Pacing and editing
Pacing is the feeling that a video “breathes” well: it neither drags nor rushes. It isn't measured in seconds, but in information and emotion. A shot lasts as long as it takes the viewer to understand what they need to understand, plus or minus a little, depending on the effect you want.
How long a shot should last
There's no magic number, but there is a rule: cut when the shot has said what it had to say. A wide shot full of information needs more time than a close-up of a hand. As a guide:
| Type of shot | Rough duration |
|---|---|
| Simple extreme close-up | 1–2 s |
| Close-up reaction shot | 1–3 s |
| Action medium shot | 2–5 s |
| Wide shot with information | 4–8 s |
| Contemplative or emotional shot | As long as the emotion holds |
When you've been editing for hours, you know every shot by heart and everything feels slow. Leave the edit for a day and come back to watch it in one go, without stopping. Better still, show it to someone and notice the moment they look at their phone.
The Kuleshov effect
According to the classic account, in the 1920s the Soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov edited the same neutral close-up of an actor followed by three different shots: a bowl of soup, a girl in a coffin and a woman on a couch. The audience praised how well he expressed hunger, grief and desire. It was always the same face.
The lesson: meaning isn't in each shot, but in the relationship between them. Editing creates meaning. That's why a reaction shot can completely change what a line means.
Types of editing
| Editing | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Linear or narrative | Actions follow one another in chronological order | Most videos |
| Parallel | Two or more simultaneous actions in different places are alternated | The rescue arriving while the danger grows |
| Contrast or comparative | Two situations are alternated to compare them | A banquet and someone going hungry |
| Montage sequence | Short shots, often with music, that sum up the passing of time | The training before the big fight |
| Rhythmic | The cuts follow the rhythm of the music | Music videos, trailers, reels |
| Long take | A whole scene with no cuts | Scenes of continuous tension |
Cutting to music
- Mark the strong beats on the timeline with markers while you listen: press the marker key on each beat.
- Don't cut on every beat: it becomes mechanical. Mix it up, cut on the important accents and let some shots run across several bars.
- Match the changes in the music's sections (chorus, bridge) with changes of scene or tone.
- Cut the music at the end of a musical phrase, not in the middle of a bar.
Internal and external rhythm
Internal rhythm is the movement within the shot: a static shot of someone running has rhythm, even if it lasts ten seconds. External rhythm is how often you cut. A shot with lots of internal movement can last longer; a static one, less.
Taking out is editing
The biggest leap in quality in an edit usually comes from taking things out. The pretty shot that adds nothing, the explanation that was already clear, the second time the same thing is said. If you're not sure whether a shot is needed, try removing it: if nobody misses it, it wasn't needed.
A screenwriting maxim that works just as well in editing: enter the scene as late as possible and leave it as soon as the important part has happened. The viewer fills in the rest.
- A shot lasts as long as it takes to tell what it has to tell.
- Meaning comes from the relationship between shots.
- Cross-cutting for tension; a montage sequence for the passing of time.
- Cut to the music, but not on every beat.
- If you're unsure about a shot, take it out.
Your turn: your own Kuleshov
Film a neutral close-up of someone looking off camera for five seconds.
- Film three shots to go after it: something appetizing, something sad and something unsettling.
- Edit three versions: face + shot.
- Show them to three different people and ask them what the character is feeling.