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ICYMI: 8 Powerful Pointers on Video Editing From Mary Kay McFarland

Gracie D'Amato
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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WVU chapter.

YouTubers, vloggers and video editors pay anywhere from $300 to $1,000 for video editing apps and software. While these more professional tools may produce higher quality, a beginner can get started with a free app available right now in the palm of your hands. So, do yourself a favor: download iMovie, and let your editing dreams come true.

So, you have the app, but how do you make your videos and pictures look like a pro took them? Well, Mary Kay McFarland weighed in during Her Campus at WVU’s last writing workshop with PRSSA. 

1. Treat your phone lens like you would your glasses.

Nothing is worse than a blurry screen when you are trying to make yourself look like a professional editor. So before taking any pictures or videos, wipe off your lens.

2. Turn on airplane mode.

Don’t let your very detailed, long-winded mom calling in the middle of your video ruin all your hard work.

3. Invest in a $15 tripod from Amazon.

Another thing that can destroy the professional quality of your video is when you’re shaking like a leaf and your video looks like it was filmed on a rollercoaster.

4. Never ever zoom. 

Phone cameras don’t have DSL sensors, so if you zoom in on your phone, the videos/pictures will turn out gritty.

5. Capture multiple angles. 

Get closer to your subject so the video seems more personal, but also don’t forget to shoot wide angles as well in order to capture the scene.

6. Interview your subject before you make your video.

This way you can learn your subject’s story. “If you don’t care about your subject, you shouldn’t be videoing them. Video is taken because you get to actually care about how a person sounds, walks, and how they react about certain things,” explained McFarland.

7. Capture these 5 simple things:

  • Close-up of the hands (so you know what they are doing)
  • Close-up of the face (so you know what they look like)
  • A wide shot (so you know where they are)
  • Over the shoulder shot (so you know who they are with)
  • Unusual/alternative shots (so you can include any other part of the story)

8. iMovie makes it very simple to overlay audio to a video as well as apply effects. However, one big limitation to iMovie is the limited text options.

What is available on your phone is amazing. Your phone is able to shoot in 4K and edit beautifully. So, go ahead, make yourself a pro!

 

Gracie is a Junior at WVU pursuing a degree in Advertising and Public Relations with minors in Sales, Medical Humanities and Health Studies, and Health Promotion. She hopes to become a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative and be active in the medical field. She is an avid lover of dogs, Netflix, and naps. She also enjoys driving around in her car playing music entirely too loud and dancing all while she's wasting her gas. She also loves meeting new people.
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