Embark: The Series
How I Edited Hundreds of Hours of Footage Into a Web Series Documenting Norwegian Cruise Lines’ “Great Cruise Comeback.”
The pandemic hit a lot of companies hard; mine included. As I watched my savings wither away, it was obvious the world wasn’t going to return to normal anytime soon. I had to pivot my business strategy or find a new line of work.
At the same time, Norwegian Cruise Line started investing heavily in content. The entire cruise industry shut down and they saw the need to communicate with shareholders and future guests. NCL needed to remind its audience that cruising will one day return and it will be bigger than ever.
Carlos Dominicis, owner of Cafeteria Films, reached out to me with an editing job. Cafeteria had been shooting interviews with Frank Del Rio, NCL Holdings CEO, and their executive team for a reality documentary series on the return to cruising. I didn’t have much experience in editing a 30-minute reality show, but I took the job anyway because making TV shows is something I’ve always wanted to do.
I started receiving footage for “Embark: The Series” and quickly learned the importance of organizing files, creating proper hierarchies and naming conventions. Each episode had approximately 4 TB of footage and during the editing process, I’d have to constantly look back through folders. Organizing it in a way where I could quickly find files and not get lost was instrumental to working efficiently. For interviews, I used Premiere’s auto transcription feature so I could quickly pinpoint soundbites to include in the narrative.
The videos focused on the guest experience and what they could expect when they returned to cruising. NCL highlighted all the new safety measures to keep passengers safe, as well as their trademark commitment to hospitality.
Ultimately, the goal was to build anticipation for the great cruise comeback. The series celebrated the spirit of exploration and showcased the resilience of NCL in navigating through the challenges posed by the pandemic.