5 answers
Sophia
Student
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Questions
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What is the main goal of an Film and Video Editor?
What is the main goal and purpose of a Film and Video Editor?
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5 answers
Mario D. Leone
Produced Screenwriter
22
Answers
Spring Valley, New York
Updated
Mario D.’s Answer
As a Film and Video Editor, your primary mission is to weave together recorded footage into a completed masterpiece that perfectly mirrors the director's or producer's vision. Remember, stories often unfold in a sequential manner, flowing smoothly from one scene to the next.
Your role involves cherry-picking the most captivating shots, organizing them in a way that narrates a coherent story, and amplifying the footage with editing techniques such as transitions, effects, and sound editing to craft a refined final piece.
Moreover, it's crucial that you maintain the rhythm, timing, and overall progression of the film or video to ensure it's compelling and successful in delivering the intended message or story. Your work can truly bring a vision to life, making each scene more powerful and impactful than the last.
Your role involves cherry-picking the most captivating shots, organizing them in a way that narrates a coherent story, and amplifying the footage with editing techniques such as transitions, effects, and sound editing to craft a refined final piece.
Moreover, it's crucial that you maintain the rhythm, timing, and overall progression of the film or video to ensure it's compelling and successful in delivering the intended message or story. Your work can truly bring a vision to life, making each scene more powerful and impactful than the last.
Mario D., thank you!
Sophia
Jacob Steiner
Cinematographer
5
Answers
Hollywood, Florida
Updated
Jacob’s Answer
Hi Sophia,
Your main goal as an editor is to tell a story. You're taking footage and choosing the takes that you, and then the director, feel best tells the story. You make your first edit, with the takes you feel are best, and then the director comes in to watch the first cut and decides what needs to be changed based on that.
When you're doing narrative work, you'll be looking at a script and creating the order of the scene based on that. With documentary work depending on how organized it is, you'll be taking scenes that have no order to them and creating order and a narrative. But, believe it or not, some documentaries have scripts written out pre-hand determining the order of things and most of the questions that need to be asked; this is not uncommon.
One of your other side jobs is to be coordinating with the script supervisor aka one of your assistants; this person is also an assistant to the writer. This person's goal is to watch the monitor and maintain physical continuity of objects, an actor's lines or their body movement, and countless other things to ensure that what you're editing is visually consistent.
Finally I would say one of your most important jobs, is to edit around the mistakes made on set and to make every department look good. For example, if the cinematographer makes an operating mistake, you'd most likely want to cut around that. If an actor flubs a line, you'd want to cut around that as well. You're the final line of defense to make sure the movie looks as polished as possible in terms of continuity and mistakes. You're that important.
I hope this helps.
Your main goal as an editor is to tell a story. You're taking footage and choosing the takes that you, and then the director, feel best tells the story. You make your first edit, with the takes you feel are best, and then the director comes in to watch the first cut and decides what needs to be changed based on that.
When you're doing narrative work, you'll be looking at a script and creating the order of the scene based on that. With documentary work depending on how organized it is, you'll be taking scenes that have no order to them and creating order and a narrative. But, believe it or not, some documentaries have scripts written out pre-hand determining the order of things and most of the questions that need to be asked; this is not uncommon.
One of your other side jobs is to be coordinating with the script supervisor aka one of your assistants; this person is also an assistant to the writer. This person's goal is to watch the monitor and maintain physical continuity of objects, an actor's lines or their body movement, and countless other things to ensure that what you're editing is visually consistent.
Finally I would say one of your most important jobs, is to edit around the mistakes made on set and to make every department look good. For example, if the cinematographer makes an operating mistake, you'd most likely want to cut around that. If an actor flubs a line, you'd want to cut around that as well. You're the final line of defense to make sure the movie looks as polished as possible in terms of continuity and mistakes. You're that important.
I hope this helps.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Sophia
Thank you! that really helped!
Sophia
You're very welcome 😁
Jacob Steiner
Steve Jacobson
Creative Leader/Content Creator/Producer/Editor/Storyteller
28
Answers
Westlake Village, California
Updated
Steve’s Answer
I absolutely love the editing process! It's like a puzzle, where I get to take all the pieces of footage, collaborate with the director or producer, and weave together a captivating narrative. This is where the magic happens, where the story truly comes to life.
Think about it: a single scene can be pieced together in countless ways. When should we cut to a reaction shot? When's the best moment to reveal a crucial plot point or character development? Have we built enough suspense to keep viewers on the edge of their seats? And did we manage to create a tantalizing cliffhanger just as the show breaks for commercials?
There are times when an actor's performance might not align with the director's vision. Can we still make the scene engaging despite this? It's a challenge, but one that can be incredibly rewarding.
At the end of the day, an editor's job is to keep the story compelling, maintain a strong connection with the audience, and deliver the emotional beats that make for an unforgettable viewing experience. It's all about creating a journey that the viewers will love to embark on...
Think about it: a single scene can be pieced together in countless ways. When should we cut to a reaction shot? When's the best moment to reveal a crucial plot point or character development? Have we built enough suspense to keep viewers on the edge of their seats? And did we manage to create a tantalizing cliffhanger just as the show breaks for commercials?
There are times when an actor's performance might not align with the director's vision. Can we still make the scene engaging despite this? It's a challenge, but one that can be incredibly rewarding.
At the end of the day, an editor's job is to keep the story compelling, maintain a strong connection with the audience, and deliver the emotional beats that make for an unforgettable viewing experience. It's all about creating a journey that the viewers will love to embark on...
Tina Winograd
Editor writer
9
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Tina’s Answer
The main job for an editor is to take the raw footage shot and piece it together to create what the director and producers want. This requires lots of time and dedication to the art. Plus interpreting what someone else is trying to tell you they see in their head. All the other answers are great and I can't add much to that.
Jimmy Hager
Screenwriter
4
Answers
Columbia, South Carolina
Updated
Jimmy’s Answer
Yes, Producers and Directors often work closely with Video and Film Editors in the post-production process. Editors are responsible for assembling raw footage into a coherent story, adding visual and sound effects, and ensuring the final product meets the creative vision of the Producers and Directors. Collaboration between these roles is essential to creating a successful film or video project.
Many screenplays are available on line. Find one and follow along while watching the film. The difference between what you see on the page and what you see on the screen very often took place in the editing booth.
Jimmy recommends the following next steps:
Thanks for the help.
Sophia