YouTube Video Director for Veteran Interviews
I am looking for a director for our veteran interviews we post. I am currently the only one and the workload is too high. We have recorded over 30 interviews and are trying to release these episodes as efficiently as we can.
Here are the first three interviews we have released:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TONlAT6w5wk
https://youtu.be/eMC-kmIC_UY
To be a director, you need a very strong knowledge in aviation history. The editors will look to you for leadership on a project. Editing skills not required, but you need a very strong knowledge in aviation history and a good sense of keeping flow throughout a video. Attached below is our team's SOP for creating an episode. You can see where the director is needed and what his or her duties entail:
Standard Operating Procedures – Legends of Aviation
For transparency, let’s discuss how each episode of Legends of Aviation is created.
1) Making An Appointment— The appointment must be made where the interviewee, director, and videographer can attend. The videographer must be present in person to manage the equipment. The videographer should have a camera capable of filming in 4K, a lavalier mic, a shotgun mic (for two sources of audio), and proper lighting. As a bonus, the videographer can bring another 4K capable camera to get an additional film angle throughout the interview and also a bluetooth microphone that can amplify the volume if the director is interviewing via a video call. The director can either attend in person or via a video call. The director is responsible for the logistics of setting up the appointment and juggling everyone’s schedule. The director is also responsible for conducting the interview. If the director opts to conduct the interview via a video call, the videographer will place the device so the interviewee can hear what is being said.
2) Filming and Uploading— The interview often takes two to three hours to complete. After the interview is completed, the videographer can pack his or her
equipment and leave. If the interviewee doesn’t have digitized photos, the videographer (and director if present) should digitize all possible artifacts to include in the video. The videographer from there will upload the raw interview footage, and artifacts, if applicable, to our online storage on Mega.nz.
3) Initial Edit— An editor assigned to a project will make an initial edit by combining all of the interview footage into one file. Although the final video must be in 4K, drafts can be uploaded as 1080p if it saves time for the editor. The initial edit is a very ‘rough draft.’ The editor is free to cut out any segments not pertaining to the interview, or coughing, but should leave the rest relatively untouched. Now is the time for the editor to incorporate both film angles, as he or she sees fit, if the interview was filmed using more than one camera.
4) Transcription— With the first draft completed, a transcriber, as asked by a director, will type out the entire interview. This is a crucial step so the director can piece everything together, cut out certain portions, and rearrange portions as needed. Without the transcription, the director won’t have a bird’s eye view, the situational awareness, needed to properly arrange the interview.
5) Narration— The narration can take point at any point of the production of an episode. The earlier the better however. The narrator will voice the intro and
outro of the interviewee. The script is written by the director, often with the help of others acquainted with the interviewee. The narration is uploaded on Mega for the editor.
6) Second Draft— The editor adds the intro and outro, preferably for the second draft. Placeholders may be used with the anticipation they will be replaced in future drafts. This will help in finalizing the timing of the video. The director highlights the transcript yellow where portions should be cut. Green for areas to be moved. In addition to adding the intro and outro, the editor will make the cuts as needed.
7) Animations and B-Roll— At any point, an animator may independently recreate the events the interviewee discusses, under the direction of the director. The director (and possibly editor / videographer) will accumulate B-roll to augment the interview. Generally, the more the better, as it is shown to improve watch time.
8) Additional Drafts— The editor and director will work together to finalize the last draft. Once the script is finalized (i.e. the length is finalized), B-roll will then be added. This includes adding photos (we use both personal and generic), footage and animations. The more that can be meaningfully added, the better; however, these interviews are still meaningful to release with little B-roll.
9) Publishing— The director will publish the completed video on YouTube. All team members associated with the production will receive credit in the description.
10) Subtitles and Translating— Videos with closed captioning are proven to perform better in the YouTube algorithm. The more languages that can be added, the more people can be reached since the majority of the people in the world don’t know English. When the video is published, all of those helping with translating into another language (or English), may add their respective translations.
11) Repurposing— An editor and a director will work together, using the transcription, to repurpose the raw interview so as to make a series of ‘reels’ which serve in showcasing the highlights of a full-length interview.
Before you contact me, I ask that you have a really strong knowledge in aviation history, and have watched all three of our episodes in their entirety. I look forward to hearing from you!
-Andrew