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Film & Television vocabulary · Editing and Post-Production

Editing

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/ˈedɪtɪŋ/nounCore term

In film & television, editing means: The work of choosing, ordering and joining shots so that they tell the story with the right rhythm, emotion and meaning.

In Turkish: kurgu, montaj

How it is used

Editing happens in post-production, today almost always on software such as Avid, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro. People talk about the editing room, the editing process, fast or slow editing and an award for best editing.

Example sentences

  1. The editing took longer than the shoot, almost five months.

  2. Fast editing makes the chase feel even more chaotic.

Common collocations

  • film editing
  • editing room
  • editing software
  • fast-paced editing
  • best editing
  • film editorThe person who selects and joins the shots of a film into a finished story, working with the director to shape its rhythm and structure.
  • cutAn instant change from one shot to the next in editing. It also means a version of an edited film, such as the director's cut.
  • post-productionAll the work done on a film after the shoot ends, including editing, visual effects, color grading, sound design, music and the final mix.
  • rough cutAn early edited version of a film with the scenes in order but without final timing, effects, music or sound work.
  • montageA sequence of short shots edited together, often with music, to show a lot of time or many events quickly, such as a character training or a couple falling in love.

More terms: Editing and Post-Production

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