The day I caught my own editing blind spot on video

I had been making YouTube videos for about 8 months and couldn't figure out why my retention was tanking around the 3 minute mark every time. One afternoon I forced myself to watch a video at 2x speed with no audio, just to study the visuals. That's when I saw it - I was holding a single b-roll clip for almost 45 seconds straight while my voiceover kept going. I had never noticed because I was focused on the script, not the pacing of the images. Has anyone else found a weird editing habit this way?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_henderson3617d ago

That's pretty funny because I did basically the same thing but kept rewatching the same stock clip of someone typing on a laptop for what felt like an eternity. My viewers probably thought I was trying to make some deep artistic statement about office work. If I had a dollar for every time I left a 30 second clip of a coffee cup steaming I could actually buy real b-roll instead of using free ones. The worst part is I didn't even catch it until someone left a comment asking if I was getting paid by the second for that mug shot.

ellioth3716d ago

Ha, nice to know I'm not the only one making accidental coffee mug cinema over here.

piperbailey16d ago

Is it possible you're overthinking this a bit? I get that watching your own video from a different angle can help you spot stuff, but I kinda disagree that a long b-roll clip is automatically a problem. Sometimes that coffee cup or typing shot actually gives the viewer a chance to breathe and really absorb what you're saying. If the audio is good and the story is strong, I don't think a 45 second clip is going to make people click away. Maybe the real issue isn't the visual pacing but something else in that 3 minute mark, like a lull in your energy or a topic shift that loses their interest. Have you tried rewatching the same section with the audio and just listening to your tone?