Many first edits aren’t “wrong” on a technical level but still feel too slow. A shot lingers too long, something that happens next is late, and everything just feels dragged out even if the clips are actually fine. Slow pacing is very hard for a beginner to pick up because it’s not only about being able to cut fast. It’s also about recognizing how long a shot has to stay on the screen for the viewer to comprehend an action, get a reaction, see something change, etc. Good pacing will make the final video more clear and engaging. Bad pacing will make even simple footage feel boring. The good news is that pacing can be practiced in short practice runs using simple clips, and getting better at it usually involves knowing which parts to take out rather than layering in extra effects.
A good way to start is to look at something that has an inherent beat to it. Try editing something simple like making coffee, opening a package, putting on shoes, cutting a fruit, or arranging a desk. These everyday activities work well because they consist of short, contained bits. Select several short clips of the activity and assemble the basic version of the scene without worrying about music, titles, or any kind of effects. Play the result from start to finish and take note of the moment when your own attention drifts off. Notice which clip has the exact moment that your focus shifts? That moment is important because chances are the clip starts sooner than needed, ends longer than needed, or shows you something you saw in the previous clip. Beginners often hold the front and end of every clip for a few frames past what’s needed because they’re worried about cutting in too tight. In most cases, those extra few frames are what slow things down.
A beginner’s first instinct when it comes to slow pacing is to just throw in a lot of fancy transitions between clips as a way to mask the pacing issues. But transitions don’t really do anything about timing. If the shots are too long and the content is too sparse, it just slows down how long it will take for the next shot to arrive. In that case, you should start by turning off all the transitions. Then, look at just the cuts and ask yourself, “Is this shot telling us something new?” If the answer is no, trim the shot or get rid of it entirely. Or simply use a pause as you watch the video. Play through the sequence and use a finger as you move to pause on the first moment where you feel that your attention is about to drift away. That moment will usually point out where the pacing is off because of things like repeated motion, a reaction that lasts too long, or an establishing shot that has said everything it has to in the first few frames. This process helps you understand pacing better and teaches you to be attentive rather than just guessing.
There is a short pacing practice that works especially well for beginners. During the first 5 minutes, grab 6 to 8 clips for a small task. During the next 5 minutes, assemble the quick and dirty cut. For the next 5 minutes, tighten the edit by trimming a few frames off of as many clips as possible. Then, watch the “quick and dirty” vs. the “tightened” versions next to each other. The quick and dirty version tells you what parts of your edit felt rushed. The tightened version tells you the parts of the pacing are better and the parts where you took it too far. It’s easier to understand the pacing if you see the before and after because these two versions come from the same clips. As you do these practice runs a few more times, you’ll notice that you get a better feel for what pace to use.
At the point where you’re editing and you notice your pacing getting out of whack, stop cutting at that moment. Figure out the function of each shot. One clip introduces the scene, another shows the primary activity, another provides some kind of reaction or a detail. Once you know what function each clip is playing, it’s easier to judge how long each one will be. A clip with a closeup detail will probably need to be shorter than a wide shot that establishes the location. A reaction shot can be strong, but if it’s longer than the reaction actually needs to be, the timing will be off. Beginners tend to move forward faster with their skills if they stop thinking of clips as pieces to be cut individually, and start thinking about how they fit into a whole. This is what will move the viewer through the scene versus make them wait.
You’ll be able to get a better sense of how well your pacing is working if you ask a focused question about it. Rather than showing a viewer an entire edit and asking “what did you think of the pacing?” try this: Show the viewer a 20-second section of the edit and ask them where it feels like something is taking too long or has repeated content. If you’re editing by yourself, you can still build that type of feedback for yourself. Watch through your own edit a few minutes after you cut your first pass or at the beginning of the next day. Your first reaction on the clips you thought were working will be your real-time reaction to how they actually worked. The quicker you get to notice the dragging bits of an edit, the quicker you’ll get the hang of good pacing. You’ll start knowing when to let a shot breathe and when it needs to get snipped so the next shot can get there quickly. That sort of pacing judgment comes from working with short editing practice projects and learning to be deliberate when you trim rather than cutting too long just to be on the safe side.