Gear up for YouTube success
Forget expensive equipment,
all you need is fresh content and hard work to create a successful video
channel. Savio D'Souza and Ashutosh Desai talk to four YouTubers who've made it
big, but record their episodes with smartphones, DSLRs, and even use free apps
and software to edit them...
Pey Doma Lepcha aka Peggi
has been on YouTube since June, 2013. Her channel ‘MyInDulzens’ is where she
posts DIY tutorials on how to craft satin-ribbon and fabric flowers. “I used to
watch videos uploaded by other artists and my initial intention was to just
share pictures of the flowers that I created,” she says. “After uploading a few
videos, I started getting requests for tutorials from viewers.”
Peggi’s videos are simple
to follow; they use text overlays to describe the materials she uses, and
instrumental music for ambience. “Be unique and original,” she advises. “Your
video should have a little something that differentiates it from the others,”
she adds. Peggi knows what she’s talking about: her second video, ‘D.I.Y.
Handmade Satin Rose’ currently has over 2.8 million views.
www.youtube.comuserMyInDulzens
Stats: 150+ videos | 1.7
lakh+ subscribers
Equipment: Started
recording with a 16MP pointandshoot FujiFilm camera, after which she used the
Nokia Lumia 720 smartphone. She currently uses a Samsung Galaxy S5 to shoot.
Software: Started with
Windows Movie Maker, but later switched to a licensed version of Camtasia, and
now uses iMovie on a MacBook Air to edit her videos.
Nisha Madhulika’s highly
successful cooking channel is dedicated to vegetarian recipes, which are easy
to cook and wholesome. “Lack of equipment will not stop you from being
successful,” she believes. “You can start shooting on a smartphone, and soon
you will find a set of tools that you’re comfortable with.”
In her videos, she runs
through her step-bystep recipes in Hindi, with close captioning in English, as
well as text overlays that allow viewers to write down the ingredients as she
displays them on screen. “Just take your time,” she advises. “Try to keep
improving with each video. If you grow with each step there can be no stopping
you.” And it’s true: Nisha’s channel has over 38 crore views and this number
keeps increasing with every new video that she uploads.
www.youtube.comuserNishaMadhulika
Stats: 1,100+ videos | 12 lakh+ subscribers
Equipment: In 2011, started
recording with a Panasonic TM700 digital camera, and has now graduated to a
Canon 60D DSLR.
Software: Her early videos
were edited on Windows Movie Maker, but she now used Vegas Movie Studio, which
came bundled with her Windows-based laptop.
Kabir Singh started his
channel ‘Acoustic Singh’ in August 2016. “My videos are recorded using a
smartphone,” he says. “But I wanted my viewers to have a good listening
experience, so I pre-record my vocals in a closed room with the fans turned
off.” Kabir then plays his audio recording on his cellphone and lip-syncs to it
when shooting his videos. He finally merges the track and vocals using
software. In just five months, the cover songs Kabir has posted on his channel
boast of over 6.5 million views.
“I think people should just
keep it simple,” he says. “I never thought my ‘no frills’ style of presenting a
song – no frame changes, no noise reduction, et al – would be viewed by so many
people, so I’d like to thank all my supporters. Folk who want to get onto
YouTube should simply keep uploading videos; if you have good content, people will
watch.”
goo.glOKzJw9
Stats: 15 videos | 83,000+
subscribers
Equipment: Uses a Samsung
Galaxy J7 handset.
Software: Began with
smartphone apps, and now uses Windows Movie Maker to sync audio over his
videos.
Debasree Banerjee joined
YouTube in 2009, but found her true calling in December 2013 when she started
publishing makeup, beauty and lifestyle videos. In one of her posts, she admits
that running this channel – now with over one crore views – is her dream job.
And if her meetandgreet video is anything to go by, her die-hard fan following
spills into the real world too. Her mantra for success, “Start today, don’t
over think, be ready to work really hard, and have fun.”
www.youtube.comuserapmir12
Stats: 320+ videos |
84,000+ subscribers
Equipment: Initially shot
her episodes with an iPhone; now uses a Canon 60D DSLR, and a Zoom H1 recorder
for sound capture.
Software: Edited earlier
videos with the iMovie app on an iPhone, but has now graduated to Final Cut
Pro.
VIDEO-EDITING SOFTWARE
his videos.
Windows
Movie Maker: If you run Windows 7 or 8 on your PC, you probably have this
software installed. It allows for direct camera capture from your web cam;
supports HD videos, and even video transitions between multiple clips.
