How I Became a Better Editor | SIMPLE Tips

Once you're done with the shooting part, you're nowhere even close to finish; in my experience, postproduction is where the bulk of the work in filmmaking goes, and that's where the story is shaped. Facing the editing part can be challenging, so here you'll find three valuable tips you should always follow when starting to edit.
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[@metrawhub2206]

I cant get enough of his videos! The amount of insight and professionalism! It really does make you think everything through!!

[@LucForsyth]

👊🏻

[@PeterMaleh]

zero nonsense channel. Also Lucs voice and tone is so perfectly suited for explaining

[@SiddharthaJoshiFilms]

Your videos are so so good Luc! Every single video is a gem 👌👌👌

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks! And welcome!

[@hospobimbo]

Love the “dailies” idea! Definitely going to add that to my workflow. Thanks!

[@uptown3636]

Luc, I can't thank you enough for your helpful advice. As a still photographer going back to film school, I'm eager to learn quickly. This video will help me hone my skills before my documentary short goes into production in the fall. Thank you for sharing your insight and experience--it means so much to a novice like me.

[@ScottKilmartin]

Learning much from your channel Luc, thanks. ~ SPK

[@LucForsyth]

You’re very welcome!

[@empeg9000]

Fantastic advice! I've put some of those ideas to use today! Already saving me a ton for time. Thank you! 👍

[@wakuyanow]

Thank you so much for this. I've been feeling overwhelmed with all my footage. Making a first pass to weed out all the chaff will make my second pass so much easier. I'm not sure I'll be able to throw anything out, though. I'll probably still keep everything becaus I "might" need it for an insert or a cut away when my main dialogue or shot is messed up. Editing is making me feel more and more like a hoarder.

[@LucForsyth]

the struggle is real!

[@safaecreates3361]

Happy dread is happening right now as I'm in the middle of an editing phase for my first documentary project ! ALSO thanks so much, you are such a great teacher!

[@RDRvideoprod]

These are golden. Your experience shows. Although, if I may suggest, add a sort of breather between the tips because I found myself pausing the video twice just to slow down. I really enjoy the content and thanks for sharing these!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Ryan, appreciate the feedback!

[@mjlcarguy54]

great tips thanks

[@whatisjoedoing]

man. your channel needs more subs. i’ve enjoyed every video i’ve seen so far on your channel. great stuff.

[@whatisjoedoing]

only thing i would suggest is chapter markers! makes the viewing experience on long videos more enjoyable. when people wanna reference back to something you said, it’s easier to find.

[@donowtube]

Super cool man, preciate you taking the time to explain it

[@LucForsyth]

You’re very welcome!

[@rolandmarckwort]

Great tips and channel Luc! Solid

[@jeffreythemeditator]

this is very helpful. if you are looking for video ideas, here is one: make a separate dedicated video about each of the three things. for example, just go in to making dailies, and show us how you do it, don't just talk to camera. You definitely have something to offer here, and showing it with screenshots would make this stick for me. Same thing with the other two: I would love a slower treatment of the organization part. Great content. I will watch all your stuff!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Jeffrey, making a note of that now, super helpful!

[@107productionsllc6]

Hi Luc, I discovered your channel and you are very inspiring. You present a no-nonsense basic approach to all of this which is simple and easy to digest. It really makes me want to go out and make something great. Keep up the fantastic work.

[@LucForsyth]

That’s really nice to hear, thanks!

[@MikeEdwardsphotography]

Great tips Luc! When you said 40-50 memory cards I had a mini panic attack 😂

[@LucForsyth]

Ha! It’s so much worse when they’re all full and need to be backup up!

[@aov_james]

I’ve never done dailies, and I will give it a try! Thanks for the tips. I’m planning a passion project/documentary abroad with small 2-3 crew team. I’ve been wondering how much storage, should I bring with me and how do we take care of them when we’re constantly on the move? Any pro tips?

[@LucForsyth]

it helps me a lot to be able to see what's all there. Docs can really pile up the footage... I guess it depends what cameras and how many you're shooting with. For a normal shoot with 2 cameras, maybe 2 weeks, I usually try to bring a 5TB drive (with a second for a backup). Lacie rugged ones are pretty tough and should be able to handle the travel no problem. Happy shooting!

[@deminmax]

Awesome advice! Never thought of dailies.

[@safaecreates3361]

Question: I would LOVE advice on how to organize audio so that it's easier to find and use? especially for sound effects, voice overs, or just sound that isn't synced with any video? thank you!

[@barryfinnimore]

Thanks for this. Really great advice. I think I should really start backing up before the edit instead of once a month.

[@LucForsyth]

Yes! Please do!

[@jasspio]

Love your videos, leaning something new each time I watch them. Where can I find more info of the editing course you took? Also, on naming: I like the naming system you use but then, do you rename each file with that same structure and have it sequenced or do you just leave it as its default? Gracias :)

[@dtj41]

😂😂 dude, "happy dread" is the PERFECT description. Almost every job feels like that.

[@LucForsyth]

hahah, I feel it all the time!

[@thobraa]

Thank you Luc! Dig your videos. My files are a mess lol. Everyday I’m astounded by all the expertise shared on youtube.

[@LucForsyth]

You're very welcome!

