First Time Vlogging

Starting with the Basics

With some big trips coming up over the next few years, I've been looking into vlogging. What is it and why would you do it? Well, I actually started to look at it because of my drone fixation...you can read more of that on my drone needs in another upcoming article. But essentially in taking photos and videos from the air, I need to know a little bit about taking videos. Which I don't. I know nothing. Let alone how to fly a drone or even how to take videos with a drone. It'll be an interesting journey!

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So why vlog?

Accessbility of the formaqt, basically. Well it's a format which everyone in the world is using there are massively popular vlogs like Casey Neistats who is a youtube icon...I have no intention of being a youtube icon...which is like saying that I don't want to date Natalie Portman. However, with the videos coming from the drone (when I buy the damn thing) I'll end up having oodles of video, which are a great format to convey the experiences of travels, taking the watcher onto a superior visual journey than perhaps my terrible photos can.  

Vlogging

Other than Casey, my other favourite is 4xOverland, a South African that has just moved to Perth and a 4x4 guru. I find their videos informative, sometimes fun, but full of useful information I then take away. The same can be said of the extremely likeable Simon Cade and his excellent DSLR youtube videos. What vloggers do sometimes though, I think, is seem to forget that they should be treating the subject like a short story i.e. there is a start, middle and end. Since I'm only starting out on this journey, I'll publish updates as I progress, but at the moment it's mostly checking out what other vloggers do and use. How hard can it be, right? <fu**ing impossible, is usually the answer>

You can see all about those guys at their own websites and youtube channels:
​http://4xoverland.com/
http://casey.nyc/
http://dslrguide.tv/

A Guide to Making Videos

There was a great guide to short video filming by this young chap d4Darious link that identified Top 15 Mistakes Beginner Filmmakers make. He's very flashy and cooler than I'll ever be, but does make some really great points about film making which I think may be useful when starting a vlog. I do get that they are completley different concepts but my feeling is that you will need to engage your audience all the same. Now it says something about me that I wrote this stuff out whilst he does it in a vlog. And since he wrote it out in the first place (probably) and then acts it out as well, vlogging already seems harder than it did initially - perhaps it's only hard work if it's done well? In which case I genuinely have nothing to worry about. 

I've effectively included verbatim what d3darious has said
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Video Making Tips

1. Goal of the video - what is it or the character trying to achieve? Need people to empathise
2. Create a rough script - just bullet points/key points you want to go through
3. Check your sound - if no one can hear it, then it's pointless! Get some dead cats!
4. Dead Space - Look for dead space in the shot where it's just blank or white walls. Use the rule of thirds. Compose the shot like a photograph.
5. A video with depth - nothing against white walls or white doors. Give them a backdrop. Give them something to look at in the background (movement, different colours, anything!) whilst you talk to the camera in the foreground
6. Small Space? - Shoot through doorways or for you out of the side of the door when travelling?
7. White Walls - Avoid them. Create colour, stick up posters, anything!
8. Close Ups - only if they make sense to. If the close up objects plays a part in the story then awesome, if not then don't worry about it.
9. Lingering - Don't linger anywhere. You can walk with a purpose or make a sandwich or do something, don't just linger in doorways or corridors
10. Pregnant Pauses - Can be used to great effect but when you overuse them...it slows everything down
11. Use Motion - use motion to tell the story. Don't just stand still. No one just stands or just sits in life. They move. They make food. They make tea. They stare outside. Do something! This might be a bit harder when vlogging, but the same principle applies I suppose - no need to sit still!
12. Movie Cliches - don't do the thing where people wake up...it's boring. Make something fantastic, spin a cliché to make it different. Wake up screaming! Again this relates to films more, but this is a good wake-up call not to do the same thing day in and day out for your travels
13. Grab the audience - do something interesting in the first few seconds otherwise people get bored and turn off.
14. Generic Music - Lots of risks with generic music. But don't feel you need to use it. Use it for a drone for example or speak over it.
15. Establishing Shots - Don't open up with the video straight away, show people where you are, a slow pan or a busy street or the distant landscape or setting up camp. 

Now obviously the above is for proper film making, but I think there are some great tips in there. The things I will try to do are:

• Try to ensure there is a rough script to follow for the topic I will cover
• If I'm travelling, I'll try to set the scene with a video-pan or a photo (establishing shots)
• If I'm vlogging at home I'll try set-up an interesting background (rather than white walls)
• Be mindful of sound - practice as much as I can perfecting what different mics sound like (oh, and buy a microphone...that might help)
• Experiment with music but with the 'cheap as chips' framework/mantra

 
 
I am coming from a zero-knowledge background other than actually watching movies. I've done that heaps, but otherwise I know jack sh*t. I watched another show that recommended starting with Windows Movie Maker as it's cheap (well, free) and then buy something that may do the job. Will keep you posted on my vlogging journey!