2 Truths and A Lie

Gamification is a great educational hook. In my introductory video classes, I employ the game,“Two Truths and a Lie”. It is a fun way to teach some editing concepts. Three concepts we learn are “Sizing Text for Empahasis”, “Audio Leveling”and the power of “Framing Tight”. Getting closer for emphasis.

Jump cuts are simply accepted in a YourTube era where quick turnaround of frequently updated content is more important than careful editing. One simple fix is to simply alternate a closer shot when one needs to pause to restart when recording a presentation. Closer shots or gradually framing tighter itself have innate power. The closer the shot the greater the emphasis. It is a tool a skillful editor can employ to build intensity into a story. It also helps in setting up a helpful audio lesson.

Audio is 50% of an A/V — Audio - Video Production. It is too often ignored. This lesson is designed to create poor audio levels in the source footage. Each shot gets closer and closer to the camera. As a result the source audio has a a Goldielocks type of “Porridge Problem” that demands attention. .

When the camera is further away the audio is “too soft”. When the camera is very close to the speaker it’s “too loud”. When the camera is a reasonable distance to the microphone it is “just right’. As an video editor is it very helpful to develop an ear for varying audio levels. To have an awareness of the need to eyeball the editing interface’s audio meter.

Beginning video editors are simply thrilled to be able use text at all. Like a bad power point presentation it often fills the screen in the same sized font. It is so much better when text is “Sized for Empahsis”. LARGE for what is most important. It catches one’s eye to tempt the viewer to read more. Medium text for concepts that support the main idea. Finally small for the details . Words that a viewer reads because they were drawn in, by being able to initially scan the concept first.

To teach this text sizing concept, I have kids simply pick a personal production company name, that requires three lines of text. It also gets them thinking about themselves a a personal brand. That what they put it in the world matters as a reflection of their effort and skill.

During Covid distance learning I made a video to demonstrate the desired video. It was a humbling experience. The quick turn around was a guarantee to having problems. I’m teaching it again so I am a bit clearer on expectations. I re-edited the video to point out the errors I made along the way. (I still cringe at seeing my own work.) The next phase is to collect successful student exemplars. The following is the video I used to launch the project. https://vimeo.com/532996292