Things to Avoid in Video Editing:

A Video Production Guide

January 31, 2019 by Krissy Jackson

In our last article, we talked about tips to help enhance your next video

production. On the other hand, there are plenty of tips about what not
to do in video editing. There are also quick fixes that can help save video
editing or video production follies.

The category of “things to avoid” can easily be reversed in a positive way

and included in a section of “things to do.” However, there are some
things aspiring video editors can get easily wrong. It is important to
emphasize on how easily certain things can go wrong and remind video
editors to take extra care to not allow it.

Tip #1- Pacing

When synchronizing music to video, the tip to remember is to consider

the speed of the video and match it with music of similar tempo. Slow
music creates a jarring juxtaposition with fast video. Unless the story
calls for this type of visual irony, it is best to match fast music with fast
video and casual tempos with more calm scenes.

This might seem like an easy thing to get right, but even the slightest
mismatch will turn into a lengthy problem. Music, being repetitive, will
serve to emphasize over and over the mismatch. If the mismatch
happened only for a few seconds, it might be easy to overlook. During a
thirty-second scene, however, footage mismatched with music could
ruin the entire scene and unhinge the entire video production.

Tip #2 – Light Bursts

Light bursts are those instances when something flashes on screen for
the briefest of moments, and it occurs when a single frame is left at the
beginning or at the ending of a spliced bit of footage. Otherwise known
as flash frames, these are easy mistakes to make. They are also very
small mistakes. Yet they have a pretty significant, jarring impact. They
are also an easy thing to fix. Simply zoom in on the video editor and
make sure to slice any extraneous footage from the beginning and
ending of each spliced scene.

Tip #3 – Zooming

The general rule of thumb is that filmmakers should not zoom unless
they know exactly what they are doing because the result will seem
amateurish. However, when a video editor is faced with too much zoom,
they can mitigate the problem by sometimes slowing the zoom. This
helps principally with mis-timed zooming.

Of course, zooming can be accomplished digitally. The tip here of which

video editors should be aware is to not overuse this technique. Not only
does zooming result in amateurish video, digital zooming is the act of
key-framing the video to gradually enlarge, creating the illusion of a
zoom. The problem is that enlarged video can easily become grainy,
especially if shown on a large screen.

Video Editing Quick Fixes

No guide to video production should end on what not to do, so here are
a final few important tips for aspiring video production aficionados.

Quick Fixes

Tip #4 – Auto Stabilization

To help with shaky or handheld footage, use software that has the
ability to auto-stabilize the footage. Auto stabilization can greatly help
increase your usable footage in any video production.

Tip #5 – Digital White Balance

For live productions, white balance is critical. Concert footage used in

music videos can be dark, and the lights can shift in intensity. Similarly,
weddings can result in shifting shades of white and non-white. The
filmmaker should always film these with white balance set to manual.
Shooting footage with manual light balancing keeps lights consistent
and prevent scenes from being too light or dark.

However, filmmakers might not always follow this rule. When n video
editor is subsequently faced with oscillating levels of brightness,
software that offers digital white balancing will help. The result will not
be perfect, but it will show producers or customers that the video editor
took direct steps to correct a problem.

Tip #6 – Intros and Outros

Intros and outros are elements that precede and follow the main video
production. These elements should complement the video production
rather than detract from it. The main way to accomplish this is to select
elements that match the visual style and the message of the primary
production.

Additionally, the last three seconds of the intro and the first few seconds
of the outro should transition smoothly into and out of the footage.

Interested in learning more about video editing and digital video

production? IPR’s digital video and media production associate and
bachelor’s degree programs can lead to a variety of entry points in
the video and film production industry. We help you build a strong
visual portfolio for your career search through time in our studios.
Using the latest industry-standard tools, our digital video
production school immerses you in your video and film production
artistry, both in theory and application, emphasizing corporate and
commercial production, as well as short and feature narrative
filmmaking. We equip you with a toolbox that includes all aspects of
film and video production skill.

Contact us today to learn more about the digital video and media
production associate and bachelor’s degree. Starting a rewarding
career as a video editor is closer than you may think!