Video Editing

Stage 1: Logging

The first thing you’re going to do is log (trier) your footage. This is where you
sort through (trier) all of your source video material, cut out all the usable
clips, group them into bins (chutier), then label (give a name) those bins. That
way, when you’re searching for a specific take from a specific scene later on,
you can save yourself the hassle (difficulty) of going through hours of footage
and instead go directly into its bin.

Logging is the first opportunity you’ll have to see how well your footage
presents on screen. If, for whatever reason, a film’s footage isn’t looking good
or there’s a key piece missing, the director may order a re-shoot—an
inconvenience yes, but not a major one. This is because, on most large-scale
productions, logging takes place at the same time as the filming, so if
something isn’t right, the editors can tell the director straight away.

Stage 2: First Assembly

The first assembly is where you take all of that logged footage and arrange it
into a timeline consistent with the film’s storyboard. To make it easier, editors
will often break the process up by organizing each scene as a standalone
before sequencing all of the scenes together.

3rd Dec

Where logging gives you your first glimpse (a look) at your film’s footage, the
first assembly gives you the first glimpse of your movie in a linear structured
format. To keep options open until the next stage, you’ll want to slot multiple
versions of the same take all along your timeline, resulting in a first assembly
cut about 2-3 times the duration of your eventual finished product.
Which is precisely what you need! Because in the next step, you’ll cut the
length. Just before you begin, be sure to save your first assembly in all its
messy entirety. If you make any mistakes, then you’ll almost certainly be able
to come back to your first assembly.

Stage 3: Rough Cut

Okay, now it’s really time to wake up and switch on that brilliant movie-making
mind of yours. So far, it’s been all about cruising on auto and following basic
techniques. But from here on out, you’ll be required to make some pretty
tough decisions, and nowhere will they be tougher than during the rough cut.

With the rough cut, you’ll be trimming that crazy-long first assembly down to
one, neat tidy first draft. This means going through all of the different versions
of each take and picking out the best one to keep.

Next, you’re going to turn your attention towards the structure and pacing of
the film, adding in pauses, transitions, titles, and anything else that’ll help
capture and convey the emotions and messages embedded in the narrative. If
you’re working under a director, they will follow this part closely. If you’re
working solo, then the creative license is all yours.

Once you’re done with your rough cut, you’re going to show it to your client or
director and hope they say “Love it!” as this will mean no more structural
changes need to be made!

Stage 4: Fine Cut

Where the rough cut focuses on refining the overall film, the fine cut focuses
on refining each frame (image). You are going to need to pay super close
attention to every cut, making sure that they flow from one to the other in a
seamless fashion. If there are any blemishes, the fine cut is your last chance to
catch them.

This is because, after the fine cut, the film receives what’s called a “Picture
Lock” which basically means it’s ready to be transferred to other departments
for finishing touches (colour corrections, special effects, etc.) and no more
changes to the timeline or TRT (total running time) can be made.

Stage 5: Final Cut

If you’re working solo, you’ll be searching the internet for royalty-free music,
sound effects, motion graphics, and anything else you can find to polish your
movie. With so many different websites offering so many different products,
this part can be stressful and time-consuming.