You may have seen that I have done my first #unboxing (which, for the uninitiated, means videoing yourself opening a product a company has sent you for promotion). I am in no way an influencer, as I only have about 450 followers on Instagram and less than 1,000 on Twitter 🤣🤣. But this item was designed for people with bloating, less than pin-thin figures, and who want to be body positive. How dare they! I’m joking of course. If the cap fits, wear it. I am on the curvier side. It’s also designed to be comfortable and non-restrictive, which I am all in favour of.
On the plus side, it refreshed my video editing skills. Cutting a 2 minute video down to around 30 seconds is 50% knowing what to cut out (which I do) and 50% knowing how the software works, which I am less good at. I use Windows Movie Maker although an editor colleague recommends a stripped-down free version of AVID . The pro version is widely used in the TV industry.
I spent the better part of today trying to edit – and then pressing undo, undo, undo – backtracking on myself because I didn’t know what I had done wrong, or how I had managed to rearrange the clips, mark the edit points in the wrong places and couldn’t finetune by adding back in, or taking off, just a few more frames.
Anyway, got there in the end. Useful to keep your hand in. It’s something I am only required to do about once a year but the more I practise, the easier it will be. And it’s nice to be sent free stuff, provided it’s something I’d actually use. If you ever see me unboxing a garden ladder or chemicals for hosing down the garage floor, send me a message to have a word with myself. I will also never begin an unboxing with, “Hey guys,” in that peculiarly chirpy tone that people use on Instagram. Just let me know if I have become that person…
This all, as well, fed into my competence as a media trainer, presenter and presentation skills coach. If I can’t MYSELF put together 30 seconds worth of video that is engaging and interesting for the viewer, then how can I teach other people how to do it? Or how can I have any authority on the subject? I hope all the material I produced on this project for @DesignerFriday Fashion is engaging and watchable.
