It is noteworthy that storytelling is an effective means for expressing ideas and emotions and creating meaning in the world. Ever since the prehistoric times, people loved to listen to tales whether they are myths and fables, movies, television shows, and videos on the internet.
The use of video as a means to share a story in today’s society is one of the most effective means available. Due to the development of such platforms as YouTube, Facebook Video and Instagram Stories, the options for sharing the content are greater than ever. However, it is not enough to aim a camera at something to create a captivating story. This is where professional video editors come in.
The Function of Professional Video Editors
Having good equipment, good shooting techniques or even the right subject adds up to it but having a good editor makes it even better. In this way, editors use pace, sequence and sound design to mold raw footage into a story that monitors with the audience.
Pacing
Pacing refers to the manner in which information is conveyed to the viewers in relation to time. A video editor determines the rate at which a particular clip in a video has been cut. This entails choices that concern the amount of time required to spend on a particular shot before moving to the other one. It is possible to stump the viewers’ interest if one lingers on a shot for too long while on the other extreme, if the shots are changed too frequently, it becomes confusing.
When organizing sequences of shots, professional editors are sensitive to pacing. For instance, slow moving scenes can be used to build up atmosphere or location before moving on to faster fight scenes that will catch the viewer’s eye. Or editors may decide to slowly increase the pace throughout the duration of the video, to enhance tension and suspense. It also maintains the pacing of the story that makes the scenes flow one after the other rather than having a scene here and there.
Sequencing
Another factor that affects the audience is the order in which the story elements are presented. Proficient editors do not simply place clips in a sequential order. Rarely is it better to use starting in media res where the background information is given in form of flashbacks or through dialogues. Editors may also manipulate temporality by emphasizing some narratives over others and cutting back and forth between timelines in order to create suspense and shocking moments.
In the process of shot and scene matching, the editors always consider the emotional appeal of the video. For instance, they may prefer to use shocking scenes later on in the plot to create an explosive effect. Or they may switch abruptly from one mood, say a suspenseful mood to comedy to balance in an effort to provide the viewers relief. It is understanding of how to sequence events in a way that supports the overall narrative that sets professionals in the field of editing apart from casual video creators.
Sound Design
Auditory is one of the most engaging elements for getting viewers into the story world. Professional editors do not depend on production sound and dialogue only. They amplify sound by using such as effects, mood and tone, background sounds and sound bridges.
Even when used sparingly, effects such as car crashes, explosions and firearms enhance the perception of reality. Music is used to tug at the emotional state of the audience; it becomes tense when there is a threat or sad when there is a loss. Sound of wind blowing, birds singing or even the noise of the crowd also adds to the believability of the environment. And the transitions from one scene to the other, like slowly fading out a score and then fading in a new one serve as a good continuity.
This is through the smart timing, arrangement and sound which make creative video editors capture the viewers’ attention in the storytelling process in both the visual and auditory domains. Viewers are not just observers of a series of unrelated sequences, but are engaged in the narrative world, with vibrant characters, dramatic action, and feelings throughout the film.
Editors of research articles play a critical and most important part.
High-quality cameras, mics, and computer software for editing have become more available and inexpensive over the years, yet none of it can compensate for people’s imagination and natural narrative abilities.
Premiere editing software does not understand when to use the jump-cut for the element of surprise, or how much space to leave after the protagonist delivers an emotional revelation. Most consumer-grade editing apps rely on artificial intelligence, which lacks the ability to understand complex concepts such as the emotional arc or how to use pacing, sequence, and sound to create the best effect.
Thus, despite the advent of modern technologies that have by far enriched the video toolbox available to auteurs, professional human editors with a well-developed sense of the narrative are still in great demand. They are the ones that can put all the raw material captured and bring it into an appealing and cohesive narrative that speaks to the audiences.
Growth of Video Entertainment
This is especially so given that video entertainment and social media are ever growing into new and sophisticated forms, and therefore, skilled editors will be required. Already films like Avengers: Endgame have shown that onesy-twosey complicated, giant video narratives work to create record revenue. While present, the prominence of YouTube channels, TikTok accounts and other similar video-based creators gaining real celebrity status now, the role of editors will only become more important.
In brief, for any filmmakers, YouTubers, marketers and other content creators who seek to understand their audiences and engage with them more effectively, it is wise to collaborate with professional video editors. Editors, through their knowledge of the fundamentals of storytelling, their craftsmanship, and their ability to turn shoots into stories contribute to creating brands, leading discussions, and enchanting audiences.
Therefore, the next time you watch a video that completely takes you into the storyline, making you follow characters for more than an hour or so, do not forget to acknowledge the creative input of the editors in the process. Their involvement in pacing, sequence and sound design is critical to effective video narration that elicits an emotional response and is timeless.
