Video editing is the process of editing, manipulating, and arranging a series of footages to create a whole new work of art. Whether it is a movie, television show, video advertisement or a YouTube video for your channel, you will require the services of a video editor.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics in the United States estimates that the video jobs will rise by 18% from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all other occupations. This marks a new era where video holds significance over almost every field in the market. Whichever business you might be in, you are most likely to require the services of a video editor at some point in your life. Streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon and YouTube are all leading platforms for videos. Especially during this global pandemic, these services are the most desired and popular for videos. And such videos can only be created with the services of video editors and producers.
Other than entertainment, video marketing has also become necessary for your business promotions. To carry out marketing campaigns, businesses find video editors to create promotional videos for new product launches, sales, or any other kind of announcements.
Where to find the best freelance video editors?
Freelancer marketplaces are the first place you should look over to find the best video editors. These marketplaces provide freelancer profiles for potential clients. These profiles contain their portfolios, feedbacks and ratings, and the rates they charge. Their portfolios contain all the work they’ve done for their previous clients and sample work to showcase their skills. Looking over their portfolios, you’ll get a brief perspective of their abilities and figure if they’re the right fit for your project. Feedbacks and ratings will help you shortlist the best freelancers. Upwork and Freelancer.com are leading websites offering freelancer’s services.
Moreover, ask for recommendations from other businessmen/ businesswomen you’re acquainted with. Many video editors showcase their work on social media platforms. So going through their social media profiles might also help you find the right freelance video editor.
Or you can just publish job posts online. Freelance Marketplaces allow you to post your job requests. Add enough details of your project for the video editor to consider if they’re right for the job. Mention the services you need in detail, whether your project needs event coverage or just a compilation of videos. State the scope of the project. Is it small-scale or large-scale? What level of expertise do you require? Clearly state your budget and the hourly rates you’re willing to pay. Mentioning the type of video, you want is crucial. Do you need a live-action video for your product? Or do you need digital animation and motion graphics involved? The video editor’s expertise in any of these are necessary.
Furthermore, provide basic information about your business or company and the project. The aim and goal of the project, the results you expect to come from it, and where you are going to publish the videos. Also, make sure to specifically mention the format and resolution you want the video to be in.
What skills would you require?
The kind of expertise and skills you’ll require varies on the kind of video you want. If the video is something small-scale, you don’t need to hire an expert with high rates. Hiring a video editor whose skills fit right into your requirement criteria does the trick. Why hire a high charging freelancer with expertise when a low-costing and medium level video editor could do the same task perfectly? How would you know that? Research. Then assess the video editor’s skills keeping your requirements in mind.
A video editor must know the basic knowledge of these skills:
- Video editing and production skills
- Must know how to use video editing software and tools such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Finalcut Pro, Filmora, etc.
- If you are in need of digital animation or motion graphics in your video, the video editor must know the usage of motion graphics software, e.g., Adobe After effects, Cinema 4D, and Maya.
Other than just editing videos, a video editor may also be able to help you in various other ways. A video editor or producer will be able to help you in coming up with a video concept and storyboarding. They can help you in sourcing necessary clips, sound editing and music selection, video aesthetics and colour grading, and in optimizing and publishing.
You need to identify your needs and requirements. The expertise of the freelance video editor will vary according to your requirements and the project. What is the video editing for? Is it a promotional video for a product? Or is it a promotional video featuring your services? Is it a video highlighting a sale or any other announcements? Or is it a totally different concept than promotional videos?
The kind of video you want will largely affect your budget and the cost of hiring. Experienced and expert video editors will charge higher rates for their work. In comparison, inexperienced and medium-level freelance video editors charge reasonable rates.
Start the interviewing process:
Once you have shortlisted a number of candidates based on their skills, start the interviewing process. Ask them about their thoughts on your project and how they will carry it out if they’re given the job. Question them about their experience with previous clients and how they delivered their work. This will help you assess their abilities with a much wider perspective. You will surely pick out the fittest candidate during the interviewing procedure!
Although this might seem like a lot of work and research to put up with, we assure you it’s not that difficult. Once you follow all the above steps and procedures, you will surely be able to shortlist the finest and fittest video editors for your project. Now, all you need to do is hire the best among them!