How to Film & Edit Video Shorts

Short videos are a great way to get visibility as an artist! This video provides ideas for short videos, info on easy software you can use for editing, adding graphics, stills of art, and captions.

44 min. video

Tips for how to shoot video footage that will be dynamic in a video short. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Cat Huang, and staff Mia Rozear.

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Video Walkthrough

  • Why is it worth trying out video shorts as an artist?
  • Instagram’s announcement about emphasizing video shorts.
  • Think about shorts as a “taste test” for your longer content.
  • Platforms for video shorts: YouTube shorts, Tik Tok, Instagram Reels
  • If you don’t know where to start, look for trends like Art vs. Artist.
  • Get ideas for videos from other artists.
  • Movement in video draws in your audience’s eye.
  • Don’t be afraid to be silly on camera
  • Show who you are, be specific about your personality: pets, objects, etc.
  • “Hooking” the viewer within literally 1 second is everything!
  • Although shorts can be up to 1 min, that’s considered to be “too long.”
  • 15 seconds is ideal for a video short
  • When shooting video footage, the more footage, the better!
  • Editing apps make editing simple and accessible.
  • Filming can be disruptive to your work flow, film a few moments and then you can work uninterrupted.
  • Mix up stills and video, stills can save you a lot of time.
  • Use super fast cuts when editing.
  • Add graphics and captions.
  • Sync your video & stills to music.
  • Music can captivate your audience in a way your art may not!

Trent’s Tips

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Unless you are in a class, you are under no obligation to explain to others how you make your art.

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Trent

I see a lot of artists on social media these days demanding that other artists “show their work” to see if they “cheated” by using digital tools / 3D models / AI / tracing / whatever. As long as you aren’t stealing from others, it is not their business.

Trent is a moderator in our Discord server.

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