Advice for the Breakthrough Junior Challenge

[@Elina-cn1zl]

Hi Deanna! How do you get rid of white noise/static noise that naturally occurs whenever you film a video? I tried looking this up online, but what comes up are explanations of how to get rid of the white noise/static noise when no one is speaking/there is no other sound even though the white noise/static noise occurs throughout the video even if you are speaking or have music playing in the background. Also, thank you for making Advice for the Breakthrough Junior Challenge and A Beginners Guide to Editing! They have been really helpful, and I'm planning on watching some of your other videos on how to make videos too. (I've never had to do post-production for a video or film a video at such high quality before, so it's kind of scary.) Thanks for being so patient and for answering so many other people's comments too. Your responses have helped me a lot. Finally, I loved your winning video and your nice, happy, funny personality is really awesome! You're a really cool person! -Elina

[@Elina-cn1zl]

Would it be worth it to buy a microphone to help with the ambient noise problem? I watched some videos where KZbinrs demonstrated how mics can help eliminate background noise, but even the more affordable but still good quality mics are fairly expensive. Also, I would probably also have to buy a mic stand so that my microphone would be close to me, and I don't really want to spend so much money. I know that you said in a Beginner's Guide to Editing that you didn't use a mic in your Breakthrough Junior Challenge video. Have you used a mic in any of your videos since? Also, I've been hearing that you are more likely to need a mic if you are farther away from the camera. Do you have an estimate on how far from the camera that it would be good to start using a mic? Would it be okay to leave that mic next to the camera and it would still pick up your sound from a distance or would you need to move the mic as close to yourself as possible? Are there any other conditions besides distance for which you would recommend a mic? Is the wind cover for the mic necessary to buy? Also, I know that in a Beginner's Guide to Editing you said that your video workshop instructor (Congrats on winning the challenge to get into that workshop btw!!! Also, glad you had fun during your trip. I saw your vid, and I agree, you do have your priorities straight when you risk your life for boba. XD ) recommended Boya mics. Is there a specific Boya mic that you would recommend for the Breakthrough Junior Challenge or any other mic you would recommend? Thank you so much!!! Sorry for spamming you with so many questions. I just have very little experience with sound equipment and making high audio quality videos.

[@deansodium]

Hi Elina! Thanks for your kind words and checking out my other vids :) I think white noise is always going to be present even with good quality mics - some professional videographers I've worked with encounter that issue too. How they patch it over is by recording room tone (having a minute-long audio recording of the room they're in, when no one is talking) and using that recording on clips that don't have the white noise.

[@deansodium]

Cameras for some reason have trashy audio so yes I've since started using a mic! I'm using a Rode VideoMicro (amzn.to/2MC5Oyo if you're curious, it comes with a stand and cover) that's pretty good for an entry-level mic, and I bought it largely because I've seen some big KZbinrs use it with no issue. It doesn't work well outside but I've always filmed indoors so it's pretty similar to iPhone quality indoors, including distance and everything else you would associate with using the built-in iPhone mic. Of course closer it always better, so I recommend filming indoors when you can and using voiceovers for outdoor shots. Don't worry about asking questions, I was exactly the same when I first started out! It took a long time to figure out by trial and error so I'm happy to help you wherever I can.

[@Elina-cn1zl]

@@deansodium Thank you! Your advice has really helped a lot!

[@KK-ih5qq]

We can use gif in break through junior challenge????

[@deansodium]

Hey, sorry I’m just seeing this! You can check out the requirements for video content here: breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org/faq

[@adeola1919]

I don’t know what topic I should even choose I’m the life sciences

[@deansodium]

You could check out previous years' videos (on Breakthrough's channel) for inspo :)

[@Marieadams.little.love.handles]

I literally just silently wondered to myself if it was raining outside my house right at 2:10 and the video scared me like a lot

[@PartyingGamerGuy]

I took 2 days to get mine done. I just heard about it okay?

[@deansodium]

Haha someone's living life on the edge!

[@avinashp8125]

Deanne, what genre of music should I use for my science videos?

[@deansodium]

It’s your personal preference! Spend a couple hours browsing KZbin Audio Library or incompetech.com and see what best fits your video

[@avinashp8125]

Deanna See, thanks

[@tumishangpraising]

Hey... How do you know if you are chosen to participate in the popular vote... Because I just logged on the breakthrough junior challenges website and I saw was "welcome to the popular vote 2020 and a lot more" so I am lost... Mind giving me clarity

[@deansodium]

Hey, you’ll get an email about whether or not you make it through the rounds before the popular vote, and in previous years participants receive those emails at different times!

[@tumishangpraising]

@@deansodium thank you

[@tumishangpraisingtjale9886]

Hi Deanna i was asking uf you pass on some suggestions on apps to use when coming to video editing and filming

[@deansodium]

Heya! I use iMovie on my Mac but if you don't have a Mac, I've heard that HitFilm Express is a good free software that you can download online. Apart from that, I have more editing and filming tips here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/habCZXuem6qWp7M - hope this helps!

[@tumishangpraisingtjale9886]

@@deansodium so is it possible to use hitfilm on my phone

[@deansodium]

I’m not sure about that - if you’re using your phone, some good apps are VLLO and Inshot

[@tumishangpraisingtjale9886]

Just that some apps contain watermarks...if ones's video consists of watermarks will the judge overthrow it

[@tumishangpraisingtjale9886]

Don't you think that peer to peer review or whatsoever is unfair...not forgetting that some people are so damn mean

[@oluwamurewafadare3077]

Hi Deanna!! I really don't get how you do it. Even if it's raining I could barely hear it, What did you use to get rid of the background noise?

[@deansodium]

It’s been awhile so I’m not sure if I used a mic here, but most of the time I just my phone audio and it’s totally fine!

[@rojakhondokar2848]

Hey deanna. I had a qs. Can we use pictures from google for our animations. Im using powtoon btw.

[@deansodium]

You have to be careful because they might be copyrighted, but pictures from unsplash.com are completely free to use!

[@rojakhondokar2848]

@@deansodium thank u soooo much! U r soo sweet i'm gonna have diabetes 😅🤣🤣

[@avinashp8125]

Dean, can you suggest a few websites and ways to research a nice science research topic online? In your opinion, which is the hardest biology topic? Have a great day Dean. Get some rest dean

[@deansodium]

Hey Avinash, I believe I gave some website suggestions in my beginners guide to editing video so that’ll be good for you to review! And all biology topics can be complex once you diver deeper into them, there’s no one topic that’s necessarily harder than the others. Good luck!

