AUTHOR and Professional Video Editor
Who is Cedric Lyons II?
Photography by: Hannah Hudgins
I’ve been editing videos since I was a young lad putting together the morning announcements and creating small production commercials. During those years, I won first place with my crew in a Digital Fair and couldn’t be prouder of myself. Hilarious enough, film editing was still just something I did to pass the time. I didn’t pick it back up until my junior year in high school. I learned the many terms of editing and even put it into practice. I made all sorts of videos and harnessed many opportunities from the school and city. I filmed sports events, commercials and promotional videos and even informative pieces for the city’s library. I would even stay out late to edit a time-sensitive project. Each new opportunity left me determined to get better and learn more about the craft. I even found the time to film my own shorts and explore different techniques along the way.
Photography by: Hannah Hudgins
In college, my skills were further honed and tested in many annoying ways, but with each trial I quickly adapted. This gave me the opportunity to understand documentary style editing as well as many other forms I had never scratched the surface on such as music video and broadcast. Everything seemed new and undiscovered. From there, I decided to take my time and understand how a film production functioned. I explored different positions on and off set and even found love in playing with audio and creating animations. The efficiency of my edits increased and brought the quality of them with it. I truly felt like I was growing. Even when experiencing true failure, I took notes instead of feeling completely worthless. My college experience was far from easy and it shaped my understanding of the entire process of production from start to finish. Including the many setbacks it brought along.
Photography by: Hannah Hudgins
Now, my mind is unhinged. Time has been fighting me on my path to becoming a more experienced animator. Editing has become an organized gathering, color coding and naming each layer or nested sequence. My order of operations has become easier to understand, even when dealing with multiple assignments simultaneously. Deadlines are a challenge I accept with confidence. Doing what I do is a dream my younger self would be proud of. This is only the creative side of me.