Video editing, no doubt has become an essential part of most of the industries of every shape and size. Demand for video editors has increased tremendously in previous years. They are the brilliant minds who have an enormous role in determining the potential of a movie or clip.
This profession indeed has become one of the favorable career options for so many people but we need to understand that this profession is not for everyone. People who are ready to go beyond their capabilities to produce one great cut and have the ability to push their creative instincts to generate a stunning story can become successful in the industry.
It takes a lot to become a professional video editor and there are certain skills that every editor should possess. For a newcomer, there are a lot of skills that editors should develop and get more and more acquainted with to grow in your field. Moreover, the first step to becoming an elite video editor is by enrolling in best video editing courses in which you can learn everything from the initial step.
What does a video editor do?
Before understanding what are the essential skills which require for being a professional video editor, it is vital to understand what kind of work they do in reality.
A video clip editor makes use of video footage, audio, as well as graphics to narrate. A common day in the life might consist of producing treatments as well as storyboards; establishing manuscripts; creating, modifying video clips and also images for numerous platforms, from short-form day-to-day web content, for social media sites systems to long-form collection. A video clip editor additionally chooses regarding making the most of the web content’s worth online as well as assists straighten the ultimate version of the item to the suitable circulation system. While pursuing any long-term or short-term video editing course, you learn how to work efficiently on software to produce good results which make it easy for you to enter the industry.
Top Most Common Skills Required to be a Specialized Video Editor
What does it take to be a good editor? It’s challenging to figure out merely by observing their job due to the fact that:
- edits are mostly expected to be undetectable,
- as well as the radiance remains in exactly what’s not there rather than exactly what is.
So, if you’re just starting out and aren’t really sure which skills you need to work on to get to the next level of your career, every video editor needs to have five essential skills which are a must to become a professional video editor.
1. Great Communication and Storyboard Skills
Understanding the best ways to inform stories by means of editing and enhancing is the name of the game. You need to see the video clip via the eyes of your target market as well as take into consideration exactly how your edits impact the story you’re informing.
Also, clients (and potential clients) love it when you respond quickly to their emails. That doesn’t mean just sit at your computer all day waiting for an email, or fire off some super quick reply the second you get an email.
It does mean that you need to find a way to make yourself accessible and make communication a priority.
If you have the attitude “Oh I’ll just respond to that later” you may find you quickly have less and fewer emails to respond too.
It’s okay to have boundaries with your time and to not be constantly plugged into work, but make sure that communication remains a priority.
Also, when it comes to communication, like any other profession, the video editing field too has some particular jargons which are used to communicate.
As you’ll be communicating with a lot of professionals related to your field, having knowledge of your industry jargons would be really beneficial for you to survive in the industry.
2. Be Confident
One of the greatest pieces of advice is to be confident in your work. If you’re unable to convince yourself that you can do a job; they don’t expect a client to feel that confident in you either.
There’s nothing wrong with being humble but there also comes a time when you need to be able to tell a client exactly why you are the best person for a job. Make sure you can do it and if you can, then make sure your client realizes that. Remember you’re selling yourself as much as your work, so make sure you sound confident!
3. Expertise in Video Editing Tools
Being Creative as well as techno-savvy is necessary for this line of work. You merely could not end up being a great video clip editor if you do not have a style for the imaginative Video editing and enhancing profession calls for being informed with the most up to date technical advancements taking place in his/her occupation as more modern technologies are being presented rather on a regular basis.
To become an excellent video editor, you must know which the leading tools of the industry are and you should try to master the prominent one which is used across the world for video editing work.
Sound knowledge of video editing applications like Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, etc. would be beneficial as they serve a lot of purposes of video editors and the majority of work can be performed using these software.
4. Patience
Patience is indeed a key for professionals employed in the creative industry. There will be days when you face a creative blockage and spend your entire day staring at an empty screen.
But what needs to remember that if you work in haste, you might end up making things more complex and chaotic.
Take your time to set things properly and as you will be spending a lot of time at the computer, and it is very tempting to try to hurry along because you want to see the finished product on your TV.
Avoid having “test” DVD’s scattered all over the place, it gets costly really quick, and you can preview as you go within your NLE software.
