5 Editing Mistakes YouTubers Do That Annoy Me...

Summary

This video script challenges the notion that editing creates a story, asserting that it's already there and editing's role is to guide the audience through it. The speaker offers five key editing techniques for content creators, including 'murdering your darlings' to avoid repetition, keeping videos concise for better engagement, maintaining eye line continuity, using J-cuts for smooth transitions, and embracing a curiosity loop to continuously learn and improve as a creator.

Takeaways

• 🎬 Editing is about guiding the audience through the story, not creating it.
• ✂️ 'Murder your darlings' by cutting content that doesn't add value, even if it's great footage.
• 🕒 Don't feel obligated to make long videos just for the sake of ad revenue; focus on quality over quantity.
• 📉 Be mindful of pacing; a video that's too long or slow can lose audience engagement.
• 👀 Maintain eye line continuity to make cuts flow smoothly and keep the audience comfortable.
• 🔄 Use the 'J-cut' technique where audio plays before visuals to improve the flow of edits.
• 🤔 Cultivate curiosity to overcome self-doubt and improve as a creator.
• 🔑 Adopt a learning mindset; asking 'I want to know how to make this good' instead of 'I don't know how to make this good'.
• 🔄 Embrace the 'curiosity loop' where each answer leads to new questions, fostering continuous learning.
• 🌟 Even experienced creators are always learning and should remain curious about new techniques and ideas.
• 💪 Overcoming self-doubt and maintaining a positive attitude towards learning is crucial for growth as a content creator.

Q & A

What is the primary role of editing according to the speaker?

The speaker believes that editing is not about telling the story, but rather finding and presenting a path for the audience to experience the story that has already been filmed and constructed.

Why is the phrase 'murder your darlings' used in the context of editing?

The phrase 'murder your darlings' refers to the editing technique of cutting out even the best footage if it does not serve the overall narrative or if it causes repetition and boredom for the audience.

What is the speaker's stance on the length of videos for content creators?

The speaker advises against making videos longer just for the sake of more ad revenue. Instead, they recommend focusing on creating engaging content that respects the audience's time, even if it means making videos less than 10 minutes long.

Why is maintaining eye line important in video editing?

Maintaining eye line is important because it helps the audience to quickly readjust and find the subject's eyes in a new shot, making the cuts flow more smoothly and naturally.

What is the 'j-cut' editing technique and why is it significant?

The 'j-cut' is an editing technique where audio plays before the visuals. It is significant because it allows the audience to process audio information slightly ahead of the visual, making the transition between cuts smoother.

What does the speaker mean by 'control of doubt' in the context of content creation?

The 'control of doubt' refers to overcoming self-doubt and the belief that one cannot be a good creator. The speaker encourages embracing curiosity and a learning mindset to improve one's skills over time.

How does the speaker define the 'curiosity loop'?

The 'curiosity loop' is defined as a continuous cycle of learning where finding an answer leads to more questions, which in turn leads to further exploration and improvement.

What is the speaker's advice for creators who feel they lack certain skills or resources?

The speaker advises creators to shift their mindset from saying 'I don't know' to 'I want to know', giving themselves permission to explore and learn, rather than limiting themselves with self-doubt.

What is the significance of the speaker's attempt to write an inspirational speech?

The attempt signifies the speaker's belief in the power of curiosity and the importance of trying new things, even if the outcome may not be perfect, as part of the continuous learning process.

Why did YouTube change the obligation of video length from 10 minutes to 8 minutes?

The change to 8 minutes likely reflects a shift in content creator trends and audience preferences towards shorter, more engaging videos, as well as the platform's recognition of the importance of quality over quantity.

What is the speaker's view on the relationship between video length and audience engagement?

The speaker believes that audience engagement is more important than video length. If a video is not engaging enough, stretching it to meet a minimum length requirement can lead to audience disengagement and is counterproductive.

Outlines

00:00

🎬 Editing Techniques for Storytelling

The speaker challenges the common notion that editing is where the story is crafted, arguing instead that the story is already there in the filmed content. The role of editing is to guide the audience through the story. The speaker introduces five basic editing techniques for content creators to enhance their work. The first technique discussed is 'murdering your darlings,' which means cutting out even the best footage if it doesn't serve the story's pacing and emotional impact. The speaker emphasizes respecting the audience's time and not forcing content to be longer for the sake of ad revenue. A shift to shorter videos is noted as a successful trend among creators, which YouTube has also recognized by adjusting its requirements for video length. The importance of maintaining eye lines and using 'j-cuts' (audio playing before visuals) for smoother transitions is also highlighted, along with a motivational message encouraging creators to overcome self-doubt and embrace a learning mindset through curiosity.

