Video Craft: What do you like to see in vlogs?

[FooFooCuddlyPoops]

Hey guys.

What do you guys like to see from people when they make vlogs along the trail?

Do you prefer more scene's of the trail, pov talking, camera turned to the face talking?

I am experimenting with video editing and taking on local trails. Would like to know what to take in order to keep people interested in my videos?

Thanks!
Cara.

[moldy]

Thanks, I like this question. I like to see just what I'm getting into with the trail. I want to know whats behind door number 3. I look at the map, I read the guide, I read peoples Trail Journals and they all lack giving me what I want. Last year I wondered if I could find suitable trees to hammock at Zeta Gap in the Whites. The info I wanted was not available until I located a video posted on U tube. So I might be hiking in this same area you are filming. I want to see what the trail is like. I like it when you talk to the dude who just scaled the worst of it and you say"How was it " and he says it sucked...and you ask why's that? I want to identify where you are filming and the date. The date will help me sort out how it will look when I'm there. If you talk about the trail or the camping spots or places to get water I will like it. Don't mix in music or I will put it on mute and miss the dialog.

[Puddlefish]

I just don't want to get motion sickness as you hike along swinging the camera randomly back and forth.

Edit: Also, if you see someone sneaking by with their hand in front of their face looking uncomfortable, they probably don't want to be in your video, and you should consider editing them out before it hits the internet.

Basically, just be yourself, and cover what interests you. That's what usually shines through for me, when someone obviously enjoys their subject matter it shows. I lose interest when bloggers start getting into expert mode when they're obviously still in learning mode.

[Kaptainkriz]

You must have been watching my videos!! :)

I just don't want to get motion sickness as you hike along swinging the camera randomly back and forth.

[Puddlefish]

You must have been watching my videos!! :)


Heh, just watched a short sample. I wouldn't have lasted five minutes. It's a shame, I've seen some interesting vlogs, and then all of a sudden I'm wondering why I'm feeling crappy.

[Mudsock]

You have been given some good advice above. I feel that you should try to learn from others. Ideally, you should avoid the mistakes they made and copy the successful techniques of the better video producers. There is much AT footage to watch on YouTube. I have done quite a bit of video and have copied from some of the best. One of the networks was in my home doing a couple of interviews. I watched them carefully and learned some of the finer points just by watching. I told them I was going to steal some of their tricks and their reply was that they had copied it from others. Very few techniques you see are new. They have been used repeatedly by many different people. At one ministry conference I was was shooting interviews. The local TV station sent a crew down to interview some of the speakers. They took one look at my interview setup off in the corner and asked if they could use it. They used their own microphones, but used my background and lighting setup without altering a thing.

The first thing that you should pay close attention to if you want quality video is the audio. An off camera microphone placed in close proximity to the speaker's mouth will give a good yield on the investment in effort. You can get an absolute top notch wireless microphone on Ebay for $200. The Lectrosonics M187 transmitter and R187 receiver are the Cadillac units used by the national networks in the 90s. You can use them without a license if you stay away from the four traveling frequencies. They use nine volt batteries. If you get a good working pair, the range is line of sight. I have tested them to over a mile and a half with full quieting on the receiver when held just right. They are generally reliable for 100 ft in a room full of people. I walk test mine to a city block and have had the ones that wouldn't do it without dropouts serviced professionally. That costs more than buying them used, so ask a few questions before you bid. The transmitter, receiver pair with a microphone was $1800 for the pair when new. Of course, in order to use an external microphone, you have to have a microphone input on the camera. That means it is not possible with a lot of cameras. You could have a long shot of someone walking down the trail talking about what they see, or talking to a hiking partner as they approach you. Watch to make sure that clothing does not rub on the microphone element, you might clip it to a collar, or neck line on a shirt. If you run the wire under a shirt and clip the transmitter to the waist band behind them, the microphone and transmitter will be nearly invisible.

