Viewfinder: Where Do Ideas Come From?

Like any other hobby, making video is a process. In most cases, the final product (the edited videotape) is a result of our commitment to seeing the process through to the end, and tackling the obstacles that we face along the way. For many, the learning curve that accompanies videography is challenging. That's why we're here to help. Making good video is fun, rewarding and something to be proud of. This special edition of Videomaker is dedicated to the beginning videographer who's eager and excited about the possibilities that video presents.

Most of us start making video by pulling out our camcorders and shooting footage of our friends and family. Because videotape is relatively cheap and camcorders are easy to use, we wind up shooting lots of footage--good and bad. Then comes viewing time. Most likely, you position yourself with remote in hand, and fast-forward through the bad or boring parts, playing just the best footage for your audience. Whether you realize it or not, you have begun to edit.

It doesn't take long to figure out that inserting and ejecting tapes and fast-forwarding to the special moments gets old very quickly. Soon, you begin to grasp that life would be a lot easier if you just removed the footage you didn't like. You might even want to rearrange the order of the scenes you've shot into a more coherent composition. You become curious about really editing you…