Why I’m Not a Video Editor
Been re-working Kimi n Taso’s wedding video over the past day or so. They invited the M 3 out to a Rhode Island beach called Masquamicut to help them celebrate the big day. While I learned how to pronounce Masquamicut, I recorded the events of the weekend on my DV camera.
I’ve shot and edited tons of film and video, and enjoy doing it in extremely small doses. I used to splice film and spin video reels, but now I’m slicing and dicing on my Mac. It’s oh-so easy these days. Just plug n play, brother. If I had iMovie back in the day, I would have kicked out 5x the number of unwatchable student films. “Ten in a Day,” “Hades Hotel,” n “The Microscopic King” would have had sequels for sure.
People say I’m pretty good at shooting and editing, but I decided to switch career tracks and dive into writing. I often think about why I would selectively use these talents. I don’t think the average Joe understands how to compose a shot, or create a visual storyline. Editing takes a discerning eye, and a sense of rhythm (for a white guy, I’m quite rhythmic!). So why did I abandon something that I was good at, and had a promising future in?
Because editing sucks, that’s why.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the finished product and that lovely feeling of accomplishment. But the road to get there is a road built for somebody else, friends.
When editing, you’re usually stuck in a cold, black, windowless room for days, skin slowly turning transparent due to sun deprivation. Your eyes burning n red from cathode rays. You sit n sit n sit until your ass has lost all feeling. Time no longer exists—it could be 2 AM or 2 PM, no way to know. Technical glitches inevitably lock up a good part of the day.
The most grueling part is sifting through days of footage looking for the gems to string together for a video that may last 10 minutes.
If you see someone on the street who wears black jeans, black shoes, black t-shirt, and black hooded jacket, who walks with a slight limp from tight hamstrings and a permanent curvature of the spine, who suffers from Vitamin D depression, who’s skin is so colorless you can see veins, who wears shades that filter out UV rays, gamma rays, alpha rays and all the other rays, you’re probably looking at poor video editor.
Or Marilyn Manson.
GM
I’ve shot and edited tons of film and video, and enjoy doing it in extremely small doses. I used to splice film and spin video reels, but now I’m slicing and dicing on my Mac. It’s oh-so easy these days. Just plug n play, brother. If I had iMovie back in the day, I would have kicked out 5x the number of unwatchable student films. “Ten in a Day,” “Hades Hotel,” n “The Microscopic King” would have had sequels for sure.
People say I’m pretty good at shooting and editing, but I decided to switch career tracks and dive into writing. I often think about why I would selectively use these talents. I don’t think the average Joe understands how to compose a shot, or create a visual storyline. Editing takes a discerning eye, and a sense of rhythm (for a white guy, I’m quite rhythmic!). So why did I abandon something that I was good at, and had a promising future in?
Because editing sucks, that’s why.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the finished product and that lovely feeling of accomplishment. But the road to get there is a road built for somebody else, friends.
When editing, you’re usually stuck in a cold, black, windowless room for days, skin slowly turning transparent due to sun deprivation. Your eyes burning n red from cathode rays. You sit n sit n sit until your ass has lost all feeling. Time no longer exists—it could be 2 AM or 2 PM, no way to know. Technical glitches inevitably lock up a good part of the day.
The most grueling part is sifting through days of footage looking for the gems to string together for a video that may last 10 minutes.
If you see someone on the street who wears black jeans, black shoes, black t-shirt, and black hooded jacket, who walks with a slight limp from tight hamstrings and a permanent curvature of the spine, who suffers from Vitamin D depression, who’s skin is so colorless you can see veins, who wears shades that filter out UV rays, gamma rays, alpha rays and all the other rays, you’re probably looking at poor video editor.
Or Marilyn Manson.
GM
posted by Greg Monaco at 9:52 AM
4 Comments:
I saw Marilyn Manson in Ybor City once. He is so blonde!
Rule of thumb for editing is 1:3 for every min. or hour of footage it takes three times that to edit.
Student films rule!!!
I'd like to learn digital film production. I think it would be fun to make movies.
That rule works for scripted pieces, because you've pre-determined the in and out points in a scene you're directing. That rule doesn't work for wedding videos/event pieces. The last example was 120 minutes of footage for a 12 minute piece. 10 minutes of unusable crap for 1 minute of decent.
It's perfect Greg...after all of the kiddies were snuggled in their beds Andy and I watched the beauty of all of your hard work. I appreciate all of the hours you put into capturing the single most precious moment of our Life as husband and wife. I will treasure this "story" forever and can not wait to share it with our family and friends. Love...your friend, Kimi
That's amazing. Please enjoy it and watch it often. I hope my whining in this forum didn't make you feel like I was disgruntled about working on it. Your wedding is story that needed to be told, and I needed to tell it. I'm a big fan of you, Andy and the Savvitos and I thank you for allowing me to express it through the video -- it was an honor to create it. And I also thank you for letting my family share in the moment.
Love,
G
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