Jennifer Coffey

Goal: Create a YouTube channel to discuss the best practices of reading and reviewing books for a critical perspective. The four videos will contain content on how to read a book critically, critics to pay attention to, how to write a critical book review, and an example of a critical book review.

Now that I have all of my information set out in front of me, it’s time to get it organized. Throughout the next several weeks, I will be writing, filming, and producing four videos on how to read a book critically, top critics to watch, how to write a critical review, and give an example.

To stay on track, I will be using the project management software, Trello. I have used this software in the past and highly recommend it for personal projects. The software is straightforward and easy to use. First, create a board and come up with a name. Next, you can add as many lists as you need. I highly suggest using a Kanban system of To Do, Doing, and Done.

You can then use lists within lists for optimal organization. For example, I have a list going for Post-Production. Within this list, I have my checklist for my Audience Test. I can also add links and photos as well.

My organizational method and plan consist of a combination of my personal style and Kanban. I divided my work into six sections.

• Research & Ideas
• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production
• Posted
• Completed

I did not combine Post and Complete because the four videos are more important than the smaller completed tasks.

Research & Ideas

Now that I can come up with a plan, I realized that I still need research. Since I have never posted a video on YouTube, I will need to research how to use the platform from a content creation point of view, rather than a consumer point of view.

Pre-Production

To get ready to make the four videos, I’ll need to create storyboards, write scripts, determine my location, and figure out how long I would like the videos to be. The pre-production phase is the perfect time to figure everything out.

Once I start the storyboard process, I can add the photos to Trello. This will allow me to see my progress for each one. I don’t anticipate the storyboards to be long. Right now, I expect maybe one or two props that will be added to the videos. Perhaps a switch in perspective? We will see.

Next are the scripts. Each script has several elements that will need to be addressed. Some videos will have more content than others, but the order of information will remain the same. As of now, I plan to have the videos contain:

• Introduction
• Content
• Conclusion

These three elements remain the same for most YouTube videos, and I will continue to follow this format.

Last up are the times and locations of the videos. I plan on having the videos filmed in the same location, so the backgrounds are consistent. I also plan to have the videos last between three and five minutes.

Production

The production phase is very straightforward. For this phase, I plan on running some test footage to gauge the lighting, background, colors, and audio. Once everything is all set, I will be able to start shooting. I plan on testing the footage and shooting the videos all on the same day to have consistent lighting.

Post-Production

This is where the magic happens. This phase consists of editing, tweaking, YouTube activation, Audience Test, and final changes. I anticipate the majority of my time will be spent on editing each video. Since I will be sticking to a script, I don’t think I will need to do too much editing, but I won’t know for sure until I start filming.

This is the stage where I will create my YouTube channel. I am very excited to see a new perspective of YouTube and to start my own channel.

Next up is the audience test. This is to make sure that my content makes sense, has a clean execution, and offers a pleasant visual experience. Lastly, I will make these changes and make my videos the best they can be.

Conclusion

Now that everything is set up, the project seems more manageable. Project management softwares might seem time consuming and unnecessary, but they are beneficial for staying organized. I first started using them for my classwork, but now I use Trello for my personal projects as well. I am excited to use Trello to help me with my upcoming project.