In this article, I explain my process for editing a promotional video from initial enquiry through to final delivery. The project arrived as an email request to tender a quote. The initial brief outlined the client’s requirements, specified which production details to include in the quote, and set a submission deadline.
What the client needed
The client needed the final edit to combine video footage, photographs, and other supplied material. They asked me to include a breakdown of estimated post-production time, covering both the media preparation stage and the edit itself. The signed-off edit also needed delivery in a format suitable for uploading to YouTube and for showing on digital TV.
Requesting information before editing a promotional video
To provide an accurate quote, I needed a much clearer picture of the project and what it would involve to bring all the elements together. Therefore, I emailed the client a series of questions. Their responses gave me everything I needed to calculate a realistic time estimate. I submitted the quote, the client accepted it, and the project went ahead.
Video media supplied for the edit
Over the following days, the client shared a number of Google Drive links. From these I downloaded their media assets, a project spreadsheet, and a promotional brochure. Reviewing all of this gave me a strong sense of what the project required overall.
Organising media for efficient editing
As the media arrived, I organised everything in a way that would allow me to edit efficiently. The client’s folder structures contained many nested subfolders, with photographs spread throughout. I worked through these complex structures and imported all video clips into Avid Media Composer first, getting them ready for editing.
Next, I moved all photographs out of their existing folder structures into a single desktop-level folder. This allowed me to use Avid’s pan and scan effect to position each image accurately in the edit. Many of the photograph file names also needed shortening so that Avid could read them correctly.
Once most of the media had downloaded, I could see the full scope of the project. It included 30 different videos with a combined running time of over three hours, plus hundreds of still images. Most videos carried music-only soundtracks, and a selection of these would form the music bed for the promotional film.
Starting the edit
The client briefed me to structure the video into 10 differently named sections, each with a specified list of assets. To begin editing the promotional video, I identified the strongest music tracks and edited them into a five-minute music bed. I then created title cards for each of the 10 themes, placing them at 30-second intervals throughout. After that, I edited the best footage into each section and uploaded the initial cut to the client via a private YouTube link for feedback.
Timecode in-vision edits for client review
Over the following week, I uploaded a series of revised edits as private YouTube links. For each version, I layered timecode in-vision to help the client pinpoint precise change requests. After reviewing each version, their team sent through multiple rounds of amends. Additional footage also arrived that needed to be cut into the correct sections, and the music selection for several sections changed multiple times. This additional material strengthened several sections and helped the edit better meet the client’s aims.
As the edit progressed, I added animated graphics and logos at the opening and close of the video. Several sections also needed descriptive text overlaid onto specific clips.
The signed-off final edit
The finished five-minute edit contained 18 music tracks, each blended at section changes to match the different events and moods throughout. Once the client signed off the final music selection, I finely trimmed all the vision edits to work well against each musical style. The client received the final video as a 1920×1080 high-bit-rate .mp4, as requested.
Editing a promotional video remotely
This was a complex edit to deliver within a very short window between commission and delivery. Working remotely and without supervision, editing a promotional video for this client ran efficiently throughout. The client provided prompt and precise feedback on every uploaded version, and, in turn, I remained highly responsive over two working weekends to ensure on-time delivery for the event at which the video would be screened.
My BBC broadcast training and over 17 years of experience as a video editor equip me to deliver complex projects on time and on budget.
If you would like help editing a promotional video, please get in touch via my website contact form.
You might be interested in reading some of these related blog articles:
