Chapter 1

What Is This All About?

I have lost count of how many times I’ve been asked, by runners and youngsters just starting out in film or TV, whether I had any shot material with which they might practice their editing skills. I usually let them have copies of some rushes of a scene or two, with the understanding that first, the material is strictly for their personal use, and second, that I would like to see what they do with it. This seemed to work incredibly well, as those aspiring editors were able to compare what they did with my version.

Editing your own films is okay up to a point, but it’s not what you’re going to be doing if you take up editing as a career. The trouble with editing your own stuff is that you know exactly how it should go together. Also, there are no limits: your cut can be any length, any style and there’s no one around to say ‘Hang on, what if we…?’ Sadly, the real editing world is very different, and it seems to me this is where some media courses fall short in their teaching.

This book intends to solve that problem. What’s different here is that alongside the text there are exercises with clips of properly shot material for you to put together yourself, with some guidance if you want, and then I give you the chance to compare your version with what I did with the same material. Starting with examples as simple as joining pairs of shots together through to assembling chunks of real scenes, the exercises are carefully graded in complexity.

You will also be glad to know this book is not about software—well, not more than is necessary. This publication is the equivalent of showing you how to write a novel and not how to use a typewriter. With text explanations alongside the exercises, you will be able to explore all aspects of the craft of editing.

It was my ambition to write the text and design the exercises for all levels of experience. With luck, the combination of text explanations and practical exercises will take you—whether you’re an absolute beginner, keen amateur, or just starting your career in the business—through to a level of professionalism that will impress any future client or employer. I would hope that even the most experienced of you will get something out of this; I know I did, during the preparation of this publication.

It’s so magnificently rewarding to coax shots into sequences, sequences into scenes, and scenes into complete programmes or films that have the power to make us laugh, learn, cry, or fear.

Here’s your chance to do some of the same.

1.1 A Brief Introduction

Throughout the book, I will use the titles of mainly British TV programmes and various films as cryptic paragraph title names. Some of these titles will mean nothing to you, but please feel free to Google them.

If the programme title is just acting as a paragraph title, it will look like this:

 Just a Film Title—It’s Only Acting as a Paragraph Title

And if the paragraph refers to a film or TV programme that you should search out and watch, it will look like this:

 A Film Worth Watching (2015)—Give It a Watch Sometime!

I hope that is reasonably clear.

For a long time I resisted filling the book with movie or TV examples of technique, as I didn’t want this publication falling into the trap of becoming too worthy about the ‘art’ of filmmaking. But I realised that movie clips provided us with marvellous examples of the techniques we will be examining here. And, given that so many of these clips are available on the Internet, it seemed silly to exclude such references. I also tried to make the film or TV examples as modern as I could, but very often it’s the fact that a technique was being used for the first time that makes it worthy of comment.

 Cartoon Time—A Little Bit of Light Entertainment

Helping us in this book is a character I bumped into at the BBC several years ago called Video Mickey.

He was (and is) drawn by a friend and fellow BBC editor, Dave Rixon, who kept us entertained with strip cartoons featuring Mickey and Claud the Cat, mixed in with some of the real personnel from the Television Recording Department of the BBC, or VT as it was known back then.

1.2 Do You Really Want to Be an Editor?

In order that you fully understand what you might be letting yourself in for, I’d better describe what an editor today actually does.

 Starter for Ten—What Does an Editor Actually Do?

If asked, I would think most of the public would struggle to find an answer to the question of what an editor actually does. If any did manage an answer, they would probably allude to only a single aspect of an editor’s role. Yes, it’s joining shots together; yes, it’s selecting the best takes; and yes, it’s taking the boring bits out of football matches, but this would still only be a fraction of what editors can be called on to do in the process of making a film or TV programme.

If you think about it, the fact that the public is ignorant about the exact nature of our role is exactly how it should be, because, for the most part, editors try to hide what we do and let script, performance, and content take all the credit. It’s no wonder, therefore, that the question I posed at the beginning of this section is so difficult to answer.

