Production and post-production in a week? I didn’t think it was possible. But, after carefully planning days to shoot, record audio, edit, and revise, a light began to blink at the end of the proverbial tunnel. I was excited to see the script and storyboard take shape. 

Of course, there was also quite a bit of learning to do — I’ve never used Adobe Premier Pro before. After watching a few tutorials, researching various editing techniques, and reviewing some videos for editing inspiration, I was ready to dive in. The research helped to inform my approach, and provided the necessary, albeit limited, knowledge to bring my montage to life. Let’s get into it.

Reading & Writing

The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, by Tom Schroeppel 
Montages are one of the rare instances in film where creative cuts like crossfades or dissolves are perfectly acceptable. That’s because the visual effects are actually meant to be noticed. In commercials, music videos, television news, and sports, creative editing techniques are a part of the message. In almost every other sequence, the basic cut is most appropriate. Even with the cut, though, there are still a myriad of decisions to make, and author Tom Schroeppel has a number of great suggestions in Chapter 10 of The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video.

Rule number one: provide viewers with new images and sounds at a pace that they can comfortably absorb the information. Use an establishing shot to set up the scene and keep the camera still. Can these rules be broken? Of course. If there’s a reason to provoke the audience, edit the scene in a way that provides visual tension — but do so intentionally and sparingly.  

Editing decisions should be made in the service of the script. Schroeppel recommends that editors “divorce the director” to get a fresh perspective about the story. How is the scene supposed to make the audience feel? All that really matters is what the viewers see on the screen, so each shot either works towards the film’s objectives, or they don’t. The scenes that don’t should be cut.

Shroeppel also offers practical advice about storytelling. For example, he recommends showing an establishing within the first few shots of any sequence. Cutting back and forth between related shots, called a sequence, also helps to move the story along. This is how we experience life every day. Just as important, viewers expect to see something different after each cut. Therefore, every shot should be clearly different than the previous shot. The editor should only stay with a single shot for as long as it remains effective, then cut to something new. A good editor will develop a personal sense of pacing that results in a unique editing style.

Of course, dialogue and sound also play an important role in storytelling, and must be carefully considered during the editing process. Techniques like L-cuts and J-cuts help maintain interest by seamlessly connecting different scenes. Background music can provide consistency for a specific scene or pull together a series of unrelated scenes. Sound effects can provide the perfect segue, or even cover a musical change. Importantly, background music should be consistent in both theme and volume, and it should remain solidly in the background.

Having exhausted my time for research, I started scouring YouTube for different editing styles that might inspire or inform my own video montage.

Research to Inform

A Day in the Life – Harlem Lacross
The editing style in A Day in the Life – Harlem Lacrosse, directed by Chris Bean, is defined by its deliberately slow introduction and drawn-out scenes with simple cuts. In the beginning, each scene lasts for 2-3 seconds. This, along with the slow motion, provides the documentary with an emotional weight, signifying the importance of lacrosse to the students’ lives. The lingering moments seem to mirror the anticipation of each student’s day. Then, the pacing intentionally shifts, and the music changes to a more light-hearted, upbeat track. Fast sequences during teacher interviews in the classroom contrast with slower scenes of students playing lacrosse. It’s an interesting approach, one that the viewer might not expect. Importantly, the editing maintains a seamless flow that feels invisible. This allows the story’s authenticity to shine without drawing attention the cuts themselves.

An Abundant Life Trailer
Similarly, the trailer for An Abundant Life, directed by Noah Carlson, uses editing to balance reflection with momentum. The pacing begins slow, with a long wide shot that allows the viewer to absorb the setting and experience a sense of calm. Transitions are also simple cuts, jumping between medium shots and closeups, which mirrors the flow of life at The Ecology Center. The long scene of the narrator surfing allows the viewer to listen to him speak. As his dialogue increases in volume and the music builds, the cuts comes sooner and the sequences quicken, creating a rhythm that conveys energy and growth. This shift from meditative pacing to lively montage reinforces the film’s themes about abundance, nature, and life. It’s an introspective trailer that leaves you wanting to learn more.

What You Do
In this powerful video, by Australian director Gemma Lee, the editing emphasizes the contrast between expectations, aspiration, and reality. It’s really a powerful piece. The film opens with slightly longer shots and fewer cuts, providing time to understand and digest the dialogue. I love the quick cuts between the middle shots and closeups. Even though there are many different speakers, the voiceover L-cuts make it easy to follow exactly who’s speaking. The background music provides a contemplative tone. As the soundtrack builds, the pacing accelerates, with quicker sequences that inject energy and momentum into the narrative. The series of zooms at the end, each ending in a closeup, adds intrigue to the individual women, as well as the film itself.

Create

I was excited, and somewhat intimidated, to begin shooting footage for my montage. After all my research, it seemed like a lot to continuously consider. What if I didn’t get the right framing? Or, what if the focus was off? Turns out, those mistakes — and many others — happened quite often. By shooting early and often, though, I was able to discover unusable footage and scrap the rest. I left enough time to head out and reshoot the next day when necessary. 

At the same time, I knew that my voiceover wouldn’t be perfect after the first take. So, I recorded a rough cut in Adobe Audition that I could use for placement in the Adobe Premiere file. In the article, Sound Advice: Editing Audio for Video, the author suggests doing a rough cut for audio before editing video for scene breaks. Using this method, I was able to capture the basic beginning, middle, and end of my storyboard. This approach also made it easier for me to consider pacing. Bonus: After listening to the voiceover, I was able brainstorm other footage to take.

In The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video, author Tom Schroeppel suggests spending, “as much time as possible viewing before you start cutting.” In the end, I took this advice to heart. When shooting footage for my montage, I would take multiple angles of a scene from the storyboard. I’d copy those shots into one folder, label the folder, then view all of the footage. The takes that worked best would be marked purple in Finder. This approach allowed me to make a quick paper edit. Using cut-up sections of my editing log, I added the voiceover, background music, and sound effects. From there, it was just a matter of moving everything around until the script married the storyboard. In the end, I like to think it improved upon it. Take a look at the final montage here: