This week I filmed a face yoga video to do alongside a daily carrot chewing practice.
Tools I used:
iPhone 13 camera
Final Cut Pro
Soundraw - to generate royalty free music
A carrot
Context
I recently saw an article about someone who chewed gum every day for a year and chiseled his jawline and face muscles. The story goes that these days we mostly chew soft, cooked, and processed foods, and we no longer use our face and jaw muscles enough, so they become weak and flaccid.
Then I discovered there’s a whole marketing wormhole of silicone products targeted towards making people feel bad about their faces.
Reading between the lines and reviews, it seems like not only do these things not work, they can actually damage your teeth and jaw. Some of them are only designed to sit in the front of your mouth, and so only your front teeth can bite them.
The jaw muscles are actually in the back of your mouth around your molars. I found a few more options that cover the whole mouth, or just the back, but I found reviews saying this abnormal pressure can sometimes split the teeth and cause problems in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
.
Second: face yoga.
I found several varieties online already:
I decided to add mine to the mix.
Process
First I watched a bunch of other face exercise videos, and practiced a few each day. There are some that focus on removing wrinkles, or making the cheekbones more prominent, while others are about relaxing muscles or getting the jaw stronger.
Then I put together my own routine and filmed it in one take. Turns out when I’m concentrating and trying to relax my face, I end up looking grumpy (I’ve been told that I look angry on video calls too). Also, filming video in portrait mode isn’t ideal for uploading to Youtube.
Anyway, here it is:
Learnings
Rule of thumb: plastic products imitating a natural behaviour are usually inferior and even unhealthy. Just do the natural thing
I’ve gained a lot of respect for Youtubers and video creators, there are many variables to think of to make an instructional/educational video, even when it’s just talking to the camera
I should allow time for multiple takes
My ‘relaxed’ face makes me look haunted or grumpy
Next steps
Keep on chewing
Host a bite competition
Redo the video in landscape instead of portrait
Add a voice over