video editing blog Archives – Page 2 of 9

Work/Life Balance for Video Professionals (with Kids)

February 4, 2020 by Josh Short

This article discusses work/life balance for video professionals, especially those with kids. Since having a child my thoughts on work/life balance went from the normal, “yeah, ya know, it’s important to separate yourself from work sometimes” to the now extreme, “this is my time with my family — leave me alone!”

Being a video editor or just in the video industry itself leads to long hours, odd hours, and usually the constant need to be by your phone to respond to a client. I’m here to say that it’s okay to not answer a call or email. It’s okay to put the phone down; the laptop away. Take a step back. And go focus on your family or yourself.

Adjusting Focus

July 3, 2020February 2, 2020 by Josh Short

The past few years my focus for Edit Video Faster has been all over the place. To be honest, I haven’t had a clear direction with where I want to take it for as long as I can remember now. It’s just…items on my to-do list that I never get to. It’s something I spend time on every once in awhile instead of playing with my kid or recharging my batteries.

Without a clear objective, what is a project besides flailing in the dark and hoping for some random good outcomes? A camera operator without proper focus leads to worthless shots. Creating content for a business, such as EVF, leads to worthless content.

Sure, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve been able to put out recently. But, honestly, I didn’t know who it was for or why I was doing it.

I’d like to do something about that. Get a little more clarity. More focus.

Traits of a Great Freelance Video Editing Client

February 20, 2020December 11, 2019 by Josh Short

Last week I had a new freelance video editing project come in. My #1 freelance writing client wanted a video created and turned to me to do the editing. Will they also be a great freelance video editing client?

I got going with it, working almost a full day over the course of a handful of nights and a Saturday morning. Then I got an email saying to stop working on the project and that they wanted to table it for a couple months while they work up a larger marketing campaign.

Well, damn. I spent almost a day on this thing and I’m going to have to wait to get paid until we complete the project…

But that didn’t happen. They told me to bill for the hours I’ve worked so far. The next day I had a few hundred bucks sitting in my PayPal account. Reasons like this are exactly why I love working with this company.

Sure, my project got put on hold and I made a fraction of what I would have otherwise but something happened outside of my point of contact’s control and they made good on the work that I got done and paid me immediately. These are traits of a great freelance client.

Below I’ve brainstormed a few more traits of a great freelance client, specifically for video editors. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this as well.

Naptime Blog Update

December 8, 2019 by Josh Short

Since my son was born this summer I’ve found it difficult to find time for anything that doesn’t revolve around him, my wife, my dog, my 9-5, or the mountain of bottles I need to wash that seems to never disappear next to my sink.

For the past 6 ½ years I’ve been living separate lives from my home/office lives through my various blogs and online platforms. It’s disheartening to see my projects grow cobwebs.

After some self-reflection while a 17lb tiny human slept on my chest I realized I’m letting perfection and the size of what I want to create get in the way. In my mind I want everything I create to be near flawless and be of substantial length.

The Six Skills Every Video Editor Needs to Have

May 22, 2020October 14, 2019 by Josh Short

Being a video editor is no easy task. It’s like trying to do a 1,000 piece puzzle with 10,000 pieces but without seeing the box so you don’t know what you’re supposed to be making. And 3,000 of the pieces actually work for 900 of the pieces you need but you have no pieces for the other 100 pieces so you have to cram them together to complete your puzzle. Then you get asked to change the border of one of the sides but you only have middle pieces left. But you figure it out anyway because that’s what you do. Then you start work on the next puzzle. Do you have the skills it takes to be a video editor?

This article will discuss the six skills every video editor needs to have in order to have a successful career, create powerful videos, and stay sane while doing it.

Please note: some links in this article are affiliate links. All that means is I receive a small commission if you were to buy something after clicking on the link at no extra expense to you. It’s a very standard internet practice for blogs and websites and helps to support Edit Video Faster. I never link to a product I haven’t used or would not recommend. Always happy to answer any questions you have about affiliate links in general or the products linked to below!

The Art of the Edit

Every video editor needs to know how editing actually works. An editor should know when to cut and when to let the shot linger. They need to know the rules and how to follow them. But at the same time they need to know when and how to break them.

“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
The Dalai Lama

Work/Life Balance for Video Professionals (with Kids)

Adjusting Focus

Traits of a Great Freelance Video Editing Client

Naptime Blog Update

The Six Skills Every Video Editor Needs to Have

The Art of the Edit

The Video Editor’s Digest | Edition #46

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