Visualise Your Thesis 2022: past winner experience and tips

Recently, the Visualise Your Thesis team sat down with Mathieu Pichault, the 2021 winner of the University of Melbourne’s VYT competition.

Mathieu, an Engineering student who has since graduated and is working in industry, shares his experience, insight, and some tips on competing in VYT.

How far along with your PhD were you when you entered?

I was well into the second year of my PhD when I entered the VYT competition.

Had you made videos before?

I have not been using professional video making software before. However, I was quite familiar with sound and image processing which helped. It took approximately two days to learn the ins and outs of the software and a week to create the video – it was definitely a steep learning curve. I also reached out to a friend who works in videomaking for some advice.

It’s a 60 second video: was it hard to keep it short and keep out the technical stuff?

Being able to convey a complex message in a handful of sentences is definitely the most challenging part of the exercise. In the case of a 60-second video, less is more. I would recommend making sure each sentence is impactful and absolutely necessary.

You made your presentation and won the local competition, then what happened?

I was invited to participate in the international-level competition. It is worth looking at previous year’s winners as some contestants were incredible! I was also able to reference the video as a research output in my thesis.

Now complete, your video is hosted on the figshare repository which tracks view and download counts… are you always tempted to go and can see how many people have viewed your video?

I have not checked the stats lately, but thanks for the reminder. Over a thousand views and 40 downloads isn’t too bad!

Do you think you will make some more videos?

I probably won’t be making more research videos as I am now working full time in the industry. The skills I have acquired through the process are put to good use every day though!

Which software did you use?

I used Apple Final Cut Pro, which is an excellent tool if you are using Macintosh systems. You can have a license for 90 days free of charge. If you are looking for something a bit lighter, iMovie could also do the trick.

If someone is thinking of entering, what do you want them to know?

Remember to separate the creative process into different stages. First write the script, then think of visualisation ideas before recording the audio and working on the visuals. The key is to spend enough time on the script to ensure strong messaging. Only then, have fun with the visuals!

You can view Mathieu’s winning entry on the Visualise Your Thesis repository and, if you are a University of Melbourne graduate researcher interested in VYT see our website for further details.