Editing video can be a cumbersome and drawn-out task depending on the type of shoot. However, there are always ways to smooth out and streamline your workflow that can make a world of difference. Here are 10 tips from a professional filmmaker.
My first comprehensive video shoot taught me a lot I wasn't prepared for. I had spent so much time honing settings, working out how to shoot for certain color grades, and focusing on the shooting side of the work, I had neglected a lot of the basics. When I got back to my computer, did my usual backing up process, and prepared for the edit, I realized the mountain ahead of me that I needed to scale.
There are a lot of ways you can make this mountain more manageable, and Film Riot cover 10 in this video. The one that I deemed most important to improve on personally is incidentally the first on this list: organize. I'm typically organized to an irritating degree, with preparation and order being top of my list when it comes to planning a shoot. However, what I hadn't prepared for, was the organization of footage once it has been shot. I spent hours searching through clips looking for moments I knew I'd filmed, but wasn't sure where. This was repeated in a number of other ways — some of which Film Riot mentions in this video — but I knew for the next shoot I'd adjust them all.
So, if you're new to videography, the tip I would most recommend taking on board from this list is organization. Grouping your clips, labeling them, and removing the need to sift through all of your content while compiling the footage can save you enormous amounts of time.
