Here's something most people don't realize about video editing: the first cut you make isn't the intro, it's the decision of what NOT to show in the first 3 seconds.

Every frame in those first 3 seconds is either earning the next 3 or losing the viewer. That's not an opinion, it's how the algorithm actually distributes a video. A slow logo animation, a generic stock clip, a "hey guys welcome back" line, all of it is dead weight sitting where your strongest hook should be.

When I start a documentary or creator edit, the first thing I build isn't the opening graphic. It's the exact frame where the hook lands. Everything else gets built around protecting that moment.

This is the difference between editing that looks good and editing that performs. One is craft. The other is craft aimed at a specific outcome: keeping someone watching past the point where they'd normally leave.