Elizabeth Pearl Corey https://opearlperspective.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-pearl-c-468265140/
The world of today is exciting and intimate, allowing us to venture into the prosaic happenings and inner machinations of the “everyman's” mind. Simple living is made to be beautiful and aesthetic and eating becomes a celebration. There are videos that I watch on repeat due to the pure rush of dopamine I get from the lighting, the foley, the music, and the scenes framed to look like paintings or vintage images…or films.
It is a very easy thing for anyone to create the kind of endorphin-pumping videos that inspire our audiences to click back onto our videos over, and over, and over again so that we play the algorithm game and win—our traffic and fanbase grows off of creative and, frankly, fun endeavors.
The first step to create a vlog that captures the essence of a moment and steals the attention of our viewers is to create an opening that entices them to keep watching. There are many ways to do this. Starting with a visually-appealing intro like Olivia Grace Cook or cozykitsune on YouTube can really compel audiences to keep on watching. There are also very film-esque introductions, like Cari Cakes, entering into the scene in a way that elicits the nostalgia of the addicting style we adore from Wes Anderson. Hooks are also great ways to start a video, with a funny or interesting moment occuring later on in the video being teased at the beginning, or important information that you'll relay later on. You can even have title screens or a recurring intro—like a show!—to add more creative appeal to your videos.
The middle of the video is the meat and lettuce and cheese and all the good stuff of the video. You want to maintain the beauty of your first shots and screens with unique and intriguing angles, clever transitions, and content that keeps the watchers watching. Edgar Wright is an exemplary director when it comes to unique frames. He plays around with perspective and perception of the audience. These are things that we can do, too, whether or not we include humor in our videos (I encourage some, to keep the minds of our audience members stimulated!). Take beautiful or fun B-Film and juxtapose it against the A-Film, or play it against a voice-over of you talking. This is a simple and elegant way to introduce interesting shots into a home-made video. Be expressive when you're on camera or speaking, making reactive—relevant—facial expressions and changing your tone every so often (again, you want it to be relevant, still) to keep engaging your viewers. Make sure you know what you want your video to be about, as well. Keeping a theme and motifs helps your viewers follow through on the concepts you introduce. A reading vlog, for example, should have shots of you reading and your reactions, as well as B-Film of a beverage you're drinking, the cover of the book you're reading, etc. You can create scripts and storyboards of specific things you want to say or film if you have an idea for what you want to make the video about. Keep a separate notebook for brainstorming video ideas (call this your evergreen hit list) and for the scripts and storyboards, as well as other relevant information like calls to action and things you want to showcase in your video—maybe a sponsorship or info product!
The ending wraps everything up neatly and makes your viewers want to watch more of your videos or rewatch the same one over and over. Finish strong with the same aesthetics of the beginning and middle, but address the audience and be more personal. Conclude the video by including keypoints or recall key moments from the middle of the video. You can ask questions so they engage with your video directly or inspire a call to action in other ways, like including fun edits of things you'd like them to do in response to the video, directly asking in an amicable and intimate way, or being self aware about the inevitable silliness that comes with it. Then simply bid the audience farewell, however that means to you. Say a simple goodbye, have a specific outro message and/or action, or have a beautiful closing shot and speak over it. You can also have an end title screen or an outro (like a show, again!) to continue the dopamine flow, and leave your viewers hungry for more from you. Be sure to also use YouTube's cards and the end screens to inspire fans to binge watch your videos in a playlist of all of your videos, or a playlist of select choices, to give them a direct option to subscribe, and to suggest the last video you posted for them to watch.
All of these tips can help you create stunning cinematography on your own, in your own home—or on the road! Most of all, have fun with the creative processes of planning, filming, and editing your videos. This is a dream job for most and one anyone can aspire to and achieve. Enjoy your newfound skill—keep practicing it—and, though you won't need it, good luck making videos people will want to come back to time and time again!
Elizabeth Pearl Corey is a fan of finding the right shot for making films at home for amateur cinematographers or experienced influencers. She has an English/Creative Writing Associate of Arts Degree from Nassau Community College and is pursuing two B.A. degrees (Creative Writing and English) from Stony Brook University. As a literary scholar and wordsmith, she would be elated to work with you. Reach out to work with her here: https://thefortunatetype.com
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