 On the Job—What Editors Have to Do

Let me list my thoughts about an editor’s role:

• An editor uses a mixture of artistic and technical skills to assemble shots into a coherent whole. I think that’s how most of the public would answer the question about what an editor actually does. Remember though, a coherent whole is rarely conceived beforehand; rather, this usually evolves as the programme is put together. In other words, no one has a detailed architect’s plan of the programme to be made that is handed to you with the words: ‘Make that’.
• An editor has a strong feeling for pace, rhythm, and storytelling. I can’t add to that!
• An editor’s skill determines the quality and delivery of the final product. Yes, true, but you need good raw material in the form of script, performance, and photographed shots to achieve this.
• An editor must work creatively with the layers of images, story, dialogue, and music. Yes, and in doing so, an editor effectively remoulds these elements to produce a pleasing result that is greater than the sum of its parts.
• An editor plays a dynamic role in the making of a film and is often involved with editorial and selection issues. To a large extent this is up to you as an individual; however, I know of no director or producer who wants to be always in the driving seat. In fact, some really enjoy being a passenger after the stress of all that filming. The more your input is inventive and creative, the more you’ll be appreciated, and the more you’ll be left to get on with it. Bliss!
• An editor reorders and tweaks content to ensure the logical sequencing and smooth running of a film or TV programme from whatever genre. It’s all true!
• An editor acts as a fresh pair of eyes on shot material. One of the best and most appreciated of our roles is to be truly objective and impartial with all programme material.
• An editor has to adapt built-in skills to deal with a wide variety of different programme styles. An editor is a Jack (or Jill) of all trades, and master of all trades as well.
• An editor searches through tons of footage and puts together those clips that best tell a story that will hold a viewer’s attention. Yes, and this is especially true in the case of documentaries.
• An editor experiments with styles and techniques, including the design of graphic elements. That’s the point! An element of experimentation is involved with every programme you work on, and solving a particular problem often requires a unique solution that was not previously thought of by the production team.
• An editor quietly gets sequences to a high standard so that production (directors and producers mainly) can concentrate on wider issues and not get bogged down in the nitty-gritty. Freeing up a director’s time is also an important role for us.
• An editor has to operate equipment that is sometimes complex and technical. Yes, and we have to keep up to date with any changes in that technology. The typewriter is changed quite often, and the keys keep moving around and increasing in number.
• An editor has to mix and balance sound. A finished cut leaving your editing suite can still go straight ‘on the air’.
• An editor has to be creative with multiple layers of video. Title sequences will call on every aspect of your creative input as well as your knowledge of the editing software.
• An editor has to be able to manipulate music performance in many different styles. Editing, mixing, and balancing music are all skills that are essential to acquire.

If that has not put you off, I would suggest you read on.

1.3 Why You Might Just Listen to Me

 The Apprentice—That Was Me, Some Time Ago Now!

When I started at the BBC, editing was much more of a team effort, often involving the greenest of assistants. During that wonderful apprenticeship, all you had to do was to be part of it: watch, listen, and learn as the editors back then tackled a whole range of technical and editorial problems.

 The Today Programme—Editing Today

Unfortunately, today, for the most part, we all work as individuals, and worse still, the process has become so fast and furious that even someone sitting alongside us would find it hard to decode the keystrokes and mouse moves that turn creative thoughts and individual shots into a sequence.

As much as we all love the new technology, it has made it increasingly hard for those wanting to join the profession (that’s you I hope) to pick up the skills and techniques which are necessary to become an editor.

 The Gadget Show—Here Come the Toys!

Editing software is constantly improving, but the choice of software is not so important here from the point of view of what we are about to consider in this book. Remember, it’s the novel that counts here, not the word processor.

1.4 My Background

 All Our Yesterdays—Where It All Began for Me

When I was a youngster, video at home was unheard of. All we had was film—Standard 8, Super 8, and 16 mm for the kids with rich parents. Editing these formats in a domestic environment was somewhat unrewarding, as the results could hardly be described as good, and syncing sound was a real problem. But what we did have was 1/4" tape. Here, at least, with a splicing block and a cheap and cheerful audio mixer, you could produce reasonable-sounding results. Things like putting your favourite music tracks all mixed together on a reel of tape or producing sound effects for school plays could all be done at high quality at home.

That’s how I started really, and when I was selected to do a vacation training course at the BBC Television Centre in 1975, in the telecine and videotape departments, I found that editors there were dealing with sound issues just as much as editing the pictures and I had done some of that sort of work myself. For example, I saw that editing the vision from a freeze at the end of a slow-motion replay of a goal was simply a matter of deciding where that cut should happen, but sound mixing the roar of the crowd and a commentator talking as though his trousers were on fire to a quiet throw-in 10 minutes later took individual skill and technique.

