In this video I discuss the Ship Muscle for video editors. Seriously, I went back and forth for a day about whether or not to publish this video because of the graininess. But my own Ship Muscle needed a workout so I hit publish. Apologies if the pixelation is too much — I have some settings to adjust for low-light filming conditions on my phone.
the war of art
The Six Skills Every Video Editor Needs to Have
Being a video editor is no easy task. It’s like trying to do a 1,000 piece puzzle with 10,000 pieces but without seeing the box so you don’t know what you’re supposed to be making. And 3,000 of the pieces actually work for 900 of the pieces you need but you have no pieces for the other 100 pieces so you have to cram them together to complete your puzzle. Then you get asked to change the border of one of the sides but you only have middle pieces left. But you figure it out anyway because that’s what you do. Then you start work on the next puzzle. Do you have the skills it takes to be a video editor?
This article will discuss the six skills every video editor needs to have in order to have a successful career, create powerful videos, and stay sane while doing it.
Please note: some links in this article are affiliate links. All that means is I receive a small commission if you were to buy something after clicking on the link at no extra expense to you. It’s a very standard internet practice for blogs and websites and helps to support Edit Video Faster. I never link to a product I haven’t used or would not recommend. Always happy to answer any questions you have about affiliate links in general or the products linked to below!
The Art of the Edit
Every video editor needs to know how editing actually works. An editor should know when to cut and when to let the shot linger. They need to know the rules and how to follow them. But at the same time they need to know when and how to break them.
“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
The Dalai Lama
Some brief thoughts on creating creative work
There several dozen half-written and probably twice as many fully-written but never published blog posts scattered across my computer, laptop, Google Drive and various Moleskins. They contain thoughts I’ve had on many post production-related topics that I’ve worked countless hours on. And they’re just sitting there in digital purgatory.
“It’s not good enough.”
“Someone could say that you don’t mention ______ method/shortcut/etc.”
“You aren’t really an expert. Who are you to give advice?”
I could think of endless reasons not to ship each one of them.
Today I was watching some random YouTube video from this guy another YouTube guy I routinely watch recommended. His production quality was low. He knew it. But he said something that struck a nerve with me.