Slow Clap’s Selects: Our favorite editing techniques

In a sea of so much bad video content, what makes a video good to begin with? A quality video production, whether commercial or corporate, takes a village to produce - writers, directors, producers, riggers, gaffers, DP's, AC's, PA's, makeup artists, set dressers, illustrators, editors, designers, audio engineers.. should we keep going? Each of these roles is crucial to the final outcome of any video production, and where all these efforts come together is in the editing room. While Hollywood has given us the term "movie magic" to disguise the inner workings of film production, the "magic" is based in very concrete and time-tested editing and storytelling conventions that are used not just in film, but crossover into other artistic disciplines like literature, theater, and music. So, let's take a look at some of these editing and storytelling techniques we like to use at Slow Clap.

Three-Act Structure

At the heart of every successful video is a great story. But what's the best way to tell a story? While there is no single right answer, there are known storytelling conventions that we use to help guide us in crafting an impactful story. One technique that is indispensable to all our projects at Slow Clap is what's known as the three-act structure. A three act structure separates a story into a beginning (Act 1), a middle (Act 2), and an end (Act 3). Consider this brand story video we produced for Imbue as we break down each of the three acts:

Act 1 can be thought of as the "setup" or "exposition". Where are we? Who are our characters? Why are we here and what are we trying to solve? These opening moments are crucial to "hook" our audience into our video and to present the "inciting incident" that will provide the motivations for our characters. In our example, we begin with our presenter, Kanjun, introducing herself, the company, Imbue, and what they are building - AI systems that are able to reason. In this particular example, Act 1 encompasses the first 35 seconds of our video.

Act 2 is where we present the "confrontation", or the challenge that we are trying to solve. This is the part where we elaborate on the twists, turns, and obstacles that our character(s) are facing. In our example, Act 2 encompasses the next roughly 60 seconds of video, as Kanjun explains the shortcomings and failures of other AI systems and how Imbue is actively working to provide a solution. Act 2 will typically be your longest act as you present all your most valuable information and craft a narrative that builds on the interest established for your audience in Act 1.

Finally, Act 3 is the "resolution" or "payoff". Not only does it formally conclude a story, but an effective final act should leave an audience with a positive feeling and/or motivation to be called into action. In the final 25 seconds of our example, Kanjun, speaking to us directly, lets us know exactly what is at stake - not just for her company, but for humanity as a whole. The final act is typically the shortest act in a video, since there is usually no need to revisit specific points presented in Act 2.

These foundations can be adapted and played with depending on the style of video. Big-budget corporate video, commercial spots, or UGC-style social media reels will naturally have different needs and goals, and the basics of a three-act structure remain an essential tool for us at Slow Clap to help our clients tell the best stories possible regardless of the challenge.

Continuity Editing

Continuity editing is a technique used by editors to maintain temporal and spatial consistency in a film. In other words, it's how we visually move from A, to B, to C, in a way that is cohesive and understandable to our story and for our audience. We'll use this commercial video we produced for SMART, the public transit system in Sonoma, California, as an example to dive deeper.

We open with an establishing wide shot of beautiful countryside scenery flanking our "main character" - the SMART train! The camera follows the train (A) , we see it as it passes through another field of marshes and pastures (B), and finally it arrives at the station, where we see passengers board the train, and resume the route (C). Now, let's say instead of opening with shot (A), we instead began with shot (C). Surely, right from the start, we would have been wondering - who are these people and where did they come from? Why are they boarding this train? Where did the train even come from? Of course, there is nothing objectively wrong with this, but in the context of our story and how we are trying to tell it, this order might confuse our audience.

It's not just the order of the shots we use that establishes continuity. Conveying a chronology of events in a video also comes down to something we call matching action. Also referred to as match cuts in film jargon, a matching action is exactly what it sounds like; a sequence of two shots (or more) which all show the same action but at different stages along the way, cut together so that the end of one action follows seamlessly into the beginning of the next. This technique is among the most commonly used editing conventions in narrative film and TV. Taking a look at the sequence of shots from 00:25-00:28 in our example, we see a type of match cut in action - we begin with a birds-eye view of rail-workers working on-site, then cut to a close up one of them pulling a lever. As an example of a story in which the match cuts are much “tighter” and more narratively driven, take a look at this commercial video we produced for GitHub.

As you'll likely have figured by now, the three-act structure and more technical editing techniques like continuity editing aren't independent of one another but actually go hand-in-hand when crafting a story. You can have the best story on paper, all the right characters and footage, but you'll also need a strong edit to convey the motivations and emotions you want your audience to come away with.

At Slow Clap, we pride ourselves on our commitment to authentic storytelling. While these are not the only techniques we use to craft successful, high-impact stories, they remain some of the most effective, time-tested conventions that we cannot do without.

Stay tuned for part-two of this blog, where we’ll dive into a few more techniques we didn’t get a chance to mention here.

Who is Slow Clap Productions?

Slow Clap is a San Francisco Bay Area based creative video production company united by a desire to create short-form web content with staying power.

We are filmmakers that came of age in the internet era. And we apply the same rigor to web video that the filmmakers we most admire apply to their films. We want viewers to watch our content over and over, the way they would with their favorite movie or TV show.

We team with brands, artists, and agencies that are willing to take creative risks, in the belief that an audience will follow.

Have a video project in mind? Get in touch with us.