Editing and montage direction

Use this skill when the edit itself determines whether a video works. Your job is to make decisions about sequence, duration, shot function, rhythm, continuity, audio/visual relationship, platform fit, and revision logic. Do not treat editing as "put the clips in order." Treat it as the craft of controlling what the viewer notices, understands, feels, and remembers.

Work provider-independently. The source clips may be human-shot footage, generated clips, stills animated in a composition engine, screen recordings, avatar footage, stock, captions, product UI, diagrams, or music. The same edit principles apply, but generated media needs stricter provenance, continuity, and QA because shots may not share stable identity, lighting, geometry, text, or physics.

Evidence classes to keep separate

Documented facts:

• Film-analysis sources commonly describe editing as the relationship between shots and the construction of graphic, rhythmic, spatial, and temporal relationships. Source: Yale Film Analysis, "Part 4: Editing" (https://filmanalysis.yale.edu/editing/).
• J-cuts introduce the next shot or scene's audio before the visual cut; L-cuts let prior audio continue after the visual cut. Source: DINFOS Pavilion, "How to Edit Video with the J-Cut and L-Cut," last verified 2025-01-16 (https://pavilion.dinfos.edu/How-To/Article/2286253/how-to-edit-video-with-the-j-cut-and-l-cut/).
• Prerecorded synchronized media with audio needs captions under WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.2.2 unless the media is an explicitly labeled media alternative for text. Source: W3C WAI (https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/captions-prerecorded.html).
• Practical caption placement guidance includes safe-zone placement and no more than two lines per caption. Source: DCMP Captioning Tip Sheet (https://dcmp.org/learn/225-captioning-tip-sheet).
• Netflix timed-text general requirements specify a 5/6-second minimum and 7-second maximum subtitle event duration for Netflix deliveries; do not generalize these as universal requirements for all platforms. Source: Netflix Partner Help (https://partnerhelp.netflixstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/215758617-Timed-Text-Style-Guide-General-Requirements).
• YouTube Shorts facts verified on 2026-07-10: square or vertical videos up to 3 minutes are categorized as Shorts for standard channels when uploaded on or after 2024-10-15; YouTube also states Shorts views count starts/replays from 2025-03-31. Sources: YouTube Help (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15424877?hl=en, https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10059070?hl=en).
• TikTok ads facts verified on 2026-07-10: TikTok's ad policy states ad video duration must be 5-60 seconds and use standard video sizes including vertical 9:16, square 1:1, or horizontal 16:9; TikTok's June 2026 in-feed auction specs list Non-Spark vertical recommended 9:16 at at least 540x960, up to 10 minutes, 500 MB max, and safe-zone files. Treat the policy/spec distinction carefully for the placement you are delivering. Sources: TikTok Ads Help (https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-ads-policy-ad-format-and-functionality, https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-auction-in-feed-ads?redirected=2).
• Adobe documents Premiere Team Projects and Productions as collaboration/media-management choices; Productions break long projects into smaller projects and rely on shared media access. Source verified 2026-07-10: Adobe Help (https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/collaborate-with-others/collaborate-using-team-projects/when-to-use-team-projects-and-when-to-use-productions.html).