Editing Considerations
Answer the following question: Why should anyone care about this story? You must convey the relevance to the audience.
Listen to your interviews with an ear toward choosing your SOT’s (sound bites).
Note their time codes.
Summarize or transcribe what was said.
Digitize the potential SOT to your project. Don’t forget to label it.
Listen for the most compelling/well-spoken SOT’s and line them up in the order you think tells the story.
Look at the video you gathered. What are the best pictures and how would you use them in your story? Take notes and pay attention to the time codes. This is called an edit decision list or a shot sheet.
Identify not only the best video but also the best SOUND. Can you hear the crowd cheering at a football game about the rivalry between two teams? This is called natural sound. Use it to make your story work for you.
Your audience will be watching your story as well as listening to it. You must do the same. Watch and listen. Then, just watch by turning the sound down. Ask yourself if the pictures tell a story.
Keep your eye out for the unexpected or unusual. Is your news story just plain ordinary?
Now, organize the video and audio as well as the reporter narration in a way that captures the interest of the viewer and gives the information you want to communicate.