The Art of Editing: A Chat With WaRoW

[Zenaku]

WaRoW: Both. A song always gives me a feeling, an atmosphere, so it gives me a visual style in mind. But when I try to do my “mind idea”, I sometimes fail but I sometimes [get] a better idea. So it depends. Generally, if I can't do my idea, I cancel it and cancel the project...

THIS!

Most editors don't take into account the atmosphere of songs, and there are lots of editings with simple beats,vocals synchronization.
Many just add effects to add effects without considering the emotion that comes out of the song.
I'm not very good but in my editings, I mostly try  to express how I feel while listening to a song.
It's hard to explain, it's a matter of sensation (fighting, running, feeling like in an action movie, happy, sad etc...) and this bring effect ideas to your head. But as Warow, I often give up my projects when I can't create the desired effect or the right atmosphere.
Usually when I listen to music i sync all my body to the song lol: arms, legs, head and eyes too ... with muscle contractions, fast movements or wide ones, vibrations .. etc. I also ladle to make "visual effects" like DOF effect, or blur. YES I'M WEIRD!
Most of the videos I watch are boring today: if there is nothing entaitenaing after 30sec - 1min, i stop watching and don't even take care about the stunts.
Most of the people say that stunts are more important than editing, well in my opinion it's the contrary.
It's amazing how an editing can beautify stunts.
[/mylife]

[XTO --]

As Drizzly said, he's a great editor but he's not the first one. Just like Ghost said, digitex, VPX aswell for FPS' editing groups tried to do something different from the usual. No offence, but some parts of it (which I shall quote) makes me think that there is a bit of arrogance (is it the right adjective?) in some of his thoughts.

I mean, GTAS stunting videos aren't really inspired, they only edit because they have to do it, and when they want they only use basics effects. To my mind, GTAS editors don't put a real sense in their edit, the editing must have an atmosphere, a soul.

I don't think you're the only editor right here that edits because you like it. We wouldnt edit anything if we didnt enjoy it, I mean, we all do this for free, atleast most of the times. If it's all about obligation, there wouldn't be as many editors as there is. Adding sensations to a video isn't as simple as adding an effect, I agree, but if this or that guy can't do it, doesnt give you the right to generalize and say that we all do this because we have to

There are only Visual Prox and Beyond Tomorrow (Visual Prox isn't very active to me). Others are doing things without any ambitions, only to put a logo on the beginning of their videos.

God, that's an awful statement. I mean, there are editors who doesn't do what they do with passion, but come on, generalizing and saying that a crew edit their stuff for no ambition is the same as saying that only Scorpions and Eric Clapton composes because they love music. I don't know you, but every crew has their "black sheep" among the members, but, they also got the ones that love and enjoy what they do. You are saying that if we pick editors who are no ambicious and throw them into one of these crews you mentioned they will start loving what they do? I honestly don't think so.

I don't know you, but Digital+ came from nothing; me, TheGT4sm and Franco (who were the only members by then) started editing without any knowlage, and I gotta say, compared to what we were by the time we started, we grew a lot. I always did my best with what I could learn about the limited software I had, Vegas and Premiere, and now you're saying that all the hard work I dedicated to Digital+, cloudwalker to EV, is nothing but an intro to our videos?

Avatar and Alice In Wonderland are really enjoyable but, this isn't Art, this is entertainment in my opinion. And not for everyone, I get bored when I watched them ! Well, directors should better think about editing and scenario than money !

So you're saying you don't care at all about the storyline and all the effort their teams put in those projects, just because there is some sort of bad editing?

I’m a [composer] too so I always discover new songs and I know a lot about music rhythm etc... I can nicely cut songs. I'm not limited for the soundtrack of my videos, other editors always choose one or two songs, not me ! I'm trying to don't make my video monophonic and boring, the watcher is more implicated with that process I think.

Who told you that using 1 song only makes a video boring? Imo you don't have to use 15 songs in a 3min video to make it more interesting.

______________________________________________________________________
There are some interesting points, in other hand, that should be highlighted.

When I sit down to edit... I generally don't do that, haha! I always listen to music so I think that's the start of my editing ideas. I get ideas with a song, or something I’ve imagine in my mind.

I must say that I do this with most of the musics I listen to, just lay and imagine how it should be used in a stunt video. By doing this, and imagining several situations, you don't limit yourself to the basics, you can think about something where simplicity and hard-work can make something a lot more interesting than an effect that took you one week to make.

If a stunt video has really incredible stunts, but a bad edit, the video will be just “good”. The editing [makes] the difference between a “good” job and an “unbelievable” job.

I must agree there when you say that an video edit makes the difference. Editing is just like the final touch of a bunch of stunts, where picking the best angles, leaving every thing clear enough, and showing how difficult or technical something is, makes it much more interesting.

[The same goes for] editors, they should try new things, every editors should put their soul in the editing, not only effects.

Most of us are trying, probably some just didn't find out what they are actually good at. For example, my weak spot is defenitly camera angles, even if I took some time to read about it and practice, I still can't get it mastered. If I can't get it perfected, I can't improove with something different. In other hand, I'm creative, which makes it a lot easier for me, to think about something that other people didn't try at first.