My career decision was made. I joined the BBC (or the ‘Beeb’, as it was affectionately known) as a videotape engineer in 1976, and I was promoted to senior recording engineer in 1978. Right from the word go, I was assisting real edit sessions with various different editors for a huge range of programmes.

I was promoted to editor in 1980, and as a junior editor I was allocated all sorts of work like Match of the Day, Top of the Pops, Play School, Rugby Special, Film ’80, Nationwide, and a load of trails (or trailers) for BBC 1 and BBC 2. Within a year, I started to concentrate on ‘light entertainment’ programmes, as they used to be called back then.

The rest of my career details, in and out of the BBC, and a list of the programmes I have worked on, are in Appendix 3.

1.5 How to Use This Book and Its Data

 How!—How to Get the Best Out of All This

I have a problem, and it’s you. All of you. My problem is that I don’t know how much you already know. I have to cover everything for those of you approaching the craft for the first time, but I do this at the risk of boring the clever clogs amongst you who have had a go at this editing lark already.

All I would say is that if any of you feels confident enough about a particular topic, especially those covered in the opening chapters, you should feel free to skip that section and move on. The last thing I want to do is bore you.

Each section has individual exercises associated with it, so once you’re happy, move on! The main thing is, don’t rush it! Packed into this book is the greater proportion of a lifetime of experience, so give yourself time to absorb it, or I fear you’ll suffer from severe bouts of indigestion.

1.6 Let’s Get Limbered Up—Material for the Exercises

 Starting Out—An Introduction to the Exercises

Most of the exercises in this publication are taken from two dramas that I wrote a few years back. One is called The Photograph and the other Chocolates and Champagne, which was based on an original idea of a friend of mine, Nick Gale. Despite the fact they are both dramas, they will illustrate the editing techniques I want to show you perfectly.

Both films were shot in only four days and were directed by my friend and colleague John B. Hobbs who, in addition to directing numerous theatrical productions and the Chris Rea feature film La Passione (1996), has directed and produced many BBC situation comedies such as ’Allo ’Allo!, Bread, Mulberry, Down to Earth, Leaving, and Brush Strokes, some of which I edited for him.

The director of photography (DOP) was Nigel Bradley, the sound recordist was Steve Hubbard, and production manager was Nick Gale. My sincere thanks go to all of them. It was quite a week I seem to remember!

Here is a brief outline of the two plots, so that you will better understand the emotions involved when you start cutting the isolated excerpts.

The Photograph is about two brothers who, for whatever reason, have grown apart, but they are now forced to be together again on the day of their father’s funeral.

Mark is a successful businessman, whereas his brother, Philip, is more downtrodden, having looked after their ailing father for several years. The trouble is, dad has always preferred Mark, despite the fact that he rarely came to see his father. The two brothers talk uncomfortably at first, but both try and make an effort. While reminiscing, some of dad’s old home movies are remembered, and their flickering images bring back even more poignant memories for Mark. One event in particular Mark has long forgotten.

The actors here are Gorden Kaye (René in ’Allo ’Allo!) and Keith Drinkel (Carter Brandon in I Didn’t Know You Cared, Philip in Family at War, Maurice Gregory in Coronation Street, in addition to the Major in Gandhi).

I should say straight away that Gorden Kaye, who plays Philip, had very little time to learn the script, and he did marvellously to read and learn it as well as he did; my thanks to him for giving it a go. Some bits are sadly unusable, but in a strange way that has done me (and you) an enormous favour, as even greater editing skills are required to save as much of the performance as you can.

Chocolates and Champagne centres around a radio show dedication, sent in to the programme by Helen’s husband, Joe, to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Helen misses the live show, but her fussy neighbour Tim, who heard it, finds a way for Helen to listen to it again on the Internet. Later that day and quite by chance, Helen listens to a marital infidelity survey, which was featured later on in that same radio programme. As she listens, she slowly realises that her husband Joe’s recent behaviour fits remarkably well with some of the points highlighted in the survey.