Consider using a tripod, or clamping it to a tree or table when possible to maximize stability. There will be shots where this will pay off big. At the absolute minimum, get a mount that will attach to your trekking pole so that you have a monopod. If you can point the camera back toward you, you can hoist it over your shoulder and get fairly stable video walking down trail from just behind you. Framing is not easy with that, so practice in a city park, or your neighborhood before you try it on the trail. Practice and more practice after honest criticism from yourself and others will help you greatly. Your friends will help you most by being critical. Flatly tell them that you want them to criticize what you have done in order to point out what is wrong and needs to be changed. What bothers them? Thank them for their honest condemnation when it occurs. It is not a personal attack. Listen particularly when two or more people have the same comment.

Framing is important for good video. The rule of thirds is something you can look up on line. You can improve your composition a great deal if you study the rules and mimic those who follow them. Those with the skill, know when they can violate the rules. If you are interviewing other hikers, consider how it is done on 60 minutes. Look at how they are framed. Sometimes the top of the head is cut off and it looks good. Mimic what 60 Minutes does and your video will improve by leaps and bounds. I have studied them quite a bit and have produced 2 person interviews that look every bit as good. It isn't that difficult for them when they have the cameras, proper lights and a couple of good microphones. If they are doing the president, you can bet that they have two microphones on him, and the interviewer. The network people in my home used only one camera, but re-positioned it several times to make it seem that they had a multiple camera setup. They had a closeup of the interviewee for all of the responses to most of the questions. They zoomed out to include the back, head and shoulders of the interviewer on the left, with the interviewee in front on the right side of the frame. They re-positioned the camera to the opposite end of the setup and got a shot of the interviewer asking several of the same questions, followed by a zoomed out shot showing the back of the interviewee and interviewer together in the frame. In the end, they did the thing which makes the biggest difference of all. They edited the video, switching between the various views at appropriate times during the questioning and answer session. Watch 60 Minutes after reading this and think through how they must have done it. Certainly for major interviews, they have two or three cameras running at all times. Once in a while, they have a camera at a distance and give you a look at the setup. Pay attention to where the light is coming from. You can reverse engineer the entire setup if you watch closely. If you worked with someone else, you could do a two person interview or conversation with two Iphones.

Lighting makes a huge difference with video. You can control that at times, even outdoors. Shooting in shade will give you more pleasing expressions of people. They won't be squinting. Watch out for back-lighting. That occurs when the light (the sun) is behind the subject. It can be used successfully only if you have the skills. It is seldom used.

You can probably do better video of other people than you can do of yourself. If you are traveling with people, consider having one of them tell about something, or someplace. You might interview several people about the same thing. Shoot a lot of video and use only the best. That is probably the key to quality at any given skill level. Amateur photographers have a much better chance of winning over professionals at the state fair because the amateurs have more time to keep clicking away until they get things perfected. The professionals get a higher percentage of good shots, but they don't take nearly as many. They have to make a living while doing it.

Consider over dubbing audio when you edit the video. If you are showing a landscape, or a hiker coming down the trail, you don't have to use the audio you captured at acquisition time in the final edit. You can have a narrator. You may have a friend who has a very good voice. Write a script for your video and have them read the text in a sound booth. You can make one of those with a few sheets of Styrofoam. You want to get rid of reverberation - sound bouncing off the walls and floor and getting back into the microphone. If your camera does not have a microphone input, you could use one of those small portable audio recorders with a wired lapel microphone attached and use it to capture the good sound. That could be a six ounce solution. Then, in post production, you would sync the audio and video. Have someone clap their hands at the start, or end as an aid for sync. That would be cut out in the edit.

There are a lot of things you can do to improve your video. The first thing you should do is ask questions. You started off on the right foot. All of the techniques mentioned above will not be practical with an Iphone. But some of them would pay dividends with Iphone video.

Watch the National Geographic video on the AT. I would think that you can mimic some of that. You might even watch A Walk in the Woods. Keep asking yourself, how can I use that? Notice that consistently, the framing is carefully considered, the audio is good, the camera is stable. In the edit, consider good titling. Consider using the L-cut technique where the sound continues as you switch the image from one camera to the other. You can do the same swapping sound and image. Having a second camera will add a huge increment in interest, if done properly. Some of it could be a still camera.

