editing · four levels # Editor levels Four levels of production - from gathering material to experiments. Pick a character to see that level. Material Narrative Form Experiments Level 1 ## Material WHAT THE EDITOR AT THIS LEVEL DOES Plays the game, captures gameplay (or takes it from streams), cuts it, selects and sorts the material. Looks for the moments that work, guided by the concept, the script and the checklist. The result is material the next levels can actually work with. HOW THEY THINK Thinks in terms of raw material, within the task they've been given: what to find and how to prepare it cleanly so the next step is easy. Doesn't decide how the story gets told, but knows this work is what everything else stands on. WHAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO Play confidently, spot the moments a video can use, cut and structure material, work to a brief and a checklist, keep the whole thing tidy and consistent. Level 2 ## Narrative WHAT THE EDITOR AT THIS LEVEL DOES Builds a clear working draft with a classic narrative. Shapes the logic, the order and the basic structure of the video. This isn't about making it pretty - it's about making it work as a story. HOW THEY THINK Thinks in structure, logic and blocks of meaning - what leads to what, where the viewer follows and where they get lost. Keeps the core loop and the video's basic goals in mind. WHAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO Know narrative structure, assemble an MVP cut, feel the pace, brief a level 1 editor and lead them, stay tidy and disciplined. Level 3 ## Form WHAT THE EDITOR AT THIS LEVEL DOES Once the structure holds, strengthens the form: rhythm, music, pace, transitions, titles, visual accents. The devices work because they strengthen the story rather than replace it. HOW THEY THINK Thinks in form, feeling and energy. Senses where to hook, where to let go, where to let it breathe. Treats music as the skeleton of the form, thinks in measure and contrast. WHAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO A sense of rhythm and music, working with accents and pauses, musical cutting combos, motion devices, titles and transitions, a well-trained eye, teamwork. Level 4 ## Experiments WHAT THE EDITOR AT THIS LEVEL DOES Tries alternative structures and ways of telling it. The question is "what if we told this differently?". Builds versions fast, without polish, and keeps the ones that work as kits - repeatable prototypes of a format. HOW THEY THINK A researcher. Thinks in hypotheses: what if we dropped the exposition? started in silence? made the titles the main device? changed the running time? WHAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO Know every level before this one, build prototypes fast in short iterations, describe an alternative cut as a model - a kit someone else can reuse. [→ Editor levels in the guide](https://workshop.polden.gg/en/guide.html#levels) [Who does what in production - the board](https://workshop.polden.gg/en/pipeline.html) --- Page: https://workshop.polden.gg/en/levels.html · the whole site in one file: https://workshop.polden.gg/en/llms-full.txt