Occasional Vlog
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Vlog is a video blog that is published on the internet on any social or interactive platform. The term “video blog” is a combination of video and blog, which many people know that these are two different things. A video is a recorded footage or a clip, whereas the blog is all about writing and publishing content online.
The Vlog (pronounced as wa-log, people also pronounce it as vee-log, which isn’t appropriate) is a video that gives you a platform to talk, discuss, and share you have got to share. The coolest part is that it all starts with the internet and technology. You would need a camera or smartphone to record it and then basically the internet to upload to a video platform like YouTube. (You will read a lot about YouTube, later on, on this blog).
Occasional Vlog. Our YouTube channel of Occasional family adventures plus the Daily vlog from a reformed anti-cook sahm. Jul 07, 2016 The Occasional Vlog Lucy July 7, 2016 M onday in Loepsie’s Life I announced I’d have a vlog up this week, and here it is! A day in my life. Occasionally definition is - on occasion: now and then. How to use occasionally in a sentence.
What is Vlogging?
Now, if you’re clear on the vlog, let’s move forward to vlogging. Obviously, when you begin to create your vlogs and upload to the online platforms, that’s called vlogging. Some people might not differentiate vlogging and video making (for YouTube). In fact, both vlogging and video making are slightly different, however, you make videos in vlogging too, but let’s say, in technical YouTube terminology, the vlogging is kind of different from regular video making. I will go deeper into the characteristics of a vlog that will help you understand that what the vlog actually is, but before digging deeper, I want to tell you three elements of vlogging.
3 Element of Vlogging
1. Platform: This is probably the basic one. It’s something where you put your vlogs online. Most probably, it would be the YouTube because it’s the biggest videos website and second most popular search engine in the world. In fact, it provides lots of features that help video creators manage and portray their video content.
2. Purpose: The purpose is your WHY. What’s the reason that made you a vlogger? What’s the biggest reason of making videos? Why would you want to make vlogs? Find that purpose and make sure it helps others because if it is helping others, that would be the success key for you. All top YouTubers and successful video makers started their YouTube channels with a reason behind their back and they got huge success.
3. Style: This is something that will make your voice unique. Standing out from the crowd is the most important thing to do. The most valuable advice for being a vlogger could be opting your natural style instead of mocking someone else’s style or choosing something that doesn’t belong to you. The style is something that differentiates you from others. It includes your cinematography, speaking, content (that you talk about), areas you film, lessons you share, and value you deliver. Everything that you present on the regular basis is your style. It would be better off if you choose more natural style because people would find it anyway either you are being genuine with them or not. For instance, Casey has a unique filming style. He vlogs while he is on a boosted board, he films at his office, he regularly records his vlog during traveling. Roman Atwood is more a family vlogger. He vlogs mostly at home as well as while they are driving, at friends & family meetups and dinners etc.
6 Characteristics of a Vlog
Let’s dig a little deeper into the characteristics of a vlog. These characteristics will help you understand that what will eventually make your vlog stand out from the crowd:
#1: Mission behind it
There must be a goal, mission, or a strong reason behind it. Alex Ikonn started his YouTube channel when he was fired from his job and he decided to create something of his own. Then he got an idea and now he has turned his channel into a full-fledged business. Alex and his wife Mimi got an idea about hairstyling, so they created their brand Luxy Hair. Now, they’re quite popular with their business as well as YouTube channel. So, what we learn from this story is that if you’re not passionate about something, don’t start a channel about that because you would end up disliking it anyway. I’d rather suggest finding that one special thing that you won’t quit and will always love to do in life. (Mine is blogging, by the way. No matter how many entrepreneurial endeavors I do, I’ll always be sticking to it)
#2: Value it delivers
The value is the message that people take from it. If a vlog is a bit pointless and there isn’t any specific story around it, then people might not be able to get your point. Vloggers know storytelling. They always share their stories, personal life plans, married life, and business goals — because it makes an attachment between the audience and vlogger. In addition to that, vloggers try to maximize their sharing so that people find it helpful and useful, this is how they deliver value to their audience. In fact, people either want to get entertained or learn something from vloggers. If the vlog successfully does either of them, it generates traction and people start getting attached to it. Roman Atwood always tells about his past that he worked at his father’s factory for 10 years and then he pursued his filmmaking career and ended up getting a huge success on YouTube, but that didn’t come suddenly, it took more or less 5 years to reach the level where he has around 9 million subscribers on prank channel and almost 7 million subscribers on daily vlog channel.
