The 3 Stages of Video Editing

Content Making

Stage 1: Assembly Cut

What will my video look like when it’s put together?

  • In the assembly phase, we take all the footage from the shoot and begin to piece it together. This is where we select the best takes, establish the pacing, and provide an initial preview of the video. The goal is to give you a rough idea of how the video will flow, including the approximate duration. It’s like putting together a puzzle to show the big picture before diving into the finer details.

Why can’t I see the supers in the first cut?

  • At this stage, we focus on the structure and flow of the video, not the final polish. Adding supers (like lower thirds or titles) at this stage can be premature because the sequence of clips might change based on your feedback. If we added supers now, we’d likely have to redo them if the video is adjusted, which would lead to unnecessary delays and costs.

Stage 2: Fine Cut (Picture Lock)

When will you add the graphics, effects, and background music?

Once you’re happy with the assembly edit, we move on to the fine cut, also known as picture lock. Here, we finalise the sequence of clips so that the structure of the video is locked in place. After this, we add all the necessary elements like supers (lower thirds, titles), graphics, sound effects, and background music (BGM). This order ensures that we don’t have to redo these elements if any changes to the clips are made later.

Stage 3: Final Touches

When will you add subtitles to the video?

  • The last phase involves adding subtitles to the video. This step comes after all other elements have been finalised, ensuring that the subtitles are accurately timed to the final version of the video. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can create your own subtitles by adding them to the media player of your choice, such as YouTube.

For Our Agency Clients

We understand that as an agency, you might not want to show the assembly cut to your accounts due to its unfinished nature. In such cases, we recommend providing your feedback directly during this phase to refine the video before presenting it to your client. However, please note that any feedback or revisions at this stage still count toward the total number of revisions offered. This allows us to make adjustments early on, ensuring that by the time the video is ready for client review, it’s in a more polished state, minimising potential revisions and associated add-on cost.

Revisions and Additional Charges

We understand that feedback is essential for creating the perfect video. That’s why we offer up to 3 rounds of revisions across all phases. This means you have the flexibility to request changes at any stage, whether during the assembly, after the picture lock, or during the final touches. However, it’s important to note that once we proceed to the next phase, changes to the previous phases may incur additional charges. This is due to the extra work required to adjust elements like supers, graphics, BGM, or subtitles that may have already been finalised.