Have I mentioned that technology hates me? Or at least, doesn’t like me much? Following your notes on my last post, I tried a fast-talking excited video. And then after 3 days of trying, have totally failed to figure out how to add graphics (the other big suggestion). So put a pin in the graphics requests (unless you have a suggestion for a free program I can download to do them), and just focus on the talking head part of it.
Truly, nothing gets me more excited than box office numbers! So I figured, might as well do a talking head about that since that is me at peak excitement/fast talking. So, forget the graphics request (unless you give me a link to a place to download something that lets me do graphics easily. All I want is to add floating images/text next to my head!), look at the video quality, personality, content of what I am saying type stuff. Also, feel free to weigh in on hair up or down. I also want new glasses, that is unrelated, I am just bored with these frames. But hey, feel free to suggest glasses colors too! I’m thinking maybe purple.
dontcallitbollywood 
The speed was perfect for me, as was the length. Great information, too! I am thinking of doing a similar project (format, not content) and am investigating technical possibilities as well. Here are my “notes” for you regarding this video; bear in mind I am not an expert on the subject!
1) The color of your top, and the fact that it is a solid color, are good choices. The neckline was a bit of a distraction, only because of the contrast between the dark top and your very fair skin.
2) The glasses had the same contrast problem; they stick out a bit too much, and hide your eyes. Whatever frame you choose for this, consider something more neutral (wire, clear plastic) and possibly larger.
3) I am also looking for ideas for text or graphics. At the very least, a blackboard or whiteboard used very selectively can work. I have seen in in other videos. Kind of old school, but hey.
Hope this helps! It’s nice to see your smiling face!
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Thank you! Okay, speed and content are good (phew!), the other stuff I can work on.
1) Well, it’s too late to have less fair skin, so I will try higher necklines 🙂
2) But I love my funky glasses! I do have an older pair that is more boring, I can try those next time
3) It really feels like there should be a simple free program that let’s me write on the video. I’m sure there is one out there somewhere.
On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 8:52 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Okay, format works. You need a colorful background, I agree. Check out Danish Nazari’s background. You won’t like her, but the visual is good. Second, the glasses, not sure about purple..love the shape though. Now, content. As usual very enlightening. I wish what you were saying were true about Shah’s choices. But there is a 15 MONTH wait for the “Dwarf” film. Carol and I argue about this but I think it will be an abysmal failure…I’m already sad and worried.
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A running theme here seems to be “watch this person’s video, you won’t like it”. Which is true, I don’t like youtube video people (except moviemavengal, she’s nice!). Anyway, now I am tempted to just prop my framed Dard-E-Disco poster up behind me and call that a backdrop.
Shoot, the dwarf movie is in 15 months? It was signed so long ago, I just assumed it was on a rapid release schedule. Maybe yet another medical issue delay (I was watching that chair slide in “Beech Beech Main” thinking “SHAHRUKH! Your knees!”)?
I have hope for the dwarf movie just because it is so odd, people won’t be going in thinking “hey! This isn’t the big romantic blockbuster I was promised” like they are with this one, because who would expect a dwarf movie to be a big popular hit?
On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 1:42 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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It seems we’ve decided to take up video blogging simultaneously! )))
(If you remember, I’m Feride; I’ve just been away from WP for some time).
It is nice to see a person who enlightens me on Indian cinema peculiarities!
Also, the seed is fine, and the information is interesting and useful! So thank you!
As for the technical aspect, I use Flash Integro Video Editor (http://www.videosoftdev.com/ ) to make my videos. It’s free and it allows you to add images, videos and other stuff on your basic video. It’s pretty easy to use too, I just had just to spend some time the first time I started using it.
Here is the link to my videos (about Indian films again!) -https://katewordy.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/my-reaction-videos/ .
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Hi! Nice to have you commenting again! And thank you SO MUCH for the technical advice. I’ll see if I can find time this weekend to experiment.
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I hope, it will help!
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It seems we’ve decided to take up video blogging simultaneously! )))
(If you remember, I’m Feride; I’ve just been away from WP for some time).