#3: Niche in which it stands in
When you define the mission of your vlog, it shows you understand what you want to achieve and when you try to choose your niche, it shows that you’re figuring out your target market. Because your target market is the audience that will be interested in your content. For instance, if you’re a businessman and you think you should make vlogs on entrepreneurship guidance, you may be filming your personal activities, but somehow everything around your vlog would be related to business and entrepreneurship, so whenever you would think to give an advice, it might be related to the entrepreneurship. It’s actually good for a vlog because a vlogger starts getting a specific audience that is interested in that sort of content. Fashion and Beauty YouTubers and vloggers have a female audience which is specifically interested in the beauty and fashion line. Take Sydney Alexandra, for example. She does all that makeup, beauty products, and fashion outfit reviews. She does occasional vlogs too. Your hobbies could help you find a niche, in fact, most of the times, it’s a hobby that drives your whole vlogging strategy.
#4: Type of Audience it targets
Think about this. Get off your bed and think who should you target. Who are the ones that should be listening to you? Idealizing the audience you want to meet is something that will keep you on track. You won’t miss out the point. For instance, Roman Atwood is more a family vlogger now, although, he is known as a prankster, but, since his vlog channel is growing rapidly and he films with his sons, girlfriend, dog, friends, and family, so he has a mixed audience but most of the subscribers could be between 8 to 20. Every time he meets his diehard fan, he or she turns out to be a school kid.
#5: Cinematography style it follows
Your vlog must have some cinematographic effects and specialty which could become a trademark for your vlog. Nikki Phillippi is known for her small clips (to explain the whole routine/day/process) and voiceovers in her videos. Casey Neistat is known for his different camera gear usage and filming his every tiny step during the process. You should get inspiration from other vloggers and YouTubers and try to come up with your own style.
Occasional Vlog 3
#6: Innovation it brings
Speaking of innovation, nothing could bring it better than being natural. Innovative approach while having an inspiration could trigger the creativity and you may end up creating your own style. It’s extremely important to create your style from a success standpoint. People don’t like someone who is a copycat and imitates others. There is a clear difference between impersonating and getting inspired. When you get inspired by someone, you passionately work on something of your own. That’s the innovation you should bring into your vlogging. For instance, Adam Saleh is a popular YouTuber and vlogger. He has a certain style of giving his vlog intro by saying a certain dialogue “Hey Guys, What’s up? I hope you’re having an amazing day, Because I’m having an amazing day, so if I’m having an amazing day, so you all should be having an amazing day”. What I’ve seen in past few months, some newbie vloggers have started impersonating him with the similar kind of vlog intro dialogues. The point is, bring something new, something of your own.
Conclusion
Vlogging is getting huge in 2016. It seems that it will be the next-big-thing on YouTube. Since the video has got so much attention in 2015 and brands and influencers are confident that video is the most important audience building and engagement strategy for 2016 and the years to come, that’s why they’re leaning towards vlogging or video making so quickly.
It’s a fact that vlogging is incredibly important, which is why YouTube Creator Academy wrote a bunch of best practices as well as a PDF guide for vlogging. This vlogging.pk’s article + mentioned resources will help you understand vlogging. If you’re new to this concept, head over to the YouTube Creator Academy page and find out more about it. You can find a bunch of vloggers on YouTube. Go check out their channels and see what they do in their vlogs. That’s how you will learn more about vlogging.
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Are you going on a holiday soon, and want to make a video that will help you remember it? Read on for some helpful travel vlogging tips that will help you make travel videos you'll want to watch over and over again.
1) Don't film everything
Yes, really. The first travel vlogging tip is you shouldn't film everything you experience on your trip. I understand that sometimes you don't want to miss a single moment. I've been there and done that. When I returned from one of my trips, I had over a hundred clips I didn't really want to use in the end - clips of some food I ate, a video tour of my accommodation, my plane ride and more.
Occasional Vlog Ideas
I'm not saying that those clips are bad. They're nice clips and they capture the moment, but I personally felt that they're not interesting memories that I want to make a vlog of. Also, I spent so time glued to my camera trying to film everything, that I didn't really live in the moment.
So set aside some time to be clear on what sort of video(s) you want to make. This way, you'll save a lot of time, camera battery, and you'll have a better experience travelling overall.
2) Centre your vlogs around an activity or place
There's many different directions your video can take. Many people do it chronologically (usually day to day vlogs). However, I've found that videos that are centred around a place or activity are a lot more interesting than a video that covers whole day.
If you find a place you really enjoyed spending your time in, you should make a video of that. If you found yourself loving a lot of the food a country has to offer, why not make a food review vlog? Or if you're travelling to shop, you could do a haul video of everything you bought.
3) Keep your videos short and succinct
The best timing for videos is under three minutes, as many people start to lose interest if the video is longer than that. Also, talking segments should not be longer than 30 seconds. I know 30 seconds doesn't seem like much, but people are impatient on social media and are quick to move on if a video doesn't hold their interest.
It also helps to keep in mind that your end goal is to make a video that is a couple of minutes long. When you remember that, you will naturally take shorter videos that capture the essence of what you're trying to show.
At the end of the trip, you should have a lot of 3-7 second long clips that you compile to make the finished product. It may seem like you have bits and pieces, but you will thank yourself as shorter clips will save you so much time during editing.
