For a film to have that fluid, seamless look it takes some extensive editing. An Editor takes all the shots the Director has asked for and arranges them into a progession of scenes that moves the story along. If they have done their job properly, the audience will never notice their job.

To get a job as an Editor in a big studio, it will definitely take some education; as it is a technical job. You will be working with equipment that's far more advanced than your home computer. It takes a bit of climbing the ladder to achieve the Editor position, but it can be well worth the hard work.

Independent Editing

Of course, if you are doing your own editing in an Independent film, there are other ways to get it done. Of course you can go the film school route; taking classes which enable you to use their resources. It's great experience if you intend to make your mark in the studio films; and usually the schools will let you use their equipment either for free, or for a small fee. You could also find a student editor, who could use your project as part of their resume and will either not charge you at all, or a small fee.

If you wish to use a professional studio, you will have to book time in an editing suite. This will be fairly expensive and make sure you have your timeline ready, as you will be sharing the time with other editors. So make sure you book enough time to get whatever you need done. You can usually find these studios in yellow pages, on some filmmaking websites or even local papers. Make sure they are legitimate and find out all costs ahead of time.

Editing Programs

If you decide to edit the film on your own home computer, there are several programs you can use with some ease; at either no cost or minimal cost.

Windows Movie Maker is a great basic program for editing your own films. It's free and comes with the Window operating system. It has numerous features, that enable you to upload your digital video into scenes. You drag and drop your scenes into the storyboard in whatever order you wish for them to be.

You are able to shorten the scene, transition in between scenes, and even put some effects to the scene; as well as text over the film. The program also allows you to add music, voice over and other sounds to the video. It has a burning option for DVD's too.

Apple has iMovie, which has the same type of features; also is a free program. The graphics on a Mac are much better as they are built for graphics for the most part.

If you wish for a program that has more advanced features, you will most likely have to pay something for it. There are several good programs out there though, such as: CyberLink PowerDirector, Corel VideoStudio, Roxio Creator 2009, and Nero. Ranging in price from $69.99 to $89.99.

These programs have more advanced features for a great price and you can have a professional looking film at home.

Editing the Film

Once you know what program you are using, you need the video. If you are shooting on film, you will need to convert it to digital format in order to upload it to your computer. There are several ripping programs for this; and you will also need an adaptor for your camera. It will take awhile for the computer to record the film, so if you are doing it this way; set it up and find something else to do for awhile.

If you are uploading from a digital camera, either connect the USB ports to your computer, or insert your SD card and upload it using your editing program ideally. It's not necessary of course, it just makes it a bit easier. Hopefully you have shot the film in portions, and timestamped the scenes. It makes it easier to edit it this way. If you have a clapboard when filming then use it, it's what it's for, to mark the place where the scene begins.

Once you have all your scenes uploaded, go through them and decide the order you wish for them to be in. You will find you will cut out a good portion of what was shot; this is necessary for the flow of the film. If you use everything that's been shot, you will either have the same scene multiple times, which will make the film make no sense; or it will be far too long.

Shorten any scene that needs to be, then arrange them in the storyboard. Try not to add too many transitions between scenes as this will get annoying to watch and look unprofessional; you can only take so many fade in or fade out shots per film. Add any effects where necessary, but again don't overdo it.

If you are adding music or voice overs, this is where they will come in. Make sure the voices will match up to the action taking place on screen. When you decide to add existing music, you will need to get permission to use the songs; especially if you intend to show this movie for profit. If you know a songwriter, or musician, have them create original music for you; making sure it fits the scene's mood.

Burning to a DVD

Once you have assembled your film, you will need to burn it to DVD so others can enjoy it. Of course if you wish, you can just upload it online to sites like YouTube. You will need to edit it accordingly if that's the route you intend to go.

Editing programs usually do have a burning option to them and they are easy to use. There are online sites also you can use to create your DVD's, especially if you wish to make more than one copy with artwork.

You upload your video to them, along with your artwork files and they will create the DVD and also cover art. You can purchase in bulk from them, or some will let you sell your movie via their site.

Editing is an important part of the movie making process. It take some skill and effort, but if done right; it takes the audience into the Director's vision.