It can sometimes be difficult to tell what should be left in and what shouldn’t be when you're editing. Whenever you’re in doubt, think about whether the scene or shot in question adds to your story development or supports your central message. If you find that the shot detracts from your message, cut it out and don’t look back. Web video is all about being concise – most people won’t bother to take the time to watch if you include irrelevant information and don't just get to the point.

Reflectors are thin circles of silvery, gold or white fabric stretched over lightweight frames. They’re a very handy thing to have on a production because they can act as a fill light in a pinch, bouncing the light you already have back onto your subject and filling in shadows. Gold reflectors are particularly useful because they warm up flesh tones on actors. While reflectors aren’t very expensive, if you’re intent on pinching pennies you can always create your own by cutting cardboard circles and covering them with tin foil.

A dolly zoom, also known as a Hitchcock zoom, is a technique that has the camera dolly in toward a subject while zooming out in the opposite direction (or vice versa). The effect can be quite jarring because it keeps the subject’s size the same relative to the frame while the background changes. The dolly zoom is often used in horror movies or thrillers because it is so shocking visually. Alfred Hitchcock uses it very often (see Vertigo), and it appears in Jaws as well when Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) is stunned by the shark attack at the beach. Although a useful technique to know, the dolly zoom should not be overused and must be practiced thoroughly.

A jump cut is an editing term referring to an abrupt break in a continuous shot, most noticeably when a moving object appears to jump within the frame. Take the example of an interview. After shooting what you need, you may notice that your subject’s answer is long-winded and you only want certain parts. However, the subject maintains the same basic position within the frame the entire time. If you cut from one part of his answer to another, his head or hands will appear to jump in the frame as he moves them while speaking. To fix this, one solution is to use a cutaway shot. Literally, you cut away from the primary shot of your subject to a secondary shot like a close-up of his hands. This way, you can cut back to the rest of the subject’s answer without seeing him jump.