There are forums for video lighting, sound, etc. that you can read to your hearts desire. I would read a very long time before I asked a question. Read the FAQs. Search JWSOUNDGROUP, DVXUSER.

Take a look at the video on the Scrim Jim at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOZKrSkpNk4 (.) Look at the setup at 5:40. With a six ounce piece of white silk and a bit of paracord, you could tie it between some trees and modify the light from the sun. That is the way a good bit of outdoor video is done for commercials, etc., except they use the large frames with a bunch of sandbags and maybe some cables to insure safety. You can get the same quality of light for less than twenty bucks.

With some method of camera mounting for rock solid stabilization, a small battery powered audio recorder with a wired lapel microphone and a 4 foot square piece of silk, plus proper technique, you could have an edge on nearly everyone else. If you do a 2 Iphone shoot, clap a hand visible from both cameras as a tool for synchronization in editing. That will get the video from both cameras and the audio from the portable recorder. I realize that you have weight limitations. Look at what other people, particularly professionals produce and figure out how to do it on the cheap with what you can carry.

[DuneElliot]

My favorite videos are a combination of people, scenery and information about the trail. Two videos I liked on the PCT are "Do More With Less" and "Only The Essential". It needs to be like a good documentary.

What will make me stop watching...constantly shaking camera, nothing but pictures and no video, no people interaction.

I love the stories behind people's hikes, including the good, the bad and the really ugly.

[DuneElliot]

On another note, there seem to be a plethora of good videos done from the PCT...I have yet to find any really decent ones from an AT thru-hike

[Uncle Joe]

I try to mix it up, though I probably do too much "camera pointed at me talking." I like to see the scenery, though. I'm looking for a new camera now because I find "action" cams aren't particularly good at scenery.


What will make me stop watching...constantly shaking camera, nothing but pictures and no video, no people interaction.


Agreed!

[Vegan Packer]

My first priority is to create a memory that I will be able to watch for the rest of my life, even if nobody else wants to see it.

I try to add in things like what I am thinking while I am in the scene. You have a lot of thoughts going through your head while walking the miles; include some of those. The life experience is just as important as the view.

I try to document a typical day, somewhere through the video, but not all at once, to prevent it from getting boring. For example, one breakfast scene, one tent set up scene, one chore scene (like filtering water), but a piece of each in different days.

Show where you are starting, where you are and where you are headed, and provide some stats, in order to give the viewer some mental idea of what it is like, such as steep or flat, etc.

Give other backpackers some information on your gear, and provide some kind of list. I do the list in the credits, so that people who don't care can skip that part, but so that people who do care can watch and see.

It will be really hard to trim it all down, but try to keep only what you consider to be the best parts, and the ones that look the best. If something was a really great place but didn't film so well, leave it out.

You will get better with each video that you make. Don't worry too much about making the first one perfect, because there is always room for improvement. Learn from what you have done, and carry that with you when you make the next one.

Here is my video from my last summer's trip to Washington. Some people advised me to break it up into smaller bits and to post each separately. However, as I said above, my first priority is to create a memory for myself. If somebody else doesn't want to watch part or even the whole video, I am okay with that. Since you want to make this a learning experience, I suggest that you set enough time aside to watch it from beginning to end, but that is up to you.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWtlSbaAY7o

[Mudsock]

There is a lot to be learned by watching videos like the excellent example above. The use of titling in post production adds much. There is a good amount of rock solid stability in this video. Look how appealing it is compared with the typical bounce found in others. The use of still pictures folded in at edit time is very nice. The audio is much better than found in most other videos. How did you get that, Vegan? I see something clipped to your visor.

Obviously, it takes a bit of time to do video like this. It will cut down on your miles. The camera was placed and then you hiked the trail again to capture yourself. Again, obviously, you tossed quite a bit of your "footage," to use an old school expression - using the best and tossing the rest. It looks like you had a tripod, or were resourceful with some other mounting arrangement.