I'd just like to add, that this was a good read from both sides, interesting questions from m3rrix, and (sometimes arrogant) clever answers from warow. I would have enjoyed if M3rrix had questioned about different things than Two Takes It and video editing overall, maybe you could have come up with something totally unexpect and a side from warow that we don't know yet. Good job on the interview M3rrix

[Kingjad]

People know how I feel about SA.

Having said that - this video rocks, WaRoW rocks, the editing rocks, absolutely marvellous vid. It's weird cos I remembered WaRoW auditioning for TMS and even though we liked his stuff we were also kinda closed and couldn't just change our mind cos someone awesome came along lol - seeing this just shows me what TMS missed out on, but it's a great vid and a good addition to the blog.

[FELIX]

And all that editing crew is great but there shouldn't be more than 3 editing crew to my mind. There are only Visual Prox and Beyond Tomorrow (Visual Prox isn't very active to me). Others are doing things without any ambitions, only to put a logo on the beginning of their videos.

WTF, Escalated Violence doesn't have a real logo and we never add it before vicdeos to feel cool. EV is actualy THE editing crew for the people that care the most about "atmosphere".

Against your statement I could say: beyond tomorrow can only overedit. How would that feel?

So shut up and stop feeling like a king. And stop thinking that your way is the right way. Everyone here is right and wrong at the same time. There is no definition of what a stunting video should be, luckily, otherwise it would be boring as fuck.

Goodbye -.-

[XTO --]

CW gets my point

[JustCaus3]

That was a fun read 

[miLKy]

And all that editing crew is great but there shouldn't be more than 3 editing crew to my mind. There are only Visual Prox and Beyond Tomorrow (Visual Prox isn't very active to me). Others are doing things without any ambitions, only to put a logo on the beginning of their videos.

WTF, Escalated Violence doesn't have a real logo and we never add it before vicdeos to feel cool. EV is actualy THE editing crew for the people that care the most about "atmosphere".

Against your statement I could say: beyond tomorrow can only overedit. How would that feel?

So shut up and stop feeling like a king. And stop thinking that your way is the right way. Everyone here is right and wrong at the same time. There is no definition of what a stunting video should be, luckily, otherwise it would be boring as fuck.

Goodbye -.-

Nothing against you Felix, but youre always talking about YOUR editing crew and always act like YOUR editing crew would be the best. Yes, you dont SAY it is the best crew....but im sure you think it.

[MeetMyMeat]

Lol people, why are you getting so hyped up? That's just warow's opinion on these subjects. It's your choice to value them or not, no one's forcing you.

@ merrix, I'm not saying you have no idea what you're talking about but... two takes it is by far not the best video of '10 stunting-wise.

[FELIX]

And all that editing crew is great but there shouldn't be more than 3 editing crew to my mind. There are only Visual Prox and Beyond Tomorrow (Visual Prox isn't very active to me). Others are doing things without any ambitions, only to put a logo on the beginning of their videos.

WTF, Escalated Violence doesn't have a real logo and we never add it before vicdeos to feel cool. EV is actualy THE editing crew for the people that care the most about "atmosphere".

Against your statement I could say: beyond tomorrow can only overedit. How would that feel?

So shut up and stop feeling like a king. And stop thinking that your way is the right way. Everyone here is right and wrong at the same time. There is no definition of what a stunting video should be, luckily, otherwise it would be boring as fuck.

Goodbye -.-

Nothing against you Felix, but youre always talking about YOUR editing crew and always act like YOUR editing crew would be the best. Yes, you dont SAY it is the best crew....but im sure you think it.

Says the guy with ESH <3 under his avatar! 

[PtRvY]

Nice interview, I agree on most points with Axel.

EV is actualy THE editing crew for the people that care the most about "atmosphere".
---
And stop thinking that your way is the right way. Everyone here is right and wrong at the same time.

These two sentences contradict each other.

"Against your statement I could say: beyond tomorrow can only overedit. How would that feel?"

Wrong, because it is wrong.

Nothing against the other editing crews though. Variety is always good for me; (that's one of the points I disagree with Axel on, kinda) EV for example is a really good editing crew.

[TurBo]

I, like XTO, beg to differ the points which are kinda showing only his opinion about the subject being 'right' , if all of the editors would go on this 'revolution' it'd create again, no variety at all and a state when everybody's editing the same way, just doesn't seem right to criticize other editors that don't follow that opinion.
A good point is about editing part making the video great instead of just good.
Put aside his great editing in my opinion.

[Ghost]

if all of the editors would go on this 'revolution' it'd create again, no variety at all and a state when everybody's editing the same way, just doesn't seem right to criticize other editors that don't follow that opinion.

Exactly. If everybody tried to do something different/unique to everybody else, then everybody would be doing exactly the same.

Problem logic?

[XTO --]

Lol people, why are you getting so hyped up? That's just warow's opinion on these subjects. It's your choice to value them or not, no one's forcing you.

It's no longer his opinion, when he states something where he sounds so certain about it, as if it was truth.

I couldn't really find proper words to express what I wanted, but oh well, fuck it

[m3rrix]

Lol people, why are you getting so hyped up? That's just warow's opinion on these subjects. It's your choice to value them or not, no one's forcing you.

@ merrix, I'm not saying you have no idea what you're talking about but... two takes it is by far not the best video of '10 stunting-wise.

That's, like, my opinion man.

[XTO --]

You can't arguee with that MMM. He's a TMS.