storytellers, we can take a cue from when we first started to learn about stories. We read them and look at the pictures. The pictures help the stories make sense. Take this basic idea and apply it to video editing.

The following story I edited several years ago about a snowstorm here in Denver. It does not matter if you edited a story yesterday or 10 years ago, the images still have to make sense with the story.
Please watch More Than Just An Inconvenience.

The entire story, my goal (and usually my goal with every story) is to find pictures to help tell the story.
The very first line of track from the reporter is

This was the end of the line.

And my image is

In the next three shots, I’m just trying to match the pictures and the words.

Instead of an interstate highway

I-70

Was a dead end road.

After the reporter track is a soundbite

I’ve been doing this for 30 years, you get…you know this stuff happens driving a truck. And it’s going to happen sooner of later and more than once.

I cover the second half of his soundbite with a truck with snow on it.

The shot supports the story and helps tell the story.

The next piece of track is

But twice in a week

And I show this

Multiple trucks in the shot. The closest I can get to some kind of symbolism of twice. I still think this shot advances the story.
The story continues

Truckers pass the time

with bottomless cups of coffee,

and John Wayne on the TV.

I’m making every effort I can to show what the reporter is talking about.

Now some make think I am too literal with my editing of the story. In the case of a simple general news story, I want to help the viewer understand the story as best as I can with the images I’ve been given. As you develop your skills, this is a pretty easy way to make sure your stories are making sense to the viewer.

Thanks for reading.

Shawn

You Better Know Your Trim Tools for Video Editing

August 11, 2014Anatomy of an EditEdit Foundry, NPPA, Shawn Montano, Storytelling, Trimming, Video Editingshawnmontano

I’ve been editing on non-linear systems since 1997.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Learn your trim tools. Please learn your trim tools. Make yourself a better video editor.

Every time I learn or re-learn an NLE, I make sure I understand the trim tools.

I don’t care which NLE you’re on. You better have an excellent grasp of trimming.

I think this is THE MOST essential set of tools on an NLE. Are you with me? I’m trying to make you better.

I use the trim tools every time I edit, EVERY TIME. The trim tools make an editor’s life easier. Trimming is polishing your edits.

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I think trimming is one of the hardest concepts to grasp when you’re learning about non-linear editing.

What is trimming? I took this definition from Final Cut Pro HD Hands-On Training by Larry Jordan.

“Trimming is the process of removing, or adding, frames to the beginning and end of your shots so that the edits flow naturally, maintaining your story, without calling attention to your editing.”

So why should you trim? What’s a great benefit? These are the tools that make your edits better, and it’s quick. Eventually, it’ll make you better.

I’m going to speak about trimming in general and why and how.

I used to edit on a non-linear system very linear-ly. Meaning I would mark an in and an out and place it into the timeline. If I didn’t like the edit, I would undo and reset mine in and out. THAT’S A WASTE OF TIME. The material you want is already down in the timeline.
Once you place clips onto the timeline, you should never go back to the preview window or re-load the clip ever.

If you don’t like the IN, then trim it.

I’ll use the story, Swinging on the Trapeze on my YouTube site to show you how I utilized some trim tools in the edit.

At [:21] into the story, you hear the beginning of a sentence from the gentlemen helping Kellie with the harness. He says, “It’s gonna be…, then I show him.

Screen Shot 2020-03-30 at 1.28.20 PM

I place the edit of Kellie and the gentlemen down on the timeline. I then ripple the video of the woman on the Trapeze just over this new edit. I made a J cut (Whoohoo!).

Simply select the edit you want to extend. In this case, the end of the clip that has the woman on the Trapeze (ONLY THE VIDEO).

In Premiere Pro I love I can just hold down the option key, and I can select only one track (basically unlinking a video and audio track)

At [:35], I make another J cut. You see other women on the Trapeze.

And you hear Kellie say, “So this’ll keep..” and then I cut to Kellie after that.

Between these two shots, I select the edit. I choose the rolling tool and drag that edit forward to where I want it to be.