What did you use to edit the video? Most won't have access to Premier Pro. What low cost editing software packages are available?

For YouTube, there is a lot of compression and High Definition resolution is somewhat wasted. Did you choose one acquisition mode, frame rate, etc. over another to minimize storage requirements?

Using a camera that will record video on SD cards will allow a lot of capture over time, without the need to download from an Iphone, or other camera with fixed internal memory. Having additional batteries that can be swapped out on the trail will be necessary at some amount of capture time. Using a camera with a zoom lens will give more pleasing perspectives and reduce distortion due to proximity, but adds size and weight. There are trade offs when all of the gear has to be carried by one person, in addition to the tent, sleeping bag, etc.

Andrew Skurka found that he needed to choose between being a hiker or a camper. A similar decision is required for trail videos.

Would you share your equipment list? Why did you make the choices in equipment you did?

What low end equipment do you wish you had avoided? When I started out in the 90s, I attempted to use three cheaper wireless microphones, before I bit the bullet and purchased a couple channels of Lectrosonics microphones new. RF energy from a professional camera got into one of the cheaper microphones. Cameras and other digital devices are unintentional radio transmitters. It would have been better for me to have started where I ended. Of course, I wasn't doing video on the trail. The same lighting and audio equipment has continued to be usable with the transition from standard definition to high definition. Knowing where to invest for the long haul requires using the hindsight of others. Learning from the mistakes of others is beneficial.

This wasn't your first video. You have learned a lot from your earlier efforts. Have you found the constructive criticism of friends helpful over time?

[capehiker]

I am currently following a couple hiking the AT, and they already have a big subscriber base due to their previous theme. What I'm noticing is they are doing their videos for their subscribers and not for themselves, or at least, that's what it appears to me. I really want them to do well.

Where am I going with this? Make your videos to please yourself first. Roll your own way and then incorporate suggestions into it. I do the YouTube thing as well. I do videos of products that I couldn't find on the internet and now I am chronicling my upcoming thru hike. My videos are first for me because I want a way to chronicle my adventures. I have them on YouTube so that others can share in my discoveries.

[Pedaling Fool]

Naked dancing ladies!!!

[Vegan Packer]

There is a lot to be learned by watching videos like the excellent example above.

First, thank you very much for saying such nice things about the video. Believe it or not, I had just gotten the camera, a GoPro Hero 4 Black, shortly before this trip. I only had one shake down hike with it before taking on this trip, and I had only limited experience with video and film over the years.

Really, the only thing that I took with me on a trip like this was the desire to spend the time documenting it. In my diving career (now retired) I have been lucky enough to go where, at the time, fewer people had visited than the number of people that have walked on the moon. I remember knowing that I might not ever have such a chance again to see these places again, and I wanted to have more than only the memory of being there. Luckily, I hung out with people that had the equipment to document our travels, and this has given me the chance to re-live those memories. I want to have the same memories of my backcountry adventures, so that is what I am doing in my second childhood.

There are certain sacrifices involved, but I find them to be worth the price of admission. For example, I average way fewer miles per day than others on the trail. This allows me to have the time to stop frequently, set up and shoot to my heart's desire. I also backpack solo, because it is a big hassle for others to deal with what I want to do. Unless you find other likeminded people to go with you on your trips, go by yourself, or you will soon find incompatibility when others want to keep moving while you want time to stop frequently. Again, it is well worth it, but I would be even happier to go with a group that would be filming and taking stills, so that we could put all of it together, which would make it that much more professional.


The use of titling in post production adds much.

Believe it or not, this was done with the free editing software than you can download from GoPro. It can be buggy and crash frequently, causing you to lose your work, but once you learn a few tricks (like making sure to save two copies of your work frequently), it does a decent job, especially for the price. They do continue to improve it over time, too.


There is a good amount of rock solid stability in this video. Look how appealing it is compared with the typical bounce found in others. The use of still pictures folded in at edit time is very nice. The audio is much better than found in most other videos. How did you get that, Vegan?

