June is wedding season, and these videos will teach you how to capture those special moments on camera. Have your friends study up (and practice), and maybe you could spare the expense of a professional...



Takeaways:
- Go to the rehearsal or get to the wedding early to scout out the best shooting locations
- Make sure you have the right gear: tripod, remote mic, extension cord, extra batteries
- Shoot dramatic, low light scenes
- Shoot lots of footage and lengthy scenes
- Shoot everything - wide shots and details; the more footage you have, the better
- Use a camera with a built-in hard drive or have lots of extra media



Takeaways:
- Use multiple cameras to cover all the action
- If you're a one-man band, fix cameras in several locations, and use your main camera to rove
- Get a program in advance, so you know what will happen during the ceremony

With Creator's Corner readers in mind, the folks at Etsy recently pointed us to their series called "Process." Rather than being step-by-step instructional videos, the series brings you into artists' studios and demonstrates, in a very creative and intimate way, how crafters do what they do. Here's an example about someone who makes felted mouse booties:



Making behind-the-scenes videos like this is a great way to take your viewers inside your creative process and make them feel like they know you. Etsy also makes some helpful how-to videos, which speak to the crafter, but actually contain lots of widely applicable tips. Go to their YouTube channel for the whole selection.

Today, we announced the winners of the YouTube Nonprofit Video Awards, a celebration of the best videos from organizations in the YouTube Nonprofit Program over the past year. The four victorious videos are spotlighted on the YouTube homepage today.

Over 750 videos were submitted to this year’s awards, ranging from quirky narratives about how life on another planet relates to equal rights on Earth to honest testimonials from young dancers. In other words, these videos don’t have a lot in common, except for these central tenets which should guide anyone wanting to create compelling videos for nonprofit organizations. (If this is you, please check out our Video Volunteers program.)

1. Content is still king

First and foremost, you want to make sure that your video is appropriate for the organizational goals you want to hit. Before you start filming, sit down and figure out what you want to accomplish and whom you want to reach. A video targeting high-dollar donors may look very different from one that’s intended to train your volunteers.

Then, think about ways that you can put a creative spin on your video. Good, original content — whether it’s heartfelt and serious or light and humorous — goes a long way on YouTube. Here are a few approaches you may think about taking:

a) Tell serial stories. Engage viewers with a series of videos that tell a story around a specific theme, and keep them coming back for more. Once you've created a few episodes, put them into a playlist. This allows you to develop several video narratives targeted at particular demographics. A good example is Rainforest Action Network’s “Greenwash of the Week” series or “Oxfam’s Green Granny” series.

b) Respond to current events. Address relevant news stories by posting videos that explain your position. You can then embed them in emails to your supporters — a video message can be more effective than a text-laden email. Also, users are probably more likely to be searching for topics currently in the news and may be more likely to find your video organically through the YouTube search bar. You’ll want to be sure to tag your video with timely and relevant words.

c) Make your audience part of the video. Using annotations, you can create a “choose your own adventure”-style video, which puts the viewer in the driver’s seat and allows them to decide their video “fate.” Two great nonprofit examples of this style are “A Different Ending,” a campaign combating knife crime in the U.K., and “That’s Not Cool,” a campaign from the Ad Council about staying safe online.

2. You don’t need a Hollywood budget to succeed

Gone are the days when you need a large camera crew to make sure people watch your video; some of the most successful videos on YouTube have been created with an extremely minimal budget. Your organization can get started with video even if you only have a few hundred dollars; for example, the Flip Video Spotlight program offers nonprofits a two-for-one deal on their Flip Ultra cameras (which averages out to about $60 per camera).

Another alternative, if you’re low on staff and monetary resources, is to participate in the YouTube Video Volunteers. Each month, the program features a different issue (this month it’s climate change) and matches nonprofits who need help with video creation with passionate YouTube users who can produce content. The top three volunteer videos are put on the YouTube homepage at the end of the month. Here are the winning videos from last round, which focused on global development:



3. It’s OK to follow the leader

Here’s a piece of advice your boss will probably never give you: start watching a few popular YouTube videos every day, even if they have seemingly nothing to do with your organization. You may not see the connection between your issues and Fred, a sneezing panda or Dancing Matt, but these videos are resonating with a huge number of people on YouTube. See if you can replicate elements of these viral videos in your own organization’s content. Seriously, couldn’t Keyboard Cat be the next poster cat for animal welfare?

“The Pink Glove Dance,” arguably the most viral nonprofit video ever with over 8 million views, followed this method beautifully. The Portland St. Vincent Medical Center snatched a page right out of the J.K. Wedding playbook.

Nonprofits can also apply for the YouTube Nonprofit Program, available in U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, which offers free premium perks like branded channels, the ability to add call-to-action overlays to videos to drive traffic to external sites, and the ability to add a Google Checkout button to your channel. These tools can add another layer of interactivity to the content you’re creating.

