My Films

Module 7 · Lesson 1 of 1

Know what editing is, and count the cuts.

Editing is choosing which pieces to keep, in what order, and where each one starts and stops. Count the cuts in a real film to see how often it happens.

Watch

Relationship Goals, Episode 1 (3:06)

Watch the first 15 seconds only. Count every time the picture changes to a new shot. Then watch those 15 seconds again to check your count.

The steps

  1. Editing is three choices: which pieces to keep, what order they go in, and where each one starts and stops.

  2. A cut is the moment one shot changes to the next. Most films have far more cuts than people notice.

  3. Taking a little off the start or end of a shot is called a trim. Much of editing is trimming.

  4. You edit in an editor, an app like CapCut or DaVinci Resolve. Module 8 shows you how, tap by tap.

Count the cuts

  1. Play the film in this lesson from the start.

  2. Say “cut” out loud each time the picture changes. Pause at 15 seconds.

    Tap the film once to see the time on the bar along the bottom.

  3. Drag the dot on the bar back to the start. Watch those 15 seconds again to check your number. Write it down.

Do this now

Count the cuts in the first 15 seconds of the film in this lesson.

Check yourself

  • Can you say the three choices editing makes?
  • Do you know what a cut is?
  • Did you count the cuts twice and get the same number?

If any answer is no, go back over the steps, or look below.

Stuck?

The cuts are too fast to count.
Say “cut” out loud each time the picture changes, then count how many times you said it.
I counted a different number the second time.
Watch a third time and pause at each change. Small changes count too, like a jump from a face to the same face, closer.
I can’t find the time on the film.
Tap the film once. A bar appears along the bottom with the time on it.

Still stuck? Email info@bookwriter.vip and say which lesson you’re on. A person reads every message and writes back.