[@avinashp8125]

Thank you so much Dean. Do I have to give link to every picture and gif I use in my video dean? Take care dean

[@deansodium]

@@avinashp8125 Yep keep a google doc of all the links you use! If you make it past peer-to-peer breakthrough will ask you for your sources

[@clarisseyu7854]

Hi Deanna! Thank you for the advices! They are super helpful! I have a question , it might sounds silly… For the words that you said in your video, do those have to be completely your own words? If I include lines from sources I researched in my video, would that be plagiarism or anything like that? Thanks so much!

[@deansodium]

It'd be good to use your own words, especially if it's possible to say those lines in a new way! Otherwise you could quote where those lines were from, and include it in your references if you're emailed for them during the Verification Process :)

[@agentjandk7524]

Hello Most of the people did not afford iPhone and Apple product. Even I burn my Windows 64bit 4gb ram 500gm HDD computer during my client project on upwork freelancing platform. Now it's difficult for me to buy a computer not even Linux on Raspberry Pi. Now I have only outdated Samsung SMj2ooh with full of scratches. Scroll down one page is like climbing up mountain Everest. Do you have any suggestion for this people. please

[@deansodium]

I'm sorry to hear that, it definitely sounds tough for you. Could you borrow someone's laptop or phone, or do you have access to a computer in a public space like a library?

[@omardarwaish5454]

I wanted to ask if I should do something that involves what is happening around us today. Which is the Covid-19 virus or is this subject going to be used by many other participants. Meaning I should use something is very unique and complex.

[@deansodium]

Hi Omar! It's hard to predict what other participants are planning to make their video on - I think Breakthrough definitely emphasizes originality of the explanation (instead of just the originality of the concept) so it's possible for you to take any topic you're passionate about and explain it in a unique way.

[@omardarwaish5454]

@@deansodium Thank you. However, I was wondering if I had to make a video about a concept or can it be about a discovery that was recently found/discovered.

[@khushi3958]

Dude you are so cool 🐧

[@m4gn3tic82]

Would you recommend people who take the challenge to learn really advanced topics which is not yet learnt in their grade, or to just stick with something from their grade?

[@deansodium]

If you have the passion for it, you can definitely explain a topic you haven't learnt yet - I didn't study superbugs in class till the year after my video but it's really easy to pick up from Khan Academy and TED-Ed videos

[@wasumanapandey385]

Which app did you use for editing or adding animation

[@deansodium]

Just iMovie!

[@jazegalette7209]

I'ma show this video to my friend who will be taking part in this competition

[@deansodium]

Jaze Galette Thanks Jaze!

[@menaaly7661]

hey, I don't have a camera nor a tripod ,just a Samsung note 2 .. and I was wondering if there are any skills I could learn to edit my video /software for editing it

[@deansodium]

That's okay! I filmed everything with my phone too. I'm not familiar with mobile video editing apps but heard that Filmr is a pretty good app.

[@menaaly7661]

Thanks for replying! ❤ ps if I want to participate next year and my birthday is Sep 11 basically I'm gonna turn 18 during the challenge so is this year my last chance to participate?

[@deansodium]

I believe you'll still be eligible if you haven't turned 19 by the time the challenge period ends next year. They might have this written somewhere in their Terms and Conditions on the Breakthrough website!

[@moonchild16]

Hey Deanna! I had a question... Did you use a mic while filming the video as the background noise is disturbing

[@deansodium]

Hey Aadya! No I didn’t, which is why the outdoor intro in my superbugs video sounded so bad. But the built in iphone mic works well indoors :)

[@moonchild16]

@@deansodium Ohk, thanks... well, I already uploaded my video and honestly, there is a lot of background noise... next time I'll try filming indoors. Thanks :)

[@deansodium]

Ahh sorry I got back to you so late! But glad to hear you that powered through, all the best!

[@moonchild16]

@@deansodium Thank you! :)

[@deansodium]

Sure thing!

[@VictorE1030]

Oh shit mommy has a job

[@deansodium]

Haha well, a girl's gotta live 🤷

[@manderZD_Piano_ViolinViola]

Hi Deanna: Thanks for the advice! I was so worried about having to buy like $200 worth of equipment and software...good to know that normal iPhone camera and iMovie can work! I'm wondering how you were able to get music into your videos without having to deal with copyright infringement. The Breakthrough website stresses the copyright issue a lot, so I don't want to accidentally cross any lines. Thanks!!

[@deansodium]

Thanks Amanda, glad you found it helpful! I used music from incompetech.com (it has a huge range of royalty-free music) and the tracks that come with iMovie :)

[@emmaharris4028]

Hello, Deanna! I'm thinking of entering the Junior Breakthrough Challenge for 2020. Yeah, I know, planning my video a year from now may seem a little overkill, but, hey, so is scrambling to create a video when you're clueless, fifteen days before the deadline. As I've surfed the web, I compared my favorite topic idea ("Cognitive Language Acquisition"), and I'm worried that it doesn't quite fit into the Life Science category. How and where the brain processes his/her mother tongue was discovered by both psychologists and neurology experts. I've also explored the ways that infants, toddlers, adolescents, and adults acquire his/her language, and why age/early exposure to a new language affects a person's speed of learning a new dialect. Is this a little far out? I've never made a video, and I don't even have a good phone to even begin creating one. Will the judges focus more on the quality/technique of your film, or the academic content?

[@deansodium]

Hey Emma, I would say you're good! In the FAQs on Breakthrough's website it says this under Video Content: "Psychology could possibly be a valid topic if the video relates to Life Sciences and for example, discusses brain function and physiology as opposed to strictly behavior. If in doubt, we recommend that you consult with your teacher." So neurology definitely qualifies. As for content vs quality, in my experience videos (1) that are fun to watch, (2) where viewers learn something they didn't know before, do pretty well so try to strike a balance between them. Hope this helps!

[@emmaharris4028]

@@deansodium Thanks for the assist. Also, I'm homeschooled. I read in the FAQ about homeschooling eligibility, but wouldn't it be weird for a homeschooled student to get a $100,000 lab in his/her yard, and for the teacher (a.k.a the parent) to get $50,000? Not that there's been a homeschooled winner.

