How I'm Learning Video Editing (By Copying)

Four years ago, I had the opportunity to learn oil painting from the resident artist at our high school.

Our teacher, the resident artist, made us play with the oil paints by doing basic colour theory.

They exercised looked like this:

Then, we moved on to replicating oil paintings. We had the choice, I can't remember the other paintings. My friend and I chose this landscape painting, The Mountains Seen from L'Estaque by Paul Cezanne.

(As you can see, not exactly the original. More Impressionist. Granted we painted on A4 canvas, the original on a canvas around A1 size.)

You might ask,

"Why are you telling this story? How does it relate to video editing?"

I supposed it's the same with any skill that involves the creative. You must replicate before you reiterate. There is no point trying to create an original work if you do not know the processes to get you there.

That is why our art teacher started with the basics. Then, made us replicate the processes of a finished oil painting.

There is nothing wrong with copying. As long as you pay your due diligences. Put in the work, and not claim it as your own.

So, by scrolling on social media, I'm liking video edits. Downloading it and studying it. The effects applied, the colour alteration, the feel, the sound effects.

Then, I go into my software and replicate the video. Replicating the process of making different edits.

Same as in art. Not necessarily the person can create from imagination. Rather, they have strong fundamental understanding of reality and how objects act in space.

(For this reason is why I believe everyone can draw.)

As the basis of an artist's path, geometrical shapes and anatomical drawings are taught first. The eye, however subtle, can see if a picture could be real due to cross reference of our current model of how reality is meant to look like.

In saying to replicating edits, sometimes I will not copy exact frame for frame. I will put my own twist by using my own images, effects, or text. What's more important is the process itself.

Gathering the clips. The music. The visual effects. Combining it all together.

Always keeping a student's mindset. Always learning new things that the software is capable of.

What human imagination is capable of.