Crafting Emotional Journeys: The Art of Editing in Storytelling

Editing is an art form that involves more than just assembling scenes, it’s about shaping the viewer’s emotional journey; it is a sophisticated craft that requires a deep understanding of both technical skills and human psychology.

The goal is to understand the target audience and seamlessly integrate with the viewer’s experience, making it feel like it’s an extension of their own consciousness.

As an animator, I find editing to be a fascinating extension of storytelling that aligns beautifully with our own craft. Like animators, editors use timing and pacing to create specific emotional responses; they adjust the rhythm of cuts and transitions, much as we meticulously time animations to create tension, sorrow, or joy.

Editors know exactly how to work with emotions, they choose when to cut a scene or how to hold a shot to transmit the character’s feeling to you. For example, a close-up that lingers on a character’s face can make their emotions hit harder and deeper, while quick cuts can ramp up the excitement in an action scene; every decision made is designed to guide us through the story’s emotional journey.

In my opinion, the most important step of editing is choosing the music and sound effects. Music plays a crucial role in the process of storytelling, it amplifies the emotional depth of each scene, adding layers of feeling that visuals alone can’t always convey.

Music helps setting the atmosphere of the scene. For example, a dark and suspenseful tune can heighten the tension and make you feel unsettled, while a whimsical and playful tune might enhance the joyful and light-hearted moments. It plays a big role affecting the plot development and transitions, it can make moments of revelation or action more impactful by aligning with visual elements.

Also, colour grading is another powerful tool. By adjusting the colour palette of a film, editors can influence the mood dramatically. Warm tones create feelings of nostalgia and comfort, while cooler hues can create senses of melancholy, sadness, or detachment.

These visual adjustments help reinforce the emotional tone, connecting us to the deeper layers of a story. While working behind the scenes, editors have a crucial role in storytelling, they help making sure the emotions in the story are clear and powerful; and without their experiences’ additions, a story might not hit as hard or feel as real.

Editors are the last piece of the puzzle that make us feel integrated with the scene.