Invest in a good system with an excellent core processor and tons of RAM, this will not only improve your video quality but will also enhance your productivity skills as you’ll be rendering more videos in less time.
Also, invest in surround speakers 5.1 for your computer if you plan on making 5.1 sound DVD’s as you will need to check and adjust sounds frequently to get the desired effect.
5. Ability to do Multitask
Production houses are constantly keen on working with a video clip editor who is a team-player with the capability to function individually as well as multi-task under strict schedules.
Also, it would be good if the individual would have the ability to problem solve, troubleshoot, and stay calm under pressure.
6. Be a great listener
While working, you’ll be approached with different clients who already have a certain kind of concept in their mind and to execute the project as per their needs, you carefully need to listen them out.
The best way to understand their vision is to frequently ask questions so that you’ll know what exactly they need. Take suggestions and feedback from them after preparing a draft.
Listen to them and incorporate changes they ask for.
However, being a great listener is one of the good characteristics of a video editor but you also need to stand up for what you believe.
7. Problem Solver
In any creative industry, there are certain clients which make unreasonable demands and the same goes for the editing industry too. There are times when editor has to deal with certain issues, make sure you don’t escape from them
Always try to look for a solution and how can you convince your clients.
Certain errors might come up while editing a video but that doesn’t’ mean you end up leaving that video. A similar situation might have happened to someone else, try to look up answers to your problems on digital forums and communities.
Be a problem solver rather than acting as an escapist!
8. Good editor = Good Storyteller
To become a good editor, you need to understand the core elements of the story. Editor is kind of a narrator who narrates the story using different elements and to narrate it effectively you must understand the plot, characters climax and twists of the story.
Try to seek answers to general questions like who’ll be the target viewer of this video? What is the idea that clients want to convey? Is there any implicit or hidden meaning in the context?
And when you’ll get answers to these questions it will become a lot easier for you to portray the message through video.
9. Great visualization skills
Visualization skills are one of the vital skills that every editor should have. Don’t worry if you’re a newcomer, you’ll soon learn to develop this skill while practicing.
For editors what better than visualizing the final output even before producing the final result? It will make the work of the editor a lot easier. Visualization helps us in unlocking different parts of our brains as it taps the hidden creativity instinct.
10. Excellent sense of timing.
In the field of editing, timing and a good speed on workflow is everything. There will be times when you have to work under tight schedules and deadlines which mean you need to do editing fast.
You need to be good with your finger reflexes, the more you master the keyboard shortcut, the more efficiently you can perform tasks.
Master the basic concepts so that you don’t get confused while working with live projects.
11. Always ready to learn new skills
The digital industry is a dynamic one and you need to update yourself to match the pace of the industry.
A lot of trends and changes happen in the industry with a blink of an eye and to produce an industry standard world, you need to upgrade yourself frequently.
You should always be ready to learn new things that come up to you.
If you think you can survive long in the industry without updating yourself in terms of creativity, technological knowledge and other skills, you might end up losing major opportunities.
12. Humbleness
Being humble is something that can be favorable not only for your professional life but for personal life too.
Video editing is a profession in which a person not only works behind the camera but also stays behind the camera. Video editors often do not get the appreciation that is required.
We all know that it is a video editor who splendidly joins several parts and makes a stunning video hiding all the unexpected cuts but that doesn’t mean you go out in front of a movie theatre and start telling people that you are the editor of this movie.
Being humble will enhance your personality and you’ll turn out to be a strong and fantastic editor.
Surely, it will take time but once you start working upon yourself, you’ll develop these skills.
Author’s Note:
So these were some qualities that every video editor should possess. There’s no specific time that you should learn these things at that time however, you need to put a lot of effort to bring certain changes in your personality to ace the field of video editing.
Learning the art of video editing from accredited video editing institutes in Delhi gives you an edge among industry competition. It takes a professional video editing institute to teach you the skills needed to start a career in the film industry!
ADMEC’s video editing courses are just what you need to achieve that edge. With our small class sizes, hands-on instructors, and real studio settings, you won’t find anywhere better to begin your video editing career!
Call us today to learn more about Post Production and Video Editing courses, one of the best video editing institutes in Rohini, today!
If you think we are missing on some qualities, write us in the comment section. Stay tuned with us for more informative blogs. Till then, Keep exploring!
