We went from this ... to this using the same smartphone, and a little extra work, on this
13 year old’s first YouTube video...and “Plot Twist”, he and I have something
in common, can you guess?...let's tech it out.
Step 1: Keyword search
We started with a keyword search for SEO which should be a better title than “My First
Video”, those keywords had very high competition and a low score. You could use any keyword
search tool, such as TubeBuddy or MorningFame and others. We tried the free VidIq plugin
first and after a little trial and error came up with “Why Gear Doesn’t Matter” with
a 57 score, and low competition.
Of course you probably can do better, the point is spend some time looking for searchable
keywords for SEO. My go to paid software is MorningFame, below you will find a link to
try them for 30 days free.
Step 2: Planning
Next we outlined a word document script which should contain the title and a repetition
of the keywords in the description below the video.
Step 3: The Hook
The plan also included a HOOK, which is the attention grabbing first few seconds of your
video so instead of starting with [Insert Ayman original intro], tell the viewer exactly
what the video is about in the first few seconds, like so...
But to go that little extra mile, I started the video with this…Much better.
Step 4: Script outline
We continued to outline the rest of the script with bullet points and the layout of what
we wanted to include in the video. Doing this is a time saver and avoids unnecessary repetition
of information in the video. You have a choice between a full script or bullet points or
a combination, go nuts...
Step 4: Tags
Since we used MorningFame, we finished off with adding some tags, although it is possible
that tags are becoming less relevant on YouTube, ain't that right ROB from VidIQ?
Step 5: Thumbnail
Ah the thumbnail, arguably the most important metric to increase your Click Through Rate,
so with a little extra thought, we spent some time doing a custom thumbnail. OK, it’s
not going to win any awards, but it's miles better than the original thumbnail from the
first video, or even from the second video, although the latter is still better than the
former.
Before you start to complain, yes we did use some extra gear for this particular thumbnail,
but this much simpler custom thumbnail taken from a smartphone would also have been better
than any automated YouTube one.
Any guesses yet, no he’s not my teacher!
Step 6: Script Run Test
Now we were ready to read out loud the script, and make any necessary adjustments. Repeat
this step until you are happy with how it sounds when reading out loud, and do a final
test run before moving on to the actual recording. This is also a great way to gauge an approximate
length of the video.
Step 7: Setting up the recording equipment.
First we switched to using the back camera, as the front facing camera on this Xiaomi
Redmi Note 9T phone is limited to 720p at 30fps, but for some reason it was only uploaded
as SD on YouTube, not important for now. Point is, on most phones the back camera should
be the better quality, with this one going up to 4K 30fps. This is overkill mostly, so
we left it as 1080p 60fps, although 1080p 30 fps would also be quite fine.
Step 8: Background
Backgrounds can be ugly and distracting, evidence, so simply switching the viewpoint in the same
room gave us a cleaner look with a computer screen, a desk, and a shameless product plugin.
Of course you can go all out with creating a more professional look with LED lights and
colours or green screen, but you get the idea.
Step 9: Lighting
The new filming angle also provided better lighting coming from the natural sunlight
through the window, although it was a cloudy day, as opposed to using the single light
bulb in the room. Feel free to add some table lamps if you have them
Step 10: Stabilisation
We decided to use a small tripod for this first video, although you can do away without
one at the beginning especially if you would be vlogging on the go, but I would highly
advise to start off with a cheap static tripod for about £10.00, this would remove any awful
shakiness which is too difficult to remove in POST.
Step 11: Audio
Audio is king when it comes to videos. The microphone on smartphones is certainly better
than many on board mics from cameras, laptops and webcams, but adding a simple mic to your
smartphone can make a lot of difference. We happened to already own a headset with mic
from Corsair, the HS35, amazon link below, but you can use any other earphones that came
with your phone, I prefer wired over wireless unless you already own a high end one.
Step 12: Equipment test & final check before recording.
We were now ready to test the whole setup by doing a final run through practice recording.
This crucial step will allow you to check all the equipment through playback and also
things like framing, composition etc.
Step 13: Record in small sections.
Finally, we locked the exposure on the phone and pressed record, and only recorded 1 scene
at a time which was already decided during the planning stage. This reduces the need
to do time consuming long reshoots in case there are mistakes or equipment malfunction.
Step 14: Editing
Once finished, it was time to transfer everything to our favourite editing software, we are
using the free DaVinci Resolve 16 programme for now, don’t forget to back up your footage.
Here we used a combination of BRolls and some simple transition effects to tell a story
in a more engaging way than just a talking head video. “Show; Don’t Tell!”
And the final result is a more interesting video than simply pressing “record” on
your smartphone on the fly. How interesting will depend on viewer satisfaction, and this
can be highly subjective. As for the objective production quality, although not on a professional
level, it is way better than starting your first video like most of us did, oh the cringe.
Then again, it's probably part of the whole YouTube journey & charm, to look back on how
far we have come, so okay, we gonna leave the original video on YouTube, possibly as
unlisted, for your viewing pleasure.
Step 15: Upload and distribution.
Finally, we uploaded the video onto YouTube, and since this is the first video we will
probably coerce friends and family to watch, like subscribe and share, unless you think
it was worth your time, in which case, do your thing down below.
And now for the plot twist….
So maybe in this video you might meet another person in my entourage, or you might learn
how to improve your relationship with tech including how to make better video content,
go tech it out!
This was Ash from HealMyTech; Peace Out!