We're on the 4th or 5th day of a heat wave in Seattle. It's been over 90 degrees every day and it looks like there's more. But I really want to practice speed ramps.
Speed ramps are where the video editor speeds up and slows down the video, to make interesting transitions or to slow the action so we can see something cool, like a tricky skateboard move.
And I guess I could just put it off until next week but I also want to practice a new approach to video storytelling projects - planning ahead of time. As I've been learning videography, I've trusted to my instincts and fate to get the right shots and sequences. But as I become more seasoned, I can see the value in planning.
It's more efficient if nothing else - a real bonus when you're doing it for a living!
So, I took a cue from a young man on LinkedIn and started planning out a day-in-the-life video of a videographer... me.
I have an Excel-centric brain so I set up a spreadsheet with the young man's video "moments" in one column and mine in another.

I pared it down and came up with shots to go with each moment. And then I started shooting.
And I kept my eyes open for places where I thought I could practice my speed ramping. Here is the video. (It's 1:30 minutes)
Takeaways for me:
The pre-scripting worked great. I did end up trimming a lot of the VoiceOver I had planned once the video had been edited. I forget sometimes how much of the story images can carry.
For the speed ramps, I like them. They do give energy to the video. But the footage would have to be more stable than I could do with my hands and arms. I probably need to get a gimbal if I plan to do it much.
The bonus for me was I learned a lot about myself. It helped me quiet the sometimes-critical voice in my head that thinks my work should look more like 9-5 work. Which it doesn't. And it never will.
Comments