The next day she discusses the situation with Caroline, her best friend and fellow teacher at her nursery school, little realising that Caroline is part of the problem. Pennies begin to drop, and a later confrontation has tragic results.

The actors here are Paul Taylor who plays Tim, Pippa Shepherd as Helen, Gemma Saunders as Caroline, and a cameo role by yours truly as adulterer Joe, with the radio show host Ken Casey played by my director friend, Stuart McDonald.

 Ask the Family—A Few Words of Welcome from Some Friends and Colleagues

Dewi Humphreys (Director)

Filming is like shopping for ingredients, while editing is cooking them into a palatable dish.

Sir David Jason, OBE (Actor)

One of the most difficult genres to edit is comedy. If one wants to edit comedy, one has to have an innate sense of timing and, of course, a sense of humour. With these essential qualities, a comedy editor helps the director to stand aside for a moment or two and see the work with fresh eyes, which an experienced editor can bring. A good editor can work on his own, but works best together with a director, and as a team they can fine tune a performance. Conversely, whilst they can improve comic moments, they can also ruin them. I have learnt over the years as a performer to work closely with an editor, as they have a skill which can enhance the entire production.

Neil Pittaway (Editor and Former Head of BBC Post-Production)

An editor is an arbiter, a new pair of eyes and ears, a solver of the impossible, a smoother of the ragged, a time- and finance-dependent project manager, an expert on the total production process, and quite often, a creator of a finished product way beyond the wildest dreams of the producer or their budget.

Jon Plowman (Former Head of BBC Comedy)

A good editor is your production’s best friend. He or she can make a good show look great and a great show look fantastic, but an editor’s greatest trick is to make a bad show look passable, or even quite good. They can’t change dross into gold; after all they’re editors, not magicians!

Brian Leveson and Paul Minett (Writers)

Every television production stands or falls by the quality of its editing. In sitcom particularly, it’s vital that a comedic rhythm is maintained. It should be like a piece of music. It also helps to know about human nature. For instance, quite often the laugh is not going to be on the person cracking the gag, but on those reacting to the line. Great editors like Chris know this. Thanks for saving our scripts!

Richard Boden (Producer, Director, and Director of Programmes at Delightful Industries)

Editing can be a strange way to spend the day, or several days, or several days and several evenings. You finish making a show and then find yourself in a small darkened room, usually with air conditioning that either freezes you or leaves you falling into a heat-induced coma. So, you want to be sure you’re working with an editor who is not only skilled at the technical side of the job [sort of a given, you hope!] but also someone who is creative, sensitive to the needs of the director as well as the writer—often the same person. As well, you rely on an editor to be able to be objective—be the viewers’ eyes if you will. Having sweated over the show, you hope you’ve squeezed every drop there is to be squeezed to get the performance, but you’re too close to the programme sometimes, and an editor who is brave enough to say that a moment isn’t really working the way you’ve shot it and then adds ‘but how about this’ is so valuable.

Of course the editor who just tells you it isn’t working but doesn’t add the ‘how about this’ solution is pretty useless!

John B. Hobbs (Producer and Director)

I had just finished filming a night shoot for ’Allo ’Allo! and was walking back to the unit base when Jeremy Lloyd, one of the series’ writers, asked me whether I realised that that was the first time we’ve ‘killed’ any Germans on the show. I remember, after a little feeling of unease, replying to the effect that he had written the script, and indeed was alongside me when I filmed it. Despite this, I realised I had made a big mistake; ’Allo ’Allo! was, after all, a comedy. I assured Jeremy the next day, totally without any justification, that I could sort it out in the edit. That’s what a good editor does—allows you to tell a white lie with complete confidence, that there is a solution, even though you have no idea of how to achieve it. Chris cleverly used matched bits of the grassy field to cover up the ‘dead’ bodies, and with a voiceover of ‘Quick! Let’s get out of here’ from the fleeing and happily alive German soldiers that I had shot only with a camera. The sequence was saved, and with it, to a small extent, my reputation.

Rob Gordon (Editor)

Any good director knows that allowing an editor the creative freedom to cut their pictures means they can get the best end result. A good editor will be sympathetic to a director’s requirements, but present them in a way that maybe a director had not thought of. An experienced editor’s visual cutting expertise can enhance the way a show is presented to the audience.

