Chapter 3: The First Video

As in any field, the more expensive the tools, the higher the quality of the finished product.

There’s a saying that a master craftsman doesn’t blame their tools, but such masters usually have excellent tools.

This also applies to video editing.

Paid programs are better than free ones.

Free programs like Movie Maker are incomparable to Premiere Pro or Final Cut, which I used to use.

However, video editing, being a part of the arts, had a different aspect compared to other genres.

Unlike other arts where intuition and sense take up a significant portion, editing could achieve those through sheer hard work.

For example, if you want to track a subtitle (a function that follows a specific part) in a paid program, you just need to adjust a few settings, but free programs don’t have such a feature.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t create subtitle tracking without it.

You just have to move the subtitle frame by frame and attach it to the video, and the result is the same.

If there’s no function for a black background bar for subtitles, you can just cut and insert a black image that fits the subtitle, and if there’s no rotating transition function, you can rotate the screen frame by frame.

The more you refine and edit a video, the more its quality improves.

That’s why I was drawn to video editing.

“Since they’re dancing to a hymn, I’ll put the lyrics in a neat font in the left corner…. Focus on the lower-grade students who are particularly enjoying themselves.”

“The transitions should be smooth dissolves…. Oh, the music recording is not good in some parts, so I’ll use the original song instead.”

My hands moved quickly.

Since most of the functions I wanted were not available, everything had to be done frame by frame.

It felt like I was making stop-motion rather than editing a video, but I didn’t feel any fatigue.

Rather, my heart was racing from working after a long time, and I couldn’t stop my hands.

“Fortunately, there are some useful basic effects. The quality and frame rate were a bit disappointing, but I can add a bright effect. It’s Christmas and New Year season, so it won’t look awkward.”

The video is gradually refined.

The children’s dance video taken from the old camcorder is reborn as an excellent promotional video for the orphanage through my hands.

Tap, tap-tap-

Small fingers tap the keyboard like playing the piano.

Drip, drip, drops of sweat from my forehead wet the desk.

The child’s high body temperature, the warm room, and the rise in body temperature due to excitement caused sweat to bead on my forehead.

I realized it only when I finally made a satisfactory video without even blinking my eyes.

“Phew, it’s hot. I guess I got too excited.”

I wipe the sweat from my forehead with my clothes.

I felt that my slightly thin top was a little damp.

“Now that the encoding is done…. What should I do with the video?”

Leaving the finished video as is and showing it to the director to get help would be one way.

But that could lead to unnecessary attention.

I want to leave this orphanage, not attract attention from it.

Then there’s only one way.

“Upload it to YouTube.”

Our orphanage also has a YouTube channel for uploading promotional videos.

However, even including the people who came across it occasionally through the algorithm and those who saw it through the homepage, the number of views was disastrous.

Videos that don’t match the trend usually fail that way.

And no matter how many videos you upload to such a channel, YouTube’s AI will judge that the channel will not make money and will not promote it in the algorithm.

That’s why it’s a personal channel.

Channels starting from 0 are often promoted by YouTube.

If the quality of the video and the reaction of the viewers are good, it will be exposed on the YouTube banner to an incredible extent.

‘It’s fortunate that the school made us create Google accounts for the Good Reply Movement around this time.’

To create an account, parental consent was required, but the director or teachers would never allow it.

I logged in to YouTube and created my channel.

My first channel created like that.

I wrote the same name as before for the channel name.

[Dancing Raccoon]

It was a nickname I made without much meaning, but it was quite famous in my previous life.

As I opened a YouTube channel with that nickname again, the lost past pierced a corner of my heart.

“…Let’s just upload the video.”

It is a past and memory that I can no longer see.

I shook my head and uploaded the video on the upload page.

With the work finally finished, I took a deep breath and raised my head.

“Phew…. Huh, it’s already this late?”

When I came to my senses and looked at the clock on the table, it was already time for dinner.

Much more time had passed than I expected.

It was fortunate that the director did not come.

“If I’m late, I’ll get hit again……. Geez…, girls have such a strong hand……”

As I recalled it, the area I was hit before still felt achy.

I didn’t want to get hit again, so I hurried out of the director’s office and ran to my room.

“Ugh, it’s cold!”

The cold winter wind seeps into my body soaked in cold sweat.

I had to run hard, holding my coat tightly.

“Ah! I want to stop editing!”

“Don’t say that out loud. PD-nim….”

“What’s the big deal. How many people are in the company at this hour? Song Jakga, you have such a timid heart~”

“These days, the director is working overtime and coming in early in the morning to revive his old senses.”

“Aigoo, that old man should live like his age, why is he doing that!”

“PD-nim! Shush!”

The eyes of the two people working together in a small room were already dark with fatigue.

Since it was a place full of equipment and documents, if one person made a big move, the other had to take an uncomfortable posture.

Song Jakga, shook her head at the PD’s tantrum and looked outside, but fortunately, no one seemed to have heard this grumbling.

“Phew…. Sunbae-nim, the most popular entertainment PD in our broadcasting station is like that, what will the junior PD learn from him?”

“He’ll produce excellent works by watching excellent examples.”

“You know you’re too full of yourself, right?”

“Me?”

“Sigh….”

Watching Song Jakga, who was holding her head, PD Lee Seongbeom chuckled.

