Always Learning - Sometimes Teaching

I have, at times, been accused of having too many hobbies (as evidenced by the menagerie of knitting needles, boxing gloves, charcoal pencils, wonky handmade mugs, and kung fu garb in my closet). But the truth is, while the hobbies themselves are fun, it's the learning that truly excites me.

As part of my registered apprenticeship with Katharsis Media, I’ve been tasked with teaching the high school interns DaVinci Resolve—a fantastic, free (with about ninety percent of the features) editing software. My preferred software is Adobe Premiere Pro, an industry standard that I’ll always love, despite its hefty price tag, because it’s what I first learned to edit on. And let’s be honest—we tend to get comfortable with what we know.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been learning (yay!) and writing curriculum designed to take a total newbie through the basics they’ll need to handle the kinds of projects Katharsis Media typically produces. Lessons cover cutting B-roll into an interview, organizing footage, and mastering the magic of 3-point editing—a technique that, thanks to keyboard shortcuts, will make your life easier and maybe even longer with all the time you’ll save not pointing and clicking.

Teaching these lessons has been the highlight of my week. Watching those “aha” moments, bridging the gap between confusion and understanding, and witnessing a student discover an innate talent for something they never expected is, quite frankly, the best.

And the cherry on top? I now have a brand-new resource in my own editing toolbox.