BillyBoy,

OK, I heard you...so let's get technical...how long does a scene have to be shown so it's understood/absorbed..? ...know what I mean..? ...2 seconds...? ...4..? ...5..?

Trust your gut. Cut it until it feels too short or "choppy." Then lengthen it again until it feels "right."

I don't think its a technical thing. More how important is the event to telling the story? Everything is relative. If the tricycle was a birthday or Christmas present, then sure, devote more time to it, maybe a zoom in for a close up to show Billy enjoying his new toy. If you've shown Billy riding his tricycle before, then one only needs several seconds to get the point across... Oh look, here's Billy riding his tricycle again.

Again, it depends...

What did Billy do while riding his tricycle?

Was he just riding, or did he drive off into the grass, fall off, wave? How involved was Billy? What is the focus? WHY did you video tape it?

If you just have 30-90 seconds of Billy riding that's probably going to be BORING at least to most. On the other hand if Billy was interacting, playing to the camera, then devote more time to it. Good editing is about story telling. Ask youself WHY do you want to have Billy riding his tricycle in this video and take it from there.

BillyBoy

"...If you just have 30-90 seconds of Billy riding that's probably going to be BORING .."

..OK, so I agree...I'm stuck with 2 minutes of tricycle...how long do I put it up there...?

BStanding,

"....Trust your gut. ..."

...my gut tells me to buy a Taco Bell franchise and forget video... :)

Editing is a very subjective art. I may want to see more tricycle, someone else less. There are commercials where a scene might be 10 frames long, but that is the scene that stays in my head.

You have to feel it. If you are using music, let that guide you, if not, then watch it and see when you are feeling the need to move on.

A long time ago, when I was editing linear, I used to work with a lot of film editors. One film editor was talking about cutting scenes with cutaway shots (reaction shots). To him a reaction shot was the length between his two hands when he held them out. A piece of film that long was a cutaway. There is no science.

Dave T2

DaveT2,

"....There is no science..."

...I understand what you're saying....frankly, that's a bummer...but I like the idea of using the music to help...

...what Ive should have done in this industry is start at the top and work my way down....

I think it depends on who will be watching the older generation will possibly prefer a slower pace as would mum and dad gran and grandad ect outside the family unless there is a story and something interesting perhaps three to ten seconds where close family will watch the whole lot of course this all depends on the pace set by the film in the sequence of events and the music slow fast ect plus what is coming up will affect the length.
For imediate family show the whole clip perhaps just trim shaky out of focus ect shots
for a public audience just show what is neccesary for the storyline or voiceover for the kids brothers sisters get them a taco bell This is just the opinion of someone working his way up who then stopped and started down again oh well time for one of those gut feelings

Clipman -

Try this site for starters:

http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp_ind.htm

Frenchy

Try 3 seconds...Even God has three in mind.

Or if you're feeling un-Godly try 6.... 6.... 6.... ;)

But seriously. I believe less is more in most cases, especially when you're beginning.

When I look back at things I edited years ago I have never thought, "gee, why didn't I hold on that shot a little longer?"
I have however looked back at scenes that seem to move too slow and thought, "What the hell was I thinking? ... cut, Cut, CUT ALREADY!!"

Anyone else had that experience?

Use your "remote control" instinct: If you feel like reaching for the remote to change the channel while watching the clip, it is too long.

If nothing new happens for, say, 5-10 seconds, then cut. You can use dissolves to join together nearly identical scenes from the same shot to avoid a jump cut.

The usual worry about editing home video is that you're going to leave out some precious moment that you'll later regret cutting. Generally, the treasured moment is the smile when getting the tricycle, not the actual riding around the driveway twenty consecutive times without falling off.

...thanks for all your comments....I'm just a production guy...don't wanna be in a film festival...ain't got no creativity to speak of....I'm just trying to turn out technically pleasant videos...

If you don't trust your own judgement, then do what the Hollywood studios do: test it out on an audience before finishing the piece.

Take your best stab at it, then bring in someone who doesn't know the kid, and ask them for their honest opinion. Watch them while they're watching the video. If they start to fidget, make a note to trim that section.