Five Top Tips from the Lights, Camera, Vlog Panel at Summer in the City 2018

The Lights, Camera, Vlog: Creating Next Level Content panel took place on Friday at Summer in the City 2018, and featured panellists Amber Doig-Thorne, Andy Burgess, and Alex Pettitt.

It was hosted by a representative of the “innovative new educational space” ScreenSpace.

The panel began with a visual demonstration on three-point lighting and its uses in effectively lighting a subject. Amber, Andy, and Alex then gave their tips on how to take content to the next level and stand out from the crowd.

Their top tips on how to vlog:

1. Be you. Being genuine is key, as content should come across as authentic and natural. Alex mentioned that he began making live content on platforms such as Periscope, which meant that there was no room to hide if mistakes were made.

2. Make family-friendly content. Following the recent “Adpocalypse“, content creators are facing difficulty in getting brand engagement. However, Amber said that if you make universally accessible content, brand engagement is more likely.

3. Network. How we miss the days of OG YouTube where your faves would do a collab! But that’s exactly what the panel suggested – making friends and growing together as one community. Who knows, you may learn a thing or two as well as making some great friends, and what a better place to do it than Summer in the City?

4. Make regular content. A consistent upload schedule is helpful for growing your channel, and within that you can experiment with different styles of content and find your unique niche.

5. Be practical. The main point that the panellists kept repeating was the ubiquity of smartphones and how they can be used to make inexpensive content. You don’t need to buy high-end equipment to make content, just work with what you have and be practical.