This is all from the stock camera. It takes both stills and video. There is a bigger learning curve with stills, but it works pretty well, especially when there is good light.


I see something clipped to your visor.

That is the tracking device that I had been using. It will export your track to Google Earth, and that resulted in the tracking maps that you saw in the video. For this coming season, I have upgraded to a Delorme InReach Explorer, and I hope to be able to do the same thing for my next trip series.


It looks like you had a tripod, or were resourceful with some other mounting arrangement.[QUOTE]

Joby GorillaPod tripod for GoPro cameras. 1.5 ounces, and has bendable but rigid legs. I placed it on rocks, stumps, even tree branches. It even fits, along with my GoPro, right in the hip belt pocket of my new ZPacks backpack, so that it is easy to just pull out, set up and shoot.

[QUOTE=Mudsock;2052241]For YouTube, there is a lot of compression and High Definition resolution is somewhat wasted. Did you choose one acquisition mode, frame rate, etc. over another to minimize storage requirements?

YouTube continues to improve as top resolution cameras gain market share. This project was captured in 1080p, 30 frames per second. This was no problem for YouTube to handle, but it did take several tries and several days for the upload, which can be quite frustrating.

I hope to start shooting my next trip in 4k. The GoPro handles it with no problem, but my PC doesn't work with it. I am going to try upgrading the video card in the PC. If that works, this year's trips will be in 4k, though YouTube will only show it in 1080.


Using a camera that will record video on SD cards will allow a lot of capture over time, without the need to download from an Iphone, or other camera with fixed internal memory.

I bring a 64 gig card and a spare, in case it corrupts or should somehow get filled. Plenty of space.


Having additional batteries that can be swapped out on the trail will be necessary at some amount of capture time.

I allot one stock battery per day, and then I bring along one extra battery for the trip, since I know that the first and last day will always have some extra footage. I get about an hour of footage per battery.


Using a camera with a zoom lens will give more pleasing perspectives and reduce distortion due to proximity, but adds size and weight. There are trade offs when all of the gear has to be carried by one person, in addition to the tent, sleeping bag, etc.

I just bring the stock camera, batteries and a tripod along. No extra lenses. I have the "skeleton case" over the camera, which offers good protection, but is not completely waterproof. I also own the waterproof case, but it weighs enough that I can't justify bringing it in my pack.


Andrew Skurka found that he needed to choose between being a hiker or a camper. A similar decision is required for trail videos.

Absolutely, as mentioned above. My goal is the experience, not the distance. I think that it's a worthwhile tradeoff, but that is just my preference. There is no right or wrong answer to this. This is just my personal choice. I don't go "stupid light," as Skurka calls it. I carry enough to be comfortable, I enjoy all gourmet meals, and I put in less miles, but I have no regrets about the price.


Why did you make the choices in equipment you did?

Size, weight, the ability to use underwater, and probably because there are so many aftermarket options made for the GoPro, way more than any other similar type of camera.


What low end equipment do you wish you had avoided?[

Before this, I was using a camera phone. It worked okay in perfect conditions, but I missed a ton of shots and it could only do limited video clips. I didn't really have anything between that and this. I no longer bring the phone along, which helps cover the weight of the camera equipment.


This wasn't your first video. You have learned a lot from your earlier efforts.

Really, it pretty much was my first effort, other than making one project on super 8 film back when I was in high school, back in the 70's. LOL. The only thing that I can say is that my project from back them sparked a dream to one day travel the world and make films about those places. Now that I am semi-retired, I am getting pretty close to that chance, and I am enjoying myself and having fun.


Have you found the constructive criticism of friends helpful over time?

Suprisingly, not so much. Mostly, they want typical YouTube stuff that is no longer than a few minutes, and is more in line with entertainment than my style. Like I said, I do this for myself, and it is great to provide enjoyment to those that care to view. On the other hand, I am perfectly fine with being the only audience, if that is how it turns out.

Good luck with your videos! It takes a little learning curve, but it is also a lot of fun!