Editing Secrets: newsletter week of 9/28

I put out my big iPhone 17 Pro review this week, and in it are a few of my favorite video editing tricks. So in the spirit of never gatekeeping a good thing, I want to spell just a few of them out for ya!

Sound effects:

I have only recently begun to paint a fuller picture in my editing through the use of sound effects (SFX). I think it started because I was feeling bored with my typical visuals, and I wanted to up the game without having to learn After Effects 😅. Now, I am no expert in using SFX, but I do have a few rules:

1. The audience should feel it, not hear it. AKA- don't make 'em too loud, keep 'em purposeful

2. three "swooshes" per video max - these can so easily be overused, and they often are

I usually source my SFX in Epidemic Sound via the Premiere plug-in. I particularly like clicks from old technology, such as VCRs, because the sound of small metal on large metal is oh so good. But I also use a lot of chalk on a chalkboard for my circling animations, or camera shutters when moving between photos. Lately, I have also been putting in a lot more ambient sounds, such as a beach when I show a b-roll from a beach, or a park when I am holding a device in a park. But for those, I try and record audio on location instead of getting it from Epidemic.

I also use this mouse click in almost every video. It's from my friend and former colleague Andru. Feel free to download and use it! The second "clunk" is my fave.

Online Tools:

Background music/or voice remover: https://vocalremover.org/
I find this helpful when using source material, such as Apple Event footage. Companies (and I love to put music behind presenters, which conflicts with the music I'm trying to use. But! It's also fun to grab taglines from old commercials, like this one.

Mostly free archival materials: https://archive.org/
Heads up- there is NSFW material on here as well

Tool for identifying fonts: https://www.myfonts.com/pages/whatthefont/result
A font can totally sell a feeling! I use this when I have some inspirational material that I am trying to match the tone of. Speaking of which...

Inspiration:

YOUTUBE and so much YouTube. First, I watch all of my peers both to support them and to see what is working for them and what isn't. Then I branch out really far, to beauty-tube, fashion-tube, and lifestyle-tube, to see what sort of storytelling they are using and to see what I can bring to the tech side of things. 11/10 would recommend.

It is also important to have a place to save the things you like, so that you can refer back to them. I create playlists on YouTube.

I would love to hear how you create! Pass anything and everything along. With that, here is everything else I thought about this week:

📖 Things I Read:

People Are Farming and Selling Sora 2 Invite Codes on eBay
Could someone please help me understand how this is a good use of compute/energy? Or why someone would want their likeness used by anyone in these videos?

Apple Shelves Vision Headset Revamp to Prioritize Meta-Like AI Glasses
"The first one, dubbed N50, will pair with an iPhone and lack its own display. Apple aims to unveil this model as soon as next year. Apple is also working on a version with a display... [it] had been planned for 2028, but the company is now looking to accelerate development, the people said."

And then two articles that prove Anazlog tech is so back:

Roland’s TR-1000 is its first analog drum machine in over 40 years
"The TR-1000 actually recreates 16 analog sound circuits from the 808 and the 909 while adding plenty of modern sound-shaping and sequencing conveniences."

Kodak Is Selling Its Own Film Again for the First Time in a Decade
Go Rochester (my hometown)! Go film!

📺 Things I watched:

Attempting The World’s Most Extreme Climb
s/o to Domen Škofic, who not only thought of rock climbing a moving plane, but then actually did it.

I Took Bernie Into Deep Trump Country. Can He Win Them Over?
Even if you're not into American politics, this is just damn good storytelling. I learned a lot!

Max Roving's Afghanistan bikepacking trip
An incredible look into a landscape and culture I know nothing about.

We invented the first electric skateboard that rides like a real one
The urge to buy is STRONG.

🎶 Things I listened to:

After watching/listening to Bruce Springsteen's speech at the NYFF premiere of his upcoming biopic "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," I dove deep into his discography. It's important for you to know that I was raised by Bruce Springsteen's biggest fan, my mom. Which means that I have had the privilege of seeing him live many times, an experience I would recommend to everyone, fan or not. So, all of the links below are live performances, where he absolutely shines.

This week started with Wrecking Ball. I sang it over and over again as a nasty cold attempted to keep me from finishing my iPhone 17 Pro review. Naturally, that led to-top-to-bottoming Born in the USA before leading me to Thunder Road, Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, The Rising, and I'm On Fire.

A great week in music over here!

Ok, that is all I got for ya this week, bud. I'll be in London all weekend, so if you have recommendations, please pass 'em along. As always, I appreciate the hell outta ya <3
-becca