Picture this: a shot of the top drawer of a desk. A hand moves into the shot, and opens the drawer. We see \u2013 a pistol. What\u2019s the next shot in this story?
\n -a closeup at a man\u2019s reaction, surprised at his find?
\n -an over the shoulder shot of someone, an aggressor, standing in front of the desk?
\n – a medium shot of a man looking into the drawer. He is a police officer, and there are other police officers in the room, but in the background. <\/p>\n
Each one of those tells a different story. It\u2019s up to the editor to tell the story of what the cameraman has been shooting. <\/p>\n
Even with business videos, I have to do the same thing. I have to ask myself, \u201cWhere do I want the viewer\u2019s eyes next for maximum impact?\u201d This is the main thing that sets amateur videos apart from professional videos: amateurs tend to want to get everything in one long take. And they end up with mistakes, and gaffes that need to be removed but aren\u2019t because editing has a steep learning curve.<\/p>\n
It is nice of Windows to add a Windows Movie Maker to every version of it\u2019s operating system that is produced. However, editing with Windows Movie Maker is like trying to run a race in wooden shoes. It can be done, if you\u2019re patient, but overall, it\u2019s \u2013 clunky.<\/p>\n
There are some very good consumer editing software on the market. The problem is, it\u2019s not plug and play. There was a learning curve in video editing even for me, and I\u2019ve been cutting audio for over 20 years. <\/p>\n
The shots I make that tell the story but will have little or none of their sound used is caller \u201cB-roll\u201d These are the shots that are the demonstration, while a voice explains what\u2019s going on. I consider my B-roll to be probably the most important footage I can shoot. Because while I cut away from the main speaker to show the demo, I can then edit the speaker\u2019s AUDIO without making the video jump cut. That\u2019s very helpful for taking out extraneous phrases or noises and making the person on camera seem more polished. <\/p>\n
Morey: Ask me what is the most important quality of a great comedian
\nHenny: Ok, What is the..
\nMorey: TIMING!<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always loved that bit of dialog. It\u2019s so true, not only in comedy, but in anything that tells a story. And a good editor has a good sense of timing. You know when you\u2019ve stayed on a shot long enough and it\u2019s time to move on. Many amateurs stay on a shot waaaay to long. Unfortunately, if you look at much of the stuff that is posted on You Tube, you\u2019ll find that the rule instead of the exception. The eye is quick, and the brain is quicker. Usually, three or four seconds is all you need before it\u2019s time to change shots. <\/p>\n
Watch your favorite movie or TV show again and pay attention to the editing., the scenes that were used and the decisions that were made to tell the story. I know you\u2019ll see something that will open your eyes. <\/p>\n