There are a few rules in video production that in conventional practices you can never break. Jump cuts for example, or when you cut in between one clip and the subject literally jumps from one part of the frame to another, are always covered up with other shots. This is because a jump cut can break a person’s attention, ruin consistency, or just make the video feel a little off.
However, online videos have changed that, and within the streaming community (YouTube most especially), there’s now a jump cut culture that makes that A-okay. In fact, this piece is all about jump cuts, and how one YouTuber is stylizing the rule-breaking trend.
Gio San Pedro, or Gio Takes on Tech on Facebook, is a budding freelance director who shoots digital ads full time, and makes fun videos in between projects. We write about his work today because his unique approach to his videos is something totally eye-catching with a hint of ASMR we’re sure will get you hooked.
The main idea behind his videos isn’t necessarily new, in fact he’s basically just unboxing while filming from one angle. What he’s doing differently though is taking advantage of that satisfying feeling of unboxing and all the hair-raising sounds you get from it, using both elements as cues to how he would edit his shots.
San Pedro shares he has always loved watching unboxing videos, but he often found himself skipping frames whenever the videos take too long.
“I really enjoy this format. If not, I wouldn’t have enjoyed any unboxing at all. Creators saying their piece feels like being spoken to, and that’s important in connecting with their audience like me…But there are times when I would really just rather my idols proceed with the unboxing, showing the individual contents briefly, and then move on. Because of this, I occasionally find myself skipping frames while watching them, jumping to the parts I mainly came to see.”
This would then be the basis of his style as he played with equipment and techniques.
“I was part of a team called A La Carte Digilab, and Jem Lim, one of my former bosses, encouraged me to experiment with our equipment during my spare time, so in a big way, that pushed me to build on and play around with what I’ve started with that Switch unboxing,” San Pedro shared. “Funnily enough, the idea was really born out of an attempt to rationalize getting a Nintendo Switch back in 2017. I promised myself it’s for having a subject for a video review I’d been wanting to make, and I wasn’t gonna buy just for the heck of it.”
What we love about his videos is there’s a snappiness to it, a sense of urgency in the editing but with the right amount of breathing that keeps you hooked. He calls this his just-get-on-with-it approach. “It’s like cutting the fats down to around 5-10%, or stopping by the cafe for a cup of espresso–you take the shot then you get out.”
Although San Pedro doesn’t think his videos would count as ASMR-inducing, the end-result is a video filled with gratifying shots mixed with crisp audio that almost sounds like percussion with a rhythm that you simply cannot skip, literally.
When asked about where he thinks his growing channel will go next, he says might dabble in longer forms of content too.
“It was wise to have “technology” abbreviated in Gio Takes on Tech, because aside from covering consumer technologies, I can also cover techniques. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been approaching friends of various disciplines and hobbies to ask if they’re down for a collab.”