At [2:06] is a match-action sequence of Kellie swinging on the Trapeze.

The 2nd shot in the sequence is Kellie swinging from the platform and then all the way back to the platform.

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I’m confident the action is matched here. But maybe I want to tweak it a few frames. I like my duration of the clip (two seconds) I’ve laid down. I want to slip it a few frames.

Meaning I’m going to change the in and the out with one tool. I’m going to zoom in to the clip on the timeline, select the slip tool, and drag the clip forward and backward until I like my new in and out point while maintaining my duration.

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The Slip tool works great for a situation like this. Trying to help with your match-action in a sequence.

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Slip, roll, extend edits are the easiest I think to try and explain. A ripple while isn’t any more complicated; it’ just a hard to explain in a blog.

What do I want you to learn from this entry? The next time your editing and you want to change something, use a trim tool. Sometimes just playing around with the trim tools are your best way of learning. I still discover new uses for each trim tool everyday.

Play and learn.

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Imitate The Eye

July 24, 2014Anatomy of an EditImitate The Eye, Shawn Montano, Video Editing, Video Editing Tips and Tricksshawnmontano

I first heard the phrase, imitate the eye, from Lou Davis. Lou is a photojournalist in North Carolina. “Capture the world as your eye sees it,” he’d say. I’ve taken this and applied it to my everyday editing.

When you are at an event. What does your eye focus on? Put those same shots together on the timeline. You’re now basically editing via imitating the eye.

Please watch Run Fast, Shoot Slow. This is a natural sound video I edited several years ago.

Let’s start with the opening sequence. I’m trying to make edits as close to the action as possible. So, a gun is shot, and it recoils immediately. Like in the edit at [:12]

and the edit at [:15]

Notice I don’t sit on the shot for more than a few frames before the action happens. Once the action happens, I move on to another shot. I’m attempting to imitate the eye as best as I can. I still need the viewer to comprehend the shot. If you were there at the shooting range, your eye would probably move faster.

Would your eye capture everything from the beginning? You would catch several things in mid-action. Just like many of my edits. Go back and look at my edits from [:10] to [:16].

Notice some of the shots the action of the gun being fired has already begun. Imagine if you were there. Wouldn’t your eye ping-pong around the shooting range just like that? Q

Please watch the story again and notice just how often I take an edit right on an action of just after the action has started.

Here are a few examples;

at [:17], the car door is already opening.

At [:27] running onto the firing range.

At [:41] going over the obstacle course.

The shot at [:47] I start the edit well after the participants have started running. If you were on top of the hill, watching this is where you head my turn and pick up the action.

Not every edit in this story follows the imitate the eye concept. I still have to tell the story. I do back-time natural sound moments, and I’m going back and forth with the interview, and there are a lot of other elements to the edit. For this post, I just wanted you to pay attention to your eyes the next time you are out shooting. When you come back to edit, try thinking about this concept.

Thank you for reading.

She’s nervous. As an editor it’s my job to help convey that in the edit.

July 10, 2014Anatomy of an EditVideo Editing, Video Editing Blog, Video Editing Tips and Tricks, Video Productionshawnmontano

You are an editor. Occasionally…. wait…I’m mean you’ll always have to convey emotions when you edit. Sometimes it’s easy. Your subject is laughing, crying, showing emotion, and it’s easily seen and understood. Quite often, it may be more subtle, and you’ll need to help convey the emotion with the help of some editing tools. Here is a story I produced and the tools I used to help express how Kellie felt as she went into a shark-tank with sharks.

The story for this post is We’re Going into Their World on my Youtube page

This is from the ‘Extreme Kellie’ series I produced for KWGN. In this story, Kellie MacMullan (now DeMarco) takes a dive with sharks at The Aquarium in downtown Denver.

The first thing I did before I edited this story was to find music. Using something from the soundtrack to Jaws or any other scary aquatic movie wouldn’t be appropriate. It’s also a cliche. People already have an emotional attachment to the theme from Jaws. I want to help the viewer understand how scared Kellie is to actually do this all the while, not making a mockery of the dive. Music isn’t an easy thing for me. I’ll often spend hours and hours listening to finding the right music for a story.

