What makes a good edit.
Editing is one of the most challenging areas of Filmmaking. A bad edit can destroy all the good work from the shoot. A great edit can lift a film and bring it to new heights.
I was asked this question recently. What makes a good edit? Over the years of seeing many different edits and having edited numerous films over the years, there is one constant.
Some people are great at music. They pick up a guitar and they have the ear for it. They know how to keep rhythm and make beautiful music. The same goes for editing Some people have the editing talent. Some newbie editors take to editing like ducks to water. They have the feel for telling the story and create a seamless edit that grabs the viewer into the story.
There are two aspects to editing a film. The first one is technical. This one is easy. Learning how to use the software takes a few weeks and can be learnt via editing a film. Over the years, one will learn more about the software and its various tools and functions. But overall, it is like learning how to use a smart phone. Once you have learned it, it is easy to use your apps.
The second aspect is the big challenge.
Learning the Editing skills that go back to early Hollywood. Like music, it is a feel and intuitive process where you know the best juxtaposition and pace, that effectively tells the story
What makes a good edit?
- It tells the story in the best possible way that engages the audience.
- The editing pace is unnoticeable. Edits that are too fast draw attention to themselves. When one sees choppy fast editing, it can seem jarring. Edits that are too slow and stay on one shot for too long can seem ponderous and boring. Beginner editors often fall into the “too slow editing category”
Sometimes action films require very fast paced editing. Likewise, a war scene. Fast jarring editing can enhance the emotional response. These are more exceptions than the rule.
- Beginner edits are usually rough. A Good edit is smooth and seamless with every edit from a wide shot to a close-up having perfect continuity and feel. They do not draw attention to themselves. The audience is sucked into the story without going. “Hey, that edit did not make sense. It has continuity errors”.
- Beginner edits usually have poor sound with often the sound is not synced properly. Experience editors have used the best possible location sound, and they mix music and dialogue perfectly.
- Good editors watch all the takes first up and mark out the best performance of the actors. They take time to prepare by watching every shot from the shoot and then feeling the edit for the scene and making sure they use their wide shots and mid shots and close ups in perfect synchronicity. This is the talent of a great editor.
- Really good editing will always use the wide shots regularly. Bad editors stay in close ups for the whole scene.
- Music and Sound is such an important element. Having the correct music in the film at the right times and levels will enhance the quality of the film. So many beginners choose music they like rather than music that enhances the story and emotions of the film.
- A good sound mix, where the sound and music and dialogue are mixed at the right levels will enhance the viewing experience and the story. Music is there not to draw attention to itself. Music is there to enhance the emotions of the scene.
To become a good editor takes time. The Editor will require the following two elements.
- Talent and feel for editing. Without this, it is best to hire an editor. How do you know if you have talent? It comes down to “love of the doing”. If the hours fly by when you edit, then you are most likely going to become a good editor. If you hate editing and the hours drag, maybe look at hiring an editor.
- Hours of practice. It can take 3 -5 films for an editor to become good. Just like a guitar player, it takes time to become a good editor. Be patient and if you love editing, keep at it and you will save thousands of dollars and have an amazing skill valued highly in the film industry.
Most top flight directors work with an experienced editor. This is an excellent solution but also can be expensive, as editors do charge for their services.
The second choice is to learn over a few films to edit. Once you have the skill, it will save you huge sums of money when making your own films.
In the end you decide. If you want to become a good editor, you most likely will. Stick to your guns and just do it.
