YouTube tip: Keep your video camera with you at all times
Posted by Matt Hayden on Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Now, I know that if you've got a smart phone, which many people have, you're doing what I recommend here already, since they've all got video cameras built in. Still, if you prefer to use a standalone camera to make YouTube videos with (as I do -- dinosaur that I am!) it's a good idea to get into the habit of keeping it in your pocket or bag.
That's because you just never know when you'll see something useful, interesting, or amusing that you can capture and upload. Being prepared to record stuff is advisable for anyone in any field that utilizes content of any kind -- creatively generated or otherwise.
I learned the value of this when I used to do standup comedy way back in the nineties, when video meant VHS or Beta! Full of enthusiasm, we comics all kept little notepads with us. This was because funny observations and one liners would pop into our heads at the oddest times. So we'd always want to make a note of them when this occurred, rather than trying to recall them when we got home and had settled down to do some focused writing.
It's the same with interesting, useful visual stuff. Except it's not coming out of your own head. It's often happening out there in the real world. In a way making a video is easier than writing because you just have to point and shoot. You can collate these recordings and edit them at your leisure, then add a voice over to make the compilation more cohesive. But sometimes you can just narrate it as you shoot. Not only quick, but it can be more compelling because it has that "you are there" sense of immediacy about it.
The other reason it's good to keep your camera on you and recording stuff on the fly: It's practice! Before long you become very proficient with it, which makes your videos more watchable. When you're not struggling with the zoom function and other aspects of recording you can get creative with how you shoot, eventually developing your own unique style. That's important, because YouTube is certainly a very crowded market!
That's because you just never know when you'll see something useful, interesting, or amusing that you can capture and upload. Being prepared to record stuff is advisable for anyone in any field that utilizes content of any kind -- creatively generated or otherwise.
I learned the value of this when I used to do standup comedy way back in the nineties, when video meant VHS or Beta! Full of enthusiasm, we comics all kept little notepads with us. This was because funny observations and one liners would pop into our heads at the oddest times. So we'd always want to make a note of them when this occurred, rather than trying to recall them when we got home and had settled down to do some focused writing.
It's the same with interesting, useful visual stuff. Except it's not coming out of your own head. It's often happening out there in the real world. In a way making a video is easier than writing because you just have to point and shoot. You can collate these recordings and edit them at your leisure, then add a voice over to make the compilation more cohesive. But sometimes you can just narrate it as you shoot. Not only quick, but it can be more compelling because it has that "you are there" sense of immediacy about it.
The other reason it's good to keep your camera on you and recording stuff on the fly: It's practice! Before long you become very proficient with it, which makes your videos more watchable. When you're not struggling with the zoom function and other aspects of recording you can get creative with how you shoot, eventually developing your own unique style. That's important, because YouTube is certainly a very crowded market!
