When I imagined making a “movie” I agonized over what I could make. A day in my life seemed so boring. I just sit in front of my computer doing my classwork.

On the morning I was to drop my daughter at my mother’s house, I briefly discussed with my partner what I should do for this project we locked eyes, discovering a seed of an idea. And it was ripe for the picking!

Starts Here, a plant nursery, is owned and run solely by my mother. She has just begun this life-long ambition after a separation. A sentiment I think many of us can relate to. She is of the earth and shrinks from technology. So, this was a way to help her business shine with little to no effort on her part.

I had originally planned to include more audio from her, but as anyone with a toddler knows, adult projects are often in the wind. Essentially, I captured very little of her talking about Starts Here. Even so, I was amazed at how it came together.

I was able to break away and film some of her starts and vegetable garden on what was a magnificently blustery day. Feeling discouraged about what my final product would look like with only videos from a winter garden, I told myself I would cut in some of the photos she has shared with me and plowed forward.

It worked.

I then realized that Starts Here is still without a logo and so I had to mock that up as well.

That also worked.

Finally, when I sat down to use Premiere Pro, I realized that the application is way over my head. I felt as if I were bumbling in the dark. There is another instructor who had mentioned that there are students who do video editing all on their phones! I thought, “No way! I can do anything. I’ll use Premiere Pro! I got this.” I did not.

So, I checked out the app she suggested and the reviews were dismal. I told myself I had to start somewhere and just downloaded the top-rated video editing app, a sort of desperation. I opted for the 7-day ‘Pro’ trial with YouCut as Teresa’s words echoed in my head, “This is a quick turnaround.” Reflecting on it, that phrase helped me stay in motion.

Once in the app things were very straightforward. I lost track of time as I built and learned the task of video editing. In the end, I had to edit down quite a bit. Per assignment instructions, I tried to get the photos to switch on the beat, but oof, that was proving difficult. I was very limited in the audio the YouCut provided. I was unsure if I had the time to search online for domain-free music that would suit both my and Start Here’s preferences. That said, I hope I never have to hear that guitar solo again!

I feel much more confident in video editing and I might even try at using Premiere Pro again.

I would really love some feedback, as I am considering posting this video on the e-commerce site I am mocking up for Starts Here.

by Sarah Stuart