It is nice to see a person who enlightens me on Indian cinema peculiarities!
Also, the speed is fine, and the information is interesting and useful! So thank you!
As for the technical aspect, I use Flash Integro Video Editor (http://www.videosoftdev.com/ ) to make my videos. It’s free and it allows you to add images, videos and other stuff on your basic video. It’s pretty easy to use too, I just had just to spend some time the first time I started using it.
Here is the link to my videos (about Indian films again!) -https://katewordy.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/my-reaction-videos .
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I can’t think of software right now, Margaret, but I can offer a few tips for Video.
Choose a background that emits/reflects a lot of light.
Buy a decent mic that avoids echo.
Always keep your face parallel to camera.
Keep source of light behind camera and never in front of camera.
Always count in before you start recording or making retakes.
Often unwanted mistakes make the video funny.
For spontaneity be relaxed and don’t think too much.
Do not look too much into the camera.
Make short videos on flashing sounds and stuff. For e.g. make a sound effects based short video with a variable photo ready. Change the photos with each video for same sound effects. Then make video overlay.
Wear some makeup but not too much make up.
Stay a step ahead in analyzing what viewers are expecting when they are viewing and give them that.
Humour always helps.
Don’t apologize too much or deliberately offend someone.
Brace yourself for wars in comment section.
Design your signature moves like hand movement or a dialogue experiment, or something similar. It needn’t be great but it leaves an impression.
Choose your title aptly.
Make your point within first 55 sec of the start of your video and expand on it later.
If watching trailer keep your camera above your screen. People want to are your hair style not your chin, unless you want them to notice your necklace or the area it hangs on.
Most important of all : Short videos take less time to edit. So, Eliminate those hmm, amm, and all those pausatives. Break less, not cut frequently are the videos that are more appealing.
All the best.*thumbs up*
Regarding dress : Make your face clear not your body. You need not be beautiful but you need to be entertaining. So dress with some humour. Sometimes the theme of your video helps dress selection.
Regarding background music : there are a ton of freeware on the internet. Use them while making citations. Remember that copyrighted content doesn’t allow payments though they allow embedding. Adding dramatic BGM will induce humour and sometimes impact people.
My opinion : You shouldn’t go for the same trailer reaction and movie diacussion. There are a ton of reactors out there. Go for the same thing you do here, take angles of view that are not visibly available.
For software : everyone uses premiere pro. But you can use ulead video studio. Ulead is much less costly than premiere pro and easy to use. If not simply use Windows movie maker which is free but not powerful.
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Thank you! This is super helpful. Don’t expect to see it all happen at once, but I will keep it in mind as I find my way.
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Great start! and I anticipate continued improvement as you become more comfortable with the genre. Fascinating background — I really like the light switch and blank wall (NOT). How about one of your new bookshelves behind you? And, like others have pointed out, place the camera so you are looking slightly up into it instead of down. But still, GREAT for a first time.
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Great info from Joshi!
For me, the video was great. The speed perfect, the energy perfect, I loved your glasses and I wasn’t distracted by your top either 😉 If you’re planning on getting new glasses, maybe pick something in a matte finish or something like this :
because we definitely want to see your eyes better. Body language-wise, the video was really good. You looked excited to be talking about this and it was engaging. More hand gestures would find their way in as you make more videos. YT is such an exposing medium so the goal for this blog’s YT channel would be to ultimately have a “friend who’s an expert on this” persona. If you’re not reading off the screen, maybe keep notes on cards with you. You’re an expert and experts reading from their notes is SEXY!!!!
And Joshi is right, you need some signature music for your intro and end and a signature hello and signing off. You definitely need to wrap up videos with encouragement for user engagement. Like “if you liked this video subscribe to my channel” or “for more on Indian films come check out my blog Don’t call it Bollywood on WP or find me on Facebook. Find the links to the pages in the description box below” “I have a book on this subject, buy my book” or “let me know what you think on the subject (e,g, do you think Thugs would be a hit?)”. Your sign off has to be a sales pitch and ideally it should be spoken quicker than the rest of the video so it doesn’t feel like a sales pitch. Ultimately it should blend in with your sign off.
