The Hidden Beauty of Video Editing Timelines
An often under-appreciated art form of video editing
Video and film itself is an already well-established art form. However, one often under-appreciated component of digital video and films is what is called their edit timelines.
Edit timelines are — quite literally — the building blocks of digital video. It is an art that the everyday viewer doesn’t see, but is instead only usually beheld by the editor. The timeline pictured above is a simple one from a documentary film I produced. The blocks represent different elements of the video. We can see the video clips and their respective sound, music, titles, and sound effects. All of these blocks come together to form the final video you see on the screen.
Most videos I’ve worked with have involved relatively simple timelines. The great thing about this art form is that for every video, each timeline will have a distinct look and feel. Take a look below at a video editing timeline from Jakob Owens.
They can get even more complicated than that. Do a quick search for “crazy edit timelines” and you’ll see what I mean. There’s even a whole dedicated Reddit forum called EditLines, where video editors from all over showcase the beauty they created behind the video.
The final product in video editing will always be the video or film itself. However, I do believe that there is something to recognize in the video beyond just the final product. A beauty in the edit timeline, which can be appreciated beyond the realms of the video editor. Edit timelines showcase hard work, dedication, and creativity. Let’s create more opportunities to celebrate just that.
