Media Editing: Overlooked and Underrated

photo: flickr, filmingilman

When it comes to creating media, the camera is the first thing most people grab. Not only has shooting a consumer camera become relatively simple, but there's a certain glamorous mystique attached to someone who aims a lens with a sure and confident hand. Then there’s the thrill - anything can happen once you press record, and depending on talent, skill, random accidents or luck, you might even catch some magic. 

But what happens when the shooting is over? Have you noticed how many of your friends have boxes of aging tapes or a hard drive full of uncut media?  How many enthusiasts shoot hours of tape, then never quite get around to making something out of it?

No surprise. Editing is not glamorous.  Some editing software might be simple to learn, but the craft of editing depends on both skill and experience. There’s not much of the thrill factor either, although good editing often produces magic, even from decidedly UN-magic digital media. 

Why waste your time editing, you may ask.  We’d like to suggest three overlooked and underrated advantages. 

 
photo: flickr, Matti Mattila

Focus your message

Reviewing everything you’ve shot can be hard, especially if you were there and witnessed the proceedings. You remember how things happened, when and where and why, but sometimes this knowledge can limit or even hinder you when it comes to editing.

An editor, who often was not there, can view your digital media from a distance. She can choose the best, then construct your story or message to maximize what you shot, not necessarily the way it happened. The practiced eye of an editor offers perspective, fresh approaches, a structure that builds and pays off.

Through years of creatively and persuasively putting a story or message together, editors learn tricks. Clever tricks. They pull rabbits out of hats that you didn’t even know existed. They break up a sequence of events and reconstruct it so it flows. They refocus a conversation on a point that was barely mentioned. They shape a rambling interview into precise and lucid points. They add voice-over narration to pull disparate scenes into a coherent whole.  In short, from a heap of uncut digital media, they deliver a streamlined piece.     

Target several demographics

Want your video to reach several distinct demographics?  Once you’ve defined your target audiences and how to best speak to them, an editor can cut your video into multiple versions, each customized for particular users. She can add, delete or extend video clips, drop in text, animation and photos, choose different tracks of music for each version and record narration designed to attract and hold niche viewers. The result is 2 or 3 or 10 versions of your original tape, each customized for a particular set of tastes and preferences. 

Repurpose what you’ve already got

Not able to come up with a budget for video production right now? Check your archives for video, photographs and recordings that, if assembled with skill, might freshen your message, suggest a new service or cast a different slant on your business profile. 

Have a comment about media editing? We'd like to hear from you.

Related blogs: When the Cameras Roll and Too Many Shoes in the Closet