Editors have long been integral to the Tongal creative process, but until this year, they’ve nearly always had to first team up with a larger crew in order to get their hands dirty on our platform. But, as Tongal and our partners have been steadily launching editing-only briefs over these past several months, we’ve been thrilled to have the opportunity to get better acquainted with these post-production powerhouses.
The majority of our editing projects’ raison d’etre have been to create Facebook and Instagram-optimized videos using existing assets for clients that run the gamut from hyper-local businesses to multinational brands. Similarly, the creators who’ve won editing pitches represent a wide variety of experience and locations, proving yet again that all you need is some know-how and a strong internet connection to participate on Tongal.
With editors taking the spotlight in such a big way, we figured the time was right to pick the brains of these previously-unsung heroes of Tongal to find out what makes them tick and how others might replicate their success in future editing projects.
The following Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity because as we all know, the story is in the edit. ;)
Marissa: First things first: Who are you, what is your creative background, and how long have you been on Tongal?
Ike Mauga: My name is Ike. I found Tongal in 2013 when I was trying to find a way to make money without having a regular day-to-day job, and actually got lucky by winning 3rd Place on the DIY the LEGO Movie Trailer Project. It was my first submission on Tongal, and that sweet taste of victory might’ve gotten to my head. I pushed my luck by applying to editing jobs before I even finished college, and I was hired by a startup subscription-based network known as Vet TV. Working with them has given me sufficient experience, and since then I’ve been working as an editor picking up one job after the other.
Miley Yamamoto: I'm an actor and an Asian American. I found creative parts lacking for people like me and started writing and directing as a result. Having found a knack for production and post-production work, I now go where the work takes me; both in front of and behind the camera. I discovered Tongal around July of this year (2018) and have never looked back!
David Mejia: I'm a filmmaker and editor from Bogotá, Colombia. I've been a copywriter, screenwriter and I've been on Tongal for about 4 years. I used to only participate in Ideation contests, even won Idea of the Year at the Tongies, but now I almost only do editing projects.
Isela Quijas: I'm a Motion Graphics Designer based in the Inland Empire (Southern California). My creative background is in filmmaking and I've been on Tongal for a couple of months now.
Prabhu Ram: Hours of playing video games evolved my interests into game designing and video editing. I specialized in animation in college (in India) and learned to edit. After my graduation, I joined an Esports company and I now create promo videos, live streams and other video content for them. In my spare time, I play video games, do 3D modeling and also participate in video contests. Four months back I was surfing on OnlineVideoContests.com and found a link to a Tongal contest. The project seemed interesting and I chose to work on the pitch submission. It was a shame that I haven't known about Tongal for all these years. Four months later, and now I'm starting to get a hang of it.
Marissa: Which editing project did you win a pitch on? How many editing projects did you submit to before breaking through?
Isela: I recently won the Litographs Editing Project. My first pitch on Tongal made finalist and I was a winner on my second.
David: I won the Shady Rays project. Before that, I was finalist in almost every entry, like 10 times (To this day, I don't know if it's a strategy and we're all "finalists" so we keep on participating... but, hey! it works and it's a boost for morale, even if it isn't real) . [Ed. Note: Nope, not a psychological strategy on our part! If you’re named a Finalist, your work was seriously under consideration by the Sponsor.]
Miley: I won for the FINCA Editing Project. I may be incorrect but I believe this was the very first editing project on Tongal so it was definitely my first try. [Ed. Note: While not the first editing-only project to grace the pages of Tongal, the FINCA project was indeed the first in 2018's series of projects asking creators to specifically cut down assets for Facebook and Instagram.]
Ike: I won the editing pitch for Kabam’s Marvel Contest of Champions. I was just so excited that editing projects were available on Tongal. Finding a talented crew had also been the hardest part of submitting to open pitches. After the first editing pitch I submitted, I got that notification that I was a finalist. This was a huge confidence booster and let me know I was on the right track. Lo and behold, the next pitch I submitted, I had won.
Prabhu: The first project that I did on Tongal was for the PuzzleCats team. I uploaded my first video entry and to my surprise, I won the project. Until now I have participated in 5 projects and won 2.
Marissa: What attracted you to this project?
Miley: I really liked the message that FINCA was trying to push out into the world. That there was a way to help people in Africa and the world over with not only the use of micro-financing but with technology like solar lamps and innovative cookstoves. I also loved that they were highlighting their success stories -- people who found a way to enrich their communities by investing in education and children.