[@MASHOfficial]

Awesome! I started working on the script 2 weeks ago and a quarter of shooting is done too! Just learning things on the animation of videos. :D Thanks a lot for these tips, they will really help a lot!

[@deansodium]

Great to hear you're making progress Saikat! No problem - I'm currently learning about animations too, just found out how useful green screen is ✳️ Can't wait to watch your video, let me know how it goes :D

[@MASHOfficial]

Glad to hear back from you! Would love to be in touch and get special tips from you. Somewhere we can connect? Instagram?

[@deansodium]

Sure, I'm @deansodium on Insta and Twitter. Feel free to ask anything here or on those platforms :)

[@moohsinatabassum5915]

Can a 18 year old boy / girl participate in this challenge??

[@deansodium]

Hey! You just have to still be 18 by October 1 - details here: breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org/faq

[@moohsinatabassum5915]

That means next year is my last time to participate? (My birth date 25/09/2005)

[@deansodium]

Based on this year’s rules, as long as you’re not yet 19 by October - but definitely check the FAQs and email breakthrough if you want to be sure. All the best!

[@madhuchandrasekaran7693]

Hi! This year, I was planning on participating in the Junior Breakthrough Challenge, but I was having some difficulty with the animating. I had a few questions that I was hoping you could clarify for me because I am a COMPLETE beginner at animations and video editing: 1. how did you split your screen and make the animations (and what software did you use to make your little cartoon animations) 2. did you voiceover your whole video together? and if you didn't how did you merge the segments so smoothly? (I also watched your other animation video which was helpful, but these were just questions I had afterwards) Thanks!

[@deansodium]

Hey Madhu! I used the picture-in-picture function on iMovie, and actually got the animations from KZbin videos based on KZbin's fair use policy. I'm not exactly sure what Breakthrough's policy on copyright is though (like to what extent we can use outside images etc.) so I recommend using whiteboard drawings/stopmotion/greenscreen to be on the safe side. As for audio, a common KZbinr trick is to edit out all or most of your breaths/pauses between speaking so that it sounds smooth. Hope that helps! All the best :)

[@buddybob5502]

What did you use to make your animations so cool you are the best

[@deansodium]

Thank you! I used stopmotion/whiteboard drawings/powerpoint to animate, I talk more about those here :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/habCZXuem6qWp7M&t=

[@m4gn3tic82]

If there's something I'm interested in and it's too simple to understand, should I find another topic?

[@deansodium]

Hi! I found this on the Breakthrough FAQs that may help: "The subject of your video should be complex enough to really challenge your explanatory powers. It should not be something that a general audience would already know, or a simple fact that could be looked up and understood in a few seconds." If your topic takes 3 minutes to understand, then it works for your video!

[@deansodium]

Adding the site for reference: breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org/faq

[@avinashp8125]

Deanne, is there any special prize in the breakthrough challenge?

[@deansodium]

Hi Avinash! To my knowledge, only the winner gets the scholarship/lab etc

[@avinashp8125]

Deanna See, thank you for always replying me ...

[@deansodium]

Of course, all the best!

[@samuelpete6171]

Hey there, i love your videos. I just wanted to ask do you by any chance think the peer to peer is unfair for the BJC because what if you get people who are meanspirited?

[@tumishangpraisingtjale9886]

That's what i also wanna know

[@TheScienceBiome]

@@tumishangpraisingtjale9886 EXACTLY. I AM STRESSING SO MUCH

[@anmoltomer4207]

Hi ! Deanna thanks for reply on my comments. I need you help I am not understanding how I considered the difficult level of the topic I am so confused which topic difficult or best for the junior challenging

[@deansodium]

I'd say an advanced high school or even college level topic would definitely be difficult enough. An easy way to gauge is whether a lot of people already understand the topic.

[@anmoltomer4207]

I think ' olber paradox ' . Is it a challenging topics ??

[@anmoltomer4207]

Please reply shortly

[@deansodium]

Yep sounds good!

[@anmoltomer4207]

Topic good or title good ?? Ha haha !

[@mrrajkumar196]

Hi Deanna, Did you state your references in the video that you did for the breakthrough? Like my inspiring teacher he wrote the science textbook that I am using (along with other resources) to make my video on. I was just wondering if I have to refer his book in the video, and where I have put it. Thanks, Ethan.R

[@deansodium]

Hi Ethan! If you reach the Verification round (after Peer-To-Peer), you’ll be emailed for your references and stuff. No need to include them in your video itself :)

[@mrrajkumar196]

Thanks!

[@skyscraper6863]

Is it important to hv ourselves in the video...i mean can't we just put an animated character in the video... without showing our face...n can we use animated audio

[@deansodium]

Hey, sorry I’m just seeing this! Some videos that performed well don’t have faces in the video, it definitely helps to show who you are but not required

[@KeneanSamuel]

How many videos are needed?

[@deansodium]

To submit? Just one!

[@KeneanSamuel]

@@deansodium does it have any levels?

[@KeneanSamuel]

Or like you are just review by one video that you submit?

[@deansodium]

Yep, that same one video will be judged by different panels over a few rounds, from peer-to-peer to finals

[@KeneanSamuel]

@@deansodium so all i have to do is do one video only. Thanks very much 😊

[@katieyu9374]

Hey Deanna, I love your videos! I’m participating this year and was wondering if you have any more tips on coming up with creative ways of explaining a topic (I think I’m pretty good with this, would still love some more thoughts haha), overcoming doubt (and questioning whether demonstrations are totally accurate 😬) and knowing how much text to add to the video. Thanks for the tips in this video :)

[@deansodium]

Thanks Katie! Sounds like you're giving a lot of thought to your video and that's awesome :) Watching other science KZbinrs like ASAP Science, Scishow, 3Blue1Brown etc. helps a lot with inspiration for how to explain different concepts, and you could watch your favorite KZbinrs (even outside of science) to see what video techniques they use to make their content unique/appealing to you. For me it was nigahiga and his puns 😂Doubt is an issue I faced too, and it stayed with me all the way till I submitted - at that point I'd given up on winning and was close to not submitting at all. But after that I just didn't think about the video until I got emailed about the next round :) if I could turn back time I would focus on making a video to be proud of instead of trying to make the "best" video, because letting your personality shine through is one of the most unique things you can do with your vid. As for text, think of it like a powerpoint - not too much on the screen, and make sure there's enough time for the audience to read it before it disappears. Hope this helps :) all the best!

