Vinnie Hobbs is an innovator in the world of music video editing, working with Cardi B, Jennifer Lopez, J Balvin, Kendrick Lamar, and other big names in pop, rap, R&B, and rock. At the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, Vinnie saw two videos he edited walk away with awards: Machine Gun Kelly’s “Bloody Valentine” won Best Alternative and Maluma’s “Qué Pena” ft. J Balvin won Best Latin. Four other videos he edited also competed for the top awards, including Post Malone’s “Circles” for Song of the Year, Black Eyed Peas’ “RITMO” ft. J Balvin for Best Collaboration, J Balvin’s “Amarillo” for Best Latin, and Halsey’s “You should be sad” for Best Pop.
When it comes to editing, Vinnie relies on Premiere Pro to give him the flexibility, speed, and power to create visuals that keep viewers watching again and again. With its combination of simplicity and power, Premiere Pro has features that make it a favorite for some of the top music video editors in the business.
Mike Diva used Premiere Pro for the futuristic world of “Panini” by Lil Nas X. Director and editor Ernie Gilbert worked with Premiere Pro to bring his storytelling touch to John Legend’s “Preach”, Lizzo’s “Juice”, and Childish Gambino’s “This is America”—a project that earned him a 2019 Best Music Video Grammy. Taylor Tracy Walsh, a frequent collaborator for artists such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, and Demi Lovato, praises Premiere Pro for the way it helps her focus on her craft. Here are just a few reasons these and other music video pros love working with Premiere Pro.
Hitting the beats with speed
Great video edits are always driven by narrative, visuals, lighting and more, but music videos add another twist: rhythm. The edit in a music video is often driven by beats, melodies, and the flow of lyrics. Vinnie is known in the music video world for how he emphasizes the rhythm of the edit by playing with footage speed. Inspired by the distinctive choppy movements in Missy Elliott videos, Vinnie might speed up footage, even just for a few frames, to get action to hit the beat. Or he might draw out the visuals just long enough to emphasize a key lyric. Playing with the speed keeps audiences on the edge of their seats as they wait for the next visual to drop.
Adobe Premiere Pro makes this type of speed ramping easy. The time remapping tool inserts a remapping bar that allows Vinnie to adjust the speed of a clip just by clicking and dragging. But it also goes much further, providing full control over speed, acceleration, and transitions for speed ramping. In Vinnie’s expert hands, he can play with the footage to give just the right kick to a music video and keep audiences hooked.
Organizing complex edits
Even though music videos are only a few minutes long, editors often start with an enormous amount of footage. A director might have dozens of camera sequences covering artists from multiple angles as they perform the songs in wildly different locations. Taylor, known for her work on videos such as Katy Perry’s “Cozy Little Christmas” or “7 Rings” and “Thank U, Next” from Ariana Grande, praises Premiere Pro for features that keep her edits as simple and organized as possible.