​HOW TO VLOG PDF GUIDE

Chapter 1 - Welcome

➢ What is a vlog?:
○ A “video blog” or “video log”, shortened to the word v​log​
.
○ A vlog is a form of blog for which the medium is video and is a
form of web television.
○ They are intimate and personal, they're made by just y​ou​and are
an amazing way to document your life.

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Chapter 2 - Finding Your Voice

➢ Vlog your profession or lifestyle:
○ Student - High school or college vlogs
○ Working a 9-5
○ Scientist
○ Stay at home parent
○ Flight attendant
○ Tattoo Artist
➢ Vlog a project or goal in your life:
○ Home Makeover
○ Van/AirStream Makeover
○ Exercise challenge
○ Opening your own coffee shop or small business
➢ Vlog where you live or the season:
○ Summer in California
○ Fall in Pacific Northwest
○ Christmas in NYC
➢ How to find your niche:
○ Make a list of the things that make up your life and that are
important to you.
■ Write down your interests, hobbies, areas you specialize
in/have expert knowledge in, work, or what composes your
day to day.
○ What ​visual ingredients​do you need to tell a story about that
topic?
■ Every vlog requires you to fill it with visuals.

Chapter 3 - Gear

➢ What makes a good vlogging camera?

○ The camera you use will not make or break your vlog by any means.
○ Things to look for in a vlog camera:
■ Flip out screen.
■ Size - The smaller, the better!
■ Stabilization
● Lots of cameras (including your smartphone) have

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built-in stabilization.
➢ The case for your smartphone
○ Your smartphone is always with you.
○ The quality keeps getting better and better.
○ Size! It doesn’t get much tinier than the phone that is most
likely right beside you now.
➢ Other gear to consider
○ GorillaPod
■ These are great for getting more stable shots.
■ Has adjustable legs that are great for setting up your
camera on various surfaces to get unique shots.
○ External Microphone
■ An external mic eliminates excess background noise and
makes sure you’re capturing the audio you want to be heard.
○ Mavic mini
○ Quicker, bigger memory cards
○ Batteries and more batteries!
○ Gopro (for traveling)

Chapter 4 - Let’s Start Filming

➢ Finding a video idea:

○ I always find it useful to have a general idea or title in mind.
○ Focus on telling a story throughout your vlog.
○ Vlogging is making a 10 minute documentary of something fun
you’re doing for the day.
➢ When to vlog:
○ An event or activity that includes interesting visuals.
○ An adventure or trip.
○ When you have something to do that day.
➢ Create an engaging vlog:
○ Even if you’re focusing on a simple theme for your video, think
of it as a mini film with a beginning, middle, and end.
➢ Engage with your audience:
○ Explaining what you’re doing and why
○ Express your emotions about what you’re doing, teaching or
explaining etc.
➢ Getting creative shots

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○ A lot of time getting good shots look unnatural when filming and
take extra time but, it ultimately helps set the scene and bring
the viewers in.
○ I often set down the camera to get an establishing shot and then
have to run back to get the camera or move the camera to
different angles to get unique shots.
○ Show the journey
■ If you’re going somewhere, show you getting into your car,
swiping your metro card, etc.
■ Find ways to capture a passage of time as a transition etc.
➢ Telling a story
○ B Roll is your best friend!
■ This is how you set the scene
■ Show your space and surroundings and capture the mood you
want to convey
■ Always shoot more than you think you need
■ Show transitions of time from one scene to a next
➢ An attention grabbing intro is key
○ You have to grab people’s attention in the first 10-30 seconds
○ Things you can focus on
■ Aesthetic
■ Personality
■ Perspective
■ A cliff hanger to keep your viewers watching
➢ Tell micro-stories amongst your larger stories
➢ You are the story and the brand.
○ A vlog is about closing the gap with your viewer to feel like
you're with them and directly educating, entertaining them, etc.
➢ Showing emotion, excitement, vulnerability helps bridge the gap between
you and the viewer and helps bring the story to life.
○ Share what you love throughout.
○ Think of it as a TV show with recurring characters or elements.
○ Bring in your dog or your boyfriend or your roommate or show off
your love for coffee or pork buns.
○ Start filming whatever you're doing and make a challenge out of
it to make it interesting and capture different emotions.

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Chapter 5 - How to Edit

➢ Know your footage

○ This usually means scanning through everything you’ve captured
and getting an idea of what talking sections, B- roll, and other
clips you have to work with.
■ Come up with a loose plan of how you want the video
structured.
■ Set up your sequence of clips.
➢ Edit chronologically
○ Most vlogs are chronological so you can plan to edit by starting
at the beginning of your day and wrap it up at the end of your
day or trip or experience.
○ I take all my footage and drop it into my timeline in a
sequential manner.
○ Start working through and cutting it up as I go through the day
and keep what flows and take out clips that don’t fit, are too
shaky, or don’t add to the overall story and experience I’m
trying to share.
➢ Shoot more than you will need
○ This is when you cut out the shots of you setting up the camera
and make sure you just choose the best few seconds.
➢ Decide the mood of your vlog
○ Once I have roughly edited down the clips to what I think would
look good, I try to come up with the emotion or feeling someone
to get when they watch the video.
➢ Look for a hook
○ The first 30 seconds of a video are very important in either
capturing someone's attention or boring them and turning them
away.
➢ Music
○ I select several songs I will use throughout.
■ I make sure the song matches the footage and I like to edit
my B roll to the beat of the music.
○ Create a personal library of copyright free music to be able to
pull from depending on the video.

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■ YouTube will not monetize your video if you are using a

song that is copyrighted
○ My music categories:
■ Upbeat
■ Chill
■ Travel-oriented
■ Lofi
○ Sounds Effects
■ A *ding* when a title appears
■ A mouse click when you show a special photo or link
■ The sounds of birds overlayed during a walk in the forest
■ Whoosh of a flame when lighting the stove
■ Soft rain to capture a cozy morning on a gloomy day
➢ Added Effects
○ Titles
■ Add in titles or lines of font
● Emphasize a point
● Show where you’re going
● Introduce someone new
● Show the transition of time
○ Graphics and Overlays
■ I personally like to edit with a bit of a vintage feel so I
will download film grain, a Super 8mm outline, or a light
leak to use on clips as a way to transition between
different scenes or to highlight certain B roll or to
overlay a specific feeling or look.
➢ Video Editing Tutorials
○ iMovie
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MamHurq391o&t=2s
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF2mUJ0P3xU
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFaOFUKvA7U
○ Premiere Pro
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5au3DiKN1k
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYZqpE31CXw
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGobj8RGMs4
○ Final Cut Pro
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNWLw0hiX5Y
■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBd9sph9Z1w
➢ Outputting
○ Viewers appreciate a consistent theme and brand so I like to use
similar fonts and color schemes when it comes to my thumbnail.
○ If you are hoping to gain views on YT, pay attention to the

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titles ​you​click on and the vlog titles that get views.

○ For example if I am creating a travel vlog, I have noticed that
including the time you are there often brings in more views
■ Instead of just saying “Japan Vlog” I used “My First Time
in Japan | Staying in A Capsule Hotel”.
○ Engage with your comments.
○ Share it across other platforms to encourage others to watch and
tune in.

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