Film editing is a creative and technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film, but increasingly involves the use of digital technology.
The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences to create a finished motion picture. Film editing is described as an art or skill, the only art that is unique to cinema, separating filmmaking from other art forms that preceded it, although there are close parallels to the editing process in other art forms such as poetry and novel writing. Film editing is often referred to as the "invisible art" because when it is well-practiced, the viewer can become so engaged that he or she is not aware of the editor's work.- Wikipedia
Comedies, for example, require a specific type of timing. Editors must estimate how long audiences will laugh at each gag line or situation in order to space scenes so that one funny incident is not lost in the laughter of the previous one.
Film and Video Editors perform the following tasks to complete a film:
• Evaluate and select scenes in terms of dramatic and entertainment value and story continuity.
• Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequence that presents story with maximum effect.
• Use editing equipment to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects.
• Review assembled film or edited videotape on screen or monitor and make corrections.
• Work with Sound Effects Editors and Music Editors.
