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PRIMAL VIDEO
METHOD

“ Process is everything.
Double handling and rework kill your efficiency and blow out editing time…
The Primal Video Method is the first thing I teach my students.”
Justin Brown, Primal Video

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“Video editing is like a game of Tetris...

The art of positioning chunks of video into a
logical, flowing sequence to tell a story.”

Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of clients wanting to improve the speed at which they can
produce videos. The majority (even those who have been editing videos for years) start out
with a HUGE amount of duplicated effort and waste in their video editing process.

With all the extra time and effort required to produce EVERY SINGLE VIDEO, it’s no wonder
people get so easily overwhelmed by the editing process!

The Primal Video Method is a tried and tested video production process that removes all
unnecessary ‘double handling’ and rework. The result? Produce videos faster, easier.

It’s simple process, but the impact of following it can be huge! Like all good things, it’s so
simple that after being introduced to it most clients can’t believe they hadn’t figured it
out before.

In this guide, we’ll run through the process step-by-step. I’d recommend printing out a copy
and referring back to it whenever you’re producing a video. Use it like a checklist!

We won’t be going into too much detail on how to perform each specific step in this guide -
it’s just a process after all - but for tutorials on how to complete the steps in detail check out
PrimalVideo.com.

Enjoy!

Justin Brown
PRIMALVIDEO.COM
justin@primalvideo.com

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A. EDITING WHILE FILMING

1. Set Yourself Up for Success While FILMING!

With a few simple tweaks to your filming workflow you can significantly reduce your workload when it
comes time to edit! Remember these 3 tips to see some BIG savings later in the editing process…

1. Shoot ONLY what you need.

You can MASSIVELY reduce the time needed in post-production (and shooting!) by filming
smart and only capturing what you need. Less footage means less time spent reviewing &
editing, so shoot only what you think you’ll use and then turn off the camera!

2. Edit while filming.

Try to shoot your video from start to finish in the order it will be edited for the final version, and
only move on to the next point once you’re happy with the last take for each paragraph or
section.By ensuring the LAST take is your best one for each part of your video, you can then edit
BACKWARDS (from right to left) in your editing timeline, keeping the last take for each part of
your video and removing the rest without the need to review all of your footage!

3. Leave editing instructions & reminders in your footage using markers.

Had a great take? Remembered you forgot to say something in a section earlier in the shoot
and need to re-film it? Or just have a great idea you want to remember while editing?

Just talk through the instructions you’d like followed, and mark that section of the footage with
an action or sound so it stands out while editing! You can do this with a simple audio or
visual signal.

• Audio: Clap 3 times. When editing, you’ll see 3 spikes on the audio waveform in the
timeline, indicating you’ve left a note there for review.

• Visual: If your editing software doesn’t show audio waveforms, you can visually mark the
shot by making a gesture that’s easy to spot when scanning through your footage. This
could be as simple as raising both hands in the air for a few seconds, covering the lens
with your hand so the shot goes dark, or holding up a bright colored card.

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B. SETTING UP YOUR PROJECT

2. Copy video footage & assets onto your computer
and organize.
If all of your files are in a logical place, you’ll save a heap of time looking for everything later. I’d
recommend organizing everything into this basic folder structure:

A. Footage C. Graphics
ii. Date+Title, Camera Make, Camera Number i. Images
or Camera Operator. ii. Animations
- Raw Video Files iii. Titles

B. Audio D. Screen Captures

i. Music
ii. Voice Overs E. Draft Files
iii. Sound Effects
F. Completed Video
iv. Temporary Audio

Check out this quick video for more detail on my recommended folder structure:
https://youtu.be/aJ0_SP5nBMg.

3. Import all assets for your video into your video

editing software.
Do this upfront to ensure you have everything ready once you start editing. Make sure to get all:

i. Video footage.
ii. Audio.
iii. Screen Captures.
iv. Images.
v. Music.

Some video editing software (like Adobe Premiere) will let you import your entire project folder and
retain the existing folder structure (setup in Step 3) within the application.

