I remember the first time I opened Imovie. Yes, it was six years ago. I was in Canada freezing my tuckus off and I made a video about the freezing weather.
It was the first video I'd ever shot on my computer. I downloaded Imovie because it was free, and I "produced" a little short that ended up on my Facebook page.
I was very proud of myself.
After that, I did a few videos that I uploaded to Youtube. Here is one of those old videos:
I can't tell you where I shot that or anything else about it, but I do know I did it in Imovie.
I was pretty impressed with my new skills but not so enamored of them that I continued to do movies much after that.
No, I didn't have much use for the whole video story connection.
Fast forward to 2020.
I opened Imovie again for the first time in six years and had to start all over. Nothing about it was familiar.
I have no idea what other people have on hand if they are not mac folk.
I sent out an SOS to the internet. Someone suggested I use Adobe.
Adobe? Right. That's why I have children. If I need something in Adobe, I'll just ask them.
Brainstorm! I'll shoot videos and let my kids edit them. If they balk, I'll start talking about how I had hyperemesis with both of them and they owe me.
No, I would never do such a thing. I'm talking about the hyperemesis, not asking them to do things for me.
After letting my son edit my first video series back in March, I decided I should learn the software and do it myself.
Back to Imovie and video tutorials like this one:
So, that's the end of this post...
No, just kidding.
Once I started using Imovie, I discovered it wasn't as flexible as I needed it to be, and besides that, the dang thing kept crashing.
So, I upgraded to Final Cut Pro.
I love Final Cut Pro.
This post, however, is not about the software. Use what you like. This post is about what I've found effective in editing, and what I have found to be ineffective.
My experience with editing has led me to these conclusions:
1. You can edit out every pause, and smack, and slip of the tongue and produce perfect looking videos. Yes, you can, but it is not natural. The humanness of the story is in your humanity. Humanity is not perfect.
2. You can edit in the midst of a story, but be very wary of where you start from and where you end.
Matching your hand gestures, tone, and such is tricky.
3. If you must edit internally, it is more important to match your voice than your hands, gestures, and the tilt of your head. Try this - Close your eyes. Can you hear the edit? If you can "hear" the edit, then you should reconsider that section. (A tip from my son)
4. Listen to your edited footage...more than once. I had some bad edits when I first began and luckily they were caught by people who love me before they were widely distributed!
5. Whenever possible, I do the story in a single take. I perform as if there is an audience present, and I just get through the tale. I can always go back and edit out things if I hate them, but I much prefer the single take to multiple edits in the story.
6. If I get too flustered and can't get through a tale, I stop and move on to a different story, or I stop for an hour or the day.
7. I stop when I get tired. It comes across in the recording
8. I stop when I get frustrated. It comes across in the recording
9. I stop when I am feeling stressed. It comes across in the recording.
10. It is perfectly okay to hate the sound of your own voice. Get another set of ears on it before you erase it in a fit of anger or disgust!
11. Recording yourself and editing the product is incredibly exhausting. Monitor yourself. Keep hydrated, and make sure you take enough breaks to keep the work fresh
A few hints -
1. Before I start speaking, I pause, give the camera a huge smile, and hold it for two seconds. I end the same way. That way, I will have a visual cue as to where the actual recording is starting and ending.
2. I use fades between stories as well as at the beginning and end of clips. I give the audience at least three seconds to reset before the next story. More if it is a particularly heavy one.
3. I offer custom introductions to venues for the videos
4. I offer live Q&A or discussion for an extra charge if you get a pre-recorded show....
Wait!
I've strayed into marketing with the last two statements. Oy. This business of editing and marketing and how you work this all bleeds into each other!
Okay.
Time to edit this post.
Next Week...How to market the Virtual Storyteller!
See you then!
Happy Recording!
Part 4: Lighting the Virtual Storyteller
Part 6 - The Virtual Storyteller - I'm a Teller Not a Film Editor!
An editing trick from a musician friend... clap your hands just before you start. If you have to seperate layers of audio and video match up later you've got a visual and audio cue you can use.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your series.. Great help.
Thanks for that tip, Ken!
DeleteGreat idea, Ken - thank you. And thank you, Donna! Agreed, it does not have to be "perfect" - I am not. But it should sound like me.
ReplyDelete