If you’re considering making your own video podcast – here are some tips from an excellent presenter: Minnie Small. Minnie has 322,000 subscribers and it’s easy to see why: she’s relaxed, calm, creative (she describes herself as quiet, mellow, low-key), and the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. She works from home with a freelance illustration practice “semi-skimmed min” – but she made this Youtube video on how to make a Youtube video by popular demand from her viewers.
Visual Style
You will want to look at some of her clips to get a sense of her visual style. However, it must be said that when you can have someone carrying a box or tidying a bedroom looking this great – she has my visual style confidence vote.
This simple picture of sorting the laundry – sorting the laundry! – can look this beautiful. Part of it is the amazing sense of lighting – diffused backlighting makes this like a Bill Viola art video. Partly, it’s the restricted, soft palette of white, with dark blocks (her clothes) and soft light woods, with flecks of greenery – and a tiny pop of yellow sunflowers.
Summary: her 7 tips for video blogging:
- Be yourself – she acknowledged this sounds cheesy – but it’s true
- Excellent audio – without getting too techy
- Music – she recommends a source for royalties free music
- Pacing – how to simply edit to maintain interest and “trim the fat”
- Sound effects – how you introduce music, occasional sound indications, how voice is placed over the visuals
- Camera angles – how to get creative with these
- Know your why – what do you bring to the blogging table? how? why? This baseline informs your choices for what you choose to show and will help your editing keep the vlog focussed – you will know what to show and what to cut out. PS. this question could usefully be put in as number one – it affects all other choices.
Comma And 