Are you a beginner in film editing and want to get into it?

Watch the best tips about film editing to learn more about what film editing is, what is the best software to get started with, and basic techniques to start a project from scratch.

Film Editing 101:
Ultimate Beginner's Guide with Rory Nichols

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Rory Nichols

Film Editing 101: Complete Walthrough of Film Editing for Beginners by Rory Nichols

Are you a complete beginner in film editing and want to get into it? Watch Rory’s best tips about film editing to learn more about what is film editing, what is the best software to get started with, and basic techniques to start a project from scratch 👉

Trailer

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Intro

1

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What is editing?

46

Editor’s job description

93

Finding a job

279

Editor’s salary

399

Editing language

481

Key editing techniques

762

Sound editing & sound mixing

934

Editing tools

1158

What makes a great editor?

1335

Premiere Pro basics

1420

Keyboard shortcuts

1453

Timeline overview

1592

Immediate tools

1713

Big scale project

2058

Importance of editing

2292

Tips & tricks

2416

Ending

2643

Meet Rory

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What you’ll learn

Make sure you stay organized from the beginning – it is too easy to create chaos with a bigger project.

You will be working in a dark room many times, just remember why you get into editing in the first place – to have fun.

You do take criticism for a living but remember the criticism is not directed at you personally.

Make sure you master one of the programs first – it is better to be master in one than to know all a little.

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Ian Moore

Video Editing 101: How To Edit a Short Project by Ian Moore

Editing is the post-production process of selecting and compiling raw footage into sequences that form a consistent final product, a movie. In simpler words, it is editing that makes the story come together. Do you want to know how to edit? Learn with Ian 🎓

Trailer

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Intro

1

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Video editing

19

Organizing your project

149

Bins

345

Stringouts

405

Color coding

613

Editing

1045

Adding music

1134

Transitions

1442

Sound design

1538

Ending

1817

Meet Ian

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What you’ll learn

Being creative is important but you can't be creative if you can't find your footage – be organized.

Back up your footage, use proper titles, organize raw footage in bins and work in color-coded timelines.

Learn your shortcuts to save a tremendous amount of time during editing.

Try things out – be as wild and insane as you can think to grab attention.

Masterclass Chapters

In his masterclass, Rory Nichols teaches us all about film editing and how you can become a better editor.

What is film editing

To begin, Rory defines what film editing is. Editing means placing all the footage from the shoot on a timeline in a coherent structure.

Job description of a film editor

He continues by explaining what the job of a film editor is. He starts by creating a project. Then he sorts and structures all the footage in bins.

Finding a job

Finding a job in the industry as a film editor is complicated. But to find one, you need to own one essential skill: being a personal person. You will work quite alone.

@afewgoodproductions

Salary of a film editor

Rory tells us that the salary of a film editor depends on where you are. It depends on your business. It is an average salary but climbs up with the experience.

Editing language

Rory defines then some words that you will learn and hear throughout your day as a film editor. Such as assembly, rushes, etc.

Key editing techniques

Rory gives us some tips about editing techniques that you need to know. He starts by saying this: stay organized. Editing can be messy when dealing with this quantity of footage.

Sound editing & sound mixing

Rory then explains more about sound design, and the differences as well as the importance between sound editing and sound mixing.

@afewgoodproductions

Editing tools

Rory lists the biggest and most popular editing tools: AVID Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Final Cut Pro X.

What makes a great editor?

For him, a great editor needs to be quite challenging towards himself. You will be going through tough situations. And this is when your real work will shine through.

Premiere Pro basics

Rory then gives us some tips on the software Premiere Pro. He starts by giving us some keyboard shortcuts.

Keyboard shortcuts

He starts by showing us where to customize the keyboard shortcuts. For him, this is super useful, as it allows you to work faster.

Timeline overview

He then shows us how he works with the timeline using his shortcuts.

@afewgoodproductions

Immediate tools

Then, he shows us some of the intermediate tools he uses. They include the ripple edit tool, the selection tool, etc.

Big scale project

With a big-scale project, the organization gets even trickier. Rory shows us one of his big projects and how he approached editing.

Importance of editing

Rory explains and details the importance of editing. He says that without it, there wouldn’t be any films.

Tips & tricks

Before wrapping up, Rory gives us some final tips and tricks he uses. The first one is to have fun with it. Sometimes it might not be as easy as the last time, but having fun is a goal you should try to reach.

About Your Instructor

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Rory Nichols

Director and editor

London, United Kingdom

"It is all about challenging yourself. You will be able to figure this out, you just need to throw yourself in a position where you are not 100% comfortable."

Rory Nichols is a freelance director and editor based in London.

He has a background in broadcast and advertising. He has worked on some of the UK’s top programs and with some household brands. He also has an exceptional understanding of storytelling.

Based in London, in the United Kingdom, AFGP works with businesses helping them produce their online video content to drive leads and sales to their business.

Rory Nichols started as a runner and now works as a freelance director and editor and is one half of the London-based production company A Few Good Productions.

If you enjoyed this masterclass, check out our complete guide to film editing!

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