UsingWindows Movie Maker,
you can playback your footage on your PC in full-screen mode; you also get a
‘Storyboard Display’ that lets you arrange and reorder clipsphotos, and add
cool effects and music. Its ‘Timeline Display’ provides a linear presentation
of every second of footage allowing you to fine-tune your production, and you
can even create text captions that can be placed over your video.
VSDC
Video Editor: Sadly, Microsoft stopped support for Windows Movie Maker on Jan
10, this year. Instead, you could try outVSDC. It contains all the tools you
would need to crop, resize and import pictures, music and multiple videos.
Besides, VSDC is packed with effects and transitions; you can auto-adjust
colour contrast, flip the video, fade in and out, add special effects,
normalize volume, change audio tempo and pitch, add charts and more. |
www.videosoftdev.com
iMovie:
If you shoot your videos on an iPhone or own a MacBook, then using the free
iMovie appsoftware is an absolute ‘no brainer’. It lets you select from dozens
of styles to add animated titles; you can choose from 10 video filters and add
a broadcast feel to your videos with picture-in-picture and split-screen
effects. You get a built-in music and sound library, while voiceover recording
makes it easy to create dubs. iMovie comes with multiple templates that make
videocreation extremely simple.
And when you’re done, you
can publish directly to YouTube. | www.apple.cominimovie
MICROPHONES
You can use your digital
camera’s or smartphone’s mic when recording your episodes. However, a dedicated
microphone will help improve sound quality to a great extent, especially if
you’re recording video logs and songs. These come in two designs:
omnidirectional and cardioid. The former can pick up sound evenly from all
directions and are ideal for group discussions. The latter’s “capture area” is
more focused, when only one person is sitting in front of it.
Consider the Samson Go Mic
USB with switchable cardioid and omnidirectional pickup (`4,700),Blue Snowflake
cardioid USB mic (`5,500), Samson C01U Pro Studio cardioid USB (`6,500). These
are “condenser” mics, which are more sensitive and are capable of higher output
levels. They are better suited in a sound-proofed room.
Then, there are the
cardioid mics: the Shure SV200 (`1,600), the Behringer XM8500 (`3,100), and the
Samson Q2U USB with headphones (`5,200). These are “dynamic” microphones, which
are less sensitive than the condenser type.
For situations where you
have to move around, try the portable Zoom H1 (`8,500), which is powered by a
single AA battery and is equipped with two unidirectional mics for stereo
recordings, a line-in for an external mic, and a microSD slot for storage
CAMERAS
If you own the OnePlus 3T
(`29,999),Huawei P9 (`39,999), Samsung Galaxy S7 (`43,400), Apple iPhone 6s7
(`50,000 onwards) or Google Pixel (`57,000 onwards) then you are set as far as
cameras are concerned. All these devices allow for Full HD video recording with
audio. In the lower range, the cameras on the Redmi Note 3 (`12,000), Moto G4
Plus (`13,500), and Oppo F1s (`17,000) work just as well.
Alternatively, you can use
a digital camera to record HD footage. Here, you can consider the Nikon Coolpix
A300 (`7,800) and the Sony Cybershot DSC-W830 (`8,300). You can also check out
the Nikon Coolpix S7000 (`10,000) and Canon Powershot SX720 HS (`22,000) which
can shoot Full HD videos and support stereo recordings. All four devices boast
of optical image stabilisation to offset blur caused by shaky hands.
For almost professional-quality
audiovideo footage, you could try entry-level DSLRs like the Canon EOS 1300D
(`25,000) and the Nikon D3400 (`30,000). Both come with an 18-55mm stock lens.
For outdoor and adventure
shots, look at rugged options like the Polaroid Cube (`9,100), SJCam SJ5000
Plus (`15,000), GoPro Hero Action (`19,000), Hero5 Session (`29,000) and the
Hero5 Black Action (`36,100). These devices are capable of shooting Full HD
videos, and are dust and water resistant.
In any case, try using your
existing smartphone or camera to record. You can always upgrade to better
hardware once your channel gains some traction.
Note:Make it a point to use
a “Class 10” memory card, whether it is an SD card for cameras or microSD for
phones. This type of memory is capable of higher readwrite speeds, which is
necessary when shooting high-definition content. Here, you can consider brands
such as SanDisk, Samsung, Transcend and Strontium.
TNN 20JAN17
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