Comedian PaulTelner is one of YouTube's most popular Canadian partners and recently parlayed his YouTube experience into a show on MuchMusic. His co-writer is his director/editor Jason Fisher, and they also maintain a separate behind-the-scenes channel, which makes all their hard work look like a lot of fun. Telner took a break from telling people they're "sooooo weird" to do this interview.

Where do you get inspiration for your sketches? 

We knew Molly, aka mememolly, way back when, when she was a student in Canada and helped us launch our site there in 2007. Now she's moved to the Big Apple and has a regular gig with Rocketboom as an on-air personality. Here she tells Creator's Corner about the transition from bedroom vlogger to pro anchor, and how she's come to get used to all that planning.

How did you catch the eye of Rocketboom?
The first time I spoke to Andrew Baron was in June 2009 when I received an email asking if I had any interest in being Rocketboom's anchor. I had started watching the show when Caitlin (thehill88) hosted it earlier in the year and was definitely interested.

I think what Rocketboom found attractive was how many places they could find me online. I maintain active accounts on a number of different social media sites in many media. Beyond YouTube and Twitter, I love Dailybooth, Lookbook, Last.fm and even gaming sites like Kongregate. I've been told that the video that got people's attention was one I made in 2008 called "The Internet."





What kinds of adjustments have you had to make, going from your own vlogging style to a more "formal" anchor role?
The first few videos I shot were pretty bad; I had absolutely no experience in actual production besides my high school's digital broadcasting class, where I read the morning announcements once a week.

When vlogging, you may only do one take and make everything up as you go along. Jump cuts are also very forgiving. Whereas when shooting a show with a script, you have to read accurately, from prompts or by memorizing the lines. It's harder than it seems.

I also had to adjust to the many levels of approval. I first present the video concept, then the script is approved. After that, we shoot the episode. Drafts of the video receive notes as it is being edited and then the final version is approved and published according to a schedule that we prepare weeks in advance.

I have never stuck to a schedule or style for my personal videos, but I'm used to the process at Rocketboom now and it helps to produce higher quality videos.

What do you do to prepare before you go "on air" for Rocketboom?
 I drink a glass of water and put on translucent powder. I also make sure I haven't worn the same clothes in a recent video and sometimes Leah D'Emilio and I get all hopped up on sugar!

What advice would you give to other YouTube users who want to make a career in online video?
The best advice I could give is to develop your personality and to network. 'Networking' is really just a clinical term for 'making friends'. It can be pretty daunting to first approach people, but once you become involved in a community, you'll encounter more and more opportunities.

When opportunities present themselves, it's important to listen but also understand that you need to be comfortable and careful not to be taken advantage of in any way. I'm still getting acquainted with the industry side of online video, but the people aren't so different from the people I met early on.

Which meme that you've covered still blows your mind as unbelievably weird or fun?
I think my favorite Know Your Meme episodes are "Autotune" which guest-starred Weird Al Yankovic -- that was an exciting day in the office -- and "Om Nom Nom." Otherwise, I like the "Rollercoaster Chess," "Geddan" and "Sexually Oblivious Rhino" memes.

Tell people something they wouldn't know about yourself.
I was especially shy and logical when I was younger. I actually wanted to be an accountant. I started making videos when I was about 16 and it changed my perspective towards doing what I enjoyed and doing what I had decided was respectable.

I moved to Ottawa, Canada, where I was encouraged to try creative things in an academic environment. In the last year of high school, I took my first real art class and the following year, I ended up attending the Emily Carr University of Art and Design on a scholarship.

Somewhere between finishing a year in Vancouver and today, I moved to New York to work for Rocketboom. I've been incredibly lucky to have so many opportunities, and I'm extremely grateful to everyone who's had a hand in that.

Creating any animation is an impressive feat: it requires artistic skill, patience and a vivid imagination. Creating animations that receive hundreds of awards and millions of views on YouTube: that's just downright next level. In this conversation, Joaquin Baldwin, the animator behind "Sebastian's Voodoo" and "Papiroflexia," discusses his techniques, the inspiration behind his very different films, and his thoughts on online distribution.

Can you talk a bit about using YouTube and the Screening Room as a distribution platform?
I put my films on YouTube as soon as they were finished, and I've gotten more views here than in all the hundreds of film festivals my films have played at combined. If what you are looking for is to get a large amount of people to see your work, it is definitely the right approach. The Screening Room was a big push on the views, too -- having my films as featured content brought a whole new audience and a lot of subscribers to me. Nowadays, as soon as I publish something, I get a large amount of subscribers who automatically see it so it brings an immediate response.

