Like most people around the world, I am looking forward to putting 2020 behind me while also moving forward to what lies ahead. Whatever that may be, I am sure 2021 will present its own set of challenges. I just hope the new year is not as socially polarizing as 2020 was. Either way, I am not expecting only rainbows, nor am I expecting only dark clouds. Life never seems to be just one thing, but instead a mixture of all things all happening at once.
My first personal project of the year was the self-assigned task to create a video montage of my sister’s college graduation using video footage and photographs taken with the new iPhone 12 Pro Max. I wanted to share some nice memories with my family while also trying to cut my teeth on video editing. I used Adobe Premiere to edit the video and set the entire “production” to Third Eye Blind’s song “Graduate.” What was supposed to be one evening of introduction to a new skill set turned into 35+ hours of obsessive compulsiveness to deliver a video that ended up lasting just under 4 minutes.
Of course, I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for those involved in film/video production. Throughout the process it dawned on me that it was taking a single review of the video, an identification as to why something seemed “off,” an adjustment to that one error, and finally an export to the media encoder for review just to take one baby step towards completion. All of this was repeated for what seemed like over a hundred viewings. If I listen to “Graduate” one more time I might throw up.
The same obsession that carries me through Graphic Design is what got me through the video. The difference in efficiency was a lack of experience. I kept asking myself at various stages of the editing process “why could I not see this newly found gratuitous error 15 viewings ago?” What seemed so obvious now was not obvious then. Of course, if I had planned everything ahead of time then the scope of work may not have been so manic. I was also using random shots that were taken without any conscious continuity at the time of their inception, which I discovered, matters.
In the end, I am glad I took on this project as it proved to be both challenging and informative. I am also proud of the end results of the video. I hope that I can find the time and more opportunities to incorporate video editing into my work, or at least into the TMR website and promotional material. Here is hoping that this tiny endeavor is just the beginning to new and exciting challenges for 2021. I hope all of you find something positive to build upon as well!
Cheers