Reels 101      Assignment note: Before attempting your own reel, binge at least 15–20 of @fathersimonteller's reels back to back — just watch — especially those with high hits.      The goal is to let the rhythm sink in: how fast the cuts come, how often the angle changes, how quickly each reel commits to its one idea.      Editing instinct is absorbed before it's understood. Once you've watched enough, the pattern will already be shaping how you shoot and cut your own footage. Reels 101: Father Simon Teller Case Study       Father Simon Teller, O.P., is a Dominican friar and Catholic priest serving as chaplain at Providence College. Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the third of seven children, he studied English at the University of Dallas and worked in oilfield water management in North Dakota before entering the Dominican Order in 2014.      He was ordained a priest in 2021 and now splits his public life three ways: campus ministry, content creation that has drawn over 300,000 followers on TikTok and more than 100,000 on Instagram, and music with The Hillbilly Thomists — a bluegrass band of Dominican friars whose debut album hit #3 on the Billboard bluegrass chart in 2017.      What makes his case instructive for Reels 101 is the origin story: he has no formal training in videography or social media. The idea came from watching outdoor cooking ASMR videos by creator @thenikosknife.      While setting up for Mass one day, it occurred to him that the sacristy held the same raw material (texture, sound, ritual movement) that made those cooking reels satisfying to watch.      Teller began applying the ASMR format to priestly tasks: preparing incense, making holy water, vesting for Mass. One incense-prep reel alone drew over 21 million views. Subsequently, he has expanded his technique with a large range of creative styles.      The editing itself isn't technically demanding — no more complex than what a tool like Adobe can produce. What makes it work is discipline: a high number of cuts, frequent angle changes, and a tight, single-topic focus per reel.      The lesson is you don't need advanced software to make a reel work. You need to cut often, vary your angles, and stay locked on one clear topic per video. The craft is in those choices, not in the editing tools.      Teller on TikTok      Teller on Instagram      Teller on Facebook