A Pro Video Editor's Rookie Mistake (Case Study)

If you've ever edited a commercial or short-form video, you've likely faced the same challenge Scott Rice and I tackle in this video: balancing cleverness with clarity.

Scott—veteran commercial director, former editor, and co-professor with Matthew McConaughey at UT Austin—joined me to dissect a Lone Star beer commercial we worked on together. We thought we’d nailed the edit…until a test screening revealed a big problem: viewers didn’t get the premise. The key moment, where a character unknowingly brings the wrong beer to his friends, was too subtle. They missed the joke. That’s a fail.

So, what happened? We fell into the clarity v.s. cleverness trap (key takeaways below):

• Clarity always wins. A clever shot means nothing if it confuses your viewer. Especially in tight formats like 15- or 30-second commercials, every frame has to land.

• Watch for eye-trace misfires. We used a wide shot that felt elegant, but didn’t guide the viewer’s eye to the critical "Not Lone Star" label. Even a medium shot wasn’t enough—your eye goes to the actor’s face, not the prop.

• Sound design is your secret weapon. A well-placed record scratch or offscreen reaction can direct focus better than a visual alone.

• Your first instinct might be the best. Turns out, our roughest early cut had the clearest communication. A bold zoom on the beer label nailed the story beat.

Scott and I talk through all of this in real time. We brainstorm fixes, revisit old cuts, and model our actual creative process for solving real problems. If you’ve ever wrestled with making your edit land, I think you’ll find a lot to relate to here.

Happy editing!

Austen is an ADDY award-winning film & commercial editor with over 20 years of experience. He has worked with global brands like Meta, KPMG, SAP, and Christianity Today. His PSA work has championed causes like school safety (with Matthew McConaughey), driving safety, and anti-tobacco. A thought leader in the editing field, his online lessons quickly amassed over 100K views after launch.