Do I need shcool to be a video editor?

[pmasters]

The best response I can offer as a TV Production educator and Adobe Certified Instructor is forget the technical aspects of the software and focus on the art of being able to tell a story. That is the one thing that is constant in writing, production, and post. A story is essentially told three times.

Do you need school in order to work in film? Not at all. What I would recommend instead of going to film school is get a degree in Business. Business is something you will always need and it provides a fall back for a career if/when you never receive your big break.

Perhaps minor in film or take some additional enrichment classes in film. But business should be your focus as well as learning to tell a story coherently through all three phases. Do you need to be writer to be a good editor? Not at all but it does help to understand all facets of the game.

For those claiming they want to see your work before your degree, be careful about these types. Most larger clients want to see your degree before they ever consider looking at your work and by chance you get a shot, these same clients will expect you to charge them less because you have not received formalized training and education.

Just sharing my experiences.

 

[FCP1223]

Many great insights and perspectives so far. Allow me to add my 2¢.

Many people look at college as if it were a trade school, which to me means training specifically directed at helping you get or keep a particular job, like taking courses on film editing, Photoshop, Excel, whatever. "Going to college" as most folks mean that term, is NOT very effective at this. You could easily graduate college - even a good one - not trained for any job and not able to do anything in particular better or faster than anyone else.

That's the way it should be! "Going to college" and getting an education can be a positive and life-changing experience and I think few people regret it. It might not be the fastest and surest path to a career and financial reward, but it gives you a good foundation to keep learning throughout the rest of your life. You learn how to learn, to think critically, and many other skills not necessarily learned in a classroom.

(Maybe your grammar and English will improve - and I agree that would have a definite impact. Like the other poster, I'd never hire you based on your posts. They scream "unprofessional". Sorry to be blunt.)

You'll meet fun and interesting people that you'll network with for your whole life. And a degree proves to the world that you're capable of clearing the hurdles. Lacking a degree actually makes you a minority these days. Right or wrong, it's a proxy for your intelligence and determination, the things that can be tough for a client or prospective employer to assess in other ways.

(An aside: Employers once used intelligence testing as a hiring tool. Eliminating this practice in the 60's and 70's for PC reasons forced employers to demand college degrees instead, and that's why college admissions skyrocketed in that period. This had the perverse effect of requiring smart minorities - who could have otherwise gotten a job with a high-school degree and a good IQ test result - to first attend college for four "wasted" years to get a job that didn't really require the education in the first place.)

"Trade school" type education has its place but can be something you consider as you're working. Unlike "college", where the benefits may be mostly intangible, the costs and benefits of "trade school" are easily weighed. IMHO, for a given amount of time and money, you can learn more about software on your own, just by using it and talking to others. More abstract concepts like effective use of lighting and color, composing a good looking image, pacing a movie composition, etc, would likely be better learned in the classroom, learning from the hard-learned trial-and-error of your predecessors.

Thans for the advice but I did not come on here to get hired by anybody. I came on here for advice my English fine. I wrote on here quickly and made some mistakes yes but I didn't know this was English class.

 

[FCP1223]

The best response I can offer as a TV Production educator and Adobe Certified Instructor is forget the technical aspects of the software and focus on the art of being able to tell a story. That is the one thing that is constant in writing, production, and post. A story is essentially told three times.

Do you need school in order to work in film? Not at all. What I would recommend instead of going to film school is get a degree in Business. Business is something you will always need and it provides a fall back for a career if/when you never receive your big break.

Perhaps minor in film or take some additional enrichment classes in film. But business should be your focus as well as learning to tell a story coherently through all three phases. Do you need to be writer to be a good editor? Not at all but it does help to understand all facets of the game.

For those claiming they want to see your work before your degree, be careful about these types. Most larger clients want to see your degree before they ever consider looking at your work and by chance you get a shot, these same clients will expect you to charge them less because you have not received formalized training and education.

Just sharing my experiences.

Thanks a lot this post gave me a lot to think about.

 

[FCP1223]

It totally depends on what kind of career you ultimately want;

If you eventually want to compete and be creative in the film/tv industry ... school is probably a good start since you'll need to compete directly with other editors for jobs and you'll need a lot of diverse skills (both technically and creatively) to do that successfully.

If you're just offering your talents directly to clients- you should at least consider getting some tutorial courses... like from lynda.com ...which'll teach you how to maximize the features in FCP (of which there are MANY you'll likely never stumble across on your own)

For instance, becoming efficient with Compressor and DVD Studio Pro would be important because your clients will surely want DVDs and videos to post online. Motion is great to learn so you can offer professional looking graphics.

Teaching yourself is FANTASTIC since it forces you to understand the fundamentals at a very basic level, but without some guiding help, you'll miss out on some of that fringe knowledge that could really benefit you.

Thanks for the advice. I do look at tutorials from Lynda.com along with others and they help out a lot.

 

[FCP1223]

Thanks everyone for their thoughts and advice I found all of it very helpful.

 

[a2ed]

Lynda.com?

If you really want some systematic tutorials on it, or for just about most of the popular software out there, I would consider lynda.com.

