Content creator, Jessica Hirsch, describes what goes into creating a single CheatDayEats recipe post.

• I like to think about what people are interested in seeing that goes with the season [ heart-shaped tater tot casserole on Feb. 14 or a red, white and blue whipped cream Oreo tower in July for example]. Then I’ll plan out and create a recipe. My husband, Brian, is the shopper. So he’ll go to the supermarket and get all the ingredients we need for the week.  

• I try to make a rough shot list ahead of time to help the filming process. There are specific shots that I have in my head that I know I want to capture, about eight key moments that help pull people into the video and keep them watching to the end.  

• We film in our apartment using natural light. We have a tripod set up and use two cameras and two different lenses. I try to get into the content and that's when Brian will shoot. Otherwise, I’m the one filming.

• There's a certain order that I always follow: first intro shots, then making sure people understand the process of the recipe and then those finished beauty shots that are always going to be a part of my videos. I love slow motion and people know me for that, so I'm always filming a specific type of content that I can slow down and really exaggerate those beautiful, exciting moments of that specific dish.

• For the editing process, Brian puts everything onto the computer. We use Adobe Premiere Pro and I get down into chopping it up, getting to the storytelling aspect of it, color correction, grading and then it finally goes on social media. I try to provide the recipe because I want to add value to my posts so that people can save them and share them to fully understand how to recreate the dish.

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Hirsch and her co-creator husband usually film recipes at home two or three days during the week. The rest are spent filming on location at restaurants, creating sponsored posts, attending classes and events, documenting moments from their lives and of course editing all that content into polished 30-second videos that keep users liking, commenting and coming back for more.  

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