Secrets of the Snip: An Editing Guide for Clients

As an agency or brand client, you may have a clear idea for the goals of an edit - and a vision for the final product - but it can be difficult to articulate what you want, to understand why an edit doesn’t meet expectations, or know what your editor needs from you. 

Speaking to editors from across the industry, LBB’s Ben Conway went in search of the secrets of the snip, in the hopes of revealing the essential building blocks of their craft and compiling something of a cheat sheet for clients to use when they’re feeling a bit lost in the edit suite.

The Pillars of Editing

Several traits have emerged as pillars over the last century of film editing - “Emotion, story and rhythm,” says Camp Lucky editor, Alex Heisterkamp; “performance”, “pacing” and “storytelling”, says Rooster Post Production editor, Paul Proulx, while Cadence Post founder, Rick Nelson, highlights four: “tone”, “pace”, “rhythm” and “emotion”.

Distilled, these experts place similar importance on how an edit feels to the audience, and how it flows - manipulating time, as Rick describes it, both on a macro level (pace) and a micro level shot-to-shot (rhythm). Before cutting anything together, selecting the right performances - from the actors and camera operators - is also vital and requires instincts and openness, says Paul.

Above Camp Lucky editor, Alex Heisterkamp

“The real challenge in editing,” he says, “is to trust the process, stay open to everyone's ideas - including the client's - and never lose sight of the fact that it takes a team to create a great ad.” Part of this collaboration includes music and sound design, which he says “play a key role” in pacing, not to mention the number of cuts that the editor makes. “The Goldilocks principle applies here: too many cuts can lose the audience, while too few result in boredom. A pacing rhythm that is ‘just right’ enhances storytelling and viewer engagement.” 

Whether it’s a brand film or a 15-second YouTube pre-roll, Alex shares certain questions that can help discern the good from the great:

“Emotion: Overall, does it make you feel something? Did you get bored in the middle of the spot, and start thinking about your lunch order? Can you tell how the edit is being used to affect the emotional narrative?”

He continues, “Story: Is the ad relaying a coherent message? Do the edits move the story forward in an engaging way? Is new information being revealed at the right moment, and with purpose? Whether it’s dramatic, funny, exhilarating or silly –  is the story engrossing and bringing you in?”

Above: Rooster Post Production editor, Paul Proulx

“The more of these questions that you answer in a positive way, the more likely it is that the edit is good or great. At the end of the day, if the editing is truly wonderful, you probably won’t even realise it.”

Paul adds that if the storytelling is flawed - i.e. it doesn’t have a clear narrative structure or fails to resonate with the viewer - then the audience can feel frustrated, subsequently forgetting the brand and message of the ad.

To ensure that doesn’t happen, Rick highlights several techniques employed by editors. The first he calls ‘invisible cuts’. “Let the action motivate the cut,” he says. “Not just the action of the talent, but the camera movement.” Another he calls ‘eye trace’: “Like reading a book, your eyes are gliding across the page from left to right (in most areas of the world), and we do something similar with picture editing,” he explains. 

Above: Cadence Post founder, Rick Nelson

“Where is the focal point on the screen? Can we maintain that focus, or at the very least, guide the viewer's attention to a new area to focus on? As an editor, if we hear feedback like ‘It’s choppy’ or ‘It’s not flowing’, step back and start with eye trace, and ask if the focus jumps around too much. The essential role of the editor is partly to anticipate and control the thought process of the audience.”

The final technique is ‘show don’t tell’. He says, “Editors and creatives everywhere rejoice! My father was an avid painter with a penchant for watercolour - and ‘showing’ is like watercolour on an artist’s pad. It soaks in, following the ventricles of the paper’s fibre - the colours are still malleable. Telling is like a hammer ripping through a painting that’s unfinished… Now that you know some of the rules, go break them!”

So How Can Clients Help?

“Editing is subjective,” says Alex, which makes it a difficult medium to judge and critique.”

However, Leap Year editor Jeff Watterson believes it’s a skill that can be taught, despite ‘people often saying it’s purely instinctual’. He adds that editing can “make or break a piece”, elevating even uninspired footage into exciting visuals.

