Why You Need to Plan Before You Edit & How To Do It

Norman Zizoff

10d ago in Editing Discussion 💻

What’s up y’all,

I want to tell you about one of the biggest mistakes editors and creators make when editing their videos.

And that mistake is jumping straight into editing without a plan ❌📄

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Here’s why planning is so important and how you can do it effectively.

Editing isn’t just about throwing clips together.

It’s about telling a story in a way that makes sense and keeps the audience engaged.

When you plan your edit, you’re able to:

Craft a Better Story: You know the story you want to tell, so your edits serve that story instead of feeling random or disconnected.
Save Time: By having a roadmap, you won’t waste time guessing where to cut or what footage to use.
Improve Flow: You’ll avoid choppy pacing and confusing sequences because you’ve already planned how the story will unfold.

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So how do you actually plan your edit?

Here are some actionable steps you can take:

1. Write the events in your story using the “And, But, Therefore” storytelling structure ✍️

Start by writing out each event in your story, but as you write the events, write them in a way like this:

“This happened, and then this event happens (and), but then that happened (but) therefore another thing happened, (therefore)” and so on.

By writing the story this way, you get a clear idea of how to structure the video and you can then figure out how to show these moments in the video, using edits that reinforce the flow of the story.

2. Identify key moments 🔑

Once you’ve outlined the story, identify the most important moments or beats that need to be highlighted.

This could be a key reaction, a big reveal, or a turning point in the story.

Knowing these moments helps guide where your focus should be in the edit.

3. Organize your footage 📁

Before you start editing, go through all your footage and separate the clips that support the planned story structure on different layers of the timeline so you know what clips to use and not use.

You could also label them with colors so it’s easy to find the moments when you’re building the edit.

4. Choose your music 🎵

Music sets the tone and pacing of the video.

When planning your edit, think about what type of music fits the overall emotion and different sections of the story.

Picking music ahead of time helps you keep a consistent emotional tone and rhythm throughout the edit.

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And now that you’ve planned everything out, you can focus on executing your vision, making thoughtful cuts, and refining the video without feeling overwhelmed, lost, or unsure what to do.

Planning your edit might seem like an extra step, but it’s a step that pays off in the long run by helping you create a much stronger, more compelling video.

The story will flow better, your pacing will be on point, the right moments will hit harder, and your audience will stay engaged which means retention will 📈‼️

If you’re not already planning your edits in your videos, then your videos could probably be improved by following the steps above 👆

Love y’all!

- Norman

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