David: I thought I could do something nobody else would think about doing just by using photographs. I made a very fast-paced video complemented with high energy music and the client loved it.
Ike: I was attracted to this project because I had actually played the game before. Not to mention, it was Marvel and I’m a huge geek for comics and superheroes and all that good stuff. I was hoping it would’ve led me to editing the Avengers 4 trailer as well, but perhaps I’ve pushed my luck enough.
Isela: I loved that they're a company that supports literacy but honestly, I was mostly excited to recreate their assets in a way that included 3D camera movements, animation, and textures. The creative challenge was nice.
Marissa: Before winning the pitch in this project, had you ever edited for Facebook or Instagram before? If not, did you learn anything new by participating in this project?
David: Yes, I have clients here in Colombia for whom I edit for social media, however, I've learned a lot on Tongal and I feel that thanks to these projects, every day I'm a little better editor.
Prabhu: Nope, I have never edited for Facebook or Instagram before. I have learned how Facebook works by turning these videos into social ads and have learned that the content matters more than just designing.
Ike: Before this project, I had never edited anything for Facebook and Instagram. Which is kind of bizarre now that I think of it. As a regular bystander, I’ve seen so many Facebook and Instagram videos, but never really had those guidelines spelled out to me. It’s still a little hard to embrace things such as the aspect ratio and the heavy reliance of on-screen text, but since then, it’s helped me with other clients I’ve had.
Marissa: What was the biggest challenge you faced using the existing assets provided by the Sponsor and how did you overcome it?
Isela: I felt limited. The idea in my head couldn't be accomplished with their existing assets alone but I overcame that challenge by creating my own assets that complemented and worked well with the assets they had already provided.
Ike: I’d say the hardest thing for me was editing with footage that already had text or graphics on it. What helped me overcome this was, ironically, the initial frustration I had with editing for Facebook and Instagram: aspect ratios. At first, it was hard for me to even think of editing in a vertical orientation. As I embraced it, however, it actually helped crop out a lot of graphics I didn’t want to be seen in the video. When life gives you lemons, I guess.
Prabhu: The first challenge I encounter in any editing project is the music selection. Millions of songs on the internet don't mean you can easily find what you're looking for. You have to listen to like 50 songs before choosing music. Thanks to Tongal for the free access that we get on Epidemic Sound, Universal Production Music and others (for Tongal projects). That really helped!
Miley: I find that the biggest challenge is always trying to find what the "voice" of a particular company is. How have they presented themselves so far and how do they want to grow in the future? Trying to marry the two is always a challenge when a company has been trying different tactics over the years and their assets show a huge disparity when it comes to image. The key for me has always been research. Combing through not only the brief and the particular asks that comes with them, but also the company website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. I'll even read or watch interviews with the owners or CEOs of the companies to glean whatever information is being presented in terms of how they'd like the company to grow. Then I try to distill everything I've seen and point the ad that I'm creating a little beyond the curve. Instead of creating an ad in the space of what we think is right for them at this very moment, I like to place it a couple moments in the future, in a place that maybe the company has dreamed of achieving but didn't think was possible at this particular time with the limited assets that they may have. By thinking this way, I hope to be a creative partner that can help usher in a new era for every company I work with.
Marissa: Lastly, what’s your favorite video that you’ve ever edited? We want to show it off to the community!
Isela: Probably my new reel because it holds all of my favorite projects!
Miley: My favorite video is the one I did for FINCA called Change The Game. I feel like with that video, I not only was able to do a very successful cutdown of a lengthy asset but I was able to distill the message of the importance of saving lives through the use of environmentally friendly solar lamps and have a moving Call to Action that would actually get people involved on all levels.
David: I liked very much one vertical I did for the Morning Recovery project, I also liked the Shady Rays one (not just because it won) Or if you meant outside Tongal, I've done some commercial work for Colombian brands but they're in Spanish, for example this:
Prabhu: To me, the first set of videos that I submitted on Tongal were my favorites. The ones that I did for PuzzleCats. The project was fun and the support I received from Tongal Producers was awesome! I have also written a blog post on the whole experience. Check that out too :)
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Looking for more editing inspo? Check out this gallery of winning editing work and read more interviews with Tongalers.