Always end with a charming smile and a flirty “see you around’ because that’s how woman can sell stuff. It’s sexist but it sells stuff 😛 Once you’re doing videos in multiple takes, the sign off would be easier to do.
In this particular video we see you hitting the stop record button which cant be there.
You definitely need a backdrop. If I was designing it, I would have you sit in front of some kind of a wood and glass bookcase or display case (I like it when I can get a sense of a YT blogger’s life and personality. Or a wall with lots of movie posters on just so I know their taste. And more lighting. Incandescent lights would work better since you can’t always control the daylight although daylight+incandescents would be a great combo for your skin tone.
Hair, you can do both up and down, whatever you’re comfortable with. It just shouldn’t be a distraction because your content needs to be your USP.
I do want to see a higher camera angle. A trick a photographer friend told me a while ago for taking amazing self-shot videos and pictures was to imagine a piece of thread running from the top of my head and straight ahead. The camera lens should be at that height and one should look at the camera without tilting the head back too much.
The explanation was that that’s how women appear to men (where the man is obviously taller) and that’s the angle that draws people into women’s eyes as they talk. The regular camera angle like on a laptop etc. where the person is looking down at the camera is the woman’s perspective. (stupid sexist technology!)
This was amazing for a fourth video! You sounded like a pro vlogger. Well you kind of are a pro but not at videos just yet. But yey! This was great. I’m kinda looking forward to the next video now.
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First, have you read Guha’s massive modern Indian history book? It took me 3 years of starting and stopping but I finally got through it. And out of that whooooooooooole thing, covering 60 years of Indian history, my big take away was that Lord Mountbatten only let himself be photographed from an angle on line with his forehead. Because Cary Grant (yes, the actor) had told him that was the most flattering angle. So, Mountbatten-esque, I shall photograph myself from above while discussing Indian issues from an outsider’s perspective.
Let’s see, what were the other things? Okay, in front of a bookshelf/posters (that is in fact the only wall in my apartment NOT covered in bookshelves/posters, so that will be easy. I can just sit literally anywhere else). Standard opening and sign off. Make sure to quickly mention my blog/book/something right at the end. Get to the point quickly at the beginning so people will keep watching. Flirt slightly. All doable so far!
Intro and exit music, maybe not so much, just because it means technology again (Grrrr!). I may put that off until I have longer to experiment and focus on the other easy stuff first. Plus, it means I have to figure out what i would even want for intro and exit music. My instinct is the Yash Raj intro music, but they would probably sue me out of existence if I tried.
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Oh a Yash Raj intro would be amazing!!! SOOOOOOOO you!!! Or at least what I think is you based on what I know of you from here 😛
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Yeah, that or “tujhe Dekho to” from DDLJ. I have very traditional tastes.
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HAH!! That’s what played in my head too!!!
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Good start Margaret, all the best!
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I just keep coming up with more ideas! How about a trademark, like different outrageous earrings each time, or a different poster behind you, or a different scarf, or a different coffee mug. Something for viewers to look forward to and speculate about (“I wonder which hat she’ll wear this time?” etc.)
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I love this idea! You are an interesting quirky person in a very delightful way, and that will be part of your appeal.
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I know nothing about making YT videos, and I use my YT watching time for trailers, fanvids, movie songs or old MTV videos (new wave FTW), and (mostly SRK) interviews. Also, I enjoy reading blogs more than vlogs–so I’m not your target group for this experiment anyway.
But I want to say I admire you for branching out, and I think you are getting lots of great ideas from commenters. Good luck!
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Thank you! And like you, I only use youtube for song videos, fanvids, and interviews. Thus my need for comments, as I have no idea what people are doing.
On Fri, Aug 11, 2017 at 12:29 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Coming in a little late to the game here…but I thought your information, speed and delivery were great. I’d second (third?) the suggestion for having a standard opening/ending sequence to jazz things up so to speak. Also, a little bio about yourself in the comments would be good – at least until you build your audience.
I just hope you keep making the videos because you do have a very unique and insightful take on Indian films. Congrats!
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Thanks!
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