[@katieyu9374]

Deanna See thank you! ❤️

[@katieyu9374]

Deanna See a few more q’s 😂, how do you know whether a piece of info is really worth including in the video or not and how do you ensure that your demonstrations are accurate?

[@deansodium]

One way is to see if your explanation will be significantly affected if you remove that piece of info; usually the historical context can be cut first! I look up a lot of different videos/online science notes from Khanacademy, uni websites etc. to make sure the demonstration corroborates with the process in most/all of these pages

[@manassrivastava7448]

Hello, I just wanna know that is two page script length is ok for 3 min video. If said with normal speed

[@deansodium]

Hi Manas! Depends on how much content there is on your page and how fast you read through it. For a rough gauge I sometimes put my text through a converter like wordcounter.net/words-per-page

[@manassrivastava7448]

Deanna See thank you

[@sumatisrivastav]

Hey! Deanna.. I'm working on my video but there's no teacher who's guiding me or inspired me for this. Whatever I'm doing is my own efforts and my own work. What should I write in that teachers column?

[@deansodium]

Hi Sumati! You could nominate a teacher who got you interested in science - I nominated mine because she made Bio lessons interesting :)

[@sakshiagrawal2839]

Hey Deanna, what did you mean about the topic sticking with me for the next two months?

[@aayusharya6899]

Erm... Excuse me I had a question. I'm reading a book on the topic I wanna do my video on. Is it okay if I copy analogies in the book or is that not allowed? (Some of them are so specific that it's difficult to think of a different one)

[@deansodium]

Hi Ayush! You could credit the examples you use :)

[@aayusharya6899]

Deanna See Thanks for the help :)

[@dyanmercado2624]

Hello Deanna, I really like your personality :) , thanks for this amazing video, it really helped me a lot in deciding a topic as well as analyzing my inner thoughts on what field I want to pursue

[@deansodium]

Hi Anne! Thanks for your kind words, this put a huge smile on my face :) Glad I could help! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions along the way 🤙

[@dyanmercado2624]

haha. thanks lodi (idol) :)

[@avinashp8125]

Dean, can I nominate my mother as my inspirational teacher because I moved from school to school many times. Mostly, my mom taught all about science.. so can I nominate my mom as my teacher and my recent school? Reply me whenever you’re free

[@deansodium]

Heya! I’m not sure about that, but Breakthrough would be able to answer you about that requirement: [e-mail]

[@avinashp8125]

Deanna See, thanks

[@rajnisingh6910]

Hi Deanna thanks for such a great advice but can you tell me that how you got that animations in your winning video

[@deansodium]

Hi Rajni! I got the animations from KZbin videos after checking they complied with fair use policy.

[@rajnisingh6910]

Thanks alot i will also try to find some

[@rajnisingh6910]

I think you are a great person with a great sense of humour you can also be a great youtuber(million subscriber type) thanks a lot again

[@rajnisingh6910]

I am so sorry but can you tell me how does it work

[@deansodium]

I referred to this: kzbin.infoabout/copyright/fair-use/ From my understanding, we can use source clips 1. for non-profit educational purposes 2. that are fact-based 3. that form only a small part of the original video (and our use of the clip brings new meaning to it) 4. if it does not harm the owner's ability to profit But that's hard to verify, and in hindsight it would've been a lot less stressful to stick to royalty-free animations. I recommend Video Scribe as I've used it for school projects before :)

[@swathiandshanu4013]

Hey Dean, Thank You For This Amazing Video......... Really Helped!!!

[@deansodium]

No problem Swathi, all the best!! Feel free to ask if you have other questions 🙆‍♀️

[@abhayagrahari6402]

Well, I have two questions regarding this contest: (1)Can we create just a cartoon animation to explain our stuff? (2)Will our first video be only for entering the contest or is it for the entire contest?

[@deansodium]

Hey I'm so sorry for the late reply, yes you can create a 100% cartoon animation (some previous years' finalists made amazing examples) and yes it will be the video that will be judged all the way till the end!

[@bree2364]

Hi! If you could answer this question for me it would be a huge help. Does the topic of the video have to be explaining an idea that already exists and is widely known, or can it be explaining a new idea that could practically change the world? I've read through the guidelines multiple times but have not seemed to be able to give myself an answer to it.Thank you!

[@deansodium]

Hi Bree! I believe it should be an existing concept that's established within the scientific community, but you can drop an email to the Breakthrough team to be sure. All the best!

[@Everythingteclonogy]

Great video ! I had a question I'm really interested in body language and psychology if I connect it to brain and neuroscience will i have a chance to win and any advice on (connecting psychology)

[@deansodium]

Thanks! I'd say a winning topic is one you're passionate about, and that neuroscience/psychology idea you've got there sounds interesting! The only advice I have at the moment is to keep in mind the 3 minute time limit, so you'll have to balance both concepts and their relationship well if you intend to discuss all of them.

[@Everythingteclonogy]

Deanna See thankss a lot look forward to see you upload every 10 day one more question if I don't bother you what if the teacher that made science interesting to me was not any of my previous science teacher just a teacher that I know

[@deansodium]

That's probably alright too! You could check with the Breakthrough team to be sure.

[@amanrubey]

Your English is very sweet

[@deansodium]

Thanks Aman!

[@studentstudent441]

Hi! I was curious if someone could help me: how can I make my video appear earlier on in the search results? Thanks in advance!

[@mishalraza9615]

Hi Deanna Your video was awesome! I did want to ask if you informed your school about being part of this competition or not Also where did you learn how to animate ?

[@deansodium]

Thanks! Nope, my school only found out when they were called during the verification process. The animations I sourced from KZbin in accordance with their fair use policy, but if you want more control over how your animations move and stuff VideoScribe and Powtoon are good animation repositories

[@mishalraza9615]

Ok thank you :)

[@suhailkhanmn562]

Can you suggest any other editing software for windows

[@deansodium]

Hi! Windows Movie Maker and Wondershare Filmora are a few simple ones I've heard of. Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro are more advanced but should have versions compatible with Windows. Hope one of them works for you!