For the opening portion of the story, I choose something the average viewer wouldn’t recognize. The song is Heed Our Warning from the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen The Score. I start the story with music up full for 3 seconds to establish mood.

The 1st five shots of the package are all from the HD underwater camera. Notice all 5 shot I take the edit with the shark predominantly in the middle of the screen. I always have eye trace in mind when I edit. I want to keep the viewer’s eye right in the center of the screen for all these shots. Why? The impact of the shark in the 5th shot shown here…

That shot really grabs the viewer’s attention. I bring the music up full for just a beat during this shot to give it just another second of impact.

At [:11] When Shane Taylor, Kellie’s instructor says,

“We’re going into their world, you know I think if you just respect what they’re to do, things will go really, really smooth,” I take a shot from above the tank. I added a slow push-in to this shot.

Why do I choose this shot? During the interview at [:11], Shane looks down. What’s he looking at? If you place the camera at his eye level and pan it down, this is what you’d see. This is another example of how I use eye trace. I know this post is about helping convey emotion, but there are always other elements going on in editing, and I like to point those out.

At [:24] I have a shot of a shark swimming shot from above,

followed by a shot of Kellie looking into the tank.

Look at this shot closely. I wait for Kellie to have some expression on her face. I want to show the viewer she’s nervous. I then cut back to the sharks swimming from above. I’m following the logic of eye-trace. Kellie is looking at something, I show the viewer what she’s looking at (eye-trace). But it’s not just eye-trace. It is also finding something in the video to show the emotion of the moment.

At [:32], I show Kellie, and she says, “I’m nervous.”

The next shot I choose is that of a shark opening its mouth. Wow, looking back on that edit, I love it. I’m really conveying the emotion of the situation. The shark opening its mouth really works here.

With this shot, I bring up the music full again. Why did I cut away from Kellie to this shot? In the sequence of Kellie in the water, I didn’t like my choices of shots. They were either jumps cuts or cutaways, adding nothing to the story. I’m trying to keep the viewer engaged as much as possible. Cutting a sequence of Kellie dropping into the water isn’t nearly as powerful as cutting back and forth from Kellie to the sharks.

At [:58] I bring the music up full again and show a great shot of Kellie. With the music up full and her expression, you can really feel the tension she’s feeling. That’s good editing.

Notice coming out of this shot at [1:00], I wait until she slightly moves her head. The next shot wide, her head continues to move. I like using match-action to help hide edits. Little things like this make an average editor better.

At [1:25], Kellie goes underwater, and I change the music. I’m now using the song Grand Central from the soundtrack to the movie K-Pax.

This song has a feel of discovery. I want the viewer to realize Kellie is not so nervous anymore. She is intrigued by her dive.

I bring the music up full several more times. The shots are beautiful. Kellie’s taking this all in. I want the viewer to take it all in too. So, I let a few shots just breathe.

This was a fun piece to edit. Great underwater shots to choose from. I kept editing very simple. Trying to let shots breathe. Simple music and notice no dissolve.

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Make Your Editor Happy with Screen Direction

July 10, 2014Anatomy of an Editshawnmontano

Have you ever crossed the axis, and violated screen direction? Stop it!

Ok, there are about 15-thousand reasons why you’ll do this. Relax, I’m here to help.

A quick review just in case you don’t know what an axis in video production is and a few definitions.

Action Line – This imaginary line follows the direction that the people or objects are facing.

If you keep your camera and people (or object) on one side of the action line, screen direction is never a problem.

Frame Left – indicates movement towards the left side of the screen.
Frame Right – indicates movement toward the right of the screen.

The story I’m going to use for this post is Slow, but Steady found on my Youtube page

The story starts out with a video that was given to us by Thunder Valley Motocross. It’s a montage of shots from various races.