4) Don't be afraid to show more of yourself
To be honest with you, I still feel camera shy plenty of times. I know how difficult it can be to get in front of a camera, especially when there's a lot of other people around.
But remember that you're the backbone of your vlog. You should definitely talk to the camera and give your own perspective on your trip.
Occasional Vlog
Something that helps me speak better to the camera is to pretend I'm talking to a really good friend. That always keeps me smiling, and makes me more natural in front of the camera.
5) Include other people in your vlog
Vlogs always get more interesting when there's other people included. You can include your travel buddies, or some of the local people you've met on your trip.
Pro-tip: Ask them a question.
What most people do is point a camera at their friends, who then wave back and pose at the camera. Try engaging your friends instead, and ask them what they think about the place they're in, or what they liked most about the trip so far. That definitely adds more flavour and personality to your video.
6) Show things from your point of view
The main difference between a travel vlog and a normal travel video is that a travel vlog focuses a lot on you and your personality. You can make your vlog even better by adding some video clips taken from your point of view.
It is a great way to engage your audience and make them feel like they are there with you.
7) Start your video with an establishing shot
An establishing shot is a video clip that shows the big picture of the place you're in. Often times, people spend so much time taking videos of the things they do and the people they're with, that they forget to take videos which establish where they are.
For example, if you're in Tokyo, a good establishing shot would be a view of the city skyline. Adding such a clip to the beginning of your vlog makes it look a lot more professional and sleek.
8) Keep your video steady, not shaky
Shaky video is something that stops people from watching your video longer. The occasional shake when walking down a path is fine, but a video that that constantly jerky is bound to put people off.
You can reduce shakiness by walking slower and making a conscious effort to keep your camera steady. Alternatively, you could use video stabilisation tools found in video editing software or apps, such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Emulsio. I find that reducing the speed of the video where possible also helps reduce the shakiness a lot.
Pro-tip: If you can, invest money into equipment that will help you stabilise your video.
If you don't mind spending some money, you can buy a handheld stabiliser for your phone or compact camera. Alternatively, you could purchase a camera with in-built image stabilisation.
9) Avoid filming with a lot of wind or noise in the background
Where possible, try to vlog at places that are not too noisy. I've filmed at a windy beach before, and it was so difficult to salvage that clip. I had to trim away most of it, and the part that remained was extremely unpleasant to listen to.
A good idea would be to film a test clip, and immediately play it back to check the sound. If the clip sounds noisy, try talking louder. If that still doesn't work, you should try to find a more conducive place to film.
Pro-tip: Use a wind muff
People who don't mind spending money to improve sound quality could purchase a wind muff for their camera. It is like a little tuft of fur you stick on your camera's microphone. It doesn't reduce sound quality, and it virtually removes the annoying sound that is produced with a strong breeze.
10) Choose good music that accentuates the mood of your video
It's pretty important to have music that fits your video, as the music really has an impact on your viewers. Try to choose music that accentuates the vibes you want to bring across.
For example, you'd definitely want to use rock or pop music to get adrenaline rushing when people watch your bungee jumping vlog. Or you might want to use chill tropical beats to make a cool video of your time at the beach.
The YouTube audio library is a great place to get free music. SoundCloud has a better variety of music, but not all songs can be downloaded for free.
11) Put your vlog aside for a while then re-evaluate
Once you're done editing your travel vlog, set it aside for a day or two before you look at it again. I usually do this, and I always find things to improve the second time I watch it. By doing this, you refresh your mind, and it seems like you're watching with a new perspective when it is time to re-evalutate. This is a great technique that you should definitely use.
12) Watch other travel vlogs
Finally, the most important travel vloggin tip: Watch other travel vlogs.
There's a whole lot of vlogs out there on YouTube and they are great learning material for improving your own skills. I learned most of the tips I'm sharing on this list from all of the travel vlogs I've watched in the past.
If you have time to spare, I recommend that you watch popular travel vloggers such as Hey Nadine, Mr Ben Brown, or Fun For Louis.
When you watch them, you will be able to see how the different tips I've talked about come into play in their videos, and you will gain ideas and inspiration for your next vlog.
I'm going to leave you with one of the first few vlogs I did. It is a vlog of my most favourite place in Vietnam, and it is where I snapped all these pictures at. Enjoy!
With that, I have reached the end of my list of travel vlogging tips. I hope this list helped you see that good travel vlogs can be done even with just a cell phone. All you need is to put in some effort and follow the tips I gave you.
Sara is a final year student at Nanyang Technological University. Not only does she enjoy vlogging when she travels, she also likes to write articles and guides which she posts on her blog - Lights, Camera, Adventure!
Make your memories last with these 12 Best Travel vlogging tips! Share your travel experience in the comment box below! Sign up at Flying Chalks to receive more travel tips from us!