05:01

🤔 Embracing Curiosity for Continuous Learning

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of curiosity in the learning process, especially for content creators. They share their personal experience of maintaining a 'curiosity loop,' which involves asking questions and seeking answers to improve their skills. The speaker admits to not knowing everything and uses this as a driving force to learn and grow. They encourage others to adopt a similar mindset, shifting from saying 'I don't know' to 'I want to know,' which opens up a world of exploration and learning. The speaker also shares their attempt at writing an inspirational speech, motivated by curiosity, even though they had never done so before, highlighting the excitement of trying new things and learning from the experience.

Keywords

💡Editing

Editing is the process of selecting and arranging film or video footage to create a coherent narrative. In the context of the video, editing is not about creating the story but finding a way to present it to the audience. The script emphasizes the importance of editing in shaping the viewer's experience of the story that has already been filmed.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling refers to the art of narrating stories, which is central to the video's theme. The script suggests that the story has already been constructed through filming, and editing is about guiding the audience through that story. Storytelling in this video is not just about the narrative itself but also about how it is presented to the audience.

💡Murder Your Darlings

This phrase, often attributed to writer Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, means to remove or cut out parts of your work that you are particularly fond of, if they do not contribute to the overall narrative. In the script, the speaker uses this concept to illustrate the importance of cutting unnecessary footage to avoid repeating emotions and to respect the audience's time.

💡Watch Time

Watch time is a metric used to measure the total amount of time viewers spend watching videos. The script discusses the balance between creating longer videos to increase watch time and the risk of losing viewer engagement if the content does not justify the extended length.

💡Engagement

Engagement refers to the level of interest and involvement a viewer has with the content. The script emphasizes that high engagement is more important than simply extending watch time, as it leads to a better relationship with the audience and a more positive viewing experience.

💡Jump Cutting

Jump cutting is a type of cut in film editing where there is a noticeable jump in the action or position of the subject within a single shot. The script mentions avoiding jump cuts to maintain continuity and flow in the editing process, ensuring that the audience's focus is not disrupted.

💡Eye Line

Eye line is a film editing technique that ensures continuity by matching the direction of a character's gaze between shots. The script provides an example of using matching eye lines to create a smooth transition, which helps maintain the audience's immersion in the story.

💡J-Cut

A J-cut is an editing technique where the audio from the next shot starts before the visual cut to that shot. The script explains that this technique helps to make cuts smoother by allowing the audience to process the audio slightly before the visual change, enhancing the flow of the narrative.

💡Curiosity Loop

The curiosity loop is a concept introduced in the script that refers to the continuous process of learning and improving by asking questions and seeking answers. It is presented as a mindset shift from doubting one's abilities to being curious about how to improve, which is essential for personal growth and development as a content creator.

💡Doubt

Doubt, in the context of the video, is the feeling of uncertainty or lack of confidence in one's abilities. The script encourages creators to overcome doubt by adopting a curious mindset, which allows them to explore and learn without being held back by self-doubt.

💡Motivational Speech

A motivational speech is a talk intended to inspire and motivate the audience to take action or change their perspective. The script mentions the speaker's attempt to write a motivational speech, which reflects their curiosity and willingness to try new things, embodying the spirit of continuous learning and self-improvement.

Highlights

Editing is not about telling the story but presenting a path for the audience to experience it.

Five basic editing techniques to optimize content and audience experience are introduced.

The importance of 'murdering your darlings' to avoid repetition and maintain audience interest.

The misconception that longer videos always equate to better engagement is debunked.

YouTube's watch time requirement has been reduced from 10 to 8 minutes, reflecting a shift in content length preferences.

Avoiding jump cuts and maintaining eye line continuity for smoother audience experience.

The technique of using an 'X' and a line for framing to match eye lines effectively.

The significance of the 'J-cut' in making cuts flow by having audio play before visuals.

The importance of controlling doubt and embracing a learning mindset for content creators.

A shift in perspective from 'I don't know' to 'I want to know' as a key to continuous improvement.

The concept of the 'curiosity loop' where finding answers leads to more questions and learning.

The speaker's personal journey of curiosity and learning in the field of editing.

The encouragement to embrace curiosity even in attempting to write an inspirational speech.

The value of trying new things and maintaining excitement for the learning process.

The speaker's personal experience with the curiosity loop in tackling unknown problems in editing.

The continuous learning process as a vital part of being a content creator.

