Editing To the Beat

Editing to the beat is a simple technique in which you cut a video to the beat of a song. This is mainly used in music videos but is also included in many films and TV series to create a rhythmic effect that helps the flow of the final edit.

Burning Heart by Survivor

This music video features cuts that occur on the beat of the son quite frequently. It was very appropriate to cut the video this way as the edit has a good sense of rhythm and pace when one watches it.

Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits

As this music video is an earlier example of such, the editing wasn't as on the beat as you cuts and shots that go on for a while. The sense of pace and rhythm in the video is then lost, which makes the video somewhat awkward to watch as one is constantly having to anticipate the next cut.