You've probably heard that the best edits are the ones you don't notice. But that's not always true—especially when you're trying to evoke an emotion. I'm Austen Menges, a professional editor with over 20 years of experience specializing in broadcast TV commercials with budgets of $100,000 and hi...
Are you stuck on your editing journey? I can relate. I've been a professional editor for over 20 years, and it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. After editing over 500 broadcast TV commercials with budgets of $100,000 and higher, I’ve learned some brutal truths that I want to share to help make ...
How do you get amazing clients as a video editor? I’ve been a professional editor for over 20 years, and instead of just sharing my own experience, I wanted to bring on one of my longtime clients. His name is Scott Rice—he’s a filmmaker and a veteran commercial director—and we’ve worked together ...
Turn on YouTube for more than a couple of minutes and I guarantee you’ll run into one of the editing mistakes I’m about to talk about. I’m Austen Menges, a professional editor with over 20 years of experience, and today I’m inviting you into my edit suite to share six editing mistakes I hate—and ...
In the world of video editing, the journey from rough cut to polished product is often far from straightforward. It’s a process filled with trial and error, feedback, and countless revisions. Yet, those who embrace this reality can craft truly remarkable work. Below are ten editing secrets you wi...
Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve got tons of footage—maybe even hours of it—your timeline’s in disarray, and there’s no clear story in sight? Where do you even begin?
I’ve been there more times than I can count. So, I want to share four big lessons I’ve learned over my 20-year edit...
My name is Austen Menges, and I've been a professional editor for over 20 years. And this is a hammer.🔨
What does a hammer have to do with video editing? We’ll get to that. But first, if I had to start over as a video editor today, I’d do it completely differently than most beginners. I want to ...
Story editing is one of the most powerful tools in an editor's tool belt, yet it’s often overlooked. Today, we’re diving into story structure—specifically, the Hero’s Journey in Star Wars: A New Hope—with a very special guest. Scott Rice is a co-professor alongside Oscar-winning actor Matthew McC...
When you think of making an edit, you probably think of matching on action—but what if I told you there was a better way to cut? I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, and today I’d like to invite you into my edit suite so I can show you a new way to think about editing, complete with actual e...
I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years, and when it comes down to it there are five simple ideas that have made the biggest impact on my editing. Today, I’d like to invite you into my edit suite so I can share them with you in the context of a broadcast commercial I recently completed, so you c...
Continuity. It’s one of the first rules editors are taught to respect. But here’s the thing: if you make it your top editing criteria, you might miss the bigger picture. I’ve been a pro editor for over 20 years and today we’ll cover what continuity editing is, why it’s not as important as you thi...
Have you ever spent hours searching for the perfect sound effect, only to settle for something mediocre? The problem is likely how you’re searching. Today I’m going to show you three strategies to unlock better sound effects for your projects. Stick around to the end because I have a free guide f...