https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_pa42mNK60

Scenic videos normally have slow moving instrumental songs played in the background, with the exception of some which go for a more cinematic and epic feel. Whatever the editor chooses, something I’ve noticed throughout these kinds of videos is the way they are cut. For big dramatic beats in the song, the editor might cut to a sweeping epic shot, or in other cases, every beat there will be a cut to another shot, allowing for a sense of rhythm in the edit. It means that shots never end up overstaying their welcome, and it gives the editor a better understanding of where to cut depending on the song. Fast moving songs require a lot more cuts, while slow moving pieces allow for a bit more restraint.

In the sketch I have made, I chose to use a generic piano piece as my song choice, and synced my cuts to every big piano beat – there are four in the timespace I have chosen, meaning four cuts/shots. I shot with Sony a7S on a rooftop, getting great footage of the Melbourne CBD area. The song also fit the piece very well, as all the shots I used were wides, all within the same kind of look, and there was a moody atmosphere as it was a cloudy, overcast day.

This kind of technique is something I love as I do it on 90% of the shoots I do, particularly trailers. It just gives the editor a sense of rhythm when they are cutting their videos together. Philip Bloom does this a lot in his videos as well.