How I Learned Video Editing For My Video Essay
Hi there! This post is part of a documentation project on how I wrote, scripted, narrated, scored, audio/video edited, and uploaded a rewrite video for the anime Demon Slayer. I detail my production process, and how my skills and principles can be applied elsewhere. Visit my landing page to see the rest of my process!
Telling My Story
I wanted to tell a story with my video. Storytelling is in everything. Video editing is a subtle but powerful medium for this, and one that I’d never tried my hand at before. I tackled it head-on with the intent to maximize its potential.
I Came Prepared
My video is an episode-by-episode summary of my rewrite. I’d sorted my footage based on what scenes my rewrite episodes needed footage from. This sorting method didn’t help near as much as I’d hoped. I still had to search through the scenes themselves, which took far too long.
I’ll look to improve my process in the future.
Following The Narrative
When stories are told in different mediums, those mediums should work together to the fullest to best convey the story. My goal with my footage was to help emphasize my narration. I let the footage follow my words.
Choosing My Clips
I needed shots that best portrayed the content of my narration. At the same time, I still wanted to make my video flow smoothly as opposed to a jerky highlight reel. I had to think outside the box since I was re-contextualizing existing scenes.
Following The Narration
With the footage following my narration, timing was everything. When my narration shifted focus, as did my scene. Beyond just timing my scene transitions, I followed the feel of the narration. This encompassed every part of my video editing.
Moving With The Scene
While my editing style stayed pretty consistent, my editing rhythm followed the scene. In sadder or more emotional scenes, I’d use longer shots. This emphasized emotion, letting it linger. I used the same tactics for tense scenes as well.
In action scenes, I’d use faster cuts to convey a more exciting feel, as the pace of these scenes is far faster due to constant changes and shifts between combatants.
Every medium in a story should work together. Knowledge of how to intertwine these moving parts is incredibly valuable and will make you a potent storyteller.
Changing Movement
Adding movement to shots helped reorient them for my narrative. I’d routinely add zoom-ins/outs, as well as pans across the screen. There were some cases where I needed shots to linger, so I slowed them or just froze them entirely. These changes all depended on the context of the shot, and how the scene needed to flow.
In order to preserve the flow of the scene, I’d often continue the movement through multiple shots. I’d zoom in on one shot, then fade into one zooming out, or fade a shot with a left-to-right pan to one with a right-to-left pan. This technique helped parts of a scene feel smoother.
Editing My Cuts
The transitions in a scene can tell a story just as much as the shots themselves. Understanding when to use transitions is essential in telling your story in a visual medium.
Simple jump cuts keep the narrative moving, with a new focus on every shot.
Dissolves, on the other hand, help scenes blend. They give a softer feel to transitions, preserving the connection between two shots. Jump cuts are like the period at the end of a sentence, while a dissolve is like a comma in the middle.
What I Gained From This Experience
I’d never done any serious video editing before. Digging through footage to find the perfect shot could be tedious, but the editing was an absolute blast! I enjoyed framing my scenes and playing with different editing techniques. I gained a new appreciation for scene structure, cinematography and screenplay, and I’m excited to learn even more. I’d love to how much I could develop in the art of video editing.
Skills I Demonstrated
- Beginner’s knowledge of video editing
- How different elements of a scene work together
- Understanding the feel of a scene
- Understanding cinematography
- Using multiple editing techniques
- Recognizing the different needs of different content
- The ability to best utilize a medium of storytelling
Applying My Skills
While these skills are invaluable for video editing, they’re also highly applicable to any content. Recognizing how to best utilize a medium of storytelling shows I can understand the different needs for different content and adapt to it. I can identify the feel of a product and work from there.
With my video edited, all I had left was to create my intro and outro.