Even though this was given to me, I edited it with a screen direction in mind. Notice all shots from [:00] to [:11] are frame left.

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There is one shot at [:11] in the full music montage I take from frame right. Why? When I’m in montage mode, I like to break the rules and go for the coolness of shots. I liked the way the shots from frame left, and frame right worked.

After that montage, I go back to all shots frame left until I take the interview full at [:16].

Then all shots are frame right, back to the interview. After that, I tried to cluster several shots in which action is coming mostly straight at you. Some are frame left, and some are frame right, but because they are mostly head-on, I didn’t feel the direction change was too drastic to be visually unpleasant.

At [:38] is a shot of Kellie on the bike, followed by a shot of the wheel, followed by Kellie on a motorcycle going over a bump.

I break screen direction with all three of these shots. It works because they are all tight shots, I haven’t established any real screen direction, and it’s a mini-montage.

I want you to respect the guidelines of the screen direction. I also want you to be creative and figure out ways to violate screen direction without it being visually jarring.

At [:40], Kellie and David are talking, getting her ready to ride.

The action line keeps David frame left and Kellie frame right. Pretty obvious. So, a bad idea would have been to all of a sudden start shooting from the other side of the axis.

That would of put Kellie on the left side of the screen and David on the right. That’s the type of screen violation you do want to avoid. Keep people on the same active line unless you have a reason to break this. Don’t just break your axis in this type of situation without a good reason.

Oh no!!! At [1:02], they switch sides.

Kellie is now frame left, and David is frame right.

Cutting those two shots together with the reverse in screen direction looks terrible, feels terrible, and I won’t do it.

Lucky for me, I have a pan-up that helps me get out of my reverse frame problem. So, now the screen direction doesn’t look so bad. You are going to run into screen direction problems all the time. Find a solution. It’ll make you better as an editor.

If you’re a videographer and this happens, remember to shoot yourself out of the problem. You and your editor (again, maybe you) will thank you in the edit bay.

Now, we cannot control David moving around, and sometimes we can control screen direction problems in the field. As an editor, it’s your job to make sure this doesn’t get in the way.

How do you do that?

At [1:10], Dave is frame left. I wait until he’s out of the shot to make the edit.

Dave is now framed right. I use a shot of Kellie’s hands and their torsos to make the jump less harsh.

When Kellie finally starts riding the bike, she rides away from the camera. Notice I take the edit when she slightly leans left to get her around and back.

From there on in the sequence, she’s always riding frame left.

At [2:00], she reverses direction. I use another pan up to help me get out of this looking too jarring. Two pan-ups to get me out of screen direction problems. Remember that.

The next 3 shots are frame right. In the third shot, I allow her to turn in the shot.

And now I can get her going frame left.

At [2:22], I let her turn in the frame again, allowing me to get her going screen right again. The reason why I turned her around back is that her final little post-interview she’s frame right. I’m thinking ahead, making sure I don’t have a screen direction problem. Yeah, you better be thinking ahead too!

A 4 shot montage after the interview I break the screen direction rule (I mean guideline) again. Why? I’m in montage mode and don’t follow the screen direction rule (That’s my own little rule or guidance).

Screen direction helps the viewer understand the visual realm you are creating.
The action line keeps people or objects on the right sides of the frame.
Imitate the eye. People and objects don’t reverse screen direction in the real world, why do it in editing.
You can break screen direction, just understand the rule (or guideline) before you break it.

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The Guideline of Six in Video Editing

April 28, 2014Anatomy of an Edit, Cuts, Edit Decisions, Editing Theory, Emotion, Eye Trace, Rule of Sixshawnmontano

The guidelines of six come from the Rule of six. What’s the Rule of six, you ask?

It’s an editing concept I first learned about reading In The Blink of An Eye.

Walter Murch is a film editor for Apocalypse Now, The Godfather III, and many other films.

The Rule of six is a list of rules you should follow with each cut you make.

