SDE literally means “Same Day Edit”. This is a short video (sometimes not so short) that is filmed, edited, and shown — all in one day. Everything that happens at the wedding, from morning until evening, is included in the video and shown the same evening of the wedding day. Fullness depends on the operators who shot the material and (to a greater extent) on the editor. The editor has a limited time to review all the materials, select the best, and make something special, emotional, and fascinating out of it. This knotty problem is not for everyone.
It’s hard to say where and by whom SDE was first edited. According to my observations, it started somewhere in the big cities of America. There, a wedding is more like a party, so it would be logical for SDE to be born there. Watching a video from a big party (which is still ongoing!) shows how cool it was.
In Europe, weddings are kinda different. More similar to a family holidays. But of course, sometimes there are also those whose pomp would be the envy of any American party. As it may, now I see how SDE is firmly established around the world and more video studios publish SDE on their pages on social networks, websites, or Vimeo/YouTube.
And now let’s analyze everything from beginning to end.
Why wedding SDE so impressive?
In short, SDE is difficult, stressful, and sometimes comes with unforeseen problems, but in the end, it’s always impressive!
In the competitive world of the wedding industry, you should make a mark. You should demonstrate professionalism and highlight skills. And that’s when clients will want to engage your services. And if they know you’re doing SDE, you move up high on their candidate list.
A wedding is a very fleeting day for brides and guests. It’s hard to just stop and enjoy the atmosphere. Events happen quickly to keep up with everything according to the script. Just a moment ago, it was the bride’s morning, and now we’re cutting the cake at sunset. How wonderful it would be to relive this day! But not in a week, not in six months, but now. And here a wizard (editor) comes to the rescue. In his hands is a magical USB flash drive with SDE. Everyone freezes in anticipation. Three, two, one… black screen. The last breaths of air of the guests before diving into the past, which happened today. A few minutes make people laugh, cry, stop blinking, and hug a loved one or a relative. There are a lot of emotions at this time, I am telling you this from my own experience. There is nothing more beautiful and inspiring for a wedding editor.
Is it difficult to edit wedding SDE?
Is it difficult for you to edit videos in general? If not, then you need to understand how quickly you can edit (technical skills) and how quickly you can brainstorm ideas for videos (creative skills). Of course, you can prepare for work, come up with a few ideas, prepare music, think of some key shots, and make templates. All this will be helpful.
If there are no problems with preparation, we move on. What else is needed? The most important for SDE editing are stress resistance and concentration.
Usually, the wedding editor works at his comfortable workplace, in an atmosphere of productivity and peace. If you have deadlines, proper project planning can help you stay on schedule, given that no unexpected events occur. But SDE is created in other conditions. A huge different conditions! It can be any place where you will work: from a quiet, peaceful hotel room to a small gazebo on the street, where there are many people and extraneous noises. There could be noise, discomfort, and people constantly distracting or hovering over you (not everyone is productive with someone looking over their shoulder). It can be hot or cold, windy, or dirty (and it happens). And in general, anything can happen.
Here are a few cases from my experience:
Sometimes, I have to edit SDEs in coatrooms. The organizers bring me a table, a chair, and an extension cord so I can plug in my laptop. It’s ok to work if it’s summer or spring when it’s warm and there’s no need for jackets. But if it’s winter, working becomes more challenging. People come in and they think I’m a coatroom worker. They want me to bring their stuff, ask me to look after their things, or inquire about matters unrelated to my duties. I have to constantly explain to each person that I’m occupied with other tasks and that my presence here is out of necessity.
Once, I was placed in the basement of a restaurant. There was a large hall where dance parties were held. It was quiet, but terribly cold and damp, even though it was spring outside. And since it was spring, I didn’t have any warm clothing with me. After an hour or two of working, I was so cold that my fingers wouldn’t respond, and my body was shaking. The restaurant didn’t have any blankets (because it was spring), so the operators gave me their jackets so I could warm up a bit and keep working.
There were many instances when I worked alongside other people involved in the event (musicians, the host, organizers, gaffers, etc.). The only issue was that this was a break room, so everyone would come in to rest, eat, and small-talk between their tasks. But not me. I had to work! And almost always, all the chatter and commotion became so disruptive that nothing could be heard on the video (even though I was wearing headphones with the volume all the way up!). This usually led to conflicts, especially with the musicians, who were many. My many complaints and requests for silence either went unheeded or resulted in people being banned from entering the room.
Where am I going with this? When working at an event and editing an SDE, you may find yourself in unpredictable conditions. And time is very limited. You have between 4 to 7 hours to get the job done. You need to be prepared for anything. Literally anything. So no, editing an SDE isn’t difficult; what’s difficult is adapting to the conditions in which you work. You must remain calm and focused throughout the entire work period, no matter what, while still generating creative ideas for the video.
Here are some tips on how to be prepared for unpredictable situations:
- Over-ear headphones for better noise isolation. It’s advisable to have a spare pair; wireless ones are fine, but make sure to have one more.
- A small blanket or a warm jacket (or blazer) in case the room is cold.
- Water and snacks(yes, don’t be surprised). There may be times when the catering is far from your workplace, and there’s no time to go there. It’s great if the organizers are thoughtful and bring everything to you, but sometimes they may not care, so it’s good to have something with you to avoid being distracted by hunger or thirst.
- Chamomile tea. Stress can lead to headaches, and chamomile tea can help alleviate headaches and stress.
- USB flash drives, cables, external hard drives, a mouse, and even a laptop. I’ve been editing SDEs for 5 years, and during that time, I’ve encountered many unpredictable situations. That’s why my team and I are always “well-armed.”
- When work is done, you should give your SDE to the responsible one for the stream (usually the video is streamed by a separate team). Personally check that everything is working (the correct image, the sound is present and clear, and the video plays smoothly). The people showing it generally don’t care about the quality of the presentation. They didn’t make the video, and they’ve likely already been paid for the equipment rental. But for you, it’s the opposite. The success of the video depends on the presentation. It’s not the hours of painstaking editing or the days of preparation that matter; the moment of the screening is what truly matters. If the first impression fails, there’s no point in watching the rest.
Conclusion
Now, let’s draw some conclusions. The process of creating an SDE can be the most challenging work for a wedding editor. You’re in unfamiliar territory with unpredictable conditions. Stress for several hours. Headaches.
But also, SDEs are all about emotions—a lot of emotions from clients. Satisfied and happy clients. And of course, your anxiety before the screening. And the feeling of a job well done and the anticipation of rest too. It the hard work for the sake of feelings. Feelings that energize, inspire and make you want to do it all over again despite the challenges.
I can say that I love editing wedding SDE so much. I’m willing to endure everything just to see the tears of joy from the clients. And that’s awesome! SDE is so cool!