The Cut Is King: How to Edit Smart(er)

Hey guys, 

Get excited, because we’re sliding into Part Four of our Five Part Series… 

ANATOMY OF AN UPLOAD

A Five-Part Guide to Better Posting

Last month we covered how to level up production and get more out of your shoot day(s). But once you call “That’s a wrap!” and start importing all that footage, it’s time for Step Four: Editing. And how you, as a creator, approach this step depends on where you are in your scale journey…

WHO’S CUTTING THIS THING?

If you’re newer to content creation, the best thing is to get your hands dirty and learn the editing process for yourself. After all, you have the advantage of knowing exactly what you want. (This will also teach you a ton about what this stage entails—which will make it much easier for you to ask for what you want later on!) 

• Never touched Final Cut Pro before? Don’t worry, there are a gajillion tutorials to help. We recommend Aprilynne Alter - check out her YouTube channel, especially this video: how to EDIT a killer youtube video (for the 2025 algorithm)

Are you a larger creator who’s already working with a production house, like Room 1041 (from last month’s newsletter)? Then you likely already have access to their in-house editors. Get familiar with them, and gravitate towards the ones who match your style. 

• Or, you may even be ready to hire your own dedicated editor! This is an amazing level-up if you have the budget. When you find an editor who ‘gets’ your content, hang on to them! (Hey, it’s worked for Scorsese.)

If you’re in between these two stages — meaning, you’ve been cutting your own content and are now ready to hire an outside editor for your next video, here are some great marketplaces to check out…

1. YT Jobs

2. Roster

3. EditHers - (this one is actually my secret weapon)

The real advantage of hiring an outside editor isn’t just the time you save personally… It’s the outside perspective you gain from someone else’s critical eye. You may know what you want, but your editor knows whether you have the footage to execute. They can be more objective about what’s onscreen.

HOW TO SPEAK EDITOR

As content strategists, we at Upload Club are always thinking strategically about hiring editors… and we’ve picked up some best practices (and avoidance goals). Like:

• Confirm pricing (and be specific) Some editors charge by the finished minute of footage; this is fairly straightforward. (Just remember that for every finished minute of video, multiples more minutes were spent editing—that number goes up if you need things like motion graphics, special effects, etc.) Other editors charge a flat rate per video, based on general length, i.e. short-form vs long-form. But this can sometimes be, um, very general. Is three minutes short- or long-form? Make sure you and your prospective editor are clear on that!

• You can save $ (and your editor’s time) by making a rough-cut first. If you’re on a budget, one way to nudge down the rate without underpaying your editor is to do some of the grunt-work first. You can do the first pass at an edit before handing it off, meaning your editor can jump straight to the fine-cut. (If you have more money than time, feel free to skip this step.)
  

• Organize and label your footage before handing it off. We cannot stress this enough—do NOT just share a Dropbox folder of randomly named video files! Make subfolders that organize your footage in a clear way, i.e. Scene / Shot / Angle. Sifting through raw footage is extremely time-consuming for editors. The better you label, the faster they’ll go… and the more they’ll want to work with you again!
  

• At the review phase, make in-frame notes using a video workflow platform like Dropbox or Frame. Once your editor shows you a cut for review, you’re going to have notes. Don’t just send them an email with comments like “The beginning feels rushed.” Add comments to the video file at the exact timecode where you want to trim an ‘um,’ or let the footage breathe, or fade the music. Be specific with your note: it saves tons of time & guesswork. 

KILL YOUR DARLINGS (NO, REALLY)

You’ve probably heard the phrase “Kill your darlings”: meaning, be ruthless about losing a shot / joke / scene that you like, but may not be working. Well, it’s true. And to illustrate the point, let’s wrap things up with a story, courtesy of the 2015 action thriller Sicario:

The film opens with a spare, quiet sequence. Emily Blunt plays an FBI agent that’s about to raid a drug house. We see agents creep silently into position. Emily rides in a van with her team; no words spoken. This scene kicks off the movie with perfect tension.

But did you know: the filmmakers originally shot a completely different opening? Originally, the film opened with a showstopper scene, in which Benicio del Toro’s character drowns a cop over and over. It was bombastic, terrifying… and it cost a boatload of money to shoot. 

What happened? The film’s editor, Joe Walker, figured out that the film worked better without it. He observed that if the audience starts out following Emily’s character, it lets the mystery build of who Benicio is and what he’s capable of. So—even though it really hurt to let go of that great footage—Joe convinced director Denis Villeneuve to toss it.

Consider this story your editing North Star. Nothing, not one frame of footage, should make the cut automatically. “Oh, I can’t throw that shot out, it took so long to set up!” Yes you can. “That prop was so expensive, we have to see it!” No one will ever know it existed. No shot gets a free pass if it isn’t working in the edit. The cut is king. 

OK – happy editing, and catch us next month for the FINALE of our series, which we are so excited about… because it’s about our favorite part: The Upload!  – Hayley