Editing Skills - What Makes a Good Edit?

U

user098123

Active member
Yo, trying to improve on my editing skills. Anyone have any tips? What is most important for a good edit? Quick shots? Longer sequences? Music? Formatting and visual effects?

I know it is a kinda hard qustion. Thanks for the help!
 
I would say for most of the really dope edits posted on here is because the filming is super good. Editing is a huge part for sure but in my opinion filming is where they begin to pop.

As to editing, I would say everything you have listed is import but you need a little bit of everything. Slow Mo can be really well used in small doses. Some edits have way to much slow mo and they get super boring. You just need to watch as many edits as you can and figure out what you like and then try to base your editing off of what you see in the edits.
 
Cool thanks for the advice. I am really new to editing video so everything helps. I unfortunately am not the one in charge of the filming, so hopefully my partners can get some good footage.
 
Like said above, watch videos over and over and over. Not just ski edits. When I'm bored I go to vimeo and look at the top liked videos. You will start to learn what looks good and develop a style. Dont just copy peoples style though, take small parts that you like and put them together to create a unique hybrid style. Also, film with the vision for your edit in mind. This will make editing a lot better and easier in the long run.
 
I dont make many edits, but Id say an edit has to be balanced and that the end quality is more than the 'sum of all its parts' eg. you can have an edit at Breck on a perfect day with dubs going down, but if the filming is shaky and the camera sucks, then its not going to come out looking great. So try and get everything up to a certain standard rather than trying to show off tricks or fancy editing.
 
well synced, and generally well put together and balanced. ie) no 30 second intro for a movie that's only a minute long.

It's hard to put it into words, but you can just tell a good edit from a bad one, good footage helps too.
 
personally id say even if the quality of the camera isn't the greatest, you can still make a pretty sick edit. like said above, try to get your own style, and play around with it a little bit. sometimes ill just import like 5-10 clips into my editing software and make the best thing i can. even if i don't upload it anywhere, its good practice
 
This is what I am doing right now. I downloaded the song I am going to use in my edit this morning, I am on my 54th complete listen of it right now, visualizing what I want for each part of the song. I feel like each edit I make gets a little but better, I try to play with different effects and to match the footage to the music. I will post the edit when I finish it, def adding this to my thread, this is exactly what I was looking for when I came into M&A.
 
i personally like the edits with the dopest angles/varitey of different and sick shots that the normal person would never think of. that really sticks out to me the most. and also, simple editing with crystal clear, stable footy (obvious)
 
I have been into film and editing but not skiing as much as I have film.

Something I don't like about ski edits are too much slow mo. Practice filming with continuity for non ski edits. Also work on timing your cuts with the music.
 
Definition - Kevin Steen Check out some of these OG clownschool edits

Courtesy of Newschoolers.com

Courtesy of Newschoolers.com

Courtesy of Newschoolers.com

More recent: (also check out his short film "sound and light" in the new 4bi9 extras)

Vizor Beanie from Kevin Steen on Vimeo.
 
Cool, thanks for the advice guys. I will be initially doing some editing for the startup I work for, and like I said I don't have a ton of experience. We'll get someone dedicated for it eventually, but for now everything helps!
 
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