Where to Find Video Editing Classes

Once you’ve decided that you are planning on enrolling in a video editing class, you’ll want to consider the myriad of different options available to you for finding classes. Since video editing is such a significant aspect of filmmaking and it is a technical profession, there are numerous programs and schools aimed at helping people learn the program as either professionals or as hobbyists. Each kind of school will have its own affordances and limitations, so understanding the difference between different types of schools is important.

Noble Desktop and other professional training centers

With the help of its classes near me tool, Noble Desktop offers prospective students the ability to compare different professional training centers and certificate-granting programs. These courses tend to be focused on professional development, aiming to ensure that students leave the courses prepared for jobs in the editing industry (though they also offer introductory courses for hobbyists and beginners not looking to dive into full-time professional editing work). These classes are ideal for students who either need to quickly learn skills that they can apply in their current position or students who are looking for a career change. The limitations of these courses lie in their attempt to balance an immersive education with a manageable length. As a result, the classes tend to be very practical and career-focused, which can be ideal for students looking to quickly learn the technical skills that underscore film editing but will be less than ideal for students who want to learn the art and science of film editing. These courses are great for anyone who wants to learn how to edit in Premiere Pro, but they will be less rewarding for students who want to learn how to edit like Alfred Hitchcock.

Film Schools and Universities

If learning the subtle art of editing as a vital part of filmmaking is your goal, film schools and universities are probably the best place to look. These schools are most commonly associated with the degrees that they offer, including both BAs and MFAs in filmmaking and editing. However, they also occasionally offer more accelerated classes and part-time programs for students who aren’t able to enroll in a full-time semester of college classes. However, the schools that offer part-time classes don’t tend to be the most beginner-friendly, operating under the assumption that you understand the technical aspects of video editing and have an understanding of essential theories and techniques (many of these programs are the equivalent of graduate MFA programs). By contrast, aiming for an immersive program will be very time consuming and expensive, with many programs taking years to complete and costing tens of thousands of dollars. These programs are great to look at if you have the time and are committed to a career in film editing (or if you have aspirations of winning an Academy Award).

Coursera, Udemy and other on-demand platforms

Given the nature of video editing and the nature of online content creation, it makes sense that one of the most common forms of prerecorded, edited video essays and tutorials would focus on editing. As such, you can find a great many different on-demand video editing classes on platforms like Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare, Masterclass or any number of emerging video tutorial platforms. These classes are a great way to learn the ins and outs of editing from whatever angle you find to be the most intriguing, so if you want to learn about editing theory, there are plenty of filmmakers producing their own tutorials on the basics of cinematic editing. Likewise, there are plenty of on-demand tutorials that aim to help students learn the technical process of navigating around an application like Premiere Pro. The drawbacks to these classes are two-fold. The first is that you are just watching a video recording, so if something is confusing, unclear or poorly explained (or out of date, since these classes might not be updated in real time). The second drawback is that it isn’t always obvious what kind of course you will be getting when you “enroll” in a class. While there are some great classes on these platforms, you may discover that the class isn’t what you thought it was, leading to you spending valuable time and energy on the class. In addition, many platforms operate on payment models that make it hard (or impossible) to purchase individual classes.

Apprenticeships

While somewhat rare, it is still possible to find apprenticeships as a video editor. Film editors are part of one of the more significant creative unions in Hollywood and they offer training services for anyone wanting to learn the more complex art of film editing. These apprenticeships will vary wildly in terms of their accessibility, pay, requirements and tasks, meaning that you’ll need to be judicious and patient when looking for options. In addition, most apprenticeships operate as entry-level jobs or paid internships, so you won’t be able to get trained on the side through this process. Finally, very few apprenticeships are available for complete beginners, so you’ll need to have some understanding of the underlying film theory and editing techniques. These are basically entry-level jobs, so you can think of this as a kind of training that continues after you complete a certificate-granting program.

YouTube and other free resources

Depending on what you need to know and how much of a background you already have in video editing, there are a lot of free tutorials on platforms like YouTube to help you get very cursory knowledge of video editing programs, and there are thousands of film experts making video essays on editing techniques, histories and styles. This means that if you have a specific question or an interest in a specific aspect of video editing, you’ll be able to easily find a number of different options to provide you with the information you want. So, if you are interested in learning how to properly place a jump cut using Premiere Pro or a brief explanation of why video essayists love to use jump cuts, you’ll find many options to choose from. The obvious drawback here is that this will always be a cursory education, and while there are a select few who might be able to pick up intermediate editing skills purely through free online resources if you have professional aspirations, you’ll need professional training.