Today, let’s talk about a video that exemplifies pretty much everything I’ve written about in this blog before. The video is called “Wine Bottles,” but in this case, the name doesn’t mean much. Wine bottles are an important visual element of the clip, but not its subject.
Let’s start from the very beginning. One day, I came across a YouTube video tutorial about a basic trick in video editing. If you have a bunch of pictures of similarly shaped objects, or maybe the same object in different environments, you can create an interesting effect. Place them all in the timeline, resize each clip so the objects in each clip have the same size and position within the frame. Then adjust the length of each clip according to the desired pacing or musical rhythm, ideally less than one second, preferably 10-15 frames. What you get is a nicely edited piece that can be used as B-roll, to separate narration in a more dynamic and engaging way than just typical “static” B-roll, or to showcase the subject of your narration in a more captivating manner. This is another tool every video editor should have in their arsenal.
Taking pictures of different wines in various spots of the restaurant and editing them into one cohesive sequence was just the first step. Since I didn’t know what to do with it, I turned to music. The soundtrack had to be an upbeat, lovely, energetic piece with a prominent rhythm to highlight the quick-changing shots of wine bottles in the frame. I found the music score quickly, and it was so energizing that I couldn’t help but move to the rhythm. And that’s how I got the idea of inserting footage of dancing legs, thanks to the stock footage archive. But wait… dancing and a restaurant? Yes, some restaurants have dance floors, but not this one. That wouldn’t work, unless… I played around with the idea of dancing and took more from it! What is dancing? Most of the time, it’s a celebration. This is a Greek restaurant, so let’s just celebrate life! In the middle of New York City! Bang! That’s what I was looking for all this time! I searched for more footage of legs, this time not dancing but moving through busy New York streets, and legs moving on a paradise-like Greek island with all its scenery and atmosphere. Yes! It works. This became part of the theme of the video. It’s another rhythmic element in visual form, highlighting the main idea—the restaurant is an oasis of Greek culture in the busy streets of New York.
Let’s add some footage of walking through the restaurant during peak hours, accentuating the festive mood on everyone’s faces.
Then, I needed some narration to ensure the message of my video was crystal clear without any extra interpretation—it’s not a work of art, it’s a commercial product that must convey a specific, comprehensible message. The text for the voice-over was ready relatively soon, and the final edit went to the voice-over generating AI tool. A pleasant, soft female voice, after some tweaking, perfectly aligned with the visual part of the video.
Conclusion? The video was ready. I was finally happy with the end result, and so was the client. The final cut portrayed a dynamic, busy environment that offers more than just a dining experience. It lets you immerse yourself in a completely different atmosphere of Greece, which is invaluable at the end of a busy working day in New York.