- How to shoot video in public places.
I'm Chris, this is "Yellow Productions."
I do travel guides that are fun,
informative, and entertaining.
And a question I often get is, "Chris, what tips do you have
"for shooting video in public places?
"How do you get the courage?
"How do you do it without annoying people?
"How do you even know you're allowed to?"
So in this video, I'm gonna share with you some of my tips.
And by the way, I'm shooting this video
in a very public place, Disneyland.
My first tip for shooting in public places is about courage.
People, when they shoot in public places,
often get really self-conscious about themselves,
because when you do this, inevitably,
people will stop and they'll look at you.
Why, because it's unusual.
They wanna see what's going on.
YouTubers are cool.
What's this person doing?
Is it interesting, is it just awful?
And so something to realize is that when people stop,
they're not really thinking strange things about you,
they are almost kind of admiring it,
and going like, wow, that's pretty cool,
and it's a show, and they wanna see it.
Maybe just like you watch these on YouTube,
they want to see it in person.
And so in order to get that courage,
you just kinda have to see these people,
and you have to keep going
and realize that you shouldn't just stop,
because they're actually here
to see you keep going and not just stop.
Tip number two, this one's about how to not annoy people.
Well, I think one of the best ways to not annoy people
is not to stand in the middle of a walking area,
not to stand in the middle where people are eating,
try to find a spot that's a little bit on the side
but still has a great view.
Right here, this is a great spot, 'cause I got this railing
and all these people in the background,
but people can walk around me,
and it's not like they're looking at me going,
"Gosh, this guy really bugs me,
"because he blocks the walkway."
Tip number three, if you really can't get
over people stopping and watching you,
try the walk and talk.
If you're walking, people don't stop and look at you,
because you're continuing to move.
They continue to move, and so this is a great way
to avoid people looking at you.
But you do have to be careful as you're walking,
and you kinda have to develop this look
where you almost look past the camera,
so that you don't actually walk into anybody.
It also really helps, if you're doing this,
to have something that you can hold the camera with.
I use one of these JOBY GorillaPods.
If you wanna get one of these,
I've got a link in the description below
to Amazon where you can check this out.
Tip number four, know what you're gonna say
before you say it.
When I go out on shoots, I often have a little set of notes,
so that I can refresh myself,
generally, about what I want to say,
so that when I start doing a take,
I'm not having to think then and ramble
and trying to do 17 takes.
When you mess up, that's what
often makes you more self-conscious,
and you're standing there, and you're like, "Oh my Gosh,
"people are watching me,
"and I'm having to take a second take and a third take."
Actually, I sometimes think people think it's neat
when you actually mess up,
'cause they're like, "I don't know how people
"can deliver things off the fly."
But one of the ways just to help yourself with it
is to have some notes.
Tip number five, don't stand in one place for too long.
If you stand in one place for a long time,
you're gonna attract more attention.
So if you shoot it as shorter clips,
and then you stop, and then you keep walking,
well, then you won't draw too much attention in one place.
Tip number six, by the way, see, look, I moved.
Even though it's 20 feet,
people were starting to gather around.
So I move a little bit.
So tip number six is also don't be so obvious
about your camera equipment.
I like to keep my camera equipment in my bag
and only pull it out when I'm going to shoot,
and sometimes that means I have to wait around
for that perfect moment when people aren't standing here
or people have left to make it so that it's less annoying
or that people aren't in my shot.
Rewind, freeze frame, I love this guy's face,
and this guy that was walking behind me earlier,
he was hilarious.
So the other question I mentioned I would address
at the beginning is how do you know
if it's okay to shoot someplace or,
Chris, do you ask people before you start shooting?
So I'll answer that second one first.
No, I generally don't ask before I start shooting.
I generally just pull out the camera,
and I start to shoot,
and the way I know whether it's okay to shoot or not
is whether somebody comes and tells me to stop.
Has that happened to me?
All the time, all the time.
It never happens at Disneyland,
'cause Disneyland is happy for you
to shoot pretty much everywhere,
'cause they've decided it's good publicity
if you shoot and upload YouTube videos.
But not every business establishment
is quite as enlightened.
I've been in hotels and lobbies
where I've been told I can't shoot,
even though I'm a guest of the hotel.
I have been in restaurants where they say you can't film.
I have been in shopping malls where they say you can't film,
and so what do I do when that happens?
I just say, "Oh, I'm sorry"
and hopefully, I've got all the footage I
already need at that point.
But it's really not worthwhile to argue in that case,
because it's their establishment.
If that's their rule, then just listen to it.
Another question I often get is,
"Chris, what camera do you use to film this?"
Well, if you wanna know that
and answers to 19 other frequently asked questions,
well, you can click right here and watch my video
on the top 20 most frequently asked questions
about "Yellow Productions," and their answers too.
You'll also find the link in the description below.
I won't say goodbye, 'cause I'm gonna see you right here.