OK, so embarking on this new journey of becoming a professional video editor.

Up until now, I thought I knew what video editing was all about after having assembled some cool social media videos. But I am now realizing that I have not even the slightest clue about what it is that film editors do.

And the way things are going with AI, those social media videos are soon not going to require the help of a human.

Now, editing a feature film, and the level of complexity and understanding of human emotion as well as highly nuanced creative decisions designed to communicate to other humans, that’s a job will take a VERY advanced type of AI to do. Not saying it won’t happen, but we are probably a good number of years off from that.

Phase 1: Learn how film footage is actually shot

Goal: understand what editors are receiving.

Learn these first:

• setup
• take
• coverage
• master shot
• close-up / medium / wide
• over-the-shoulder
• insert
• reaction shot
• continuity
• eyeline
• screen direction

Why first: if you do not understand how scenes are covered, the edit bay will feel mysterious.

Phase 2: Learn how a scene is assembled

Goal: understand how raw footage becomes a finished scene.

Learn:

• how editors choose takes
• how they cut between angles
• matching action
• cutting on movement
• pacing within dialogue
• when to use reactions
• J-cuts and L-cuts
• why a scene may start wide and then go tighter

Why next: this is the foundation of narrative editing craft.

Phase 3: Learn performance-based editing

Goal: stop thinking only in terms of “clean cuts” and start thinking emotionally.

Learn:

• how to spot the best line reading
• why one pause feels alive and another feels dead
• how reactions can matter more than dialogue
• when “technically imperfect” is better because it feels more human

This is where editing starts becoming art instead of software operation.

Phase 4: Learn documentary structure

Goal: understand how docs are built when there is no clean script.

Learn:

• interview editing
• building scenes from real-life footage
• using b-roll
• shaping story from messy material
• finding themes after the footage is shot
• balancing clarity, emotion, and truth

This is a different muscle from scripted narrative.

Phase 5: Learn editorial workflow

Goal: understand how professionals stay organized.

Learn:

• bins
• syncing
• stringouts
• selects
• assemblies
• scene versions
• proxies
• relinking
• turnovers
• project organization

This part is less glamorous, but it is what separates hobby work from pro work.

Phase 6: Learn post-production collaboration

Goal: understand the editor’s role in the larger machine.

Learn:

• assistant editor vs editor
• director-editor relationship
• producer notes
• handoff to sound, music, color, online
• temp music and temp sound
• revision process

A pro editor is not just cutting. They are operating inside a team.

Phase 7: Learn long-form story judgment

Goal: understand what makes a feature or doc actually work over time.

Learn:

• scene purpose
• sequence building
• character arc
• tension and release
• point of view
• when something is repetitive
• when something needs more air
• when a scene should be cut entirely

This is the deepest layer.

The simplest order to study

If I were forcing this into the cleanest path, I’d go:

1. Coverage and shot language
2. Scene assembly
3. Performance editing
4. Documentary editing concepts
5. Workflow and organization
6. Collaboration and post process
7. Long-form story judgment