The How to Vlog talk took place on Creator Day at Summer in the City 2016. Ali Jardine, a vlogger and YouTube employee, led the presentation and gave tips that he had picked up from his own experience as well as the experiences of his vlogger friends.
Ali firstly emphasised the importance of “truth” and “authenticity”. He said, “The thing that people were doing differently [on YouTube] was that they were telling the truth”, and added that one of the reasons people love YouTube is that it shows “people sharing something about their lives”.
Ali’s top tips on how to vlog:
1. Discover your identity. Ali used Khyan Mansley‘s video These Are My Thoughts to show that you don’t need to be “high energy and super-positive” to vlog.
2. Find the idea. For example, Niki and Sammy Albon meet every week and look at trends while Danny from gradualreport performs his vlogs live before he films them to see which ideas work.
3. Plan. Different vloggers have different methods. Hannah Witton uses a notebook while Hank Green prefers to use a whiteboard, so finding what works for you is key.
4. Design your set. Your set says a lot about you. Dan Howell has his bed in the background, while many beauty vloggers use pinks and whites in theirs.
5. Audio. The acoustics of the room can completely change a video. Ali used the example that when John Green was in the process of signing thousands of books, the cardboard boxes absorbed some of the sound and made the video sound better.
6. Get comfortable. Vlogging more will make you more comfortable. Vlog Every Day series such as Dodie Clark‘s VEDA and Lucy Moon‘s VEDJ can help with gaining practice with vlogging
7. Edit for emotion. Hank Green’s video An Hour of Me Editing a Vlog was used as an example.
8. Organise data. Ali said that backing up data and organising your videos was what he most wanted people to take from the talk.
9. Seek feedback. Using the unlisted option to send videos to friends can be the most useful way to edit.
10. “You do you”. It may be cliched, but being yourself is the most important part of vlogging.
Photos by Aria Mark.
Want more from Summer in the City 2016?
Check out our Summer in the City tag, where you’ll find all of our coverage.
You might also be interested in:
- YouTube’s Business of You Panel at Summer in the City 2016
- YouTube as a Source for News Panel at Summer in the City 2016
- Management in Online Video Panel at Summer in the City 2016
For updates follow @TenEightyUK on Twitter or like TenEighty UK on Facebook.
