Friday, January 17, 2014

3 Ideas on How to Brainstorm YouTube Video Ideas


So, you want to make YouTube videos? 

Awesome! So...what kind should you make?

I don't know.

I've seriously had that conversation with myself before. I wanted to grasp this whole "YouTube" thing and had no friggin idea where to get and idea.

So I did the only thing I could possible do...I made fun of making videos. Back when I made my first "Out of Ideas" video, there wasn't a lot going on in YouTube Land, so it was a struggle. I never thought I'd make a video like that again because, who would repeat an old idea? Lucky for me, YouTube is full of stuff to poke fun at. This is the second video I made.

So what do YOU do if you want to make a video but the creative juices just aren't flowing?

1.) Take an old idea and make it new again:
Remember those "Dear Body" videos that got popular years back? Or, most recently, the "Draw My Life" videos. Why not do that but add your own spin. Take something that's been done to death and flip it on its head.

2.) Make fun of something idiotic:
Of course not everyone will see eye-to-eye with you, but that's not the point. Cover something that you think is stupid and explain WHY it's stupid.

3.) Personify inanimate objects:
What would your laptap say if it could talk? What about your dirty laundry or the stove? Go nuts! 

That's enough to get started. Just remember, there's no new idea under the sun. Don't worry about originality - that will come when you add your own voice. In the meantime, enjoy my new video!






Wednesday, January 15, 2014

5 Ways to Boost Your YouTube Success

Starting from the bottom is hard. However, staying on the bottom is surprisingly easy if you don't treat your channel or viewers with the respect they deserve. I've seen people make the stupidest mistakes when they first started and I hope you'll be smarter than they were. Here's a few things to help you out. 

1.) Thank Your Subscribers Individually:
Do you know how happy I was when I subscribed to someone's channel only to have them thank me in a comment on my page? I was VERY happy. You can change your settings on YouTube to get email notifications when people subscribe to you. Get those notifications and thank the people who subscribe! Also, if they make videos, watch a few and leave some comments. YouTube is about community so pitch in and keep it thriving.

2.) Respond to Comments and Questions:
You can thank people for compliments and answer their questions directly in the comments. Don't be lazy, do it! That's the whole point! 

3.) Like and Share Other People's Videos Outside YouTube:
Do you have Twitter and Facebook or some other social sharing site? I hope so! If you do, share other people's videos! In addition to making new friends, you'll continue to make your channel look "lived in." I love going to a channel and seeing that the person watches other people's videos and shares them and so will your viewers.

4.) Share Your Videos With Like-Minded People:
Did you make a cover or a parody of a popular song? Did you vlog about a recent event in national news? Share it with other people who have made similar videos. Leave a comment on their video or tweet them. You'll be glad you did.

5.) Don't Be Afraid to Shamelessly Self-Promote:
You are your best representative. Don't be ashamed to tweet and post your video on your other social-networking sites. There is such a thing as over posting which can get annoying, but a friendly daily reminder or two about your video is ok. Even some of the most famous people on Twitter self-promote. If you're shy about it, get un-shy. It's something you're going to have to do throughout your career.

I hope these tips help! I do realize that the bigger your channel is, responding to comments might become harder. Just do the best you can with what you have and remember to stay thankful!

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

5 Tips on How to Make Time for YouTube

"I want to make videos, but I don't have time."

"I used to make videos, but they're so time-consuming."

"I haven't made a video in a long time because I don't have time."

I've heard all the aforementioned excuses and have even used them myself. Most of us have full-time jobs or attend college or both and it's hard to make videos. But if making videos is truly your passion, you need to make time!

If you're feeling pressured to make videos because you promised you'd upload once a week, leaving it for the last minute could prove detrimental. Assuming that you're not completely lazy and you actually take pride in the videos you make, you want to upload something of quality. Here's 5 tips that will help you do just that!

1.) Grab a Blank Calendar:
Seriously, get one. This calendar will be dedicated to your videos. You aren't allowed to write anything in it that's not dedicated to YouTube.  

2.) Circle the Day(s) You Plan to Upload:
If you're uploading every Friday, circle all the Fridays. Write the word "UPLOAD" in these boxes as a way to remind yourself that you have a responsibility to this deadline.

3.) Plan for the Week:
You might already have an idea for what kind of video you want to upload. Assuming that it takes more than a day, break up your project into smaller pieces. For example, if you're uploading on Friday, spend Monday through Thursday scripting, shooting and editing. Write down a task each day that will help get the video done and spend as much time doing it as you can. Two hours a day over the course four days is better than one long eight-hour day (unless you have that kind of time).

4.) Plan Ahead:
On the day you upload, start brainstorming your next video idea. Already have it? Break it up into pieces and work on it through the week. 

5.) Don't Feel Bad About Taking a Break:
Seriously, you're not a robot and even machines break down. Sometimes you just don't feel like uploading. We get it. The people who love your videos will stick around even if you don't upload when you said you would. I guess what I'm trying to say is, DON'T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF. If you're busy or you truly just aren't inspired, don't worry, the viewers will be there when you get back. In the meantime, use Twitter to stay connected.

