Madison Vale

I would say that’s one of my favorite phrases. To tie things in a nice bow just sounds like a lovely way to say everything is put together. This week was a busy one, making sure all my loose ends were taken care of (and no matter how much work I do, it always feels like there’s a lot of them!)

Lot’s of things had their final touches put on them, the biggest being my final videos and YouTube channel! Since everything is now wrapping up, let’s take a moment to look back on 3 of the biggest topics I learned about during this project: editing, organization, and research.

Editing Takes Time (lots of it!)

One of the most eye-opening parts of this project was realizing just how much time editing actually takes. When I first started, I thought that the bulk of the work would be my filming process. Boy was I wrong – I quickly learned that editing is where the true magic happens (and where most of my hours go).

Since this series had multiple videos, I started to get into a groove after the first video, setting the tone for how I wanted to edit each one going forward. Once I set something in the first video, I was able to emulate that in the others which helped streamline my process. What I thought would take a couple of hours per episode often turned into full days going back and forth to fine tune.

Organization is Key

With editing being the most time-consuming part of my project, organization was my savior. Without a clear plan in place, my entire process could have very quickly spiraled into chaos.

I learned this the hard way when I started by just keeping files on my desktop which led to a disorganized workspace, and ended with me not being able to find the files I wanted. I realized that I needed to implement a better organizational strategy. I created folders for my videos, dance clips, audio files, motion graphics, and polaroid photos to give everything I place to live.

This level of organization paired with my project management system helped me feel less overwhelmed. It made it easier to pick up where I left off each day and ensured that I didn’t miss anything in my final cut.

Good Research Goes a Long Way

Finally, I realized that good research was going to be the foundation that this project was build upon. While my creativity and originality are important, they’re only effective if they’re supported by good research.

For this series, I spent a hefty amount of time researching my choreographers and watching their work in depth before even scripting my videos. I wanted to make sure that the information I presented was accurate, relevant, and engaging for my audience. This research paid off in a few different ways. It helped me feel more confident while filming, reduced the number of corrections I needed to make during the editing process, and helped produce engaging content for my audience to enjoy – which is the main goal.

Tie it in a Nice Bow

With all my loose ends tied up, my project is officially complete! I am so proud of the final product and grateful for what I have learned along the way. This project is the start of a new chapter of content creation, and I couldn’t be happier.