1) Emotion
2) Story
3) Rhythm or pacing
4) Eye-trace (leading or directing the eye to what the viewer should look at)
5) Two-dimensional plane of the screen (or screen direction/180 rule)
6) Three-dimensional space of action (or continuity)

This list was developed for film. However, you can apply it to all visual storytelling. It’s a logic to the edit decisions you make every day. I’ve broken down a story you can see the Rule of six in action.

I’m not a big fan of rules. I prefer guidelines.

So, from here on out, we’ll refer to this as The Guidelines of Six in Video Editing. I use this in news, program, documentary, corporate, and commercial/promotional editing.

The story we’re going to break down is We’re Just Floating Along.

This is a segment from the Extreme Kellie franchise I edited at KDVR/KWGN.

The story starts with an aerial of paragliders.

The next shot, the shadow of the paraglider.

The action of the shot is happening at the same position in both shots. The action is just left of center, that’s not by accident. That’s me wanting you to look at precisely what I want you to look at.

I’m using rule #4, eye-trace (leading or directing the eye to what the viewer should look at).

The next shot I’m cutting for rhythm/pacing, rule #3.

I always like to think about eye trace (rule #4) when I’m editing. Every shot won’t work, and nor should you try and make every shot work. If you went for eye trace in each shot, you’d spend a lot of time looking and not a lot of time cutting. I’m cutting for rhythm or pacing here. I wanna maintain an individual pace, and this rule overrides eye trace. Oh yeah, you should follow the guidelines in order. Keeps these rules (or guidelines as I like to call them) at the top of your mind as you cut.

Heck, maybe you should print this out and paste in on you NLE for future edits.

I found this graphic on the nofilmschool website.

What’s this mean? You should cut for emotion over everything. Think about your last edit and how it would have been different in your followed the guidelines of six.

The number #1 guidelines for storytelling is emotion.

Remember, emotion overrides all.

I don’t care if the video is blue if the shot is shaky if there is a swish pan to get to the emotion.

Never cut away from emotion, always cut to emotion.

Guideline #2 is the story. Really start thinking about this Rule. I mean really, really start thinking about this Rule. Did you advance your story? You should always be advancing your story. If you not, then see if the reason why you’re making a cut falls under guidelines 3,4,5 or 6.

Back to the video, we go.

I do a series of faster edits at [:08] for rhythm. I’m simply cutting to the music.

Notice the paragliders are mostly centered in this series of shots. I always have eye trace in the back of my thoughts.

Now here’s a spot that you could argue that rhythm, guideline 3, is an over-riding story, guideline 2. The shots are still relevant to the story. I’m not showing crazy tights shot of the sky? I’m showing paragliders. Story and rhythm are working together here.

Back to eye trace here at [:11] Paragliders are just above center and just to the left.

In that same spot just above center and to the left, Kelly’s head (The instructor Kelly, not the anchor Kellie); more eye trace in action.

The shot at [:23] is for rhythm and advancing the story.

As you can see, no eye trace into the edit. But, out of the edit take a look at [:27]

You are looking at the paraglider. Your eyes are looking just left of the center frame. I’m getting you ready to look at what I want you to, which is Kelly (instructor) putting the harness on Kellie (anchor).

Ok, I’ve to think you’ve got the whole eye trace thing. So, I’m not going to point those out anymore.

The shot from Kellie and Kelly wide above to the shot tight shot Kellie putting on the backpack fall under two dimensional plane of Screen (screen direction), or guideline #5. Kellie (anchor) is on the left, and Kelly (the instructor) is on the right.

I maintain screen direction, but I override continuity rule #6. Do you see how Kellie (anchor) turned at [:28]. She facing left at [:28]

but facing right in the tight shot at [:29]

I maintain screen direction, but I break continuity.

A word about guideline #6, three-dimensional space of action, or continuity. Continuity is the guideline that is incredibly hard to maintain in broadcast news editing. The easiest way to get around continuity is tight shots.

From [:45] to [:59] I’m just thinking about guideline 4 or screen direction. This is a sequence of getting the paragliders up. I’m also advancing the story, guideline 2.

