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What Does It Take To Be a Video Editor?

By ZAK

Video is an excellent tool for brands that want to leave an impact on their audiences. As a storytelling tool, it allows you to convey emotion as few other mediums can. However, quite a few criteria must be met to do so effectively. For example, video creators require a range of equipment to shoot high-quality footage and capture audio.

But most importantly, to tell the story you want to tell, you need video editing skills that will make your video flow smoothly. The editor takes every building block collected thus far to bring the vision together into its final form.

Every video production company employ experts for this very job. But what will it take to successfully edit your video if you have a go at video marketing in-house?

In this article, we’ll explore the role of the editor and what skills they should bring to the table.

What Does a Video Editor Do?

For anyone unfamiliar with video editing software, it might not immediately be apparent just how much work goes into video editing.

Here are some of the tasks that fall under an editor’s responsibilities:

  • Organising video content within the software
  • Working with the director to align the overall vision
  • Assembling raw footage into chronological order
  • Creating cuts and transitions that accentuate the storytelling
  • Identifying the sequence of the video
  • Synchronising sound and story
  • Reviewing scenes, script and screenplays
  • Ensuring consistency from the start to the end of the video
  • Treating the colour of the footage to make it match the theme and artistic direction
  • Exporting a rough cut for the director to review and later exporting the final video

Editors work across any video project, including music videos, corporate training videos, commercials, television, film and more.

What Skills do Video Editors Need?

To be a good video editor, you need to have a good grasp of the editing software to execute your vision as desired. However, there is also a range of soft skills you’ll need to bring to the table, as well as industry knowledge and expertise.

  • Attention to detail. The editor has to make certain camera angles don’t tell conflicting stories and don’t confuse viewers, as well as root out any continuity errors that might occur. The video creator must also be able to smoothly continue motion through several shots, identifying the exact frame on which the video should cut.
  • Good memory. As an editor, you have to assemble the sequence of the video from hundreds of different clips that might look similar. You’ll need to remember which scene goes where and keep the video’s timeline straight.
  • Communication. Editors rarely work alone – they must partner directly with the director and sometimes the client to keep the video aligned with the initial brief.
  • Calm under pressure. Video editing is an immensely time-consuming task with many hurdles along the way. Video campaigns often have tight deadlines, even if you decide the schedule in-house. Your editor will need to be able to proceed under pressure and stick tightly to that schedule.
  • Artistic vision. The editor contributes much to the final product. The right shot at the right time can really bring home a cinematography reveal. Colour treatment and sound layering add to the atmosphere of a video. Video editing is a creative job; as an editor, you must fully understand your grasp to be purposeful with your decisions and help tell the story.

Let a Video Production Company Bring the Magic

Whilst it’s possible to shoot and edit your own videos in-house, brands with no experience in this field might want to leave more ambitious projects to the experts. Partnering with a video production company often ensures more timely, high-quality, impactful results. Editing is not as simple as cutting footage and assembling it in the correct order. Years of experience contribute to artistic decisions, an eye for detail and a cohesive vision shared with you and the director.

Contact us today to hear more about our video creation services and let our editors work their magic.