Film Editing Stages ?” All You Should Know

In your childhood and even before joining the film world, you might have thought that films are made as they are shown on the screen. However, a lot goes between the shoot of the film and its final release and screen presentations. The shoots are never in chronologic and linear order, and even if they are, it would be one film in a hundred.

Moreover, even if the film is shot in linear order, it does not means it is ready for screen launch. Editing is the most critical part of filmmaking, without which it cannot reach the masses. Editing films is a specific skill that requires attention to detail. There are numerous stages involved in the editing of films and film production essentials, and without tending to them, you cannot ensure the success of your project.

Keep scrolling down this article to explore all you should know about film editing stages.

Top 7 Film Editing Stages You Can Follow

It will not be wrong to say that film editing is the art that works on the vision of the director and the effort of everyone else making the film. The effort and hard work of everyone involved in the project can go to waste if the editors lack basic skills and knowledge of film editing stages.

Here are the major film editing stages that you should essentially follow to ensure a perfect project reaches the masses.

1. Logging

The first and basic stage of film editing that you should be aware of is logging. The films are not shot in a linear sequence. So, lagging is the raw footage of the shoot, which is approved by the director and cinematographer. These may include the notes of directors about favorites and essential shots. The loggings need to arrange for them to become a film. It is an extremely crucial responsibility for which many filmmakers hire experts from film companies and make sure they organize it efficiently without ruining important shots and scenes.

2. First Assembly

The first assembly is the second most important stage of film editing. The first assembly denotes the first chronological arrangement of the film footage. The editors check and tally the footage according to the script and start compiling it to make a complete film of the expected duration. Most of the time, the first assembly start after the camera is closed, but it can also start before the shooting ends.

3. Rough Cut

The rough cut is the film editing stage where the director sits with the editor and guides about tweaking the scenes, cuts, shots, and the visual representation of the scenes. This is one of the most creative stages of film editing where the director tries to depict their creative vision translating on-screen as they expect or vision it. They also try to experiment a bit with arranging the scenes to get what they want from the visual representation.

4. First Cut

The next important editing stage of the film projects is the first cut. This particular stage is the one where the editor, director, and producer, as well as other notable authorities, sit together and watch the rough cut of the film. They can edit the scenes, experiment with the arrangements of shots, as well as rearrange the sequence. The first cut stage of editing completes when all the concerned authorities approve the screen presentation.

5. Fine Cut

The next and one of the most important editing stages of the film projects is the fine cut. This is the state at which the major focus is on individual scenes and shots. The editor pays special attention to each and every scene of the film while critically analyzing every second to make sure there is no mistake in it. Otherwise, there will be lots of videos about continuity errors as soon as the film releases.

6. Final Cut

The next film editing stage that you should be aware of is the final cut. This is the stage where the editor, director, producer, and other notable authorities approve the film editing or presentation. After that, the sound engineer, sound editors, music composer, and title designer get on board to work on the rest of the details of the film.

7. Picture Lock

The last and most crucial stage of film editing is the picture lock. Picture lock merely denotes locking the editing of scenes or screen presentation of the film.  In other words, screen lock encompasses the arrangement of shots and edits and locking it from further editing. Sound arrangements and color grading can be done even after that. If you are not sure about how to handle it, you can hire film companies in Dubai and let the expert editors work their magic on your project.

Do you need to edit your film?

If you are not skilled in the field, beware you can ruin the whole footage. Get in touch with professional editors from well-established production houses and make sure your film has the perfect editing to attract the masses.