Starting Out
After my initial experiments with video editing shown further down on the page, I took on my first personal video project which was published on October 11, 2023.
When I say "video project," I mean that this wasn't just a short clip or a small experiment - but a 20+ minute long video about my scuba diving day trip to Cozumel during the summer of 2023.
After that, I would go on to post 3 Youtube Shorts and 1 other longform video of a cat rescue story before making the decision to rebrand in November of 2023.
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Rebranding
Originally, my Youtube channel was named "Nyansensical Taylor" to follow the theme of my Etsy shop, "Nyansense Art," and Instagram, "nothinbutnyansense."
Rebranding was a decision I wrestled with since before publishing my first longform video in October. If I'm being honest, I realized I was stubbornly clinging on to a brand that wasn't suited for long-term growth.
Instead, I went with the channel name "Tails & Tales with Taylor" as I felt it had the personal touch I was looking for while addressing the broad scope of content I wanted to make (both my cat rescue stories as well as other adventure tales).
It also allowed for better searchability down the road which was something that - though I didn't want to admit it at the time - "Nyansensical Taylor" would likely never be able to achieve.
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The short videos I had already posted would remain the same as they had already garnered a good amount of views and I could just make a note in the description for each video that the logo shown in the videos contains the old channel name.
The logo I plan to use for future shorts will also be very similar in design anyway - with the only change being that the text in the speech bubble would now show the full channel name.
However, I felt the need to update the 2 longform videos since I planned to make a series out of each of the topics I had posted about (cat rescue stories & scuba diving).
I wanted to make sure the branding would be consistent going forward. If I was going to take the time to rebrand, I figured now would be the time to do it - while my channel was still relatively new.
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My Introduction into Cat Rescue
Even though I had initially published my scuba diving video first, rebranding gave me the opportunity to upload in a different order.
Since cats and cat rescue were both important for my life and the branding of the channel, it made the most sense to start with the video about my first cat rescue story.
This particular story was the start of it all - my introduction into the world of cat rescue:
A Lesson in Perfectionism
Even before I remade the video due to rebranding, this video went through a lot of changes and reshoots before it was even published the first time.
Part of the reason for this was my constant nitpicking which is still learning point for me because, at some point, I have to accept the fact that it won't ever be flawless (especially in the learning stages). I could spend forever trying to get it perfect and end up never finishing anything at all - which obviously wasn't the most productive approach.
I had to remind myself to not sweat the small stuff (as most of the things I was nitpicking probably weren't even things that most people would notice) and to just upload, move on and continue learning. Making mistakes, learning from them and improving was all part of the process.
Stepping Outside my Comfort Zone
Another important factor for the multiple reshoots was that this was the first video I had done at this point that was primarily going to show myself on camera as I told the story. Being a private person, this was a HUGE step outside my comfort zone and just made my nitpicking habits worse.
Still, I believed this would be the best way to tell this sort of story and it was something that I was just going to have to get used to.
Here are the things I learned in the process of making this video:
- Creating a Channel Name Intro
- Speaking to a Camera
- Deciding which Clips would be Voiceover
- Acting in Front of Green Screen
- Filming Intro & Outro Skits
- Camera Shake Effect
- Storytelling, Script Writing + Many Revisions
- Reshoots, Reshoots, Reshoots
- Creating Thumbnail Image with Several Images
- Adding Even More Pop-Up Graphics and Animations
- Recording Myself Talking to Myself in a Separate Bubble/Video
...and more!
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Sharing my Adventures
While cat rescue is an important part of my life, I wanted my channel to be about more than that.
My goal was to show that it is possible to be involved in something like animal rescue while maintaining the flexibility and freedom to explore life’s other wonders.
I personally have met people involved in animal rescue who don't have the freedom to even take a day off when they are sick because they have so many animals to take care of and/or they are always being contacted for help.
Helping animals is very important to me - but I also still want to explore the world and follow my curiosity. Finding a balance between cat rescue and my endless hobbies and interests has been tough but not impossible. I'm hoping my Youtube channel can show other people that they can do it too!
Which leads me to my first scuba diving video about my day trip to Cozumel in the summer of 2023:
Since this video was actually completed before any of the cat videos (before the rebranding), the process of creating it combined what I had learned about video editing using Premiere Pro in earlier experiments while also including a ton of new skills I learned during the editing process such as:
- Creating an Intro
- Adding Pop-Up Graphics and Animations
- Pausing, Zooming, Highlighting Objects (fish), Display Name before Zooming Out
- Video Transitions
- Script Writing + Voiceover
- Adjusting Music Sound Levels Throughout Video
- Creating Thumbnail Image
- Creating an Outro
- Editing Intro and Outro to Fit New Branding
- Re-recording Voiceover for Rebranding and Audio Consistency
...and more!
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This is just the start of many more videos that I have planned. Each video I intend to post on this newly created channel will be sharing a personal story, lesson or adventure in my life.
This includes more scuba diving videos, more cat rescue stories as well as other adventures (both in and out of the U.S) and whatever else my curiosity leads me to explore.
I'm looking forward to sharing the stories of hopefully many wonderful adventures!
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Small Experiments to Get my Feet Wet
Before I even thought about creating an official branded channel, I simply wanted to start learning how to edit videos. So I did a few little experiments [on a separate personal channel] to start getting my feet wet:
The video above is my first attempt at video editing with Adobe Premiere Pro. Just started with the basics so I didn't do anything super fancy but it was a fun experiment!
When I first went to Mexico in 2021, it was a life-changing experience that re-ignited my passion for wildlife and nature while also shedding light on childhood dreams that I had let go of as I grew up. Swimming with whale sharks was something I could never imagine myself doing. Now that I've done it, I want to swim with even more incredible species of wildlife!
The footage used in this video was filmed in 2022 using my GoPro Hero 10. It was my first time using my GoPro for this kind of experience so, naturally, the film quality could be better - but it was still wonderful to relive it again while putting this together~
--- Song is Birds of Eden by David Celeste - obtained through Epidemic Sound. ---
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This time, I tried adding text and music to this funny scene from my first trip to Dutch Springs where I went snorkeling in the quarry with my uncle. This cute little turtle was a bit shocked to see a couple of humans swimming around and was too shy to say hello instead choosing to hide in the tall aquatic plants of the quarry.
This was before I had my own GoPro so my uncle filmed this. :)
--- Song is Can You Find Me by Rhuiqi Zhao - obtained through Epidemic Sound. ---
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While on vacation, I recorded several videos while I was relaxing on the patio and listening to the bird calls. Once I got home, I combined several of them together until the full video was an hour long.
Now, I can listen to this recording and imagine myself back there whenever I need a pick-me-up or even just when I want to relax or need help quieting my mind.
The imagery certainly helps get back into relaxation mode - and it is quite a nice view to look at too!