Editing is where a shoot becomes a film. It is also where most projects lose weeks, almost always over process rather than skill.
Choose for the right skill
Fast turnaround social clips, multicamera conversation edits, documentary storytelling and motion graphics are separate abilities. Ask for a finished piece in the format you need, not a montage.
Hand over footage properly
- All camera and audio files, in original format, not compressed previews.
- A clear folder structure by camera and by day.
- Sync references: claps, timecode or a synced reference audio track.
- Music, logos, fonts, lower third templates and brand guidelines.
- Any transcript or notes from the shoot.
Confirm the editor can open everything before the clock starts, and keep your own backup.
Write a brief they can work from
State the finished duration, the platform and aspect ratio, the audience, the intended feeling, the must include moments with timecodes, and anything that must not appear. Provide one reference video and say what you want from it specifically.
Agree the process
A workable sequence is: paper edit or selects, rough cut, picture lock, then finishing with graphics, colour and audio. Agree what feedback happens at each point, and be clear that structural changes after picture lock are expensive.
Give feedback that helps
Use timecodes. Describe the problem rather than prescribing the fix: say the introduction takes too long to reach the point, not that a specific shot should be cut. Consolidate all stakeholders into one set of notes. Contradictory notes from three people is how a two week edit becomes two months.
Scope and money
Agree the number of revision rounds, what counts as a round, the rate for additional work, the deadline, the payment schedule and who owns the project files at the end. Ask whether project files and raw footage are archived, for how long, and at whose cost.
Respect the craft
Give editors the time to watch everything before they cut, and let them present a version before you start changing it. The best edits usually come from someone who has been allowed to form a view of the material.