Although it is said that many geniuses are eccentric, this person was a type of eccentric that was rarely seen in a broadcasting station.

In a TV program where only the cast was visible, the PD showed himself.

He even gained popularity similar to that of the cast….

It has become almost natural now, but at the time, it was a truly shocking directing method.

Of course, that eccentricity became a hit, and he is still leading the most popular program, but……

“From now on, PD-nim, don’t make bets like that. Lamborghini, I still get startled by that.”

“It was filmed fun.”

“PD-nim?”

“Alright..”

Although he said okay, Song Jakga knew that he was a person who made promises he couldn’t keep.

Wrapping her throbbing head, she continued the rest of the work.

After a few hours passed like that.

Lee Seongbeom, who was continuing to work, tapped Song Jakga’s shoulder.

“Song Jakga, isn’t this part a bit loose? I want to make a little change….”

“Just do it as usual. Last time, getting approval for a new subtitle style was a huge pain, so why are you trying to do something else?”

“No, that was because we had to modify all the existing files. This scene, now that I see it, seems a bit bland. Do you have any good effects?”

“Well…. Nothing comes to mind. I think it’s fine as it is.”

From Song Jakga’s point of view, it was just a moderately fun scene.

The cast betrays each other in a game presented by the staff, and the scene where the result is known.

The face of the betrayed cast is zoomed in, and the smiling face of the betrayer is shown in the next cut.

The contrast is shown to emphasize the point of laughter.

This alone was sufficient editing, but for some reason, Lee Seongbeom was not satisfied.

“Hmmm…. Something, something….”

“Isn’t it because you’ve been editing for too long? Why don’t you clear your head a bit.”

“Sigh…. I should. My head isn’t working because the caffeine is wearing off.”

He threw the empty coffee cup into the trash can and stretched.

Since the space was narrow, Song Jakga frowned, avoiding Lee Seongbeom’s arm.

“Song Jakga, are there any fun videos these days? I want to watch a funny video.”

“There are many fun videos. Ah, do you know this? Funniest Home Videos, it’s really funny.”

“…It’s in English. I can’t speak foreign languages.”

“We go abroad for filming, so learn some.”

“You’re really something, just because you can speak English….”

Lee Seongbeom pouted and grumbled, but that didn’t improve his English skills.

Since there were many overseas shootings, he was willing to learn, but learning something new at this age was quite a burden.

Then, a video caught his eye.

“Huh? Editing practice?”

A video that was uploaded not long ago.

The title of the video was simply [Editing Practice].

Since the thumbnail was not made, one scene from the video was set as the representative screen, so it was possible to guess the content of the video from it.

‘Is it a video of an elementary school talent show?’

That means it was likely made by a student or teacher at the school.

These days, anyone can do YouTube, so they might be trying to practice accordingly.

He clicked on the video out of simple fun.

Or, with a small expectation that he might get something out of it now that he was a bit stuck.

As the video played, music flowed out.

“A hymn?”

The video was a hymn with a tune heard somewhere.

And a video of children dancing to the song.

Behind them, the name of the orphanage was hung on a large banner.

Judging from the content of the banner, this video was for promoting the orphanage.

He was quite surprised.

‘This level of quality for a promotional video from an orphanage?’

Since he often volunteered at orphanages, he knew that the financial situation of orphanages was not good.

Therefore, most of the promotional videos of orphanages were not of good quality and were close to the level of UCC.

But this video had the quality of a TV commercial.

It was a perfection that was hard to find fault with.

“Did some editor donate their talent…?”

But he had never seen this editing style anywhere.

A style that is close to the standard, yet neat and new.

It doesn’t use too many effects, so it’s not excessive, but the video is not boring either.

From some point on, he was concentrating on the video, and then he noticed something.

“Huh, wow.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The person who made this. They made it with Movie Maker?”

“What?”

The watermark clearly stamped in the lower right corner.

He hadn’t even noticed it because he was focused on the video.

“This level of quality with that crude program? Who is this person?”

Lee Seongbeom could only shake his head.

No matter how confident he was in his editing skills, he didn’t know if he could produce this level of quality with a free editing program.

Moreover, this directing ability.

Even though it was just a video of children dancing to a song, the immersion was amazing.

I want this person by my side.

If possible, I wanted them to join the broadcasting station and develop their abilities to the fullest.

Such a desire began to spring up.

‘All I know is the nickname and… that it’s an orphanage video.’

Fortunately, it was an orphanage not far away.

There will be a day off in a few days, so I should go then.

While he was thinking that, Song Jakga spoke with a tired expression.

“PD-nim, let’s start working again, shall we? At this rate, we’ll be greeting the morning cleaning lady.”

“Ah, right. The problem is solved, so let’s get back to work.”

“What was it in the end?”

He played the video he had just watched and showed it to her.

A scene where the faces of the brightly smiling children are sequentially zoomed in and the cuts smoothly transition.

“Let’s go with a dissolve. The overlapping faces will make the contrast between the betrayed expression and the smiling expression even bigger.”

“Ah…, right.”

A simple effect that makes you wonder why you didn’t think of it.

This must be because my head is stiff from continuous overtime.

Song Jakga blamed her fatigue and wanted to go home quickly.

“Achoo!”

I caught a cold.

Damn it.