Computer Video Editing: What's the Best Approach?
To beginning editors it may seem that visuals are the determining factor in making edit decisions. The truth is that editing is often a process of matching visuals to essential audio.Last month, we discussed an approach to video editing in which the pictures dictate the direction of the edit. This month, we'll be covering the opposite approach: a style of editing in which the audio determines the direction of the edit.
To beginning editors it may seem that visuals are the determining factor in making edit decisions. The truth is that editing is often a process of matching visuals to essential audio. There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is the simple fact that it's often easier to cut the visuals to match the sound than vice-versa. Also, it can be argued that sometimes the audio carries the most crucial information in a video segment. For example, when news editors are searching for the best pieces of an interview, they look for the "sound bites" that are the most meaningful. Add to this the profound effects that MTV has had on the pace and style of video editing, and you can see why sound so often drives the video edit.
Before we cover some specific techniques that are useful for cutting the visuals to the sound, let's start with the point at which the edit truly begins: the visualization stage, where the video project is originally conceived and des…
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