Mark Twain once said: “The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.”
That’s what this feels like.
I have a complex overwhelming task. My brain keeps playing the same old tapes. Why am I even trying to do this. I won’t succeed. There is no way I will ever become proficient with Final Cut Pro. No one cares. And that is where I am right now.
I am still plugging away. I worked on refining the intro. It was much quicker the second time around. I had a clear idea of what I wanted and a better understanding of how I needed to do it.
Importing the pictures was a snap and then scrubbing through them to make each the proper length took very little time.
To save time I exported the video before I added a soundtrack then imported it into a different project and adjusted the playback speed until I had it where I wanted it to be.
I wanted something that would move quickly but not be too short and go by in a blur. Nine seconds felt about right and adding a place holder for the subject of the review would allow me to make subsequent videos easily.
The hardest part was getting the soundtrack to be the length that I needed. I ended up having to add a filler to the beginning of the timeline and adjust the soundtrack so it began and ended where I wanted it to. The I exported it and airdropped it to my phone. I trimmed the video on my phone and airdropped it back to my iPad. There may be an easier way to do this, but I do not know it.
I made a new project, imported the video, and named it “Template” so I remember to not delete it.
I am going to make all of the intro videos I need and save them to an external hard drive, so I have them in a safe place to grab them from when I need them.
I am hoping it will be as easy as that sounds.
That is about it for tonight. I hope all of you are well.
So, it’s day 12 and I think this is where I’m going to say the video is finished.
I feel that it’s OK to say that.
I don’t think that it’s an amazing video. I certainly don’t think it’s a perfect video, but I believe it’s a lot better than the original. That’s what I was shooting for.
This process has taught me a lot.
I need to plan out what I’m shooting instead of hoping the footage I take will somehow allow me to piece it all back together and make a decent video from it. I don’t know if that means having a list of bullet points for the shots I would like or if it will mean doing a quick storyboard to plan the shots and sticking to that. Either way, better planning should make for better videos. It will also save me time in the editing process.
Another thing that I’ve learned is the need to keep things simple. While I was going through the final steps, I had to resist the urge to put transitions between each clip. I had to keep telling myself that each clip didn’t need some sort of effect to make it good. Prior to working on this project, I really thought every clip needed to have an effect. Before taking the time to watch the tutorials, to watch other creators, and to look at the user guide, it seemed like if an effect was available, then each clip should have one.
Simple is better.
Is this video perfect? No.
There are things I see in it I wish I had done differently. I should have taken more still photos with my drone. There are places in the video that I would have liked to have added a still shot to, but I didn’t have it available. I believe as I take more footage, I will have that thought in my head. I need to think about what I am shooting and take a few pictures, so I have them available. I may never use them, but they would be available if I needed them.
Does finishing this video make me an expert at Final Cut Pro? No.
I consider the bet I have with myself to be ongoing. I do feel more comfortable using the software, but it isn’t intuitive for me. I want to get to the point where I remember how to do things and I don’t have to look at notes or go back over a tutorial to find what I want to do. I want to develop that muscle memory.
I’m going to continue with the blog. I’m going to continue to post pictures and videos, And I’m going to continue to learn to use the app and become more comfortable with it. That’s the only way I’m going to learn.
I still have a couple of months before the new iPads are announced that gives me the time, I need to become more comfortable with the app.
On a side note, one of the things that I have come to appreciate with using an iPad, a MacBook Air, a Mac mini pro, and an iPhone is AirDrop. It was very nice being able to share things that were saved on one device with another with the touch of a couple of buttons. I don’t believe I’m an apple fanboy, but I do appreciate the ecosystem.
That’s it for tonight. I’m heading off to bed. I hope that you all have a good evening and I look forward to continuing my journey with Final Cut Pro.
My Final Cut Pro 