Above: Leap Year editor Jeff Watterson

But clients and partners shouldn’t be locked into their initial vision. “I see editing as solving a puzzle. Production provides the pieces and an image of what the final work might look like, but most of the time the finished piece is not going to look like the aforementioned picture. Sometimes you discover ‘extra’ pieces or pieces that don’t fit, but they can lead to something unexpected and exciting.”

For Val Thrasher, editor at Abandon Editorial, this collaborative process across the pipeline is essential. “I appreciate creative partners who elevate the process and the piece as a whole,” she says. “Before finalising, I’ll often offer multiple options, looking for that initial, instinctive response from the client to shape the final direction. I encourage clients to trust their gut reactions first; then I consider any specific constraints needed to refine the story for their audiences.”

Above: Val Thrasher, editor at Abandon Editorial

Caymanite editor/director Ethan Edmunds also appreciates the feedback from clients and other partners - no matter how experienced in editing - saying that a great editor can apply these reactions and notes to the footage and audio. “Just as you don’t have to be a master chef to tell that wine pairs well with cheese, you don’t have to be a great editor to recognise when an edit is well-balanced.”

He continues, “A great editor can quickly determine how to take the raw materials of a film and make them resound harmoniously. Generally, this doesn't happen immediately and it takes revisions with the agency or brand client to fully achieve the vision. An edit that isn't working immediately should not be a concern. It’s an opportunity to get closer to your initial vision and gives great editors the opportunity to do what they do best.”

Above: Editor/director, Ethan Edmunds

Mythic’s senior video editor, Christopher Walters, has a top tip for clients watching an edit: “view the edit without music first.” Reminding clients not to overlook the elevating power of sound, he encourages people to initially play scenes on mute, saying, “A story that flows without a music bed is a clear indicator of a solid foundation. When music is added, it takes that strong foundation to the next level… Then, ask yourself: Did the sound enhance or distract from the scene? If it's the latter, pull some of the sound effects back or consider cutting.”

And when it comes to the visuals, he’s equally level measured: “While VFX are attention-grabbing, they should always serve a creative purpose. I see a lot of generic, flashy effects and transitions, particularly in the world of templatised social media videos. My advice? If it feels forced, unnecessary and adds nothing to the story, it's worth the snip!”

Above: Mythic’s senior video editor, Christopher Walters

Lost Planet’s editor Jo Lewandowska agrees that music plays a vital role in supporting the narrative of a piece, cautioning against a reliance on music libraries. But what she finds most crucial for editors is that they receive sufficient material to work with. “In many cases, the b-roll or off-cuts provide the key moments that enhance the edit and add depth. Shots such as close-ups of details or unscripted, spontaneous scenes may initially seem unnecessary, but they play a critical role in shaping the overall viewer experience,” she says. 

“The aim is to leave the audience with a particular emotional response, and these additional elements help create a more immersive and complete world.” 

Above: Lost Planet editor, Jo Lewandowska

And while feedback from clients is certainly helpful, Work Editorial’s Stewart Reeves shares there’s one thing an editor doesn’t need to hear. “As an editor, don’t tell me how to fix the edit! Tell me the problem at its most basic level.” 

He adds, “We’ve all been there when a few ‘minor’ tweaks make something feel less than it was, or adding those ‘couple of frames’ somehow lessens the tension. We know where the bodies are and the best editors often don’t tell you. Like magicians, if we show you how we did it, then the illusion is destroyed.”

Above: Work Editorial editor, Stewart Reeves

Consulate editor Ryan McCally agrees, “You can’t know if an edit is its best unless you know the footage - and its problems. A good editor fixes problems, sets tones and rhythms, and finds connections, threads and beats. It can be just as agonising as writing because, in effect, they are the same.”

To assess an edit, he says that clients, instead of suggesting their own fixes, need to ask the right questions: “Are the beats clearly defined? Does the tone resonate? Does it communicate? And so on.” 

Above: Consulate editor, Ryan McCally

He adds, “There’s no right answer to any of these questions, really. Because in the end, if it feels right… bingo!”