Video Production for Beginners: 10 Do’s and Don’ts of Video Editing

Video Production for Beginners

You’ve taken on the challenge of a DIY video production and managed to get the videography down pat, complete with B-roll shots. The next step is to put everything together as a professional-looking video production. It’s a good thing you can easily come up with a polished video as long as you mind a few important points.

 

Ready to wow your viewers with your upcoming video production? You’ll want to take note of these 10 do’s and don’ts of video editing!

 

10 Do’s and Don’ts of Video Editing for Your Production

 

Do…

 

1. Maintain Updated Backups

Imagine getting 75% through the video editing process… and then losing everything because of a spilled drink or a dropped laptop. It pays to have several copies of raw footage and edits. It’s even better if you have a dedicated hard drive for your video production.

 

2. Use the Right Music

Ever watched a scene where the music matched the visuals so well, you felt your hair stand on end? That’s exactly what you want to achieve with your own video production. Take a look at a few royalty-free music sites to find the perfect soundtracks for all of your scenes.

 

3. Stick to a Simple Creative

Titles, subtitles, and other text in your video should be readable without overpowering your video production. Instead of using three different display fonts with extra swirls, a single sleek sans serif font should do the trick. You’ll also want to use a highly readable color and stick to it throughout the video. Be consistent and reasonable about your font sizes and usage of drop shadows (if applicable).

 

4. Place Cuts Properly

Cuts are less distracting to viewers if they’re positioned mid-action. An example of this is cutting from a character turning their head to another character closing a door.

 

You can also cut on similar elements to preserve the flow of your video production. A common example is panning up to the sky to end one scene and panning back down for the next shot. For wedding videos, you can also cut from footage of the happy couple to a shot of the bride-and-groom wedding cake topper.

 

5. Match Your Shots

If a ball flies out of the right side of one shot, it should fly back in from the left. Or, if a character is holding a cup in one shot, they should ideally be holding the same cup in the shot that immediately follows. This can help separate shots appear to be a single scene in your video production.

 

Don’t…

 

6. Make Your Video Production Too Static

Your audience will have a hard time paying attention if you just show a character sitting and talking in front of the camera. Keep your viewers awake with a mix of close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots. Include some slow-motion or timelapse footage if it suits your video production, too.

 

7. Go Overboard with Cuts, Zooms, and Pans

Conversely, your viewers might be disoriented if you keep transitioning between moving shots every few seconds. Maintain a nice balance of moving shots and stills.

 

8. Leave Jump Cuts Bare

When you have two consecutive shots with the same camera setup but a difference in the subject, you get a jump cut. This is a common issue with interviews where you’d like to edit out a few words or phrases. It’s also easier to notice than you’d think. Solve this by masking jump cuts either with b-roll footage or a fade.

 

9. Use Overly Fancy Transitions

Yes, video editing programs often come with a whole assortment of flashy transitions. But have you actually seen a professional video production use them? Stick to simple cuts, fades, and dissolves unless you have a very good reason for using a counterclockwise wipe!

 

10. Ignore Out-of-Sync Audio

There are few video editing errors that are as jarring as dialogue that isn’t in sync with the speaking character’s lips. Fortunately, this problem easy to catch and easy to fix. Just split the audio and move it up or down a few frames.

 

Think you’ll need help with the editing process for your video production? Just drop us a line at Mustasa Republic! Our creative masters can guide you through the post-production process, all the way to special effects and DVD authoring. We can even help you make your finished video production a hit on social media. Contact us for inquiries!

Visit our blog regularly for more helpful articles about the video production process.