What to cut, and what to add back
Cut the breath before the sentence, the "um" that does not sound like you, the four seconds of you finding the window. Keep the pause that is a joke. Keep the breath that makes a story feel human. Pacing is not a cut every half second. That looks like a panic attack.
B-roll, captions, a music swell, or a sound effect should mark a change, not wallpaper the whole video. If everything is loud, nothing is a pattern break.
- Watch on mute. If you are bored, the pictures are not working.
- Watch with your eyes closed. If you are lost, the words are not working.
- Captions: two lines, high contrast, not covering the face or the product.
- Change angle, graphic, or energy every few seconds in short form. Live shows can breathe longer.