Here's a sample schedule you can modify to your needs:

MONDAY - Work on "Valley Girl" script (1 hour)
TUESDAY - Finish "Valley Girl" script (30 minutes)
WEDNESDAY - Shoot 1st half (2 hours)
THURSDAY - Shoot second half (2 hours)
FRIDAY - Edit/Upload (4 hours)
SATURDAY - Brainstorm New Video Idea (1 hour)
SUNDAY - Take a much deserved break!

TOTAL TIME: 10.5 hours

The moral of the story is: Spread your project out to make it more manageable. Videos are fun but they are work. Treat them like work and schedule them.

I hope this helps!

Monday, January 13, 2014

5 Ways to Make Your Vlogs More Interesting

So I started making YouTube videos on my goodmonica channel back in 2007 on a whim. I was fed up with my job at KFC but wasn't in a position to quit. YouTube became a way for me to relieve my work stress. I had seen a view videos from some of my favorite channels at the time like TheWineKone and CommunityChannel and I thought, hey I can do that too! I mostly made videos with my Cabbage Patch dolls. I called it, The Delilah Show, and it wasn't really catching on, at least not like I wanted it to. A year later I made a new channel, called myself "m0brya" and uploaded my first skit that featured me. My actual self. It was different.

Skits are great. YouTube is full of skits and pranks and stunts but there's another kind of video that I don't have a lot of experience with. It's video blogging, or vlogging. I've seen these videos where people sit down and talk about their lives and it's fascinating sometimes. There are other times when people are so boring you'd rather slit your wrist than keep watching. But then there's the other people. Those special few who just get it. I don't have a lot of experience making vlogs (which I hope to change) but I do watch them. Here's 5 ways you can make your vlogs more interesting.

5.) Be Relate-able:
Some of the best vlogs I've ever seen were ones I could relate to. We all have awkward moments. We all get embarrassed. We all have weird experiences at school or on the bus. Talk about those things. Chances are, the people watching you have had similar experiences. Please don't sit there and talk about how bored you are or how you're making a video because you haven't made a video in a long time and blah blah blah. Nobody wants to see that.

4.) Limit Jump-Cuts:
Sloppy editing is definitely frowned upon in the YouTube community but similarly, don't edit yourself into visual suicide. You don't need to be in a different place on the screen for every word you utter. Of course there are exceptions to this rule like if you're adding dramatic effect or you want to drive a point but you don't have to completely mutilate your sentences. If you have to resort to cheap tricks to keep people interested then maybe it's your topic that needs a change.

3.) Show Don't Tell:
One of my major pet peeves are vloggers who insist on telling me about an event instead of just showing the event! If you're going to scout locations for a short film or go shopping for supplies, take your camera with you! At the least take pictures. I don't want to hear about how cool something looked - I want to see it for myself! I understand there are times when you can't record, but try to capture as much as you can when possible. We're living in selfie culture. Embrace it!

2.) If You Can't Actually Show Us, Act It Out:
There's also the vlog-skit-vlog approach that never gets old if done correctly. Sometimes, you just don't have your camera handy. Other times a camera may not be allowed. That's ok! Just put in a little extra effort to film a short skit of the situation. Skits give vlogs variety and it also draws the viewer in, making them feel as if they were with you when it happened. Try it!

1.) No Topic Is Off Limits:
I think this is one of the most important things you can remember. The cool thing about vlogs is that you can talk about whatever you want as long as you care about it. Nothing cool happened today? That's perfectly fine! Talk about an event from the past, anything. It could be a movie or something that happened at school or the time you broke your leg. And don't limit yourself to that either. Talk about the future and where you hope to be in five years. The sky is the limit!! Don't be afraid to let people get to know who you really are. I mean, isn't that the point?

I hope these tips help. Of course they aren't the "be all, end all" and I certainly don't know everything. These are just things that interest me when I choose vlogs to watch.



Friday, January 10, 2014

Versace - Migos ft Drake

I pretty much made up the chords to this cover. Scroll down for my cover video and the original song. I only did a portion of it because it's a looooooong song! Enjoy!!

G Em C Am
Versace, Versace, Medusa head on me like I'm 'luminati
This is a gated community; please get the fuck off the property
Rap must be changing cause I'm at the top and ain't no one on top of me
Niggas be wanting a verse for a verse, but man that's not a swap to me

C Am C D
Drowning in compliments, pool in the backyard that look like Metropolis

G Em C Am
I think I'm sellin' a million first week, man I guess I'm a optimist
Born in Toronto but sometimes I feel like Atlanta adopted us

C Am C D
What the fuck is you talkin' 'bout? Saw this shit comin' like I had binoculars

G Em C Am
Boy, Versace, Versace, we stay at the mansion when we in Miami
The pillows' Versace, the sheets are Versace, I just won a Grammy
I've been so quiet, I got the world like "What the fuck is he planning?"
Just make sure that you got a back up plan cause that shit might come in handy

C Am C D
Started a label, the album is comin' September, just wait on it

G Em C Am

Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace, Versace