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Assemble the Rough Cut Before Working Out Any Timing Issues

Once you’ve got all the clips you need imported into your editing program, it’s time to start actually putting the rough cut of your marketing video together.


Editing a sequence can get complicated quickly, so tidy up your clips as you work.

However, before you begin the painstaking process of frame-by-frame editing, get your clips roughly into place. There’s no point agonizing over precise timing issues until your video has already begun to take shape. It won’t look pretty, but it’ll give you a solid idea of which parts of your marketing video need the most work.

 
 
 

Always Cut ‘On the Action’


When editing a shot of someone doing something, make sure to cut to the next shot during the action that your subject is performing.

For example, if you’re editing together a sequence of someone opening a door before walking through it, cut to the shot of the subject opening the door at the precise moment the person turns the door handle. Cutting away before or after the action can look jarring and distract the viewer. You may not even have to worry about this, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re working on a more ambitious video.


 
 
 

Tidy Up Your Clips Before You Start Assembling the Rough Cut


When importing your footage into your editing program, clean up your clips as you import them. Most editing packages allow you to set “in” and “out” points for each clip, reducing their length by trimming out pauses, giggles, and false starts.

Editing the final sequence together using trimmed clips is a lot easier than adjusting each individual clip on the fly.

 
 
 
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