[@suhailkhanmn562]

Thank you so much!

[@pranavmahapatra]

Hey, urgent help It's silly but we need help, The Breakthrough form includes an "area code" block, what do we have to fill in it.....confused...

[@lanvymai3983]

Thanks!! Watching your videos and listening to your jokes always delighting :')

[@deansodium]

Ahh thank you! 😊

[@nirajb.h6097]

Did you make the background music in your competition's video??

[@deansodium]

Hi Niraj, nope! I used music from incompetech.com and tracks built in iMovie :)

[@rainasajid6678]

Thank you for all these honest and effective suggestions :)

[@deansodium]

Hey Raina! Glad to help :)

[@adriadi4986]

Hello deanna, i am going to apply to breakthrough junior challenge. but i am not a normal appicant, i am self taught i do not go to school and i do not have any teacher to nominate. given my situation, will my appication be considered?

[@deansodium]

Yup! From the FAQ page: In the sections of the Profile and the Application that ask for information about your school or your teacher, you can enter your home address and contact information for a parent or guardian.

[@owenloh9300]

its amazing that u used 10 dayz, i used a month now, every day

[@deansodium]

It took way longer when I started out making videos, it gets faster with experience! Keep going 💪 If you need any help, just ping me :)

[@rupeshpaliwal4491]

Hi Deanna in 2016 should you explain your own concept of theory or you learn theory from internet and explain it in simple way and win ...... because I have a whole new concept of theory challenge the theory of relativity

[@deansodium]

Hi Rupesh! In my experience, most Challengers explain concepts that are more established within the scientific community.

[@esthersalle9456]

This video was a lifesaver! Thank you so much for uploading it. I finished my video on time, but since I'm not expecting to get very far this year, I was wondering what kind of tips you might have for future content?

[@deansodium]

Thanks Esther, glad to help! If you're making more science vids (same here!), I think the most important thing is to consider what viewers want to know. That'll shape the type of content that goes into your videos and how you present it. You'll get better at it with every video you make! It's an ongoing process-I'm still figuring out what works and what doesn't too. Hope that helps, I'm right here if there's anything else you'd like to know :)

[@esthersalle9456]

Hi Deanna, sorry for taking a little while to get back. Thanks for the advice! I'll keep it in mind. By the way, I just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying the new videos you've been posting. They're amazing. :)

[@deansodium]

Thank you so much Esther! Your encouragement kept me going the past couple weeks. I just posted a new video, hope you like it :)

[@esthersalle9456]

Hey Deanna, always glad to leave a comment. :) Your new video is awesome, btw. How much time does it take you to script such a video? It seems like it requires a lot of work.

[@deansodium]

Thanks again Esther! That video has taken the most effort so far, I'd say about a month to consolidate all the information, script and then storyboard. It ran up to 8 pages! Had to return to it often because some parts didn't translate well during filming too. Worth it though :)

[@abrahimlincoln7076]

How many hours did you spend on the project?

[@deansodium]

10 days! I break it down in this vid :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/habCZXuem6qWp7M

[@aayusharya6899]

Hey Deanna! I forgot to say, thanks for the effort of doing this :) Do you think a video which doesn't have many puns in it would stand out too? I'm want to be trying to make the audience feel the depth of the subject. I mean, I want to do something similar to what you see in science shows like Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (I'm not sure if this is the 9999th time I'm talking about this series). I know even with After Effects I won't be able to do such amazing visuals in the little time left, but I want to try.

[@deansodium]

Hi Ayush! Sounds like you’ve been working hard on your video, that’s fantastic 👍 puns are not necessary, they just happen to be what I love doing. By that logic you could think about what makes you likable as a friend and bring those traits in front of the camera :) being engaging doesn’t have to come at the expense of content一they should enhance what you’re saying, or help to get the point across more easily.

[@deansodium]

It’s also not a must to have a professional-looking video, but if you want professional looking animations, KZbin has plenty of free ones that people upload without copyright (search “green screen [insert animation you’re looking for]”). That should cut down your animation time

[@aayusharya6899]

Deanna See Thanks for this :)

[@tumishangpraising]

Hey...any tips on how to make my content attention grabbing or funny🙈

[@deansodium]

Puns, jokes, whiteboard drawings, stopmotion animations! Think of how you would talk with your friends

[@tumishangpraising]

Thank you deanna it means a lot...did you edit the video by yourself 😊

[@deansodium]

Yup! 100% by myself, on iMovie

[@tumishangpraising]

I only have 6 days left to shot the video and i am panicking🙈

[@deansodium]

You got this! Break it down into smaller tasks and you’ll be okay

[@jackierhinestone1829]

Did you have to ask your school before entering the competition...you know, just in case you won and got the cool science lab?

[@deansodium]

Hi Regina! Nope, pretty sure they were as surprised as I was :P

[@shailendrasharma9002]

Can you suggest me how can i use imovie in android for free

[@deansodium]

Hi Shailendra, I don't think iMovie can be used in Android but there are similar movie-making apps like Viva Video!

[@shailendrasharma9002]

@@deansodium thanks for reply

[@shailendrasharma9002]

@@deansodium Can you suggest me how to animate video in android

[@ayamedhat1185]

Hi Deanna , you are great girl💜 I need your advice about how to make the video .. shall I make some small parts and collect them together in my video? Or make the whole video then Edit it? Thank you❤

[@deansodium]

Hi Aya, thanks for your kind words ☺️ How you film/edit depends on your content - you can do both! In my experience, filming one long take makes the flow of your story smoother, so I try to film all my vlogs in one sitting. At the same time, I film and add other small clips in between (like stop motion animation) to make it more interesting. Hope that helps! 💪

[@ayamedhat1185]

Deanna See Thanks❤❤❤ I always tell myself that i have no chance among those guys..this disappoints me Have you felt this before? In your opinion how can I overcome this feeling !? And Really thanks for inspiring us❤

[@deansodium]

Gosh, yes - I understand how you feel. There were times when I felt I wasn't good enough, especially after watching other videos which explained harder concepts, with much better editing. The trick is to not compare yourself to everyone else. Focus on what makes you uniquely you (for me, it's probably the super lame puns...) and celebrate your own milestones along the way. Ultimately, it's about making something you're proud of. You are more amazing than you think 💜

