So today marked the first true attempt at filming for the vlog. My goal is to make a 10-20 second intro reel (because I feel like intro reels are legit) and put some cool music and effects into it (remember, I'm very much an amateur videographer). So, as all the online resources have helpfully pointed out, all good videos start with raw footage. Thus, I took the opportunity to start filming some raw footage on the ride down to Virginia from New Jersey. IKEA yielded some cool footage, as did some of the prettier parts of the drive. Additionally, my microphone came in today, so I started playing around with that. I uploaded a couple of the more ridiculous/bad/awkward clips of raw footage to my youtube account, and am currently in the process of downloading Adobe Aftereffects.
I've been watching a lot of the cooler videographers out there (namely Casey Neistat and Zach King), and also started working on getting a snapchat up and running (inspired by Justin Flom). I've decided that there are a few powerful motifs in some of the better filmed (and most popular) videos I've come across.
1) Motion
Expressive use of motion is what gives Casey Neistat's vlog series such an interesting twist. While a lot of vlogs feature static subject matter, Casey Neistat used very well composed shots of himself and others in motion to tell whichever story he's telling. Here's an example - it's titled "Jet Blue First Class REVIEW". It's not just him sitting at a desk, cutting in snippets of himself on a plane. He goes out of his way to tell a story form the beginning of the video - taking advantage of makeshift props (his luggage, and, to a certain extent, his child) to demonstrate motion in his story. This isn't just a JetBlue review - this is a family trip that just happened to be on Jet Blue, and Casey just happened to be filming.
As he says:
I rarely write a script or form an approach. I just start with an idea. capturing the reality of a situation or experience is paramount. so I try to embrace the experience, capture it the best I can, then in the edit share what I actually experience. (source)
I personally love how he times his jump cuts to the beats in the music he choose, and the angles he plays with are awesome. Once again, though, I must emphasize that I am not a videographer, so this is really just an average guy's take on what makes Casey's videos cool.
2) Composition
Composition, composition, composition. It's like video real estate. The better a scene is composed, the more fluid the story feels. Take, for instance, Zach King's videos. Sure, he adds some really cool effects with FinalCut/aftereffects/whatever... but those effects would just look silly without the right composition to add context. For instance, this is a really cool video that he and his crew did with Crayola:
What strikes me most is how well the composition flows into the effects. The "home workshop" setup has a very organic flow (I'm assuming it;s just his typical home office setup) that feels natural as opposed to staged. His shots all encompass environmental elements that cement the idea of an organic scene... things like his rubix cubes on top of an open puzzle box, his cat running over the scene, etc... all make the story feel natural despite it's crazy cool SFX.
3) Personality
It's no good making a video if you can't express a little of who it is that you are in it, and this is something that Just Flom does well. I started following him from his Magic Block Party videos... it's basically just montages of him doing magic tricks for a huge block party that he throws in his family's midwestern home. Now I'm all about his snapchat, which is AWESOME (don't take my word for it, take BuzzFeed's word) and his other youtube videos. His magic block party videos really are magic - they are by far his most popular videos (just check out his channel) and really show off his personality... they feel organic just because it's clear that he's just being himself, and having a blast.
So, I have a lot to learn and a lot to do... let's hope I can at least get 20 seconds of high quality video for an intro reel done, let alone make a compelling blog! This is the point of trying everything though... stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying to do things that I've always thought were cool, but never had the gumption to actually take a shot at!
For your viewing pleasure
Enjoy a taste of the raw footage we shot at IKEA today... it's not great!
Get ready for some interesting attempts at video editing... let's hope it doesn't suck!
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