Lightworks non-linear editing machine and peripherals.
Lightworks was one of the first non-linear editing systems adopted by the film and television industry. Non-linear editing systems work by copying the film digitally onto hard discs. Individual shots can then be assembled and rearranged at will, without physically cutting the orginal film. Essentially a video-editing system, it was a major departure from conventional video-editing which was 'linear', ie shots were assembled in order on the edited tape. A non-linear system allows the editor to work in the way film editors do, selecting shots and moving them around at will. Non-linear systems work with low resolution files stored on Macs or PCs. At the end of the process, the system produces an Edit Decision List which is used to cut and assemble the final film either physically or, increasingly, from the high resolution files. The system won a 2017 EMMY Award for pioneering digital nonlinear editing.