Description Long

Film editing serves to convey the original message or question of the film clearly and meaningfully to the intended audience. To achieve this, the material is reviewed and evaluated, a storyline is developed, and the various elements are edited together using appropriate software, with attention paid to transitions and narrative structure. The film is then enhanced with effects, music or subtitles, before being exported in the appropriate format and uploaded. Regular feedback from others helps to refine and improve the final result.

"Film editing is not merely the construction of a cinematic whole from numerous individual shots. It brings contrasts into collision or fusion, builds or eases tension, accelerates or slows down the action. Editing separates the right from the wrong images and sounds, places individual elements into context, and gives seemingly insignificant frames meaning through their connection. The future film takes shape — it begins to breathe." (https://www.movie-college.de/filmschule/postproduktion/filmschnitt – translated)

Preparation

• Review the material (from filming or research) and sort it according to relevance and quality.
• Arrange access to an editing station (your own device or a shared editing suite).
• Organise suitable editing software.
• If needed, exchange experiences with peers about editing programmes (Which software is best suited to my project?).

Execution

1. Choose an editing programme that can be learned within the available time frame.
2. Find a workspace with sufficient storage capacity and computing power.
3. Make use of your support network – there’s always someone who knows their way around editing software.
4. Be bold: explore the software, try things out – it can actually be fun!
5. Save interim results securely.
6. Don’t be afraid to share your work-in-progress – it allows for improvements and valuable feedback.
7. Keep your editing project file even after submission or completion – you might need to make changes later.
8. At the end of this phase, export the video in a suitable format and upload it to the learning platform. Depending on the assignment, additional materials may also need to be uploaded.

Hints from experience

• With the knowledge gained in the previous phases, the material can now be assessed and selected.
• It may be necessary to film additional scenes or carry out further research. For this reason, it's important to allocate sufficient resources and ensure good resource management within the group.
• Someone with experience in editing software should take on the technical implementation, while others focus on visual design and the overall narrative structure.
• Skills can be further developed by continuing to engage with people outside the group for feedback and ideas.
• At this stage, the project is only halfway through, and a significant part of the work still lies ahead. Missing material or information can still be filmed or researched as needed.

Tools list

• Computer/Laptop

References

https://www.movie-college.de/filmschule/postproduktion/filmschnitt

Erklärvideos selbst erstellen: Techniken, Planung und Umsetzung (2016): https://www.e-teaching.org/community/communityevents/schulung/erklaervideos-selbst-erstellen-techniken-planung-und-erstellung-training