The present invention provides an editing system and method for editing source
content such as video and/or audio material to produce an edited content sequence,
source metadata being associated with portions of the source content. The system
comprises storage for storing a template defining a desired style for content,
template metadata being provided within the template to define the desired style,
and a processing unit configured to apply the template to the source content by
comparing the source metadata with the template metadata and to arrange the portions
of source content in accordance with the comparison to produce the edited content
sequence. This provides an efficient technique for providing an editor with a first
cut in which the content has been arranged into a desired style, thereby avoiding
the need for the user to spend time familiarizing himself/herself with the content
prior to performing editing of the source content. From this first cut, the user
can then proceed to make any further alterations deemed appropriate.