At $250 per year, you get video tutorials that are quite helpful. I just signed up last week actually. I'm a new convert to Mac and taught it would be handy to get through Logic studio and FCP. Considering the price of books or courses, i think $250 per year for numerous tutorials gives us more money to spend on software/hardware/etc

No, my name isn't Lynda

 

[TheXIIIth]

My friend is a Graphic Designer and does web pages and things in that sort. I want to edit videos such as weddings, home videos, exc. We are going to open one together.

Speaking from a semi-professional point of view -
I would agree with most posts that mention that you get some further education or degree. I can also relate with statements mentioning the lack specific training not being available in local areas. The closest school in my area was 75 miles away. The hours I put in at my job made that a no-go. However, I ended up taking some advanced camera courses the local college in my immediate area which ended up being beneficial. As I was able to learn about proper subject framing, techniques in focus and depth of field - etc..

You mentioned that you want to get in to doing wedding videos. Another possible means for you to get some training could come in the form of apprenticeships. You could grab your local yellow pages, look up some local wedding videographers and start cold calling to see if they'd be interested in taking you on.

When it comes to wedding video not only do you have to be knowledgeable in video - you need to be a creative thinker, have some experience with lighting and have a really good grasp of audio. You'd be amazed at the things that can happen while shooting weddings.
>[temper tantrums, crying children and clueless wedding guests. I actually had a wedding guest get up after the bride and father walked past his seat on their way to the alter, step in to aisle, walk towards me directly in my shot, stop in front of the camera and ask me " Buddy, where's the bathroom in this place?" ]<
Enter creative thinking, Adobe After Effects, B-roll footage and 2 extra hours and I was able to make him disappear.

Another requirement: Spelling, spelling, spelling. I've seen over a dozen wedding videos with misspelled words in titles, sentiments and quotations scrolling across the screen.

The best response I can offer as a TV Production educator and Adobe Certified Instructor is forget the technical aspects of the software and focus on the art of being able to tell a story.

This statement is the best advice you could be given.

 

[LethalWolfe]

IMO this thread is a mixed bag of advice and here is another couple of pennies.

Like others have said, you don't need to go to school for this but school can offer up opportunities that you may not be able to get otherwise. Or get as easily. What you get out of it is what you put into it. Contrary to pmasters's opinion I'll say that ultimately no one really cares about your diploma after you get a job or two under your belt. Your work history, your reel, your network and your luck get you jobs. An exception could be if you were applying for an in-house video position for a big company and had to go through their HR department first. A typical HR department might put too much stock in your diploma because they don't know any better.

Also, although I agree that Story is King, having a solid grasp of how, why and when to use the tools at your disposal will aid in the storytelling process. Taking some entry level FCP classes can help you find the most efficient ways to use the program and to properly set it up. Since you will be a one-man-band as well you'll need to know more of the technical side of editing than you would if you were working as off-line editor w/an assistant editor on a project that would ultimately be handed off to different people for audio mixing, on-line editing, etc.,. On occasion I work w/a lot of editors who are self taught, or largely self taught, and many times my response is, so I guess that means you have only yourself to blame for this train wreck. That's not to say your work necessarily falls into that category, but there are a lot of reasons why editing has traditionally been an apprentice based craft. The best education you can get, IMO, is to get a job/internship/whatever at a good post or production facility in your area and learn how things should be done in the 'real world' and why. Even if it's only grunt work on the weekends it will give you the chance to glean knowledge from people much more experienced in this field than yourself.

Finally, since you are opening up your own business it's a shame your forgot so much from business school and I really hope you that your using FCP for the last 6 months isn't the lion's share of your editing experience.


Lethal

 

[FCP1223]

Speaking from a semi-professional point of view -
I would agree with most posts that mention that you get some further education or degree. I can also relate with statements mentioning the lack specific training not being available in local areas. The closest school in my area was 75 miles away. The hours I put in at my job made that a no-go. However, I ended up taking some advanced camera courses the local college in my immediate area which ended up being beneficial. As I was able to learn about proper subject framing, techniques in focus and depth of field - etc..

You mentioned that you want to get in to doing wedding videos. Another possible means for you to get some training could come in the form of apprenticeships. You could grab your local yellow pages, look up some local wedding videographers and start cold calling to see if they'd be interested in taking you on.


When it comes to wedding video not only do you have to be knowledgeable in video - you need to be a creative thinker, have some experience with lighting and have a really good grasp of audio. You'd be amazed at the things that can happen while shooting weddings.
>[temper tantrums, crying children and clueless wedding guests. I actually had a wedding guest get up after the bride and father walked past his seat on their way to the alter, step in to aisle, walk towards me directly in my shot, stop in front of the camera and ask me " Buddy, where's the bathroom in this place?" ]<
Enter creative thinking, Adobe After Effects, B-roll footage and 2 extra hours and I was able to make him disappear.

Another requirement: Spelling, spelling, spelling. I've seen over a dozen wedding videos with misspelled words in titles, sentiments and quotations scrolling across the screen.



This statement is the best advice you could be given.

