“I am an editor, and I’ve never been to film school.”
-Micheal Yanovich
He earns the majority of his income, year after year, through video editing, although he never was schooled in a film institute. It was his burning passion and unswerving hard work that aced Micheal a fruitful video editing career. And you are no exception!
Read on and be enlightened as to how you could incarnate your castles built-in air.
Top Skills Every Video Editor Must Have
1. Storyboard Interpretation
Editing a story mode such that it tugs at the viewers’ heartstrings is the name of the game. For this, you must train your eyes to be perceptive while visualizing the screenplay through the eyes of the target market.
With much practice and experience, you shall become proficient on the know-how of when to use what cut and the likes.
2. Editing Tool Expertise
If creativity was the lock, then being tech-savvy was the key to making a living through video editing.
It’s least likely for you to earn the fiscal figures you dream of without mastering video editing tools. You ought to learn every day to keep up with the changing industry trends.
If you are a novice in the field, you could begin learning on simple video editors. So, leverage the available free software to better understand the basics. As you dive in professionally, you could try software like Invideo for advanced plug-ins and tools.
3. Personality Traits
Patience. Confidence. Perseverance.
These personality traits are gems that’ll ensure your success in the industry. It’s common to get impatient to see the final edited product on the television. Spending numerous hours in front of the system could get on your nerves and urge you to hurry.
But don’t.
You shall not compromise on quality!
This calls you to be persevering in your ambition. Trying your hand repeatedly until perfection is attained is a mandate, one that’ll pay you sweetly.
And above all, be confident in the face of formidable tasks. Even if you come a cropper with a project, move on and don’t assume it a blow to your confidence. We all fail, but remember that failure is the stepping stone to success.
So, be confident that you’d do swell in the industry, even if your beginning seems humble.
Notable Cuts to Master to Make It Big
You are sure to know the standard cut wherein two clips are combined by connecting one’s last frame to the beginning frame of the other. But it doesn’t invoke a feeling, which is why you should learn the notable cuts discussed below.
1. Cross Dissolve
In a story, the cross dissolve is used to denote the passage of time. In this technique, overlapping layers and dissolves are used to reveal multiple scenes or story plots taking place at once. Apocalypse Now is a good case in point for cross dissolve.
2. Wipe
This transition is used to wipe one scene away into the next. There exist both basic wipe transitions and complex ones. You’d find the former implemented well in Star Wars, and the latter presented well in Home Improvement, a TV show from the 90s.
3. CrossCut
If you wanted to create tension across a storyline, the cross-cut is the best way to do it, as they did in Lord of the Rings. You could cut between two unique scenes happening parallelly in different places and create the suspense and tense vibe among the viewers.
4. Smash Cut
While transitioning from a loud scene to a tranquil scene or the other way around, you could use a smash cut. This is ideal for depicting abrupt changes in scenes and emotions. A scenario where smash cut is often used is when a person wakes up from the land of dreams. The show Shaun of the Dead makes good use of the smash cut.
5. Match Cut
To give context and continuity to a scene match cut is employed. It could be used to prevent disorientation and keep everything on screen coherent to the viewer. Lawrence of Arabia is a great example to illustrate the match cut.
There are many other cuts as well, and mastering each of them would help you climb one ladder of professionalism to the other. After all, there is great scope for video editors in the industry these days. Check out how much you could earn and the available positions in the market.
Video Editor Salary and Job Positions
According to Best of Budgets, the annual pay for a high-level video editor is $170,040. A middle-level video editor earns up to $62,650, while a novice video editor starts with a base pay of $31,940.
The following are some job positions that you would have to look out for a firm career path.
- Documentary Video Editor
- Television Video Editor
- Events Video Editor
- Feature Film Video Editor
It’s your turn now to decide how much you want to earn in your choice of video editing domain. Then what? Follow the roadmap below to accomplish your dreams!
Roadmap to Lucrative Earnings as A Video Editor
1. Get Your Educational Qualification
Unlike talented people like Micheal who, shifted from a different educational background and into the video editing industry, it is expected of video editors to hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video Production.
In case you’ve enrolled in other programs, you can still make it big by following the subsequent steps.
2. Become Highly Proficient in One Editing Tool
Sure, there are many editing tools out there. But depending on the domain of films you wish to enter, choose any free video editing software, and become an expert in it.
As new trends emerge, keep yourself updated by consistent practicing on the software.
3. Pitch to Local Projects
Learning is always enhanced by hands-on experience. To begin with, you can collaborate with a wedding video shooter and assist in editing the clips. You can also offer to work on college events and other cultural fests to groom your editing skills.
4. Define Your career
As you work on minor projects, identify if you’d want to embark on a freelancing job or a full-time 9 to 5 job. If you’re pitching as a freelancer, make a strong presence on websites like Viedit and MOFILM.
But if you’re interested in a stable job, pitch to companies and recruiters. Your minor projects should serve as a good experience portfolio to ace the job.
Final Words
If you’ve been wondering if it was ever possible to earn good wages through video editing, be assured now that you could. All you need is the continued thirst for innovative trends and the consistent drive to master them.
Who knows, video editing aspirants such as you might find your story to be their next story of inspiration!
