Where to start as a video editor?

[Machine514]

I am interested in getting into the video editing field and do not know where to start. I know Premiere Pro pretty well and want to further my knowledge and skills. I also did a search on the site and did not see this type of information posted. Forgive me if I missed it.

So my questions are as follows.

-What type of education should I be pursuing? Schools?
-What programs are industry standards? (Avid, Premiere, FCP, After Effects, etc,)
-Are there any training classes outside of schooling that I should look into?

-Machine

[edDV]

What type of video do you intend to edit?

The field is highly fragmented into sub specialties.

e.g.

film
long form - full shows
short form - advertising, promos
effects intensive
news
training
business communication
etc.etc.

[BJ_M]

learn avid inside and out and also FCP fairly well ..

If self employeed , adobe and vegas are fine (though both are used in some studios - AViD is the one that will get you hired)

many schools around, some pretty expensive ... best though is to get a job in a low position and move up ....

[Machine514]

What type of video do you intend to edit?

The field is highly fragmented into sub specialties.

e.g.

film
long form - full shows
short form - advertising, promos
effects intensive
news
training
business communication
etc.etc.

I am not sure. Anything really. Just goes to show you how much I know about the field.

-Machine

[compuser]

I concure with BJ_M about AVID. I hear though that FCP has less hardware compatability than AVID does.

[edDV]

What type of video do you intend to edit?

The field is highly fragmented into sub specialties.

e.g.

film
long form - full shows
short form - advertising, promos
effects intensive
news
training
business communication
etc.etc.

I am not sure. Anything really. Just goes to show you how much I know about the field.

-Machine

How do you know you want to be an editor?
Is this a career discussion?

What is your experience with Premiere Pro? You must have some idea of the area that you want to persue. Do you even like editing? Try different types of projects.

Figure out your goals then the training path will become clear. Software will be determined by the organization doing the training.

Independents (self trained and self employed) most often use Vegas, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.

[Machine514]

learn avid inside and out and also FCP fairly well ..

If self employeed , adobe and vegas are fine (though both are used in some studios - AViD is the one that will get you hired)

I understand that Avid is pretty expensive, but the best one. I guess I would need a job with a company that uses that software.

many schools around, some pretty expensive ... best though is to get a job in a low position and move up ....

Would you happen to have any names that I could check out?

-Machine

[Machine514]

How do you know you want to be an editor?
Is this a career discussion?

What is your experience with Premiere Pro? You must have some idea of the area that you want to persue. Do you even like editing? Try different types of projects.

Figure out your goals then the training path will become clear. Software will be determined by the organization doing the training.

Independents (self trained and self employed) most often use Vegas, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.

I have been editing my own home video footage and have been doing some absic stuff.

Also for the past few years I have been doing a presentation at my father-in-law's annual golf outing. Some basic picture slide shows, video footage recapping the past year, etc. Basic stuff, but I really enjoy doing it.

-Machine

[edDV]

Well, you need to decide whether you are on the Hollywood track (major competition - go to USC or UCLA film school), local ad production (Avid course followed by apprentice up training in ad agency or post house), business communications (get training in the full Adobe Suite), news (intern at local TV station) or independent path. You are in NYC. There are ample oppportunies to intern. Start talking to people in the field.

http://www.filmmaking.net/faq/answers/faq123.asp?catid=7
http://www.talent-school.info/film-schools.html?source=google&campaign=233711

regional
http://www.degreewizard.com/video-editing-colleges-and-schools.htm

[madvideos]

wow.. I guess I need to look into avid myself, I guess I am spoiled with Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere and their ability to work very nicely with one another.. I have not come across to much I can not do with these three combined, I see movies and figure out how to create what I see in most cases, so why is AVID so preferred? Does it have something I don't know about? and how does it react with psd, aep files? I need a little more than just it will get you a job, I make plenty on the side with what I do with what I have. Also what kind of user base support is there other than threads like this telling you to learn it?
Thanks

[Cornucopia]

#1 If you're real good, you can leverage the stuff you know from many editing apps to springboard up to a more complicated one. There's menu/keyboard knowledge and then there's knowing when and where to cut. You've got to have the latter, the former will come with practice.

