Step 4: Editing
So here’s where it could get tricky. Are you a video pro, a vacation vlogger, or someone who just loves capturing family life and wants a more creative way to put their content together?
At the end of the day, editing comes down to individual style and purpose.
In regards to creating content while traveling - where are you? Tokyo - where the hustle and bustle of life is ever present. Cabo - where the sounds of everyday life are replaced with crashing waves and slurps of frozen drinks.
What is the emotional reach you’re trying to achieve? How happy your family was on their first ever trip to Yellowstone National Park? Or how luxurious that brand new resort that hired you is?
Let the answers to these questions drive how you edit. It will help you pick music, transitions, color grade - everything. The more you investigate what you are trying to accomplish - whether it is for personal or professional use, the better your edit will be.
So when editing, ask yourself a few things:
- What’s the purpose of this film?
- Who is my audience?
- What emotions am I trying to invoke from my audience?
One of the hardest things about content creation while traveling is the ACTUAL edit. Fitting it in, refining it, etc. That’s why its important to review. If you’re able to do your edits as soon as you have your content, go for it! But if not - review, organize, and file so you’re not sorting through after your travels.
I always have on the fly ideas for an edit, so keep track of those too if you can’t edit right away. Write them down wherever you keep your shot notes or other information from the day.
This might seem obvious, but we always pick music first before we launch an edit. It's a million times harder to find a song to fit your edit, than to edit to a song. But you have to know the style and look of the edit before you pick a song. Do you want heavy drops to accentuate dramatic scenery? Are you trying to inspire laughter, tears, chills, motivation? It all comes into play when picking a song. Our favorite websites to find tracks are Motion Array (for clients) and Premium Beat (for personal).
Once you have your music selected, placing and timing your shots and adding transitions to drive emotions will all fall into place so much easier!
We'll be talking a lot more about editing style, tips, and tricks on the vlog! Stay tuned.
Recap:
- Establish your video's purpose.
- Establish your audience.
- Assess the emotional reach and purpose of your video.
- Let the aforementioned points drive your edit.
- Keep track of your on the fly ideas for your edits (we keep them in the same place as our shot list!).
- Edit to the music, it's easier to pick the music before starting an edit.
Eric's Fave: Find the music first!
Christina's Fave: Driving emotions through music and timed transitions!