At [:59] I cut to a shot of Kellie giving the camera a thumbs up.

This shot is for emotion, guideline #1. I’m showing Kellie’s enthusiasm.

From [1:00] to [1:10], I’m thinking about rhythm.

At [1:11], Kellie talks about being nervous.

Emotion, guideline #1. I’m NOT going to make a cut even though the photographer adjusts the iris during the shot. I break rhythm too by keeping this shot up so long.

Emotion over-riding all.

From [1:20] to [1:44], I’m cutting for rhythm and for the story.

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At [1:45], Kellie shows emotion, and I stay with it.

There are several more examples of the guidelines of six and how it implies to each edit. I invite you to watch the piece and really look at each edit and ask yourself, why did he do that?

Rarely is one edit made based on one guideline; more often, several rules are in play.

I do want to point out something toward the end of the story.

These 3 shots are jump cuts.

I don’t care.

Each shot has emotion. No need to cut away from it. This is another example of emotion over-riding all.

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Sequencing, Match Action, Shot Variety and No Jump Cuts With Amateur Video

April 21, 2014Anatomy of an Editshawnmontano

When I worked at KDVR/KWGN, I had the honor of producing several stories with Kellie MacMullan (now DeMarco) called Extreme Kellie. Like all stories, they each had their challenges. A challenge with this particular was the amount of amateur video I had to use.

The idea behind these segments is Kellie goes out and takes part in some great activities. For this one, It’s Not What You Expect, Kellie skydives. This story is an example of using amateur video. I start the story off with a few aerial shots just to establish where the actions going to be. You’ll notice I dropped the saturation and added a little blur on the video. Why just frankly cause it looks cool.

Kellie asked me to do this one as a natural sound story (Photo Essay). I decided to have fun and add a few cuts of music. The first song you’re hearing is Raining Oil by Thomas Newman from the Jarhead Soundtrack. I chose this song because I felt it created that anticipatory feeling.

Our story starts out with the man she’s going to tandem jump with getting her all setup.

Kellie is featured predominantly in these stories, so obviously, I’m going to show her a lot. These little moments (like her facial expression above) are particularly relevant to help the audience understand her hesitation.

I add the owner of the skydiving company to help tell the story. You’ll notice from [:38] and on the story uses mostly video shot by the skydiving company. I love to sequence whatever video there is. Sequencing regardless of who shot it still helps tell the story. More importantly, sequencing advances your story visually. Just because it’s amateur video doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sequence. It just means you have to work harder to find the sequence and craft the edit. From [:40] to [:47] is a simple sequence edited to music to simply get us up off the ground and into the air.

The music I choose for this section is Hard Sun by Eddie Vedder from the Into the Wild Soundtrack. Another sequence at [:50] to establish they are up high in the sky.

From [:53] to [1:13] is another sequence of Kellie and her instructor. They’re getting ready to jump out of the plane. I wasn’t given many tight shots, and most amateurs don’t know the value of tight shots. So, when I was given the opportunity to use not just one tight shot but two, I’m all over it. Notice also in this section of sequence, I get as close to movement on the edit as I can; this also helps make the amateur video look not so inexperienced.

Sequencing, match action, and no jump cuts all with amateur video.

From [1:20] to [1:35], I’ve got shot variety, match action, mixing up wides, mediums, and tights.

Yes, you can still tell good stories and have excellent editing with amateur video. So here is your checklist for making amateur video look good;

1. Sequence

2. Match your action

3. Figure out a way to have shot variety

4. Edit on the action or a close to it as you can

5. Do the same thing you do if it was shot by a professional

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You should have almost no lip flap in any story….EVER! (ok, almost EVER)

April 14, 2014Anatomy of an Editshawnmontano

Almost no Lip Flap

I have a video editing pet peeve called lip flap. Lip flap is when you take a shot, and the person or persons in the shot is talking while there is narration. Maybe they are talking to the reporter or another person in the shot. What they’re really doing is distracting the viewer. Anytime I see a shot like this edited in a story, I think it’s very distracting.

