You've got your footage. Now you want to cut out all the bad bits, and put the good bits into some kind of order - something people will really want to watch.

All programs work along the same lines, and the fundamentals are the same whether you are editing a drama, a documentary or an animation. There are generally three things to consider to determine what program you want:

• First, what kind of computer do you have or want to have?
• Second, do you want something simple and intuitive, but limited? Or are you planning to get into editing in a serious way?
• Your budget.

editing alone

Like writing, editing is often done alone. It requires a lot of time and patience, and the perseverance to go over the same few seconds of movie over and over again, nudging a few frames back and forth, until you get it just right. It can be great fun, but it can also be laborious. You have to be the kind of person that sticks with something.

There will be students who happily spend hours in front of an edit package and others who will run a mile, do encourage them to stick with it, as the rewards are great, but slower to perceive.

Having said that, there are some simple edit programs that let you quickly throw something half-decent together. If you are a beginner, you should probably start with a simple easy-to-use program.

editing in groups

It is possible to have two or more editing at the same time, and this can become a rich context for focused teamwork and creativity. It's best if just one student at a time is operating the kit and rotate within this group (as they all know how this film is progressing). If you need to have large numbers editing one film you may be able to split the film into scenes for each group to work on).

You are making the film people will watch, at the premiere and forever after. The director, the producer, the actors and everyone else is depending on you not to mess it up at the final stage. If that doesn't put you off, read on.