[@RachaelPadilla]

These are excellent tips! Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Rachael, glad it was helpful!

[@Benjabock]

Another super helpful video. Thanks

[@LucForsyth]

You're very welcome!

[@thatoneuser8600]

9:19 summary

[@SeaKayakingNorthumberland]

This is so good! Really enjoying all of your videos, so refreshing from the usual offering of most KZbinrs, great stuff! 👍

[@uberelch]

I just found your channel and am snacking my way through your videos. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! 🙏 My ”happy dread” usually turns into ”unhappy dread” when I realize that once again I’m in above my head… 😂 When doing dailies I find it faster to just dump everything on the timeline and use the keyboard to trim out all noise. I also find it really speeds up the edit and reduces the ”unhappy dread” to do selects reels for everything that makes sense for the project. Interviews vs B-roll for example. Or B-roll for specific scenes, or reaction shots, ”camera shake for transitions”, etc. The book ”Documentary Editing: Principles & Practice” by Jacob Bricca has been super helpful, and I’m definitely going to pick up ”Inside the edit”!

[@LucForsyth]

You're very welcome! And yeah, I feel like all forms of dread manage to make themselves felt. Also, yes, totally agree about selects - makes a huge different..but maybe I'll try out your way next time!

[@rossbodenmann]

Happy dread every time I ingest footage onto the hard drive 😂

[@bluedun9816]

I have struggled a bit with the editing process, mainly where to start but more importantly HOW to start. I watched this video about 2 weeks ago, you mentioned "Inside the Edit" at about the 7:30 mark. I checked it out, bought the Pro membership and spent the last 8 days going back through my edit reorganizing footage and creating a new base timeline. It was pricey but man is it worth it. I know pretty much where to find any footage, at least generally. Thanks for the tip.

[@LucForsyth]

it's so good, right?! It really helps to figure out how to start, and guides through the whole process. Really well designed. Glad it helped!

[@bluedun9816]

@@LucForsyth One can always try to 'shoot for the edit' but this course has really changed how I shoot. I see a process while shooting now as opposed to simply trying to capture multiple aspects of the same scene. It's enlightening.

[@TrainMePlease]

Your content is pretty good. I hope you get a bit more traction soon. Where in the world are you?

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks! I'm in Vancouver, Canada at the moment

[@billdeng8558]

Hi Luc, it'll be sooo helpful if you can walk us through how you do media management - aka organize your clips, sfx, vo, etc. If you have the time!

[@LucForsyth]

Great idea!

[@Null1fy]

Hey Luc - I recently started watching your stuff. Praise the Algorithm for helping me find you! Question: You mentioned you label your files in the format YYYYMMDD_SHOOTX_CAMX_CARDX. I completely get the Julian/Cam/Card labeling. What I'm puzzling over is the "SHOOTX". How do you quantify this? Do you consider a shoot a new location? A new day? I 'usually' only film one day, doing a hobby - like fishing. It's easy because it's one day, the theme is already built in, so I really consider it to be one shoot (I think?), even though there's many, many takes throughout the day. Sometimes I fish multiple days, in which case there would be Shoot1, Shoot2, Shoot 3 and so on for the number of days? Or should each new location be a new shoot?

[@LucForsyth]

🙏 Praise Indeed! I don't always use that field, but when I do it would be for individual scenes as you mention just to make it a little easier to organize. Not necessary, but it can help

[@richardweeks]

do you have a link to the editing course you mentioned? editing is where the story is made and certainly the area I struggle the most with.

[@LucForsyth]

www.insidetheedit.com/ - it’s great!

[@richardweeks]

@@LucForsyth just signed up and like it thus far. thanks. really appreciate your channel - useful experience turned into concise and useful info rather than gear sales :).

[@matiakd]

✋🤚

[@Frank-ox3np]

Can you make a video on your process of directing a doc shoot? its not obvious to me how far I should go out of my way to ask for certain shots. I feel that merely just rolling the camera and following the events isn't enough to get me an interesting story. or am I wrong?

[@LucForsyth]

Good idea!

[@kenthwangdotcom]

I'm glad you noted the date format (yearmontday_) . . . I've been telling me friends it makes more sense to start with that 🤙🏽

[@LucForsyth]

anything else would trigger my OCD!

[@jacobkrone]

Great video! Thanks for recommending 'Inside the Edit'. Do you have any advice for pursuing editing as a career? As a DP, what's your experience working with editors? What sets a good editor apart from a bad one? This is the route I'm pursuing and I'd love to find some work editing documentaries. Thanks!

[@LucForsyth]

Oh man, a good editor can change everything! I think most of the good ones start out as assistant editors, which is a slog of a job, but the best ones add artistry and story to a project that the director might not even know is there. I wish I could tell you how to advance down that path, but I'm not that familiar unfortunately. But like all creative careers, practice, sharing your work, and networking like crazy should get you far. Offering to work for free on small indy projects could also be very helpful to get your hands on footage to practice with, which can be a big challenge for new editors. Good luck!

[@FakieFilmz]

Making dailys is very important. But how could you do after 10 shooting hours (or more)?

[@LucForsyth]

Very painfully

[@johnclay7644]

useful 10mins.

[@LucForsyth]

👊🏻