The motivational aspect of the speaker's approach to learning and self-improvement.

Transcripts

the common sentiment of editing is

that's where the story is told what if i

told you i disagree the story has

already been filmed the story has

already been constructed what editing is

actually doing is finding and presenting

a path for the audience to experience

the story and so with that pretentious

opening statement what does that mean

for the content creators that watch this

channel what editing techniques can you

do to optimize your content and give

your audiences the best experience well

i'm gonna give you five five basic

editing techniques that actually secrets

that everyone should really know about

well hello there firstly if this is the

second or third time that you've seen me

and you're not subscribed that's the

universe telling you that you need to

subscribe that's the formalities done

let's talk about editing number one one

of the first important tips i want to

give you murder your darling the best

example for me is there was this one

piece of content that i was editing i

was spoilt with the amount of fantastic

footage that i could play with and i

wanted to show all of it off but it was

too long what ended up happening was i

ended up repeating the same emotion

constantly over and over again for a

whole minute if it undermines the value

of the rest of the edit cut it so i

chose to murder my darlings it started

off as one minute but instead i made it

20 seconds what that means is you're

respecting your audience's emotional

investments by not making them bored

speaking of respecting audiences my next

point is don't be obligated to making 10

minute videos yes having a longer watch

time on your videos means you earn more

adsense there is a border where if you

stretch your videos to be over 10

minutes not enough happens in your video

or the pacing is incredibly slow or it's

simply not engaging enough for 10

minutes they're gonna click off which

defeats the point of having extended

watch time if they don't engage in the

full video instead of focusing on your

desire to have ads instead focus on your

desire to have the best quality of time

you will develop a more positive

relationship with your audience that's

why this year me and logan have switched

our videos to be less than six minutes

and many other creators have switched to

that priority as well this new trend has

worked out so well that's why youtube

has now changed the obligation of 10

minutes down to eight minutes one of the

easiest ways you can make your audience

uncomfortable especially if it's like a

locked off setup like this is when

you're jump cutting and cropping in not

to maintain your eye line whenever an

audience is presented with a new shot or

a new frame one of the first things they

instinctively look for is the eyes so

whenever there is a new framing and

they're looking for the eyes you need to

make sure it's easier to find because

the less time they have to readjust the

easier the cuts flow so how do you do it

properly you should use an x and a line

across the screen and then use that as a

framing guide to help match the eye line

and its continuity that little bit of

extra work helps make the cuts flow so

much better one example is this is the

one time we used matching eye lines to

create a match cut we hired someone to

get a piano recordy and then do

something i bet it'd be great this is

great

now using flowing cuts as a segway i

need to talk to you about the most

important way to make your cuts flow

beautifully the j-cut the easiest way to

explain it is the jacob means the audio

plays before the visuals the reason why

this is important for the audio and the

visual to play at different times is

because if both of them are played at

the exact same time that's two new

pieces of information for audiences to

process and so it's better and your cuts

will flow so much smoother when the

audio plays just two to three frames

before the visual comes in just that

little touch will make your cuts so much

smoother

now

this

is

the most important

aspect of editing that every single

person needs to understand what's

important is

your control of doubt assuming that you

cannot or never will be a good creator

because i promise you

in time

you will be

i get hundreds of these messages every

single day i don't have good editing

software i don't know how to tell a good

story i don't know where to find music

and since i don't know what to do i

cannot be a good creator and that's very

understandable where you don't

immediately know what to do next or not

achieving what you imagined that can be

discouraging and the best way for me to

talk about this is you're asking me

these questions with the context of i

don't i don't i don't you're concerned

that you're not good enough and

therefore limiting yourself but what's

beautiful is that you can ask those same

questions

but with curiosity i suggest you think

like this instead of saying i don't know

how to make this good you need to ask i

want to know how to make this good and

just with that little attitude shift

you've just given yourself permission to

explore and go on a journey to find that

answer i call it the curiosity loop

where finding out an answer only gives

you more questions for you to answer

next and you keep on finding those

answers to improve your own ability just

bit by bit every time i came across

something that i didn't immediately know

how to fix i could have either doubted

myself or be excited about how i can

tackle this problem and i still have

that curiosity loop every single day and

i am still constantly

and always learning and the best way to

summarize what curiosity is and how

important it is to learn i've never

written an inspirational motivational

speech before but i wanted to i was

curious to try if i could write an

inspirational motivational speech this

might not be the best speech you've ever

heard it might just be the most

pretentious but i was curious to try and

that

that's just so exciting