How to Film a Great YouTube Video

So you’ve mastered your social media picture-posting skills, and now you are ready to take your online presence to a new level.

You’re on the right track. Video is all the rage online right now, and many people say that by 2020, it’ll take up over 80% of social media. That’s huge.

But where do you go when you’ve got unlimited amounts of social forks to choose from on your virtual road? You use the best in virtual roadmaps – created by yours truly.

We’ve created a list of the quickest and most efficient ways for you to hike up your video views, maximize your time, and boost your video skills to the next level. By the time you’re done reading these, all of the top record labels will be asking you to shoot their videos (Okay, maybe not, but you will be a top notch social media videographer).

Before you begin

First things first – you’ll need some type of electronic device to record on. If you don’t want to get a camera (though, I recommend it) you can definitely make decent quality content with your phone (But keep in mind that if you are going to use your phone, you’ll need to make sure that it’s on its side, not in your hand and vertical).

Pick your weapon of choice and then we’re ready to dive in.

1. K.I.S.S – Keep It Stationary, Sweetheart

You should place your camera or phone on top of something, not hold it in your hand. The point of this is to avoid any type of unnecessary movement or shakiness that might distract (or annoy) your viewer. Unless you’re shooting a feature film, or making a “vlog” (walking around and sharing your day) video tracking isn’t necessary, so keep it stationary.

2. Lighting is your best friend

You probably already know that lighting is basically everything. Natural light is Queen. It always makes us look (and feel) better, and the video quality will look better, too! Always film during the day. Especially if you’re using a phone, having as much light as possible is very important.

When you’re using natural light, however, never stand directly in the sun. You don’t want to look squinty or overexposed. In simpler terms, record in a room lit near the sun, but don’t stand directly in the glorious sunshine.

3. Remember the power of editing

The beauty about recording video that isn’t live is that you have room for hiccups. Always leave a moment of no talking at the beginning and end of each video, this leaves time for editing and transitions if you want to add them. If you mess up or trip over your words, that’s fine! Just stop, and say that statement again. Those hiccups can be fixed up in editing.

4. Authenticity is everything

You’re making this video because you totally rock and other people are super excited to see and hear what you have to say! Don’t be afraid to smile, laugh, and get a little goofy. You want to appear natural and relatively casual on camera.

Make sure to project your voice. If you’re too quiet the audio can sound tinny when it gets transferred to a computer. At the same time, don’t be too loud as this can be overwhelming and appear unnatural. Basically, just talk at a regular volume but directly into the camera.

5. Don’t forget your selfie

People want to see good quality images as thumbnails. People DON’T want to see blurriness and images that you have to strain to look at. To fix this problem, take a couple seconds in every video where you smile and pose for the camera – almost like a selfie. This ensures you have a good thumbnail that will draw people into your content. (Besides, who doesn’t love taking selfies?)

Once again, you don’t need to get a camera, but eventually, down the line of your new awesome video endeavors, you might want to look into it. If you don’t already have one, you can get affordable and great quality ones at a local electronics store or on Amazon.

If you want a camera which would be the best bang for your buck and the best for online video check out the Canon T6i. This camera has great quality as well as a swiveling screen that allows for easier self recording.

We also recommend this Nikon for recording your videos, because it has great power and quality. It’s also an easy to use point and shoot which has a less steep learning curve. It works great for video, but also really well for shots at home, like for your Instagram, family photos, or even of your lovely DIY projects.

There you have it. You’re now on your way to top notch video presence in your online community. You’ve already mastered pictures, it’s about that time to master video, so go get ‘em!

What are some different things that help you when you record your videos? Let us know in the comments.