Creative Process Panel at Summer in the City 2017

The Creative Process panel took place on the Saturday at Summer in the City 2017. It featured Niki Albon, Sammy Albon, Grace Mandeville, Amelia Mandeville, and Alex Wassabi. It was chaired by Daniel J. Layton.

The panel talked about where creators draw inspiration from and how long they take to get from idea to video, and gave advice on what to cut out of videos and the best cameras for each purpose.

Daniel started the panel off by asking the creators where they draw their inspiration from. Grace, from the Mandeville sisters, quickly answered, “What happens with me and Amelia is: we argue, then think, ‘Hey, this could be a sketch’, then you guys see it on YouTube”. As a daily vlogger, Alex commented on feeling pressure to make every day eventful for the vlog but he said “a lot of stuff happens in life so I just exaggerate it and make a story out of it”.

Daniel continued the discussion by taking questions from the audience. One of the audience members asked how long it took the creators to get from an idea to a video. Grace said: “It can take us forever – sometimes we just come up with an idea and it literally takes a year”, referring to a Halloween prank that she performed with a year’s planning. She went on to add that sometimes it takes time just to build up the courage to make a video.

One of the audience members asked the creators how they know what to cut out from videos. Sammy passed on a tip he was given by another creator: “Always leave in the breathing space.” Niki went on to explain the importance of showing your video to a “third party” to get an honest opinion. Dan concluded the discussion by summarising: “Just think, ‘Are the audience going to miss this?'” Another audience member asked for their tips for the best cameras to use for the different types of video-making. Niki and Sammy said they used the Panasonic GH4 because it was the cheapest way to get 4k content, while Alex explained that for vlogging he used the Canon G7X.

At the end of the panel, TenEighty spoke to Grace about what it is like working with her sister and how they resolve conflicts. Grace said: “If we can’t agree on a video we put it to the side, and when we are looking for an idea we go through the list again.” She concluded by saying, “Sometimes you just need to give an idea some space”.

Photos by Jon D Barker.