Meet Steven Probets, the creative mind behind Get Career Confident videos
This month, we’re meeting Steven Probets, freelance video editor for Get Career Confident. He shares insights on editing, motion graphics, and industry tips.
Tell me about your role
I’m freelance and work for clients, including Sussex Learning Network, as a video editor, doing motion graphics and filming. The majority of my work is editing and motion graphics. I chose to learn more motion graphics to make my work more interesting as editing full time can be laborious.
How do you edit a video?
For Get Career Confident videos, I’m sent the interview and I cut it and split it by question. Firstly, I clean it up and trim to get the main points in the timeline. I then do another pass, cut more bits out and repeat again until it’s about the correct time, for GCC videos, about 5 minutes. The first part of editing is the most important part as this is the story. You should never be afraid to chop and move things as you want people to be engaged in the first 10 seconds.
I have started using AI and auto transcription which transcribes the interview. A lot of more traditional editors are scared of AI, but I embrace it and have found it very useful as it can show me the interview in text form which means I can cut and edit through the text which is very precise.
After I’ve edited the video to the correct time, I add titles such as name tags when speakers appear on screen. I input and check text for the tips and hints elements of the video and then put graphics over it. Once I’ve done that, I find stock footage to lay over the video and then add the music and do a quick colour grade. Finally, I export the video and send it back to Charlie or Miranda for their opinion. Sometimes there are a few changes but the more you work with a client the more you understand each other.
Why would you recommend videos for schools and colleges?
Young people are more engaged with films than PowerPoint presentations. You get better engagement in video form, and you can use elements that relate to your audience. For instance, use popular music. I look to see what music is trending on TikTok videos and use that as it creates instant engagement with the target audience.
Videos also support lower literacy levels or young people whose first language isn’t English. You can tell a story without written words, but you can also use subtitles in English and other languages. You can use companies where you send your videos, and they’ll translate into different languages or put subtitles in different languages.
For learners wanting to become film makers what can teachers advise?
Tell your students not to be put off by needing fancy equipment. Use your phone and technology you already have. I do some of my jobs on my phone and it’s easy. Watch videos and other people’s reels, you can learn a lot from following social media accounts and watching what they are doing. Do things at school and college for free. You can design a logo for the school council or offer to make some marketing material.
Make your own reel to show your work. I started off in Brighton and went around on a gimble filming the city. I edited it all together for my show reel. It was creative, consistent, I used good music and included animation. It got some initial work and from there I got better and better jobs.
Use your phone and pick something you love. If you like skating, go to your skate park, get lots of footage and ask people questions to get sound bites. Go home and edit. If you get stuck, find YouTube tutorials to help you out. DaVinci Resolve is free editing software than you can get online.
There’s lots of ways to get your reel out, you can make a website or use an Instagram channel as a portfolio. Don’t overthink it. Get a list of companies in the local area that do video editing, email them, send them your stuff. Lots won’t reply but some will. Competition is fierce however everyone has the opportunity using their phones and you can start early and learn as you go. Young people have the advantage as they are adept with social media and new technologies.
Keep an open mind. I never thought of being a video editor. I went to university and did an audio engineering course. I got a work placement through my tutor’s friend doing some graphic design, audio and editing in a post-production studio and that’s when I got into video editing. Before that I wanted to be an audio engineer at Glastonbury!
You can work for companies, or you can be self-employed. I’ve chosen self-employed. I enjoy the repetitiveness of editing but because of my ADHD, I can’t focus for long periods of time so freelancing works for me.
How can local schools and colleges access your work
You can see the Get Career Confident videos here and you can see my website here.