Roy Gould (Comedy Director)

A director who has been working on a show from the script stage through rehearsals and into the studio can sometimes lose focus with what is important and what is not. A good editor who has not been involved with these other aspects of a production comes in with a fresh pair of eyes and ears and has not been tainted by everything else that has been going on beforehand, and will be able to help the director to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Chris Booth (Editor)

The editor is your first viewer; they carry with them an objectivity that you, the programme maker, doesn’t have. They may well suggest things you abhor, simply because you have not seen that particular solution yourself. They bring a freshness of view that can contribute much to your programme, and they have the benefit of the experience of all the other programmes they have worked on.

Nowadays, editors are specialising in drama, in documentary, in light entertainment. Some say this is a good thing, but you lose the cross-fertilisation of ideas that can occur when, say, a light entertainment editor works on sport—the end result can win awards.

Sydney Lotterby (Producer and Director)

I want an editor who I know wants to work on the sort of programmes I make. Ability and enthusiasm are the obvious principal attributes of a good editor, but hard on their heels is tact and charm. An editor’s skill is repairing by using the best retake, not necessarily the easiest, even sometimes using the sound from one take and vision from another—but that’s where the skill lies.

The director is sometimes too close to the programme, and a good editor is often able to suggest time cuts if needed. All directors are possessive—it’s their baby. When they are new, they want it cut their way; now’s the time for an editor to be tactful—suggest but don’t be dogmatic. Remember, once you’ve shown your skill and gained the director’s confidence, you’ll most likely be editing alone next time. Leaving a lot more time for the director to show his appreciation and buy you a drink!

Gareth Gwenlan, OBE (Producer, Director, Former Head of Comedy at BBC Television, Managing Directory of Topcomedy Ltd)

A wise director will choose, as a matter of priority, an editor who is familiar and sympathetic to the style and expectations of the production.

A good editor will contribute editorially, lighten the load, and often inspire the director to make a better programme.

David Hitchcock (Designer)

I hate editors; they cut out all the wide shots.

John Bartlett (Producer)

Editing is a technical job, and an editor is a technician, assembling the writers’, actors’, and director’s achievements into a preconceived whole. Genuinely top-class editing is all the foregoing, but then you have to add craft, artistry, a genuine and instinctive feel for the material, and the ability to transform what could be just a professionally produced programme into so much more.

Ed Bye (Director)

A good editor can make your show better than you ever anticipated, often making the editing process the most enjoyable part of the production, and most times will get you out of the pooh.

Nick Pitt (Editor)

My job as an editor is to give back more than I got; I aim to surprise the director (in a good way of course). My best work is done on my own, working at the rushes to give the best interpretation of the director’s, producer’s, and cast’s intentions. This applies just as well in unscripted work, where the job is still to tell the story. Hopefully, when we get to the first viewing, the bulk of the work is already done.

Nigel Bradley (Director of Photography)

As a DOP shooting on location, I see my role as providing the edit with the best kit of parts I possibly can, a bit like the components of a car. When I see the results on TV, a good editor will have miraculously transformed the footage into a Rolls Royce, always a pleasure to see!

Paul Taylor (Tim in Chocolates and Champagne)

The care taken by everyone during the filming of Chocolates and Champagne to include as many options as possible for editing was remarkable. When we saw the finished film, I was amazed at the difference, even a slight change of shot made to the delivery of the dialogue.

David Crossman (Director)

I was once accused of ‘directing like an editor’. I regarded that as a compliment.

Robyn Rogers (Editor)

Editors are key in shaping the all-important storyline in detail, whether it be documentary or drama; that’s why they often make good producers or directors (Spielberg and Scorsese, for example, started in the cutting room).

Penny Heighes (Editor)

We are there to be harsh with every frame, which has been lovingly shot and nurtured, but at the same time, we are there to ease the pain of casting it aside.

Bernadette Darnell (Script Supervisor)

One of the first questions I ask is ‘Who is the editor?’—you are SO important to my role!

Andrew Marshall (Writer)

A great editor of a TV comedy is like a great orchestrator for a piece of music. Only they drink less.

Julian Meers (Producer)

Editors don’t just cut pictures, they require both creative and technical skills combined with huge patience, a degree in director psychology, greater aural than verbal senses, and a beady eye on the clock. Not much to ask really, but that’s the gig.

