As you might expect, editing a fight scene requires you to be adept at most of the fundamental editing skills such as: Cutting on movement Developing a rhythm Paying attention to continuity However, there this is one specific technique that is especially important when cutting a great fight scene.

A lot of trailer editors will think of the early stages of a cut almost like a radio spot. That is, telling a story and creating emotion using only sound. This is almost 180 degrees different from the feature editing approach, which typically begins with picture and then enhanced even further with m

One of the first challenges you’ll encounter when editing dialogue is picking the audio source you’re going to edit with. That is, which microphone’s audio are you going to cut onto your timeline? Want to know what we think? Check out the video (and transcript below) to find out! Alright, so here a

This quick edit tip is all about speed of your cuts. Whether you’re cutting fast…or you’re cutting slow. Remember: keep the pace appropriate — too fast and you’ll lose people, too slow and you’ll bore them. Check out this short video where we’ll tell you a couple of our best pacing practices&#

This quick edit tip puts you in the director’s chair. Sometimes you really wish a static shot had a slow push in on a character’s face during a dramatic moment but it wasn’t shot that way on the set. Looks like you’re out of luck, right? Not necessarily. Check out the video below where w

Every editor wants to be fast. But how do you get fast? We’ve always found that using keyboard shortcuts when editing — or doing anything on the computer — will DRASTICALLY increase the speed at which an editor can work. Check out this short video where we’ll tell you a couple tips on how to g

If you’re looking for a really quick way to communicate a story point…use a reaction shot. Yes, that might seem obvious at first, but did you know that they do more than just show what a character thinks or feels about a particular event? Watch our short edit tip video below to find out why th

When it comes to sculpting a timeline, there’s really no right or wrong way. However, we’ve got some pretty compelling reasons to begin your edit with a rough cut. Learn what they are by clicking the video – or read the transcript below! Some editors like to painstakingly hand craft eac

This quick edit tip is all about controlling time. When you want your scene or sequence to make an impression, time manipulation can heighten a dramatic moment, build into a joke or amplify action. We’ll tell you our three main reasons for using this technique along with some cool examples of

As editors, part of our job is harnessing the power of music to create a wide range of emotions and tones in a cut. After all, sound is 50% of the equation right? Today, I want to dig into the topic of music from the ground up — that is, starting with how it’s actually created. By gaining a de

Today, we’re going to look at film editing timing and pacing techniques — specifically how to edit dramatic moments. You are an editor. You control time. Not in any Dr. Who “Time Lord” kind of way (though that would definitely come in handy). But a large part of what you do is cont

Today we have three dialogue editing tips for film that will help give your cut a professional polish. We’ll find out what “good-sounding” dialogue is, then see how equalizers, compressors and room tone will smooth out your edits. What is “good”-sounding dialogue? Good-sounding di

Synchronous sound is key when building your edit. In this short tutorial we’ll explain the main function of synchronous sound along with a few examples to get you started. Then, we’ll highlight the difference between synchronous sound and sync audio – you don’t want to get th

Every year, it seems like the bar is pushed just a little higher with films and television. Film editing techniques are always evolving. The action is bigger, the drama is more dramatic and the suspense is even “suspensier” (not even close to being a word?) Let’s just say that grabbing and holding a

This quick editing tip will cover why it’s important to have good editing project organization. We’ll review three main reasons why you need to thoroughly organize your footage and what could happen if you don’t! So, what happens if I don’t organize my footage? Well for starters,

In this brief edit tip, we’ll cover color coding your editing timeline in three major programs: Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Final Cut Pro X. Color coding is a great way to keep your timeline organized so you can easily keep track of your different scenes, characters and many,

In this mini-tutorial, we cover trailer editing breakdown techniques for both editors AND non-editors (this is how clients, producers, etc. can help too!). Learn the most important steps to help find the best structure for your trailer and save you tons of time later on if changes need to be made. T

Get ready for some fun stuff. Today we’ve got a full-length sample video from our Secrets of Creative Editing course that will teach you how professional Hollywood editors arrange their timelines for the most optimal workflow. Also included is a complete transcription along with screenshots in

In this short post, we’ll be reviewing the main visual devices that are used in professional Hollywood trailers. You’ll rarely see a finished piece without a large number of these combined in different ways throughout the cut. Check it out… In this lesson, we’re gonna take a look

The world of trailer and promo editing doesn’t get much time in the spotlight compared to its longer-form cousin, feature editing. In this short Edit Tip, we’ll be taking a look a few common structures you can use when cutting your next trailer or promo. Trailer & Promo Editing While promo piece