a few weeks ago, i grabbed my iPhone and canon DSLR and boogied downtown to cross a lingering item off of my to-do list: "learn how to shoot and edit video."
sure, i've fooled around with iMovie, but the most i ever did was set music to a 10-second video of a baby otter. needless to say, formal training was in order.
the first day of class was held at the land of all things awesome -- poketo. the instructors were the lovely and creative bri of blogshop and her talented (and patient) videographer boyfriend, arian of modshift. we learned how to pan, zoom and track (and more) using handheld camera techniques and a lot of "what would wes anderson do?" thought processes.
we shot everything from facial expressions to sidewalk splatters, keeping in mind we would assemble our digital madness into an award-winning edited video the following day.
the next day was a photoshop wonderland of video editing.
yes, the latest version of photoshop CS6 has video editing capabilities! being the photoshop groupie that i am, i knew this would be right up my alley.
bri and angela skillfully guided us through the steps and tricks to lay out video tracks, add music, use overlays, add fades, and use good ol' photoshop adjustment layers, masks, and effects. they even used videos they had created as examples and provided us with extremely helpful exercise files.
and of course, there was a fabulous photo booth. behold, our glorious instructors!
and last, but not least, MY FIRST VIDEO!
cobbled together using the footage shot during our workshop at poketo, it's pretty silly, but was very fun to make. oh, and blogshop is holding a little contest, so if my video gets picked, i score a shiny new copy of CS6! i am currently on a trial version that expires in 12 days, so wish me luck.
finally, a big thank you to video blogshop, all of the other students, and poketo. new skills, new friends, and new inspiration -- who could ask for anything more?
photography by whorange.
Comments
Great job, Tula!! I can't believe you've never edited a video before. It looks amazing. How did you get it to look like vintage film?
Posted by: Jillian | October 03, 2012 at 07:08 AM
That is the cutest video ever! I love every second of it. The little elephant animation is so cute. And i love your dancing :) Congratulations!
Posted by: Em | October 03, 2012 at 07:42 AM
Hi Jillian! Thank you so much for the love. The vintage film look is the 8mm iPhone app. A must have!
Posted by: tula | October 03, 2012 at 08:14 AM
TULA! I can't believe this is your video debut. You shoot and edit like a pro. Sofia Coppola watch out!
Posted by: Ally | October 03, 2012 at 09:08 AM
Adorbs to the tenth degree. Congratulations, Tula! Love it.
Posted by: Smith | October 03, 2012 at 10:09 AM
Um, that otter video is more than 10 seconds long. You have to give yourself more credit than that! ;)
Posted by: Jenn R. | October 03, 2012 at 10:59 AM
Jenn R, Ha! You are right. My editing cred just increased ten-fold!
Posted by: tula | October 03, 2012 at 11:44 AM
I have always wanted to learn how to edit video too. I used Premier back in the day for about a second, but I can imagine it's come a long way since then. I don't know Photoshop that well, so maybe there is another program? Regardless, congratulations on your really well done video! You should be very proud. Inspirational indeed.
Posted by: Alexis | October 03, 2012 at 12:32 PM
That being said, do I need to know Photoshop pretty well to use the video editing features? Or is that a completely dumb question?
Posted by: Alexis | October 03, 2012 at 12:36 PM
Love the video and I love your "whorange" colored dress!
Posted by: Stevie | October 03, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Hi Alexis, knowing Photoshop definitely helps because you're working with layers and masks and adjustments. If the regular Blogshop class comes to your town you should sign up! It's a invaluable skill. Otherwise, i know a lot of people edit in Final Cut, but I've never tried it. Hope that helps!
Posted by: tula | October 03, 2012 at 01:32 PM
Now it's time to visit Seattle again and have a gander at Alec's set-up! Excellent video, my friend!
Posted by: Heta | October 03, 2012 at 03:43 PM
Tula this turned out great! Oh memories of blog shop... I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!
Posted by: Christine | October 03, 2012 at 10:05 PM
How much fun! I am a huge fan of Design Love Fest and it's great to hear her workshops are as great as they appear to be. Great job on the video!
Posted by: Em | October 04, 2012 at 07:31 AM
Hi Christine, thank you! It was so great to meet you at the workshop. We need to get together and shoot something :)
Posted by: tula | October 04, 2012 at 08:15 AM