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Editing: Fool Proof Collaboration for Online Video Producers

The internet provides a method for video producers to keep clients in the loop, from rough cut to final edit. You can look for a video-editing gig anywhere in the world. Have the client ship you the source footage (or a duplicate for safety) and get to work. The collaboration that happens between the arrival of the source footage and the send-off of deliverables is where the professionals shine. If you want repeat business or word-of-mouth marketing to work to your advantage, you'd better have a plan for working with clients at a distance.

While you can use a lot of good web tools to bridge the distance gap, sometimes the web cannot replace the natural process of collaboration that happens when working together in the same room. Let's pretend the client wants to see the graphic come in a few seconds later and with a different color for the text on their 30-second spot. In the studio, you can do that in a matter of seconds and review it in near-real time. On the internet, small, instant changes can be inhibited by the medium. For example, if you are using YouTube to upload files for approval, a timing change on a graphic will require more time: an edit change, a render, an upload and finally a new link sent to the client. In the best-case scenario, that's a fifteen-minute process. And, wait, the client changed his mind three times already. You see where the problem is with online collaboration, right?

So, how to use the internet to make videos the client will approve and save yourself from pulling your hair? The answer is simple. Be prepared.

Your best defense to unnecessary changes or an indecisive client is a game plan. Although a script isn't a legal contract, it can certainly be used to your advantage. The first thing to do is send the client a script, an edit decision list or, at the very least, a brief outline of the different sections of the video. In most cases, you'll already have an outline for the project. Make sure you update it after seeing the footage and send it to the client for approval. Good ol' e-mail will do the job. Don't start editing until the client has approved it. Call, e-mail, or instant message (IM) them, and confirm they've looked it over and are satisfied. Remind them that this is the "guide" to the edits you'll be performing. It's wise to advise them that straying too far off the script with revisions or changes during approval of rough edits may lead you to reconsider your compensation or charge extra fees.

Give your client an idea of what you'll have completed for the rough-cut approval. Is the rough cut just the video edits without graphics, audio fixes and music? For a simple 30-second spot for local TV, a rough-cut approval could be nearly as good as the final version. It really depends on the complexity of the project. Also give the client an idea of when you'll have the rough cut ready for approval.

Test the collaboration tool you plan to use with the client. Web tools, e-mail, video files all have technical specifications. You will want to see if your methods actually work on the client's computer. For example, send a "dummy" file if you plan to get client approval through e-mail. You want to avoid sending the client an approval that they can't see, especially on a tight deadline. Mailing a DVD won't cut it in these situations.