Other software will remove the folder structure and import only the files within, dumping them all
into a single ‘bin’. If your software does this, it’s worth spending the time to re-create the folder
structure from Step 3 within the software to make things much easier later on.

4. Create a new timeline and drop in all video files in the

same sequence
If possible, try to make sure your editing project is configured to match the camera settings used
while filming, e.g. Resolution (4k, 1080p), frame rate (30fps, 25fps).

5. Sync up any multi-camera or external audio tracks.

Getting all of this out-of-the-way upfront saves the time (and pain) of doing it piecemeal through
the editing process.

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C. EDITING
6. Complete a quick scan of your footage, and start refining
by removing anything you know you won’t use.
On this first pass, you want to focus on removing as much as possible. If you’re unsure about any
clips, leave them in for now.
Follow these tips to speed things up:

1. Edit backwards. Start from the end of your timeline and work your way back to the start.
Your best takes are generally the last ones you shoot for each scene, so starting from the
end means you’re more likely to save time by jumping straight to the best shot.
2. Look for the Markers you left when shooting. If you followed Step 2.1 you’ll have markers
throughout your footage identifying your best takes. Keep an eye out for these!
3. Use keyboard shortcuts to Play, Rewind and Stop. Try using the the ‘J’ ‘K’ and ‘L’ keyboard
shortcuts to speed through the review process.Check out this video for more info:
https://youtu.be/MHF-vt_HJdY.
4. Use keyboard shortcuts for Trim Top & Tail. This little trick allows you to perform 3 actions
with one click: add a cut, remove footage up to your last cut in the time line, and remove
the gap. It may sound simple, but these two shortcuts (top and tail) can save a TON
of time!
(See this video for a demo! https://youtu.be/2Rpk1DIE-dg)
Most major editing packages have Trim Top & Tail shortcuts by default out-of-the-box,
but they can vary from software to software so it’s definitely worth finding out what the
shortcut is for yours.(Adobe Premiere uses Q and W, and Final Cut Pro is Option + [ and
Option + ] )

7. Create a duplicate copy of your timeline, so you have a

backup before you start refining the video.
8. Build out the story.
With the first pass complete in Step 6, now its time to reposition any clips that are out of sequence
into a logical position in your timeline, matching your story arc or content structure. Refine your edit
further as you complete this pass.

9. Add in all audio files to the project (music tracks,

sound effects etc.)
10. Further refine your edit.
Here is where your video really starts to take shape! It’s an iterative process where you play back
through your video, completing more detailed passes of the timeline to trim, reposition and further
refine both your audio and video. Continue to make tweaks & adjustments until you’re happy with
the final product.
If you’re adding music or audio effects, this is where you’ll start matching them up to your video!
Here’s a tutorial that might help:
• Looping and blending audio tracks: https://youtu.be/sYBORs8vB_g.

11. Add in any text (titles) or graphic elements to your video.

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C. EDITING
12. Add in any video effects or transitions.
13. Set audio levels for all audio tracks.
Now it’s time to make sure all the audio is correctly balanced and sounding right. This includes
everything: music, sound effects, background noise and voice.

14. Apply any audio effects.

Apply any desired fades between audio tracks (in, out, cross), and add any required audio effects
to clean up or remove background noise.

Here’s a tutorial that might help:

• Removing background noise: https://youtu.be/dZ0DWNLrToU.

15. Color grade your video.

Most people jump into their editing application and head straight for color correction and effects
right at the very start of the process, to make their footage ‘look good’. You might notice this is one
of the LAST steps in the process here, and that’s because each effect you add can substantially
increase the processing power required to edit your videos! Applying these effects any earlier
not only slows down your computer or device, it could mean wasting a heap of time if there’s
fundamentally something wrong with your content.

Check out this video on how to do basic color correction here: https://youtu.be/Z2dM3k3J0BI.

16. Export and review.

You’ll want to test the video on multiple devices and screens, as each can look and sound
slightly different!

17. Make any final changes, and export for release!

That’s it!
Yep, it sounds simple, but you’ll be amazed how much time and effort you’ll
save by following this process. Straying away from this process will almost
certainly mean double-up or rework in your video editing.…

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