The Balthus Knot:
A Mother’s Friend Video
Final Cut Video
Ties are predominantly accessories for men with instructions on how to tie them passed down from father to son. But what do boys do when all they have is a single mother who doesn’t have this knowledge? Mothers can learn this skill too with, The Balthus Knot: A Mother’s Friend. This video takes mothers through the step-by-step process of tying a Balthus knot tie, so they can teach their sons this important skill.
Final Cut Compiled in iMovie
Using iMovie and its video editing capabilities, video, narration, and background music were combined and edited to create the final cut. Feedback from peers guided this work to help make the finished product meet audience needs. Adjustments to video clip speeds aligned narration with the video, keeping learner focus on the instructions
Intermediate Cut Narration Designed
in GarageBand
GarageBand provided audio editing capabilities necessary for video narration. Once the script was recorded, the video was imported as a new track. Chunking narration into sections related to video content and separating the sections into individual tracks helped ensure narration matched corresponding video components.
Rough Cut within iMovie
While many components of the script were kept throughout the video creation process in subsequent iterations, the rough cut shows the video’s humble beginnings. This first draft used still photos and video to tell the Balthus knot story without music or narration. After reviewing the video’s content and feedback, it was decided to reshoot the video using a different tie with an easier to view pattern and remove still shots.
Storyboarding with Keynote
When designing instructional video, it is necessary to identify a solid concept, create a story for it, and place those elements within a storyboard, creating an outline for the project to follow. For this project, Keynote presentation software was used. Sketches, shot lists, shot angles, narration, and music were identified for each scene with images and text. The storyboard was then used during filming to ensure inclusion of all story elements and logical shot progression.