10 Ways to Give Exceptional Customer Service as a Video Editor

November 4, 2022October 8, 2014 by Josh Short

This morning I was racking my brain on some ways I could deliver exceptional, unexpected customer service for this awesome client I’m finishing up with as their video editor. I thought I could share them with you and get your thoughts as well. Some I’ve done, some I’ve been on the receiving end of and some I just thought of.

Providing exceptional customer service, especially when it is unexpected, is a sure-fire way for a client to remember you as a video editor. Most of the time we’re worried about hitting our deadlines. This is vitally important as well but don’t forget about treating the client better than they expect. Not only will they be pleased but also they’ll be more apt to work with you in the future and recommend you to their friends. Now let’s get to the list. #4 is my favorite!

What's your favorite way to provide exceptional, unexpected customer service? Photo courtesy of Dogancan Ozturan via Unsplash — What’s your favorite way to provide exceptional, unexpected customer service?
Photo courtesy of Dogancan Ozturan via Unsplash

Essential Timeline Keyboard Shortcuts in Avid Media Composer

November 5, 2022October 3, 2014 by Josh Short

This tutorial goes over the essential timeline keyboard shortcuts in Avid Media Composer including how to zoom in, out and to a specific area.

Castle Premiere and How a Poorly-Made Montage Can Effect Story

July 17, 2019October 1, 2014 by Josh Short

Monday night was the season premiere of Castle. It’s right up there with The Walking Dead for me. They are interchangeable as my #1 and #2 favorite shows. Last night I couldn’t wait for the Season 7 premiere as Season 6 ended in a cliffhanger. After the show I was left questioning how one poorly constructed montage had completely destroyed the credibility of many of the relationships the main character had built with other central characters.

Note #1: This will contain many spoilers.

Note #2: You don’t need to be a fan of the show to read this post. What I’m going to get into will go beyond the reach of the show and I’m merely using it as an example.

Keyframe Text Color in After Effects

October 26, 2021September 26, 2014 by Josh Short

This tutorial is on how to keyframe text color in After Effects. You’ll learn how to keyframe the layer and how to keyframe just a section of it.

Conferences for Video Editors — Should You Attend?

July 10, 2020September 24, 2014 by Josh Short

Conference floor — Determining whether or not to attend a conference can be tricky.
Photo by Kounosu on Wikipedia Commons

This article focuses on conferences for video editors and determining when you should or should not attend.

Oh, conferences. You are a surefire way to get out of the office for a day (or more) in order to eat mediocre at best mass-produced finger food while trying to impress everyone around you even though they are all speaking in their own jargon that they don’t even understand.

Oh, conferences. You can cost a fortune and give me zero value in return or you don’t have to cost that much and I make a connection that’ll change my life.

Oh, conferences. How will I ever know which of the conferences for video editors to attend?

Hi. I’m Josh, your friendly neighborhood video editor here to open up and give you my thoughts on the answer. I’ve been to my fair share of conferences, both in industry and out of industry. I’ve been to enough to know the factors that should determine if you should attend that conference. Let’s jump into them!

Yes, you must attend.

There are two factors that can invoke an automatic “yes, you must attend” response for all conferences for video editors.

First, is your company paying for it? If that is a yes, there really isn’t much of a reason not to go. Any chance you get to build your skills and network while someone else pays for it, you better go.

Clip Color in Avid Media Composer

February 10, 2021September 19, 2014 by Josh Short

This tutorial is on clip color in Avid Media Composer. I show you two ways to set clip color, how to remove it and how to set it to any color you want.

What marriage has taught me about my NLE

July 17, 2019September 17, 2014 by Josh Short

I’ve been married to my wife for nearly two and a half wonderful years. I’ve been married to my NLE, Avid Media Composer, for twice that. What I’ve learned over that time is that the two relationships are fairly similar. I’m going to explain to you how lessons learned through your significant other directly relate to how you should work with your NLE.

How's your relationship with your NLE? Photo by Christopher Michel on Wikimedia Commons — How’s your relationship with your NLE?
Photo by Christopher Michel on Wikimedia Commons

Learn and Observe

In any relationship there is a learning curve. A man or woman never writes a user’s manual for himself or herself. That’s where you have an advantage with your NLE. Everything you need to know about it is right in front of you!

When I began editing on Avid Media Composer I had zero idea of what I was doing. None. I sat there for hours trying to figure out why I couldn’t click a clip in the timeline and move it (this was pre-Smart Tool). Then one day digging around my edit bay I found the software manual. I took it home and after a couple weeks had read the entire thing. This didn’t mean I knew everything about it but it did give me a huge heads up because I knew what it could and couldn’t do.