Tales from an Accidental Cinematographer

 You might have a noticed an explosion of videos infiltrating my social media recently, including this blog. That's because Instagram hired me to make Reels (short form videos with music or voiceovers). I only learned how to make a reel at all over the summer, so I was surprised to be chosen! I'm getting the hang of it although there are sometimes snafus. A couple weeks ago I couldn't get a really annoying song called "I love my kitty cat" ~ and the entire song was just that phrase over and over ~ off my reel. I didn't add to on purpose and it took forever to figure out how to remove it, much to my husband's amusement. He went around singing the song for hours afterward. Even as a novice I can make over $1000 a month making reels for Instagram, so it's not chump change! Although I have never been a big video creator I decided the potential income was too much to pass up.

My actual written blog posts have necessarily suffered because I only have so much time for social media every day and I have to make at least six reels daily. I do apologize if you prefer the written word. I do have to admit, it is much faster to encapsulate an announcement in a video, especially if it's a sale or coupon notice I can just incorporate with a screenshot, than to type out a whole blog. And if you had a burning desire to see inside my everyday life the reels are a window. Because I have to produce so many I end up highlighting mundane moments of everyday life that would otherwise be lost. It may end up to be a great thing for my personal memories. So much of my oldest children's lives are relegated to memory only now because the cost and hassle of taking and printing photos and lugging around video cameras back in the day made it impractical for any  but the most important events. We have so much more film of our youngest simply because iPhones came out around the time he was born. He will have a great deal more knowledge of his daily life as an infant and toddler than his siblings if he chooses to watch it.

I don't have any mandated script to focus on so I am trying out different subjects to see which are most popular and I am trying to provide a lot of helpful content to add value for my viewers. I've tried doll repair tutorials, cooking videos, low budget grocery shopping tips, live auction previews, cute pet videos, etc. Every so often one particular video will inexplicably get hundreds or even thousands of views while others on the same subject are stuck at like 30. I haven't been able to figure out what makes the viral ones viral. I make more money based on the number of comments, views, and interactions with my reels so if there's something you would like me to post please let me know and I will do my best! You can follow my cinematic career on Instagram where I am @ateliermandaline. I hope to see you there!