[@ayamedhat1185]

Deanna See The best motivation Ever❤ I can't Express how much power you gave me by your words🌹💜💜 I hope to see you again in another videos🌸

[@deansodium]

Any time Aya! Looking forward to seeing your video too ^^

[@kevincaotong]

Hey Deanna, I'm looking for some advice for my Breakthrough video. I'm going to be explaining and showing a physics discovery (not saying so no one copies), and I'm not sure how I should go about showing the proof. The original proof involves calculus and differential equations, and I don't want to confuse people with that since not many high schoolers will understand those topics. The other proof is geometric (and very clever), but there's been videos and publishments already showing that proof, and I don't want to risk getting copyrighted. Should I choose a proof to show, or should I avoid getting into the math behind it? (I've noticed there's almost never been a math video placing on Breakthrough)

[@deansodium]

Hi Kevin! Whoa - sounds like a complex topic you've got there. How essential is the proof for understanding your concept? I find that for introduction videos, making them accessible is the most important part to get someone interested in the topic. Hm I'm not sure about the copyright; just because someone's explained a fact before doesn't mean you can't do your own take of it. It's interesting that your concept has two vastly different proofs - I'm intrigued! Let me know how it goes 👍

[@kevincaotong]

Hey Deanna! The proof will be sort of a bridge to the concept in my video. I'm planning on starting with a commonly known concept/idea, and then going into the concept I'll be explaining, which is very similar to this commonly known idea. I'll start by addressing the question (It started off as a question proposed within physicists a while back, and was solved by a number of them using various techniques), and then I am hoping on showing a proof of the concept as a bridge to the answer, especially since it combines a number of seemingly unrelated common equations and concepts in classical physics, and it would probably be pleasing to see all those concepts in action to solve a single problem. From there, I'm planning on demonstrating the result compared to some control groups. As for the copyright thing, I'm mainly concerned my video might be discredited because there's already a pretty popular video (multiple, actually), by quite a number of science KZbinrs that explains the concept extremely well. I don't want the proof in my video to be like a copy of theirs, but I can't think of any other way of explaining the proof.

[@deansodium]

Great that you've got your research down pat! While theoretically a concept may be hard to differentiate, could using different analogies work? It could be completely unrelated to your concept so long as it draws some parallels - I used to make up drama plotlines to study organic chemistry lol. Given the nature of your concept as a "bridge", could you liken it to an actual bridge? Just a suggestion. For most conceptual relationships, I find that analogies in the form of games or human interactions work pretty well. You could also draw inspiration from the best parts of each popular KZbin video and weave them into your own story - that way you won't copy any one video. Keep me updated!

[@aayusharya6899]

Hey Kevin, it sounds insane. Have you published the paper into an academic journal? Go for it if you haven't!

[@peacelovedolls1672]

I've been trying to put a video together for this year, but I'm such a mess at it! I'm trying to explain Crispr-Cas9 but there's so much information that in order to fit all of the details I want into a 3 minute video I have to speak really fast, like one of those commercial narrators who try to spurt out all of the extra fees and side effects within three seconds so that no one knows they exist. I've already had to cut out a lot of important information about the PAM sequence to get it down to 3 minutes, and I don't want to cut out too much more because I want to make sure that the process still makes sense. Could you give me any tips for this? Thanks! Oh, and also, does winning this challenge totally change your life forever and make you some kind of superstar? Because on the off chance that I won (pretty much just in my dreams, but that's close enough to reality for me to ask this) I wouldn't want my life to go all crazy, and I watched the 2017 winner's advice video and she was talking about how she's become some kind of idol to a bunch of people, and been on tv and become famous and all of that, and I really wouldn't want that to happen to me; I'm just kind of uncomfortable with being in the spotlight all the time like that. Did that happen to you? Thanks!

[@deansodium]

Yo! Don't worry about including everything on CRISPR in your video. I find that short vids function better as a broad introduction rather than an all-in-one explainer, and the best ones inspire you to learn more about the topic on your own. For example in my entry I replaced the names of nutrients needed by bacteria with "sugars and proteins". While less specific, it doesn't compromise on the learning point that bacteria need certain nutrients to thrive. I believe it's not necessary - or even possible - to cram everything in. You can try focusing on the key ideas of your topic such that your viewers learn something new, and are consequently interested to learn the minor specifics on their own. As for your second question, yep! Winning will change your life but becoming a superstar is up to you. One thing's for sure: you'll be all over the news and social media for awhile, and people will remember you as someone who's really good at science. Each of us handles that differently so no worries about the life-turning-upside-down thing too much :) Hope this helps!

[@peacelovedolls1672]

Deanna See okay, cool thanks! I did shorten it a lot, so it finally fits into the 3 minute time frame. I'm still super nervous about everything that I took out, but I guess I'll just have to go with it haha! Okay that's good, because I have too many other things going on to worry about being a superstar 😂😂 thanks for answering my questions! This video was super helpful!

[@deansodium]

Great to hear about your script! Being nervous is normal, just have faith in yourself :) All the best!

[@peacelovedolls1672]

Deanna See okay, thanks so much! 😅

[@awildymarcappeared6134]

Since difficulty is on the criteria, how I can be sure that my topic will be 'difficult'?

[@deansodium]

Take what you currently know about the subject (whether you learnt it in school or on your own) and dig deeper to concepts that most people don't know. Then explain those concepts :)

[@awildymarcappeared6134]

Thank you so much!

[@cairozephyr]

Deanna, this video will be super helpful for me. Thanks for the motivation!

[@deansodium]

No problem, glad to help! All the best ^^

[@anmoltomer4207]

Can I make the video on any topic which related to science.??

[@deansodium]

Hi Anmol! Yup, you just have to explain a concept in Math/Life Sciences/Physics

[@anmoltomer4207]

Thanks

[@anmoltomer4207]

For uploading the video deadline also July 1st or can i upload after July 1st ????

[@deansodium]

You’ll have to upload by July 1st and include the link in your submission on the Breakthrough website

[@Yash-Kadadi]

Hey there, I was a finalist this year and I'm hoping to enter again this year!

[@deansodium]

Hi Yash! Awesome, can't wait to see your entry this year! All the best, you are amazing 💪

[@marley3186]

I took 2 hours to finish mine....

