The story worth telling

Good direction is concrete. “Keep the pause before the reveal” is useful; “make it amazing” is not. Watch your clips once and name the moment that makes the video worth finishing.

Three things to capture

  1. The must-keep moment
  2. A clip that explains the context
  3. The intended closing image

Let the camera run a little before and after each action. Those extra seconds give you room to find a better cut.

Give the edit a shape

01

Write the audience in one line

02

Name the non-negotiable moment

03

Choose an ending before adding polish

Before you share it

Compare the edit with the source footage. Check that captions, cuts and reordered clips have not changed the meaning.