Turn on YouTube for more than a couple of minutes and I guarantee you’ll run into one of the editing mistakes I’m about to talk about. I’m Austen Menges, a professional editor with over 20 years of experience, and today I’m inviting you into my edit suite to share six editing mistakes I hate—and ...

Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve got tons of footage—maybe even hours of it—your timeline’s in disarray, and there’s no clear story in sight? Where do you even begin?

I’ve been there more times than I can count. So, I want to share four big lessons I’ve learned over my 20-year edit...

Story editing is one of the most powerful tools in an editor's tool belt, yet it’s often overlooked. Today, we’re diving into story structure—specifically, the Hero’s Journey in Star Wars: A New Hope—with a very special guest. Scott Rice is a co-professor alongside Oscar-winning actor Matthew McC...

When you think of making an edit, you probably think of matching on action—but what if I told you there was a better way to cut? I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, and today I’d like to invite you into my edit suite so I can show you a new way to think about editing, complete with actual e...

I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, and when it comes down to it there are five simple ideas that have made the biggest impact on my editing. Today, I’d like to invite you into my edit suite so I can share them with you in the context of a broadcast commercial I recently completed, so you c...

Continuity. It’s one of the first rules editors are taught to respect. But here’s the thing: if you make it your top editing criteria, you might miss the bigger picture. I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years and today we’ll cover what continuity editing is, why it’s not as important as you thi...

I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, and today I’d like to invite you into my edit suite so I can show you the what, the why, and the how behind the editing technique of cross-cutting. Watch the video above for the full lesson, and read through to the end of this article where you will find ...

I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, with a particular focus on comedic commercials, and I’m going to share three rules for editing comedy that have made a big impact on my career. Read through to the end for a bonus tip, and watch the video above for the full lesson (including sample spots ...

Over 100 million people worldwide tune in to the Super Bowl each year, making it one of the most important events for broadcast commercials. Historically, companies put out their best advertising, and this year I got to participate, as I edited a regional Super Bowl commercial. Today, I’d like to...

I've been a pro editor for over 20 years, and today I'd like to invite you into my edit suite so I can show you every single sound I used to bring the broadcast commercial highlighted in the video above to life. We’ll listen to the background ambiances, dialog, specific sound effects, and music. ...

There are three levels of video editing: level one focuses on the technical; level two focuses on criteria like story, rhythm, sound, and action; and level three focuses on emotion.

I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, and today I’d like to invite you into my edit suite so I can explain the...

How many editing techniques can we learn from a Matthew McConaughey commercial?

I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, and today I’d like to invite you into my edit suite so we can take a look at a commercial starring Matthew McConaughey that I completed last year. Be sure to watch the above ...