Seven weeks ago, I sat staring at the blank slate of an audio and video design course – equipment untouched, software uninstalled, and knowledge waiting to be explored. Today, I look back on those early moments with a sense of accomplishment, having turned that blank slate into projects I’m proud of.

Reading & Writing

At the start of this journey, my skills were very basic. I owned a DSLR camera, but I’d never taken the time to learn how to use it properly. While I was aware of basic composition guidelines, I wasn’t applying them in any deliberate way. Reading The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel was the perfect introduction. The lessons on everything from pre-production to post-production became essential for tackling my own projects and gave me confidence in areas where I’d felt unsure.

The biggest challenges I faced came during pre-production – the phase where you take ideas and try to translate them into plans. Pinpointing the right approach for production often felt overwhelming, and it took me a while to accept that I wouldn’t get everything right the first time. Learning to embrace trial and error was a hard but valuable lesson that shaped how I approached the rest of the process.

In contrast, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of good audio. I now realize that sound is the backbone of any great project. No matter how strong the visuals are, they lose their impact without quality audio. Moving forward, I’ll start each project by prioritizing audio decisions, knowing this will set a strong foundation for the rest of my work.

With the base I’ve built, I’m excited to expand my skills further, particularly with editing. While it’s tempting to dream about becoming an Adobe Premiere Pro expert, my more immediate goal is to navigate the software with confidence and speed, so post-production feels less daunting and more seamless.

That being said, I’m still no audio and video guru. There’s still so much to learn and explore as a creator. But I’m eager to keep experimenting, building on the knowledge this course has given me, and discovering just how far I can take my skills.

Research to Inform

To prepare for my final project, I dove into research to better understand documentary-style storytelling. You can explore my full insights and pre-production work here. As I move into production and post-production, I’m focusing on finding prime examples of effective transitions, particularly L and J cuts, to incorporate into my own work. Here’s what I discovered:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

An L-cut happens between :44 and :49, where we transition to a wide shot of Frye’s house while the audio from the previous clip – his econ teacher repeatedly calling his name during attendance – continues to play. This cut effectively conveys how absent Frye is from class. He’s not just skipping; he’s fully at home in bed.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

A J cut occurs at the very beginning of this video as we hear Mark Hanna humming and beating his chest before we actually see him doing it. Like the previous example, this creative choice adds to the comedy. We hear the strange tune and wonder where it’s coming from, then at :06 the visuals sync up, leaving us even more puzzled by the oddity of the moment. What makes it even funnier is we see Jordan looking around, trying to gauge others’ reactions, only to realize no one else seems phased.

Create

Here’s my final project: a mini documentary about Thread By Thread Boutique and its incredible owner, Catey. I shot the footage using my Nikon D5600 and a tripod, with a three-point lighting setup and lav mic for the interview. This project was a joy to create, and I hope it leaves you feeling inspired.

I’m excited to build on the audio and video design skills I’ve developed these past seven weeks, and I look forward to using them in the future!