Have you fallen victim to some common video editing myths? The word “video editing” alone is likely to conjure up particular cognitive images of the work and those who do it. It might be something you saw in a movie or on TV. A solitary person who works long into the night in a dark room with computer screens all around them! And, well, that isn’t entirely incorrect.
It’s understandable for those who won’t edit video to believe in the work as laborious and complex, or even straightforward and tedious. However, editing has become more accessible these days. There are tools which lets you edit videos online and are easy to learn. Those of us who work as editors, know how much editors and creators enjoy what they do! Every day brings new challenges, tales to tell, and emotions to elicit. Editors don’t get intimidated by a complicated subject, but they also don’t dismiss a simple edit.
Let’s break all the myths.
Fix it in the post
The most common myth is that once the video is shot and there are mistakes, they can be corrected later. We can do innumerable things to hide flaws, but the pre-production and filming stages can significantly impact the editing. Editing effects do not address poor acting, missed focus, continuity errors, inauthentic scripts, mysterious compositions, and other issues. There is only little that can be fixed, not completely.
The edit will be quick and straightforward
If the video production process were represented as a pie graph, the post-production slice would take up a substantial proportion of the pie. It takes an enormous amount of knowledge and skill to take raw video and turn it into a clear and precise, cohesive story. If you want a high-quality product, you can’t expect your production company to meet unrealistic deadlines.
Any person can edit the video
Desktop and nonlinear tools have democratized a profession that was once the exclusive domain of broadcasting’s big guns in the linear era. In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, it took a great deal to get into a million-dollar edit room. Acknowledging video standards and reworking and troubleshooting black boxes such as ADOs, sync power stations, distribution power amplifiers, personality generators, signal forwarding, and dozens of other sub-specialties required outstanding technical knowledge. But now, it is believed anyone can edit it.
Animated videos are cheaper to edit than typically shot videos
Animated videos can be easy, clean, and have few moving elements while still being a huge hit. It’s safe to conclude that such work is as straightforward as the visuals. However, even the most basic animations require more effort than a typical footage-based video. A convenient and brief look does not appear on its own; otherwise, anyone could create it quickly. Creating a graphical and textual style that is spotless and interacting requires a while, trial and error, motivation, and many iterations. That visual style must be adaptable across an entire screenplay, dozens of images in a storyboard, and work in a non-repetitive and attention-getting way.
It will almost take three times to make three videos in a series
It’s all too easy to assume that three videos must take three times longer if one video takes X amount of time. However, as many insurance companies claim, bundling saves money. Conceptualizing ideas, developing a brand element, discovering music, and defining the style and pacing of the edit take a lot of time when making a video. Whenever a video is part of a collection, the work has already been done; all required is to adapt it to the new subject.
All requested edit changes can be made in a matter of seconds
If your video includes a lot of visuals and compositing work, even minor changes can take a long time. This is because an editor will have to go back into the project and re-compose that segment of the video and re-render the entire piece.
Anyone can use footage and music from the internet in their videos for free
When I was hired to edit a corporate video for a client, I discovered that some of the video assets on the hard drive were videos she found on YouTube. She ripped them and intended to have them in her company’s video because she assumed the clips would help demonstrate specific points. Everything available on the internet is not free to use. To use any soundtrack or footage you find online, you must first obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Every viral video follows a set of guidelines and can thus be replicated
I recommend going back and revising your creative brief if your only goal from the start was to make a viral video. Of course, you can take steps to help you achieve this goal, but there is no one-size-fits-all formula for making a video go viral online. ABC News experimented a few years ago to see if it was possible to create a viral video from scratch, and they documented the process.
A Final decision by the editor
Initially, editing was usually done in collaboration with a director or producer. There appear to be dozens of permission levels in today’s highly saturated, over-suited television landscape. The producer/director comes first, followed by the production company and the network.
Editors are specialists, not generalists
This level of specificity is an insult to any good editor, and it usually indicates the posters’ ignorance or fear of losing their job due to a poor hire. Anything under the sun can be cut by any editor worth their salt. There’s no secret formula that says you have to have done it before you can figure it out. We take pride in our adaptability, flexibility, and willingness to take on new challenges.
Editing is a fascinating craft that can be complex yet simple, creative yet linear, reserved yet approachable. However, myths about it can limit what can be done and accomplished in any case.
