What does a 54-hour video editing marathon teach me?
There wasn’t any post updated last week. Please accept my sincere apology for not meeting the eagerness to learn. I would still like to share my experience of the previous few days. What can a video editing ultra marathon teach me?
It is not healthy to sit and stare at the screen that long.
Well, something other than that.
Background
The video was mainly for internal project quarterly reporting. As it contains quite a lot of internal information, I cannot share it with you. So, you have to believe I did it, and it is pretty damn good. Back to the topic, I add the scope of intra-corporate marketing to challenge myself. I will discuss the scope in another post, as branding is another important field I am interested in.
I only have five days to collect the materials and finish editing. And I have done it only once before. The first time was a short notice request, and I had little freedom to make it complete and impactful. The learning outcome is close to zero. Therefore, I will still count this new request as a chance to learn a new skill.
Here are the two most important things I have learned. Each comes with four tips. I am still a beginner. The aim is to share the experience, and hopefully, you will have a quick start if you take on a similar task.
Learning 1: How to learn a hard skill (opposite to a soft skill) within days?
Learn it through a well-scoped project.
Focus on the essentials.
Don’t invent the wheels from scratch.
Ask for feedback.
Learn it through a well-scoped project. A well-scope project will force you to learn 80% of aspects of a skill using 20% effort. You’ve probably heard it a lot. Learning a new tool/hard skill through a project is the most efficient. But what kinds of projects? Where to find them? Not all projects can maximize the learning outcome within the same period. First, it needs to have a clear definition of good results. Without expectation is like shooting without a target. You will be lost in the endless loop of shifting focus and local optimization. Second, the more common the use case, the better. Too niche projects can lead to specific technical challenges that can’t be solved in a short time. Finally, put some pressure to force an outcome. A common mistake of a personal project that leads to failure is the lack of consequence. The right amount of pressure will no doubt boost creativity and productivity.
That’s being said. I highly recommend proactively taking on a new project from work. It checks all the marks. Just make sure the stake is not too high if you fail.
Focus on the essentials. Learning a new skill is exciting. But be careful. Don’t fall into the rabbit hole of specific topics—the more essential the subject, the more applicable the skills. When I searched online about making videos, there was much excellent content about LUTs. It’s beneficial to know color grading matters to emphasize an emotion, a tone, and a brand for your videos. But it is not as important as the story and value you want to communicate. And don’t forget; many YouTubers want to sell you their cinematic LUT presets, which you don’t even need.
Don’t invent the wheels from scratch. Standing on the shoulder of giants will give you the view of a giant. But another benefit people tend to forget to mention is the process of climbing up. Both are marketing videos, but what differentiates the intra-corporate advertising video from commercial product video? Why would you select a template with a strong intro with emotion creation than a straight-to-the-point solution opening?
Ask for feedback. If you ask me what is the most important thing in learning. I will say feedback loops. An outcome of a project can be a score or a reward. But what you should ask for is specific feedback. Which part did you great and why? Which part didn’t and why? That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to accept or react to all those comments, but they are helpful to anchor your skill level.
Learning 2: What are the most important things for making a marketing video?
Story & Solution.
Plan, plan, plan.
Always shoot more than you think you need.
Gear doesn’t matter much, but you should have the essentials.
Story & Solutions. For a marketing video, you are asking for purchase or funding, creating the craving for the product or the solution you provide is the most important thing to focus on. The video format is convenient for delivering a story. Build a connection with the audience through a set of actions that is relatable to them. This requires you to be very clear on what the value and message the product is providing. Cadillac builds luxury cars. It competes against handmade watches, haute couture, and customized adventure experiences than transportation means. It will then deliver the value of wealth, status, and symbol. While for mid-year reporting, you are asking for an understanding of progress and a sense of in-control. The story will come with history and facts. Your audience should still be reminded about the relevance. Support only comes when the solution you provide is painfully relatable to them. Unfortunately.
Plan, plan, plan. Plan the shots as early and as detailed as possible. It requires you to have a very vivid imagination of the video already. You are crystal clear about the value you want to deliver and how. Don’t easily change the storyline onsite. I drew the storyboard several days ago before the shooting. It took me only five minutes for each one I drew. Then, a new idea came. Some scenes needed to be added. It took the team another three days to build the setup for five seconds in the video.
Storyboard
Always shoot more than you think you need. A very practical tip. Shoot the scene several more times with an extended transition. It will save you a massive amount of time and headaches during editing.
Gear doesn’t matter much, but you should have the essentials. A modern phone with built-in stabilization or a cheap gimbal is mostly enough. If not, a full-frame DSLR or APS-C vlog camera will do the job. Perception of the product value is partially embedded in the video quality. Don’t save pennies on gear when it can jeopardize the message you want to communicate.
I hope this post helps you learn a new skill or plan a video shooting.