Barbara Hicks (Vision Mixer)

As a vision mixer, there is nothing worse than seeing random shots used from other cameras being slotted into a programme, however good the shots may be. A good editor is sympathetic to the style of the programme and takes over the baton from the studio vision mixer without trying to craft something different.

Jon Bignold (Editor)

Editing works best when it is collaborative. A good editor can cast a fresh eye on a scene or an idea and see where its relevance or value lies, without the baggage of the effort which was required to bring it to fruition.

This is not just the negative business of throwing out stuff which no longer works; it can just as easily involve nurturing a fragile idea which the director may have dismissed as not working.

Editors are almost always heroic. Directors arrive with high hopes but have often had a difficult journey to get to the editing stage of the process. A good editor can help them to see how everything can work out in the end.

Editing can involve spending long hours in a dark room with the same person—perhaps for weeks or months on end. Not all personalities work well together under those circumstances. A good editor will find something other than film and TV to talk about. Working with an editor requires a certain amount of confidence and self-control. It involves giving them the space to be creative, whilst maintaining the sense that you care about it as much as they do. Editors somehow combine a fanatical approach to detail with a desire to go home on time.

Dave Rixon (Editor and Creator of Video Mickey)

If an editor was not involved in the shoot, he or she is perhaps the best person to give the production team those valuable ‘first impression’ comments, for the viewer often sees the finished piece just once!

Simon Frodsham (Managing Director of The Independent Post Company)

A good editor will always add to a programme, but what makes a good editor? The old adage that it’s 20% about the kit and 80% about personality isn’t that far from the truth. If you don’t understand what the client wants to convey, all the technical ability in the world will not help you. It’s that ability to match or exceed the client’s vision that will ensure you are never without work. An ability to empathise with people is the first quality I look for in potential recruits to The Independent Post Company. Then comes technical ability, editorial judgement, and everything else.

Lovett Bickford (Director)

Making a film or television programme is essentially a collective creative activity.

The director perhaps has the overall vision, then his production team go about realising that vision. Within that framework the editor is a crucial element, and many directors rely on them hugely. Many films (which will remain nameless—it’s a fairly bitchy profession!) have been made in the editing suite. Indeed, many a director, not sure of what he wants, has shot scenes from every conceivable angle and shot size, and then left it to the editor to assemble and make the scene. Of course this is not always the case, but editors I would say are probably the key element in the finished product. A clever editor can very often get a director out of trouble if he has failed to cover a scene properly.

Martin Baker (Editor)

The editor’s role is valuable because they act as a bridge between the production team and the viewer. The editor is unlikely to be on the shoot and hopefully is not involved with any production politics, so they come to the footage with fresh eyes and bring a valuable independent perspective.

Barry Stevens (Editor)

A video editor is a tailor, a chef, a carpenter, a shepherd, a nurse, a chemist, a memory bank, and many other things.

Simon Hughes (Editor)

A good editor is like a good jazz drummer: he keeps time, determines the groove, and very occasionally there’ll be a subtle solo. Most of the time, you won’t know they’re there.

Paul Gartrell (Sound Supervisor)

An editor provides the conduit through which every technical, artistic, and creative shortfall is minimised.

Shelly Fox (Bookings Manager, Suite TV, London)

The right editor is so important to the production and will make a very necessary contribution. From attending rehearsals, location and studio recordings, to understanding what the director and cast need to achieve. This is more than just pushing buttons, it’s teamwork and making the director’s vision come alive.

Helen Lakey (Programme Compliance ITV)

It’s all about two heads being better than one in achieving the desired end result. The key role of an editor, I believe, is to help a director make the good stuff look amazing and to be honest enough, as a friend, to suggest that the so-so stuff just isn’t right for your final cut!

David Colantuoni (Senior Director of Product Management at Avid)

Media Composer gives you the clearest career path to the top tier of the film and video industry, and we wish you every success on your journey.

 Get Some In!—Your Media Is Waiting

All that remains is to get the exercise clips into your editing software. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

 The Clip Show—What the Exercise Clips Contain

All the media exercise clips come to you as a bunch of MOV files which are available for download with the purchase of this book from www.focalpress.com. A complete list of the MOVs appears in Appendix 2. They are named in accordance with the 52 exercises contained in the text. How you source the clips might change with time, but I am going to assume you now have them on (or near) your editing computer.