I totally agree with you. The wedding story is hilarious. I will take your advice thanks.

 

[nep61]

Sorry, I have another 2 cents to add....

Also, although I agree that Story is King, having a solid grasp of how, why and when to use the tools at your disposal will aid in the storytelling process.

So true. As I've told other Editors starting out in this business... just because you can put 2 shots together doesn't make you an editor... just like having MS Word or Apple's Pages on your Mac doesn't make you a writer.

It's knowing when to use effects, and when not to, that makes you good also. Anyone can have a GREAT REEL, loaded with effects. But, does it make them a good editor? Storey telling, timing, shot placement and the use of audio are all things that are difficult to teach... you need to have a FEEL for those things. Yes, they can be learned... but can you teach yourself that skill?

I once worked an all night session with an Ad agency in NYC. The client (7 of them in an on-line room) wanted some edit device to change the direction of the piece we were cutting... after HOURS and HOURS of debate, trying dozens of video and color effects and overlaying image on top of image... the thing that worked best.... a cut. It was the first kind of edit ever invented. It worked way back then, and it still works today.

All in all, education is key... working with a Mentor, or at least someone who has been in the business a while would surely help gain an "editorial" understanding of what editing is all about.

And don't ignore the technical aspects of video itself. Video Formats, lighting, audio, etc.

Best of luck finding your place in this business...

 

[advres]

I once worked an all night session with an Ad agency in NYC. The client (7 of them in an on-line room) wanted some edit device to change the direction of the piece we were cutting... after HOURS and HOURS of debate, trying dozens of video and color effects and overlaying image on top of image... the thing that worked best.... a cut. It was the first kind of edit ever invented. It worked way back then, and it still works today.

Transitions and effects are the sign of a sloppy editor

 

[dodge this]

Transitions and effects can be a very effective way to help you tell your story. Brushing them off is nonsense.

So is the notion that the thread starter has no decent schools around in his area. They claim a location of Las Vegas, which has UNLV. Las Vegas is also a stones throw away from some of the powerhouse programs at many Southern California schools. Or one can go down to Phoenix for Scottsdale Community College, ASU, or what have you.

The impression I get is that the starter does not want to go back to school for whatever reason, and is trying to use opinions on the Internet to justify their lack of motivation. If you question it, then don't go. Save the financial aid dollars and classroom seat for someone who wants the college education in the field.

 

[InsightsIE]

Transitions I find should only be used in emotional or time passing events throughout the production. Effects unless their GFX shouldn't be used and be weary of the font. A goodway to show off a Cool text event is if at the opening credits have the camera focus on a actor but pan the camera have the text almost like it's put on the ground to do a nice 3D effect. Like in the opening of The UGLY Truth

 

[Digital Skunk]

Transitions and effects are the sign of a sloppy editor

NO! I know you were joking, I just wanted to point out my distaste for cutters that say that. I hear that SO much in my field in the Delmarva area, where you'd think they'd have better sense.

The best response I can offer as a TV Production educator and Adobe Certified Instructor is forget the technical aspects of the software and focus on the art of being able to tell a story. That is the one thing that is constant in writing, production, and post. A story is essentially told three times.

This is the one aspect that's missing from a lot of comments. Young kids and high school students never listen to what their teachers tell them and think that their small knowledge in FCP and ONLY FCP is enough for them to open a business and start cutting films.

Not bashing the OP, but you really need to go to school if only for the networking.

The first bottom line is you don't know enough otherwise you wouldn't be asking the question.

The biggest problem with the editors I work with or the students I've worked with in the past is that they have a lot of technical knowledge from Macrumors members, Lynda.com, ByThom.com, etc but NO ART, no actual skill in developing, forming, planning, and executing the story.

Editing isn't just about having some dogmatic rule and approach, it's about having your style of story telling all the way down to what message you want to send to people. Editors are the last big piece of the puzzle and a bad edit will give people the wrong or mixed message, or leave them uninterested in watching (like many YouTube videos).

Second bottom line: Go to school to network and work with others in your field to glean ideas and skills and experience.

Go to school for FILM, and take other majors as minors or double in them. The students that I went to school with back in the last century that still have jobs now saw the transitions going on in the media industry. So we tripled up and took journalism (for story telling), graphic design, and TV production. That gave us skills, talent, and networking for a host of different fields in media, not just editing.

Third bottom line: You need to know more than just editing, and when you want to open your own business, it's even more you have to know and control.

Amy Deputy is a former client of mine. She spends more of her time marketing her business and designing packets and researching the market than shooting. Even as a freelancer, I spend more time scouting new clients and following leads.

I apologize for the rant, I really can go on for days because this question was one I got asked every semester when I taught at university. It's much more than just learning how to use FCP and After Effects, or even when to use a transition. It's about WHO you know, WHOSE going to vouch for you and at time it's going to be what you're going to do when you "F" up.

Those that come to MacRumors asking for advice on their freelance business, are good at what they do, do it well, and are moving up the scale, but probably started a bit too early. When poop hits the fan, a good business person, freelancer, anyone, goes to their mentor or colleague, someone they met and congealed with during their time in university.