Lo2: Task 3 - Understanding skills needed to fulfills role of a video editor

 I will be looking at what skills are required in order to become a video editor.

Written Communication

A video editor must make sure that the film/video remains consistent throughout the editing process. In order to accomplish this they will be tasked to create shot logs and edit decision lists to help determine what footage can be considered excess and what will be used in the final edit.
During my Digital Media course that I took at UTC Sheffield I had to help create these lists for our Unit 46 music video project which allowed our editing process to run much smoother.

Verbal Communication

Verbal Communication is very important for a video editor as they must use it to keep tabs with the director in order to make sure that the director is pleased with what is being edited together. During my Unit 46 project I would regularly ask my colleagues for their opinion of the state of the video and adjust what I have completed based on their feedback.

Practical Production

In industry, video editors must use specialist software to create their work and must have incredible knowledge on how to use these pieces of software. In my music video project I used Adobe Premiere on a Apple iMac. I have used this software before in the past so I was comfortable going in when editing the video and if I ever needed any help regarding the software I would quickly search for the necessary information online.

 Creativity

A video editor must have a very creative mindset and must not be scared to try different techniques and effects for a product. But, they must also make sure to follow the artistic vision of the director and be ready to receive any criticism regarding their work and remedy those critiques accordingly.

Areas for Further Development

Looking back at my performance as video editor, I believe that although I did well I still have much more room for improvement. I need to develop and increase my knowledge of Adobe Premiere by learning new techniques, hot keys and how to properly encode and render video so that I can become efficient in my work and produce high quality edits later down the line. I should also try to learn other software as well such as Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects so that I am comfortable with their usage in case I have no other option for software choice and to further enhance the quality of my edits.
I need to also improve on communicating with others more so that I can receive criticism for my work so I can make it better.

Action Plan

The best way for me to learn software is to keep producing edits to help get to grips with the software and to increase my portfolio at the same time.
I will also make sure to regularly showcase my work to friends and family around me so that I can become comfortable with people seeing what I have created.

After my education at UTC Sheffield I will also take on a video editing course so that I can be taught techniques and skills that I may not have realised before.