I began this video production class with little to no knowledge on editing via computer. I was very intimidated in the beginning because other students in my class had been editing videos for years. Our first assignment was for us to create a website over a specific beat or topic. I am a player on the Northwestern State Women’s Soccer Team, so I thought it would be interesting to give people a perspective that is not usually seen in collegiate athletics.

Making my website was difficult at first because I had never created something on the computer before. I knew this class was going to be full of firsts and that I would have to figure things out as I went. We began our websites by posting an excerpt on ourselves so that people viewing our websites could get to know us a little bit. After we made our first few posts, it was time to start editing videos. We began by making a five- shot sequence, which is basically five clips at different points edited together to capture the action being done. The five-shot sequence videos allowed us to be as creative as we wanted within specific guidelines.

Next, we learned how to do voice overs. Voice overs were not hard because it was the same concept as overlaying music; however, we had to make sure we were including all viable information so the audience could understand what was going on in the video. This type of video editing was probably my least favorite because it just was not very interesting to me. The level of volume was difficult to control in my voice overs sometimes depending on how close I held the microphone to my mouth. Other than that small inconvenience, voice overs were fairly easy.

Once we became comfortable using voice overs, our next assignment was to include an interview at the end. Interviews were exciting for me because I got to include my teammates into my website. This was a little challenging at first because some of my teammates did not want to be interviewed. But as time went by, more of my teammates wanted to be featured. Interviewing my team was really fun because I liked giving my audience a behind the scenes look at what it is like being a student athlete at NSU.

We continued to develop our editing skills by including multiple voice overs and interviews within one video. This actually was pretty stressful because each video needed to flow together and needed to have a basic lower third so you can see the name of the person being interviewed. The editing itself was not so difficult to do, but the overall process was tedious.

Once we got the hang of multiple videos strung together, we had to insert what is called a stand-up. At first I thought that meant stand-up comedy and I got worried because I am not that funny when put on the spot. However, a stand-up is when an anchor says a couple sentences to connect the two parts of a video. This is often seen in newscasting where people hold a microphone. I did not have a microphone, but sometimes we would roll up a piece of paper as a prop. Coming up with what to say for the stand-up was difficult because you have to connect the two videos in a short amount of words. This was a cool assignment to learn, and it helped me with my future projects.

In March we made the transition to online courses because of COVID-19. This was sad because I really enjoyed going to this class every week. Going home affected my subject of soccer since I was no longer with my team. I had to figure out a new way to provide good content for my website. My professor began assigning us video diaries to examine how this pandemic has impacted us. I had the idea to have my teammates and coaching staff send me a short clip explaining how their lives have changed since going home from NSU. I edited each of our videos together and posted it to my website. I thought it was a very unique way to incorporate my team even though we were not physically together. I received a lot of attention for this specific post because my professor sent it to some colleagues of hers. The NCAA Associate Director of Communications reached out to me to write a paper about what it has been like as an athlete to make this transition home in the midst of our Spring season. This is when I realized how creative this class has let me become and that I am able to do so much in video production.

I have had an amazing time learning and growing in this class and will continue posting on my website after this semester.

This week I wanted to give insight to what I have been doing each day. Obviously, my everyday routine has been changed because of COVID-19. In Austin, Tx people are required to wear face masks anywhere public. Wearing a mask is a small adjustment, but it has been kind of weird. We cannot be 100% sure what the future brings in regards to the pandemic, but it is important we take the correct precautions to help diminish the issue as soon as possible. Hope everyone is staying safe and fork’em!!

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our daily lives, especially holidays. Easter is typically spent with extended family members, however for many people this was not an option. Churches are not opened, so online services were held. I thought it would be a good idea to not only share how my Easter holiday differed from 2019, but I included some teammates experiences along with mine.

For this video diary I decided to include a couple of my teammates again. Rather than explaining the hardships I wanted to make it fun by showing little drills that you can do inside your house. This allows you to get touches on the ball while still abiding by quarantine rules. I hope you all are continuing to be safe!!

This assignment encouraged me to provide you with ways the COVID-19 pandemic has effected my everyday life. I used this project as an opportunity to show you guys my experience as well as providing my coaches and teammates experiences.

I thought incorporating my team in this project would be really cool because my website focuses on the NSU Women’s Soccer team. I hope you all are staying safe in this current situation and enjoying time with your family. Although being quarantined is not ideal, we need to remember social distancing is for the greater good. Bonus! We get to find creative and alternative ways to stay occupied.

I had this assignment in class and wanted to use it as an opportunity to show you all how much training goes into the NSU Women’s soccer team. It isn’t just kicking a ball around. Training requires many hours on and off the soccer ball.

The NSU soccer team works very hard in order to reach their goals. Last season went well, but not as good as the team had hoped. So, during their Spring season it is important that the girls train very hard to get where they want to in the upcoming Fall 2020 season.

This is a practice standup I did for a class assignment. This stand-up will go with another project we are working on right now. I was a little intimidated by this assignment, but I did not find this to be extremely difficult and it was actually very fun.

This assignment was very helpful and gave me an idea of what I will say for my project. The next time I film a stand-up it will be easy to film and edit. I cannot wait to complete the other project we are working on.

Off of the field, soccer players work just as hard in their studies as they do in practice. Study hall is located in the field house and is utilized by many athletes on campus. It is a place where student-athletes may go study and complete class work. Freshman athletes are typically required by their coaches to get a specific amount of study hall hours each week.

Today, I worked on another video with an interview and two voice overs. Maddie Scott is a freshman midfielder on the NSU soccer team. She is originally from Plano, Texas. In the video below, Maddie shows us how she prepares for a test and explains how she feels about study hall.

Hi everyone! I made my first video with an interview. Acelya Aydogmus is a transfer from Troy University located in Alabama. She is a sophomore here at NSU and is the goalkeeper on the soccer team. In the video below, she takes us through a quick training session and talks about what it is like to be a student athlete.

Today, I created my first video with a voice over. Kristina Overholt is a Grad Assistant that works with the NSU soccer team. She ensures that athletes are taking steps to prevent injuries and helps others in rehabilitation. Kristina is a key component to the soccer team and to the health of athletes.