The Editor's Toolkit

The Editor's Toolkit

by Chris Wadsworth
Released January 2016
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781317367758

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

The Editor's Toolkit: A Hands-On Guide to the Craft of Film and TV Editing is a tutorial-based introduction to the craft of editing. Today's process of media editing is fast and competitive, making this guide a necessity for anyone looking to break into the business. Here, Chris Wadsworth provides 52 media-based examples for you to put together, with the benefit of seeing what he did with those same exercises, giving you essential feedback to improve your technique and learn the tricks of the trade. Accessible and to-the-point, the primer is a must-read for anyone looking to learn both the art and technique of editing.  This 4-color guide features:

  • Examples from the world of film and TV that show how even the greatest directors employ the same techniques in their productions that are mentioned in this guide

  • A look at CV’s and the right attitudes that will give you the best chance at breaking into the editing world

  • Intensive sections about the way music and sound editing can shape the entire production

  • A companion website featuring video and other media that you can edit on your own, each featuring examples of cuts and techniques discussed in the book as well as a discussion forum.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Chapter 1. What Is This All About?
    1. 1.1 A Brief Introduction
    2. 1.2 Do You Really Want to Be an Editor?
    3. 1.3 Why You Might Just Listen to Me
    4. 1.4 My Background
    5. 1.5 How to Use This Book and Its Data
    6. 1.6 Let’s Get Limbered Up—Material for the Exercises
    7. 1.7 How to Join This Happy Band
  9. Chapter 2. Shots, Our Building Blocks
    1. 2.1 Shot Sizes
    2. 2.2 How the Shot Moves
    3. 2.3 What the Shot Does
    4. 2.4 Special Shots
  10. Chapter 3. Joining Shots Together
    1. 3.1 The Mechanics
    2. 3.2 Joining Shots Together, the Don’ts
    3. 3.3 Key Points—Joining Shots Together, the Don’ts
    4. 3.4 Joining Shots Together, the Dos
    5. 3.5 Key Points—Joining Shots Together, the Dos
  11. Chapter 4. Dealing with Dialogue
    1. 4.1 Fundamentals of Editing Speech
    2. 4.2 Rhythm of the Spoken Word
    3. 4.3 Editing Dialogue
    4. 4.4 Key Points—Dealing with Dialogue
  12. Chapter 5. Creating Sequences
    1. 5.1 Pace and Timing
    2. 5.2 Eliminating Unnecessary Pauses
    3. 5.3 Continuity
    4. 5.4 Cutaways
    5. 5.5 Flow
    6. 5.6 Time Jumps
    7. 5.7 Editing without Dialogue
    8. 5.8 Key Points—Creating Sequences
  13. Chapter 6. Scene Construction
    1. 6.1 Where to Start?
    2. 6.2 Scene Assembly Fundamentals
    3. 6.3 Key Points—Scene Construction
  14. Chapter 7. Joining Scenes Together
    1. 7.1 Scene Transitions—A Look at the Range of Possibilities
    2. 7.2 Repeated Transitions—Cross-Cutting (or Parallel Action)
    3. 7.3 Key Points—Joining Scenes Together
  15. Chapter 8. Different Programme Styles
    1. 8.1 Comedy Shows
    2. 8.2 Panel and Game Shows
    3. 8.3 Interviews and Chat Shows
    4. 8.4 Documentaries
    5. 8.5 Trailers and Promotions
    6. 8.6 Key Points—Different Programme Styles
  16. Chapter 9. Sound Matters
    1. 9.1 Get the Room Right
    2. 9.2 Sound Levels
    3. 9.3 Sound Monitoring
    4. 9.4 Split Tracks
    5. 9.5 Wild Tracks
    6. 9.6 Sound Effects
    7. 9.7 Sound Mixing
    8. 9.8 Sub-Frame Editing
    9. 9.9 Sound Processing
    10. 9.10 More Specialised Sound Processing
    11. 9.11 Additional Dialogue Recording
    12. 9.12 Foley Sound Effects
    13. 9.13 Key Points—Sound Matters
  17. Chapter 10. Music, Music, Music
    1. 10.1 An Introduction to Music in the Movies
    2. 10.2 A Brief History of Music in the Movies
    3. 10.3 Back to Practicalities
    4. 10.4 A Spoonful of Music Theory
    5. 10.5 Key Points—Music, Music, Music
  18. Chapter 11. Scenes of Style
    1. 11.1 Flashbacks
    2. 11.2 Flashbacks—Examples
    3. 11.3 Dreams and Nightmares
    4. 11.4 Dream and Nightmare—Examples
    5. 11.5 Action Sequences
    6. 11.6 Action Sequence—Examples
    7. 11.7 Montage with and without Music
    8. 11.8 Montage—Examples
    9. 11.9 Reconstructions
    10. 11.10 Some Exercises for You to Try
  19. Chapter 12. Video Manipulation
    1. 12.1 Motion Effects
    2. 12.2 Keying
    3. 12.3 Types of Key—Luminance, Chroma, and Matte
    4. 12.4 Graphics
    5. 12.5 Multiple Images
    6. 12.6 Multilayer Video Sticking Plaster
    7. 12.7 Colour Correction
    8. 12.8 Effects—Those You Should Carry with You
    9. 12.9 Key Points—Video Manipulation
  20. Chapter 13. Editorial Responsibility
    1. 13.1 Editorial Responsibility—An Introduction
    2. 13.2 Taste and Decency
    3. 13.3 The Range of Compliance Categories
    4. 13.4 Other Compliance Issues
    5. 13.5 A Look at Copyright
    6. 13.6 Key Points—Editorial Responsibility
  21. Chapter 14. Timescales
    1. 14.1 Past and Present
    2. 14.2 An Editing Schedule for Still Open All Hours (2014)
    3. 14.3 An Editing Schedule for Rock n’ Chips (2010)
  22. Chapter 15. Projects—Crossing Ts and Dotting Is
    1. 15.1 Bin Management
    2. 15.2 Media Management
    3. 15.3 Timeline Management
    4. 15.4 Your Assistant and You
    5. 15.5 Capturing Multicamera Material
    6. 15.6 Labelling Clips Sensibly
    7. 15.7 Keeping a Copy
    8. 15.8 Clock Information
    9. 15.9 Top and Tails: Leaders, Titles, and Clean Elements
    10. 15.10 Scripts
    11. 15.11 Panning and Scanning
    12. 15.12 Offline and Online
    13. 15.13 Tapeless
    14. 15.14 Key Points—Projects—Crossing Ts and Dotting Is
  23. Chapter 16. The Final Days
    1. 16.1 Handover
    2. 16.2 Elements That Are Worth Keeping
  24. Chapter 17. My Last Bits of Advice
    1. 17.1 The Day-to-Day Use of the Edit Suite
    2. 17.2 Is That All Right?
    3. 17.3 You’re the Host
    4. 17.4 Attitude
    5. 17.5 CVs
  25. Chapter 18. In Conclusion
  26. Appendix 1. Loading the Exercise Media
  27. Appendix 2. A List of the Exercises
  28. Appendix 3. My CV
  29. Appendix 4. Abbreviations
  30. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Editor's Toolkit
  • Author(s): Chris Wadsworth
  • Release date: January 2016
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781317367758