The Principles Of Editing

There are many different principles of editing and some are more important than others but if a film maker was to take all these principles into consideration then you shouldn't go wrong on the editing side.

1) continuity.

Meaning: The maintenance of continuous action and self-consistent detail in the various scenes of a film or broadcast.

2) make the edit invisible.

Meaning: The edit should not be noticed by viewers of the film.

3) there should be a motive for every edit.

Meaning: Every Edit you do should be there for a reason and match what is happening in your film.
4) always deliver a certain message.

Meaning: Each edit should have a message behind it, meaning it should emphasise what is happening in the film, like an emotion, if your scene was to be at a sad time in your film, you wouldn't make things fast paced, you would slow things and make things dramatic.
5) Bear audio in mind.

Meaning: try to involve sound effects and music into your film, it can add emotion to your film, think about if it's an action scene of your film, you would add some fast paced music.

6) editing is creating.

Meaning: Editing is just as important as filming, to make a successful film your editing needs to be up to scratch, editing is where the film is at its crucial stage to be a success, editing can make or break your film.

7) don't overuse techniques or visual effects.

Meaning: Try not to use the same effects and techniques all of the time, it could cause your audience to notice and/or become bored of your film, don't forget that the editing of the film is just as important as the filming for your film to be a success.

These are mainly the principles to stick to when creating a film.