[@deansodium]

Haha good for you!

[@adelezoobi1619]

Ohh!!! Thanks a lot Deanna, it was really beneficial.. But I wanna ask you what's after submitting and sending video??! What is the process to win and how

[@kevincaotong]

After submission, there's a peer-to-peer review, as mentioned in the video, where you judge other people's videos. These are MANDATORY, and they'll narrow down the videos to a few. At this point, there'd be a public vote (I believe on their facebook page or smth like that) to narrow down the videos little by little (Like a tournament), until it gets down to the winner. This will be my first year doing the Breakthrough Junior Challenge (I made an account last year, I just never finished my video since the video-editing software I used was on a free trial, which expired before I finished, AND I didn't know too much about the topic I selected (Complex Analysis) during the time, and made some obviously confusing points. But anyways, I've never had a first-hand experience with any of this, I just recall the process being written somewhere on the website, and somehow still remember it after almost a year. Hope that helps!

[@deansodium]

This is really accurate considering you recalled it off the top of your head 💯Looking forward to your video this year, all the best!

[@deansodium]

Hi Adele! Kevin made a pretty good explanation of it, I'll just add on: in the peer-to-peer round, you score submissions by 5 other Challengers. If you get through this round, you'll be emailed for verification purposes (your contact information, what sources you used in your video etc.). Once you make the cut you'll reach the Popular Vote Challenge (semifinals) and your video will be posted to Facebook. The one with the most votes goes straight to finals, so ask all your friends to like/share/comment on your video :P With every round you pass there'll be emails to reply so keep a look out for them. There's no exact formula to win, just make sure your personality and love for Science shine through it all :)

[@mothilalbhookya441]

I am in the process of making a video for 2019 and I have chosen my topic I just wanna find a way to make it more attention grabbing and I am not that good with animations so I need help.

[@deansodium]

Sorry I just saw your message, hope you've been well! Animaker is a good website with pre-made animations, or you can try to animate graphics (from stock sites like Flat Icon) using Powerpoint. I'm really bad at animating so I stick to drawing/doing my own stop-motion animations nowadays. If you want to use online footage, check if they have a creative commons license because then you can use that footage for educational purposes. Hope that helps! If there's anything else about the video-making process you might want to know, I've also just posted a new video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/habCZXuem6qWp7M - all the best!

[@Armsvid]

Hey Deanna, I wanted to ask if it was okay for me to explain about black holes from all the videos I have found on KZbin?

[@deansodium]

Yo! As long as the final video is an original creation by you :)

[@Armsvid]

Deanna See thanks for the reply...

[@noorshayoub3314]

how would you add the little video in the corner and the music and little picture in the corner like what you did in this video at 0.59 seconds

[@deansodium]

On iMovie, when you insert a video on top of another video there's an option to show it as a "Picture in Picture" - I could make a tutorial if you'd like :)

[@noorshayoub3314]

Yes please that would be very helpful and you really did deserve that prize because ever since I have seen your video I have always wanted to meet you. You are one very smart girl

[@florensiafelicia7280]

Hello Deanna ! Thank you for inspiring me to take part as well i would like to ask more about editing the video what you used and how long it tooked you ! Thank you !

[@deansodium]

Yo! I used iMovie to put my clips together and incompetech.com for the music :) Editing alone took about 3 days!

[@florensiafelicia7280]

Thank you ! ) BTw great subject u had chosen

[@edelalcantara8330]

Deanna, help! I saw you used Ted-Ed footage for your entry. Did you ask Ted-Ed's permission if you could use them? I was wondering if I could take existing videos from KZbin for my entry. Thanks!

[@deansodium]

Hi Edel! I referred to this: kzbin.infoabout/copyright/fair-use/ From my understanding, we can use KZbin clips 1. for non-profit educational purposes 2. that are fact-based 3. that form only a small part of the original video (and our use of the clip brings new meaning to it) 4. if it does not harm the owner's ability to profit To be honest I was concerned about copyright too because fair use is hard to verify; in hindsight I would've used free animations to be sure. Video Scribe is a good source for those :)

[@shubhamgiri5801]

This is just what I needed. Thank you so much. You really deserve to be a winner. But can you tell me how did you write your script, how did you start.

[@deansodium]

Thanks Shubham, that's very kind of you! After choosing my topic (antibiotic resistance), I watched a lot of KZbin videos about superbugs to see what people talked about most - that's usually the most interesting/important part of any topic. From there, I compiled a list of points I wanted to explain in my video, then tied them together in a story like how I would explain it to a friend. Hope that gives you some ideas :)

[@mbiukimicheni9906]

Haha I just remembered the glasses on top of glasses! Do you know where you are going to college

[@colorfulbees]

Do you have any advice for someone who has no idea how to edit videos?

[@deansodium]

N Rajha If you have a Mac, it’s really easy to get started with iMovie - I’m planning to upload a tutorial in the coming weeks. Regardless the software (Wondershare Filmora is another free option), the main function would be to trim and stitch your videos together, ie cut out awkward pauses or mistakes. For basic software it’ll probably be as easy as a drag and drop :) Adding background music is helpful too, I get mine from incompetech.com - hope that helps!

[@colorfulbees]

Deanna See Thank you so much! You are a great help!

[@pinakisaha6910]

Will the non-qualifying participants be given the certificates or any such thing????Please reply..☺☺

[@deansodium]

Hi! To my knowledge, only the semifinalists onwards get certificates.

[@pinakisaha6910]

Many many thanks...but can you please explain the selection process...will the semi-finalists be contacted and be invited?.....how many finalists will be there?...is the next level to what we are now submitting ,the semifinal?

[@deansodium]

Regarding the selection process, most of what I know is on the website - the first round is the peer-to-peer round where you score 5 other submissions. If you do well for peer-to-peer, you'll be emailed for verification, and the best entries move on to the semifinals. That's when they upload your videos to Facebook! In my year there were 5 or 6 finalists; you'll know about your progress through emails from Breakthrough. To my knowledge you'll only receive an email for each stage if you get through.

[@pinakisaha6910]

Who are invited to the prize ceremony?Only the winner??Or All Finalists?? Or also Semifinalists????

[@deansodium]

Yup, only the winner is invited to the ceremony.

