{"id":148,"date":"2015-03-02T09:10:33","date_gmt":"2015-03-02T09:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cine2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/?p=148"},"modified":"2015-06-24T13:54:31","modified_gmt":"2015-06-24T13:54:31","slug":"cut-how-to-edit-home-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cine2dvdtransfers.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/03\/02\/cut-how-to-edit-home-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Cut!: How to Edit Home Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last time on our blog, we were discussing how to ensure your home movies have a professional polish<\/a>. In that, we discussed the importance of varying your shots. The general rule is to open with an establishing shot<\/strong> \u2013 that\u2019s the shot that lets your audience know where the action\u2019s taking place. You\u2019ll notice it in movies and TV shows all the time, usually as we cut to an exterior shot of, say, Frasier\u2019s apartment or Gotham City.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the long shot<\/strong>, which allows you to capture a group or location in one frame. The medium shot<\/strong> allows a slightly closer look at a subject. If the birthday girl or boy is showing off the new football kit they\u2019ve been given, you\u2019d want a medium shot. It gives your viewers both facial expressions and body language. A close-up<\/strong> puts focus on, say, a subject\u2019s face, or the birthday cake, and nothing else.<\/p>\n

So how do you put all of those together to tell a story?<\/p>\n

Even before you start shooting your home movie, you\u2019ve got to have one eye on the editing process. Part of this comes with what you film \u2013 capturing literally every single moment of little Sarah\u2019s West Ham-themed birthday party isn\u2019t going to hook your audience, which means a little in-camera editing. So, for that birthday party, you\u2019d shoot the action (blowing out the candles, say), stop recording, shoot a close-up of the birthday girl, pause, shoot the reactions of the party-goers.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s just the beginning. So let\u2019s take a look at a few tips and tricks for editing your home movies, and giving your audience something to really <\/em>look at.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t Go Cut-Crazy<\/span><\/p>\n

A major danger, especially for first-time editors, is to cut-cut-cut, edit-edit-edit. If you\u2019re editing together some wacky drug-like scene, that\u2019s fine. But it\u2019s no good for your cousin\u2019s wedding. It will produce a dizzying and incoherent mess of a home movie. And it’s just plain tiring.<\/p>\n