These MOV files are either rushes, exercise examples, or mix-downs of my versions of the individual editing exercises.

The latter are identified by ‘CUT’ in their file names. The rushes include raw camera footage, sound effects, or music.

The 52 exercises associated with this publication divide into two different types. The first type of exercise requires you only to look at some clips, which will illustrate the point I am explaining. The second type are real ‘have a go’ exercises, with raw footage for you to cut together yourself. As I promised, after you’ve had a go, you will be able to see what I did with those same clips to solve the problem of their assembly. Sometimes I also include alternative versions of the cut to illustrate how poor the material can look in the wrong hands.

All file names are made deliberately short, such that Exercise 5, Shot 5 Close-Up Play Button (Tape 5) from Chapter 2 is abbreviated to Ex 05-5 CU Play (05).

The numbers in parentheses are the source ‘tape’ numbers (01 to 16). These numbers, if allocated to your imported MOV files, will make the downloadable sequence timelines come alive if you drive an Avid. There is a complete list of instructions in Appendix 1.

The clips were originally shot at a resolution of DV 720 × 576, SD quality at 25 frames per second, with 48 kHz two-channel sound. Your editing software project settings should be set accordingly for their importation. In ‘Avid speak’ an import resolution of 4:1s produced good results with minimal loss of quality.

For the least technically minded, you can get started straight away by opening a new project, setting up a bin, and simply importing the MOV files into your editing software. Proceed to edit the source clips of the individual exercises and produce a sequence of your own. Once this is done, you can then look at the relevant MOV file for my cut version of the sequence (‘CUT’ in the file name) and see how I put the shots together.

In Appendix 1 you will find detailed instructions of how to get the MOV files into various editing software packages such as Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Final Cut Pro.

Because my sequences were cut on an Avid, importation into another Avid is easier. In order to get my cut sequences into Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, you have to go via an edit decision list (EDL), a bunch of which I have provided. This will also work (I hope) if your editing software is not included in the previous list.

At the time of writing, Final Cut Pro X cannot import EDLs directly, but there is a workaround. Appendix 1 will explain more.

 Fresh Fields—The First Exercise

Here is the first of the 52 exercises contained in this book. The format will become very familiar to you as you progress through the text.

Each exercise starts with a list of the shots involved, the contained dialogue and the exercise aim.

As I have already explained, the numbers in parentheses after the shot name are the source tape numbers. Appendix 1 has full details of their relevance.

Next there is a questions section about the exercise, which highlights points to consider as you start editing the footage. Finally, there is an answers section, where I go through some points of interest that are thrown up by the exercise and discuss the finer points of technique. Where appropriate, I will give you good and bad versions of the cut, so you can see the range of assembly possibilities.

Over to you! Have a go at this simple exercise, Exercise 1 Inserting a Shot.

1.7 How to Join This Happy Band

 Tooled Up—Get to Know the Tricks of the Craft

This book will build you a tool kit that will allow you to create, construct, or repair any programme material thrown at you. It will enable you to be more creative and valuable to an industry that recognises such talent with cash.

 MasterClass—Compare Your Work with Mine

The ironic fact is, even though editing software is everywhere these days, even on mobile phones, there are now far fewer opportunities to inherit the skills and techniques from experienced editors, as I did. This is your opportunity to sit alongside me, as we both tackle real programme material.

I will help you to:

• Understand different types of shots, and start joining them together.
• Understand editing’s ‘dos and don’ts’ and know when to break the rules.
• Start to transform shots into scenes that tell stories.
• Be creative with scene transitions.
• Create specialised montages, like dream and action sequences.
• Be clever when balancing sound, which will be both natural and realistic.
• Edit music and learn to cut Madonna, Coldplay, or Tchaikovsky down to size.
• Be inventive with video effects, which will make your edits sparkle.
• Create graphics and be stylish with titles, captions, and rollers (scrolls in the US).
• Understand editorial and compliance issues and learn about editorial responsibility.
• Start to think like a real editor.
• Make a better impression at your next interview.
• Create a CV, which might just be read or watched.

At all stages you can:

• Use professionally shot material to make real sequences.
• Learn at your own pace.
• Compare your work with what I did.
• See how the techniques we examine are used in the movies.