#2 Photoshop is in just about every editor's arsenal. You still will use it extensively. AE is one of the best Compositor apps, but it's not much of an editor. Workflow from these are Render/Export (still or video) -> Import into AVID/FCP. That's it.

#3 If you are a hobbyist/prosumer/casual individual user of an editing app (such as Premiere, Vegas, etc), and you don't mind spending some time to get things right, there is a great deal that you can do on those systems that will rival an AVID, etc. BUT...
If you need to collaberate with co-workers, need to keep track of Hundreds or THOUSANDS (or more) of media files, if you need to work with multiple layers of realtime uncompressed footage--including HD, if you need speedy WORKFLOW enhancements that mimic the way a professional editor works through a production (or many productions at once), if you need a path to upgrade-ability that goes from DV->SD->HDV->HD->maybe even 2k/4k, need heavy duty batch or multiple timeline or timecode or machine control or client preview features, then it makes sense to use an AVID. I'm talking putting together a 1/2 hour broadcast TV show in a day or 3. Or 48 hours worth of time-multiplexed survellaince cameras that need to be logged, sorted and enhanced.

#4 Talking about systems...When you go AVID, you're kinda stuck with a few choices of proprietary devices ... but what you get is a (usually) ROCK SOLID system that is tested and guaranteed work work correctly and smoothly, so much so that AVID will provide tech support for qualified hardware--and their tech support is VERY good (for Noobies at least). (Read $$$$$). Also, you've got system compatibility with Digidesign ProTools (also AVID owned), and now SoftImage, Pinnacle, etc. so there are many ways that this Top-of-the-Line type system smoothly interacts with those other TOTL systems. Plus interoperability metafile exchanges like MXF will likely take this to the next level.

That's really where I see differences.

Scott

[madvideos]

I will stick with Adobe bro.. I have looked around.. not much going on with avid.

[Cornucopia]

Yeah, right.

[edDV]

High end is all about spreading projects over many people doing small specialties. All the elements need to converge into a final edit.

The workflow is totally different than a wedding videographer cranking it all out as a one man band.

There is a reason why the different software co-exist and why an Avid Nitrous Workstation can be considered a bargain at over $100K total cost for some and Vegas Movie Studio is a step up for others at $99 list.

The more you understand work flows, the easier it is to see the difference.

[madvideos]

Yeah, right.

lol... ok ok.. I refuse to learn a new video editing program.. heh heh heh. I am sure AVID is all that, I do know no matter what program you use, it will not be good enough, let's face it.. our little computers are junk when it comes to a serious video workstation. Perhaps one day I can be rich and buy a nice workstation to do some real stuff on.

[edDV]

...

let's face it.. our little computers are junk when it comes to a serious video workstation. Perhaps one day I can be rich and buy a nice workstation to do some real stuff on.

I couldn't disagree more.

A $450 entry Celeron computer today can run rings around the most expensive NT or Mac workstation of the late 90's and probably also contains a larger faster HDD system. A $69-500 editing package today far exceeds the top end software of those times.

Plenty of top end video was produced on those systems in the past. Today, quality "workstations" and HDD systems are available to almost anybody for under $1000. The only thing lacking is operator skill.

[Cornucopia]

That's fundamentally true. Basic hardware for producing/editing QUALITY video has gotten rediculously cheap. What most pros pay for are the WORKFLOW accellerators:

More, Larger, Faster, possibly RAID drives
More, Bigger, Sharper Monitors
Better Backup/Redundancy/Archiving solutions
Better Server/Networking/Workgroup solutions
More, Better, Faster Input/Output solutions
Testing/calibaration equipment
Interconnection equipment and cabling

Plus, you pay a lot for the software itself, but that's supposed to get you Service and Support (sometimes 24/7/365 on-call).

'Course Quality is relative, so they keep raising the bar as to what is considered "High Quality". 15 years ago, even pros would have drooled over the compact 3-chip CCD component digital recording and graphical editing that most prosumers on up take advantage of every day.

And in the end, what usually costs most (and more greatly determines the quality) are the 2 ends of the chain--Capture and Exhibition, aka the Camera setup (and set/lighting) and the Display. Similarly, in the Audio world, it is Microphone setup (and room/acoustics) and Speakers.

But, since we're talking editing (which is in the middle of the workflow), you can do much with little these days.

Scott