[@suramya8446]

omg thank you so much @deanna. Congrats for winning. I've watched your winning video for like 100 times now. I wanted to *-ask a question-* about which I've written a mail to breakthrough junior challenge but I hope you can help. *Can we use ( with modification ofc) previous years topics of finalists and winners?* Please do reply.

[@deansodium]

Thanks Suramya! Hmm, there aren’t any rules that I’m aware of against explaining the same topic - if it’s one that interests you then for sure you should give it a shot! Just make sure the end result is uniquely yours :)

[@AnjaniHopes5963]

hi, do you have any recommendations for free educational websites beside edx and khan academy? thankyou for making this video, it helped me to calm down a little bit due to the stress and anxiety for choosing a topic. love from indonesia!

[@deansodium]

Hi! I'm glad to know this calmed you down. It does get intense at some points, so feel free to drop a message any time if you need someone to talk to :) For educational websites, BBC has a section dedicated to explaining science too (there's a high school one, and also a popular science one). You can also check out the links at the bottom of Wikipedia pages! What I do usually is google key terms for a concept and choose the results that look more legit xD

[@oueslatiahmed74]

thanks for helping anyway

[@deansodium]

any time 😊let me know if you have any other questions!

[@Ty44789]

I have a question about them contacting my school because summer has already started for me and what will they contact my school about,and how did your school react to this?

[@deansodium]

Yo! You should still provide your school details in your application, it’s for verification purposes. My Biology teacher texted me after she was contacted and said she was surprised haha

[@anmoltomer4207]

Why you are not replying

[@deansodium]

Yo!! Busy with a new advice video, it'll be up in a couple days! Just replied your earlier comment, thanks for reminding!

[@omar4104]

Yo what was ur twitter again?

[@deansodium]

Yo it's @deansodium as well :)

[@omar4104]

Deanna See yup found it already had to stalk lots of strangers

[@omar4104]

I mean like I found it hrs ago

[@deansodium]

Haha okay - nice 🤙

[@sarabjeetsodhi3283]

hii. sis i am participating in next yearrr....

[@manassrivastava7448]

Can I give more than one teachers name

[@deansodium]

Hi Manas! It has to be one teacher.

[@manassrivastava7448]

Thank you

[@charliekim770]

Thanks so much ! :)

[@deansodium]

No problem Charlie! All the best for the Challenge ^^

[@lukai7146]

Hello I've never done animation or video editing can u pls help me

[@deansodium]

Hi Lu Kai! No worries, I’m a novice when it comes to software too. iMovie is very user-friendly for video editing if you have it! Besides HitFilm Express, I just remembered another free video editor called Filmora by Wondershare that I used before - you could try them out and see which works best for you. As for animations, stopmotion is slow but easy: just take a picture of every frame and put them together (that’s what I did haha). If you prefer computer animations, Video Scribe is pretty good (I used it for a bunch of school projects). You could search for green screen animations directly online too! Hope this helps!

[@lukai7146]

Thank you so much

[@lorenzovalerio6151]

Hi! I'm a breakthrough junior challenger. I reaaaally would like to know your opinion about the subject I want to explain in my video: Mathematicism. I don't know if it's a valid video topic. Written by: one of your fans!😊

[@deansodium]

Lorenzo Valerio Yo Lorenzo, answered you in DMs! Perhaps you could come up with a rough script first and see if it’s a feasible idea :)

[@lorenzovalerio6151]

Thank you very much Deanna!!😃

[@RealGalaxyGamers]

Evolution is a theory and not even a sound theory.

[@deansodium]

oof

[@jazegalette7209]

My friend said his thanks

[@deansodium]

Thanks for sharing it with him! Glad he found it useful 👍

[@ananiyarastogi]

@deannasodium I wanted to just figure out how to edit and animate my video in an engaging manner and definitely the rest of the process Thanks, Ananiya ❤️

[@deansodium]

Hmm when it comes to editing, jump cuts are useful to eliminate silence and awkward parts (I have a lot of those while filming :p). Would be great if your animations are clearly relevant to the content you’re talking about, so it helps viewers visualize what you’re saying. The low-budget method to animate is stop motion (take all the pictures one by one). Software-wise, video scribe has plenty of ready made animations too. A good way to stand out is through humour! Hope that helps 🙆‍♀️

[@amanrubey]

You aren't on medium?

[@deansodium]

Woops - my bad. Just updated the link in description. Thanks for pointing it out!

[@amanrubey]

Deanna See my pleasure

[@vanessahayes6471]

Oof yes Thank you, Deanna

[@deansodium]

No problem! Glad to help :)

[@ananiyarastogi]

@deannasodium It is my first time competing in breakthrough I was hoping to get some tips on the overall process from you Thanks, a fan ❤️

[@deansodium]

Hi Ananiya! By the overall process, do you mean the different rounds after you submit?

[@vishnuharshini4242]

Hey thanks for the advice. Can I ask you a question:- Can we have two people in the vedio explaining. Is that necessary that only one should be there in the vedio. Can we draw on a paper and explain. Is it necessary that we have to show our face. Plz reply.

[@deansodium]

Hey Vishnu! According to Breakthrough's FAQs, "You can also use friends as actors in your video. However, you must be the sole creator of your submission." As for drawing on paper and not showing your face, yes you can!

[@vishnuharshini4242]

Thanks

[@deansodium]

Any time! I just made a video about filming/editing if you have other questions too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/habCZXuem6qWp7M

[@TboneWithoutTheSteak]

I was robbed.

[@deansodium]

Given how many great entries there are each year, I agree the process is tough. But don't let that stop you from trying again if you love science and making videos - that will drive you even more than the competition does. Tbh, would love to see another science video from you - the one you made about atoms was awesome 👍

[@TboneWithoutTheSteak]

Deanna See Oh, wow thanks. I appreciate you replying with such positivity. You're completely right. Can't compete again because I'm now 19, but I can definitely make another science video. Congratulations! Though I'm late. You keep it up too!

[@deansodium]

Thanks man! Definitely ramping up video production in the coming weeks - can't wait to see what's next for you :)

[@TboneWithoutTheSteak]

Deanna See You won't be waiting long... Maybe we collab in the future. I wish you the best!

[@deansodium]

Keep me updated - a collab sounds awesome. All the best to you too!