How to Edit a Music Video

The Cutting Board

Similar to my work last year, I'll be editing this video on Adobe Premiere Pro. The layout is relatively simple; two players at the top for both the live feed from the timeline and a preview for the rushes. The time line is where you order your footage, which you name to make it easier to recognise each clip. Originally the rushes are named after the camera used which in our case will be Blackmagic Card 1.
To start the editing process, you have to sync up all the footage to the audio, using the clapperboard. There are two methods of doing this:

1. Sync the timecode on both the video and the playback recording to the exact frame (The number has to be in the middle time code to make sure the music has started playing)
2. If the playback isn't visible, sync the loud beep sounds - however this is a less accurate option

There are different drum sounds and a beep before the song not just to help the editor sync the footage, but it also prepares the actors to dance/ lip-sync to the tempo of the song. 

The reason for doing all this is to make the whole process easier in the long run. Naming each clip makes it easier to source the footage you look for, and the syncing process means you can easily drag and drop clips in without worrying about the vocals matching.

4 Main Rules to Follow

1. Listen to the music and illustrate what the song is doing - Edit to match the music i.e. slow cuts with slow parts of the song and fast cuts with fast parts of the song. Visually match to the lyrics also, and try and connect the video to whats being said.
2. The first time the singing starts you have to show the lead singer. This is a convention of 99% of music videos. By showing the artist as soon as you hear the lyrics the audience instantly knows who the artist is.
3. Group your shots together. Not only does this make it easier to edit, but it allows the video to flow nicely, without quickly jumping between sets and locations
4. Cut to movement, or also known as a graphic movement edit. This will also create a nice flow to the video, forming natural transitions by continuing motion from shot to shot. It creates a very professional aesthetic.

I personally have never had to edit anything of this size before, and so the challenge is quite daunting. However to handle this there are things I can do. The most basic of those is to plan it out on paper, and in doing so deciding at which timecode I'll move from one element to the next so that everything fits in the 3 minutes. By editing at 10 seconds at a time I can easily cut the video up into edible chunks which will also make my life easier. Finally I'm short of time to edit this, so there's no point making a rough cut. I'm going to make the best I can first time round and then refine that, hopefully producing a really good piece of work.

The whole process will be kept between my group only. This means that people will only see it when its perfect, and showing people as I edit will only waste time.