“You’re Being Watched” And Fixing The ‘Psychic Drag’ In Your Video Art
“In this blog, Raymond teaches how to make any video better using a masterful soft skill to minimize a common problem he calls Psychic Drag.”
”He provides a short-form video for you to practice with.”
”The post includes everything noted in the table of contents above, as well as concerning imagery, the artist’s commentary, toolkit, links to socials, and information for retaining Raymond’s services.”
The Short FilmSound on recommended.
As Written“You’re Being Watched” - A Dreamcore Haunting Poem
By Raymond Cinemato
Don’t fall to sleep. You’re being watched, you have 3 days to walk backward through your front door and snip four roses. Place the roses under the kitchen sink until you can speak to your mother again. If you forget to water them, you’ll need to slice a piece of bread before bed. Don’t sleep that night, you’ll die. Instead, stare into the television screen with nothing on. Pull your favorite book from the shelf and open it but don’t read. At 4:20AM lie back with the book still in your hand and turn to your right. You’ll see it in the texture in front of you. Do not touch it. But whisper, ‘it’s done’ and you’ll be safe to sleep again. However, if your mother has not spoken to you, I’m sorry but you’re already lost.”
Key Imagery
Artistic Commentary“How To Make All Your Videos Feel Better — Featuring “You’re Being Watched”
By Raymond Cinemato
There’s a hidden flaw even skilled creators miss—something I call Psychic Drag. It’s what happens when your audience’s brain has to work harder than it should just to keep up. After this quick read, you’ll be walking away with a skill that only the most naturally gifted or the most practiced video artists have. And some don’t even realize they have it.
There’s a famous industry story about how director Ridley Scott reviewed a picture cut of his film Alien and was left feeling deeply disappointed. But after adding in sound effects and Jerry Goldsmith’s music, he realized they had a hit on their hands. Today, Alien is an iconic film, celebrated for everything—including its story. This demonstrates the importance of technical and stylistic skill, as well as instinct, in the creation of video artworks.
And while there are many articles belaboring the impact music and sound design have on the viewer experience, there’s a much lesser-known skill that all great technical artists in these formats possess—either consciously or unconsciously—and that’s what I’m going to share with you today. Since I haven’t heard anyone really give it a name, I gave it the name ‘Psychic Drag.’
It’s the unfortunate result of very subtle yet meaningful mismatches between what’s happening visually, audibly, and emotionally.
After giving you the fix, I’ll provide a couple of examples for practice. But before I do, be warned: I’ll be talking about the technical process of editing and layering in a way many people don’t often study. I’ll be speaking in very “touchy-feely” terms—because once you move past a certain level of technical skill, you must start leaning into what I like to think of as the spiritual side of the art. And that requires a different kind of language. One I’ll help you understand more fully as we work through the examples.
So how do you fix it?
Here’s the principle: Time visual and audio elements to perception, not the editing timeline.
When syncing elements—audio, visuals, text—you must consider how long each one takes to register consciously and emotionally. Visual text, for instance, takes longer to process than voice. If you wait until a word is spoken to display it, you’re already behind. The viewer’s mind is now chasing your story instead of absorbing it.
That means you must layer each element so that their felt impact lands simultaneously. And that’s not just within a single moment—you need to account for the transitions between moments, too. Cognitive shifts take time, often less than a frame, but they matter. You’re not just timing cuts. You’re guiding consciousness.
This is why Adobe Premiere includes the ability to adjust your timeline to audio samples—even though video can’t export at that resolution. Because experienced editors feel the sync before they see it. As anyone who’s ever matched a slate knows, the sound often hits slightly off from the visual clap.
Let’s use our short film You’re Being Watched as a case study. It’s a quick-turn horror microshort we made for social. Under tight time constraints, we let a few imperfections slide—which makes it perfect for this lesson.
Pay attention to the on-screen titles. If a line like “If you forget / to water / them” feels clunky, it’s because it is. Compare it to “If you / forget to / water them.” The second version flows better, cognitively and emotionally. It’s not just about what words you choose—it’s where the beat lands. Relatable, personal, actionable words process faster.
Every title, sound cue, or visual shift that isn’t aligned with the viewer’s processing rhythm creates Psychic Drag. And every bit of drag dulls the emotional impact of your work.
A well-timed video doesn’t just play—it possesses. And a well-timed creator? They don’t just edit. They orchestrate thought.
Be a psychic engineer.
And if you’d like to hire me to help you clear all Psychic Drag—to orchestrate thought and emotion in service of your art, product, brand, or service—you can contact me via the link below.”
Creative Toolkit“Among the many tools I have, the following were used for this project.
- Google Docs & Drive
- Adobe Premiere
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Photoshop
- Sora & ChatGPT
- Google Veo 3
- TikTok
- Squarespace Website
- Squarespace Emails”
To learn more about mystorytelling services