How to Get Unstuck When You're Editing and Don't Know What to Do Next

We’ve all gotten ourselves stuck in a rut and when it comes to editing video, breaking out of it can be really hard work. Staring endlessly at the screen probably won’t help so here are some excellent tips to help you push through.

Filmmaker Mark Bone has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to shooting and editing and he’s compiled a useful series of suggestions to get you through those situations when an edit just isn’t working, despite your best efforts.

Probably my favorite piece of advice from this short video is the first one: take a break from the computer. When I find myself staring at my laptop and not knowing what to do, sometimes the best thing is to close it down and do something else entirely. If you’re on a deadline, this can feel like the least obvious choice, but refreshing your brain can be far more productive in the long run.

In addition, I always make sure to add some physical stimulus to that break — even if it's as simple as having a shower — as that fires my creativity and problem-solving. Doing some exercise can be a great help, even if it’s incredibly mundane; for some reason, repetition of a physical task can put me into a zen-like state that somehow purges mental blockages.

If you have any further tips, be sure to leave them in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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