I’m trying to listen to the narration, and I’m trying to listen to what the person in the shot is saying. All that listening and I’m retaining hardly any information. I don’t see lip flap nearly as much as I used to, but I did notice it in this recent CBS Sunday Morning segment on Matzo.

Go to [1:40] into the story. Her narration returns, and she’s talking on camera. This is very distracting.

I try and avoid lip flap. I think you need to avoid lip flap. Here a story where there could have been lots of lip flap, but there isn’t. Why? Because I don’t like lip flap!

The following story is Passion Parties

Watch the story first, then continue with this blog entry.

As you can imagine, the ladies talked a lot throughout the entire party. I simply chose edit points to eliminate any distracting lip flap. Watch it again. There are plenty of opportunities in the raw to choose from with no lip flap. I still show the enjoyment of the passion party just with no lip flap. Ok, well, almost no lip flap. If you go to [1:23], I do have a shot with lip flap.

Here is an excellent example of an edit decision I made in which a lazy edit of lip flap could have been made. Got to [1:51] into the story. I show a quick shot of the host.

I make an edit when she’s NOT saying anything. Simple edit decisions like this take away distractions from the viewer.

At [1:57], I do have another edit with lip flap, but I choose to back-time a soundbite over not having lip flap. Since I’m talking about this story, I thought I’d just mention two more elements that make this story work.

Intimacy

How often do you see stories on the air that, when appropriately edited, get you intimate with the information? This is one of those stories that needs intimacy. How do you get intimacy? You do it with tight shots.

Sometimes extremely tight shots as to avoid future conversations with a Producer or News Director.

As you can see, I had to use shots that gave the viewer enough information to process what they were seeing, without being obscene. This was a very challenging edit. Next time someone asks you how important tight shots are, show them this story about Passion Parties. After you watch, have a conversation about a critical tight shot in EVERY STORY.

Oh, and don’t forget in that next story you edit with all those tight shots NO MORE LIP FLAP!

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When I Edit I Want to complement The Photographer

November 20, 2013Anatomy of an Editshawnmontano

In this post, I continue using the Journey of Hope Documentary. I use part 2 of Journey of Hope

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzHUXkXmpyg

When I edit, I want to compliment the photographer. When I get a story that I know the photographer has put a lot of effort into, I want to honor their shooting. I want them to feel like I’m an extension of themselves. The best compliment I can get from a photographer is, “That’s exactly what I thought when I shot that.”

A good editor can see why a photographer shoots a shot and extrapolate how the photographer would use it. Each time Dave Wertheimer came into the edit bay, he loved what I was doing and liked that I got into his head and edited the story as if he was pushing the buttons. I’ll give you some examples.

From [:10] to [1:09] is Scott’s head-shaving party. My photographer got plenty of stable, locked-down shots. My photographer got plenty of shots I could choose from. My photographer shot sequences. My photographer stayed ahead of the action. I had every shot I needed to make this a proper sequence without forcing any meaningless or undeveloped shots. I, for the most part, used the shots in order.

From cutting his hair to shaving his head, I advanced the story with each edit and used the shots like I think the photographer would. Watch that sequence again. It should feel like you were in the room with all of them seeing all they see. That’s what my photographer shot, and that’s what I put together.

From [1:10] to [2:04] is the sequence at the MRI.

I honored the sequences of Scott in the MRI. I start with him going into the MRI and work him coming out to get straps tightened. I’m honoring the sequence that was shot. Dave likes shooting match action. Dave will get shots, change camera angles, and then wait for the match action to happen as the two shots at [2:17].

A good editor finds those shots and knows they’ll work together.

A good photographer makes edits for you when shooting good match action. You just have to find where to put them into the story.

While all this is important in long-form editing, paying attention to what is shot and how it is shot can save an editor a lot of frustrating time.

Next time your editing ANYTHING, you did not shoot ask yourself why did he/she shoot that? If you can figure it out, you can probably find a place to that shot in your story.