Managing Expectations

5 Things New Videomakers Should Know BEFORE They Start

Working with video is very different than writing an essay or research paper. Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you embark on your first video project.

Scene from the incredibles with character saying "Yeah I've got time"

1. This will take longer than you suspected.

And that's okay! Give yourself 50% more time than you think you'll need to complete a project—if you think it'll take 2 hours to finish editing your video, give yourself 3 hours.

2. You will have to reshoot.

...Most likely. People will awkwardly walk into your scene, the mic may fall in the middle of take, the list goes on. This is part of the process so budget extra time for this, too!

teary eyed person holding their forehead

3. You might get overwhelmed.

If you do, try rewatching a video that inspires you. Realize that it most likely has full-time teams of writers, editors, directors, and camera crews behind it. If you're doing a solo project, you're doing the work of many teams of people all at once. So, treat yourself like a talented video crew: give yourself plenty of breaks, and don't sacrifice your own wellness for the sake of the project.

4. You might try too hard to make it look "cool"

Slow motion looks cool, we all know this. But is it the best tool to tell your story? You have a story to tell—is that cool graphic helping you tell that story? Or is it a rabbit hole you've sunk too much time into? Always champion good storytelling over gimmicks.

5. You are developing a skill!

Whatever your reason for making your video, consider that continuing to develop media literacy will only help you in almost any career you pursue. So think of this as an opportunity to develop some professional skills that will make you stand out from a pool of applicants or provide you with a future side-hustle!

Video Projects BREAKDOWN

This section should give you an idea of the amount of time and the overall general steps required to create a finished video, based on some popular types of video projects. Steps that you see in bold are common to various types of projects. Feel free to copy and paste the steps into a google doc, notes app, or other organizer to make your own checklist!