A word of advice: If you consider your film to be good enough to qualify for an Academy Award, wait a bit longer before you publish it online. Both "Papiroflexia" and "Sebastian's Voodoo" were online way too early, and they both qualified for Academy Award consideration after winning some select festivals, but because they were already online I lost my chance.

What made you want to get into animation?
Being a computer nerd was the start of it all, and loving to draw. I first got into computer animation, more as special effects and fun graphics to play with, while I was in high school. It wasn't until I was working on my undergraduate degree that I saw its real potential as a storytelling tool. That's when I really started pushing more towards creating full films rather than just cool graphics.

Where do you get the inspiration for your films?
I get a lot of inspiration from poetry, very visual metaphors or concepts. Usually my films start with a simple idea or image, and then evolve into a narrative trying to keep that main idea in mind the whole time. I also watch a lot of films, both animated and live action, and directors like Guillermo del Toro or Hayao Miyazaki  are very important sources of inspiration.

Can you tell us a bit about your animation process? How long does a film typically take?
It greatly depends on the film, so let me give you two examples:

Papiroflexia: It took me 8 months of work. It's a 2D film with a lot of motion graphics in it, but the main animation was all created with pencil and animation paper on a light table, then cleaned-up with ink, and scanned and colored in the computer. I used a variety of software, from MonkeyJam for quick animation tests with my webcam, to Animo for quick coloring, to After Effects to put it all together.

Sebastian's Voodoo: It took 10 months of work. It's a 3D film, completely created in Maya and After Effects (with textures painted in Photoshop). I went through the traditional pipeline for CG, from storyboards to modeling, texturing, rigging, animatic, animation, lighting, rendering and finally compositing.

One important part on any of my films is that I spend a LOT of time working on a storyboard before I start animating. The storyboards go through a lot of revisions before they are ready; I try to show them to as many people as possible to get a good idea if they are working or not before I settle into anything.

What would be your advice for someone who's trying to create their first computer-generated animation?
There's a lot of help you can find online, for whichever software you are using, and a ton of tutorials on traditional animation and drawing as well. You should definitely try some traditional animation (not necessarily with pencil and paper, just draw with a tablet on your computer if you want), and get a feel on how the basics of animation work. It'll help with your CG work immensely. Draw a lot!

Where do you see the future of animation going?
There's too many people concerned about Avatar, both animators and actors. I say bring it on; it's fantastic to have all of this new technology available, it will not replace actors or animators, each have their own strengths and work for different situations. And soon all of this new technology will be available for everyone, it's amazing that anyone can do an animated film nowadays, with even the most basic computer. I'm sure soon enough we'll be able to do our own performance capture at home with a webcam ;)

Liz Shannon Miller is a writer at NewTeeVee and a leading authority on Web original content. Today, she's curating a homepage spotlight devoted to some lesser-known webisodic gems.



In the following interview, she discusses the future of this emerging genre and some of the production elements that separate the good series from the great.

Can you tell us a bit about your process for finding great original Web series?
The advantage of having a lot of friends who are also fans of web content is that following them on various social networks is both business and pleasure, as there's a lot of sharing going on. There's also a lot of time spent tracking Twitter and blogs for both new shows and older stuff, both viral and episodic — plus, every morning I go through all five pages of the YouTube Most Viewed listings, just to see what's popular and topical.  In addition, we get a lot of pitches from creators who want us to take a look at their stuff, which is great, especially when they take the time to tell us why their show is worth checking out.

The big challenge is making time to sift through all this potentially awesome content and being ruthless about the not-so-good or the terrible. Fortunately, it's not too hard to stop watching something bad — unless it's so bad it's good.

What do you think makes the difference between a good Web series and a great one?
The quality of production. Web series still have a long way to go if they're going to be treated on the same level as content created for film and TV with multi-million-dollar budgets, but the shows that are closing the gap are the ones that know how to best use their resources. You can tell a great story with great actors, but factors like sound design, editing — heck, even the main titles — do play a role in how a show is perceived.

That doesn't mean, though, that the goal is to be perceived as a TV show. Some of the best shows are the ones that acknowledge their Web roots, and have fun online with the fact that they can build out the world their characters live in beyond a rigid episodic structure. One of our curated picks, the hilarious "Acting School Academy," stands out not just because of the central episodes, but the incredible breadth of auxiliary content created to accompany the show. There are fake commercials, vlogs, even in-character interviews with real journalists; there are also Facebook and Twitter accounts for both the characters and the show. It's a new definition for the phrase "epic narrative."

What advice would you give to original content creators who are trying to find an audience?
Well, first off, it's really helpful if your show is good, and good right from the beginning. A great first 30 seconds is so important when it comes to grabbing an audience.

Then, know how to sell your show to both potential audiences and professionals. Come up with a pitch that really defines your show, sets it apart as unique, and then target pre-existing communities that might be interested.

What you want are fans. "The Guild" was embraced by the World of Warcraft community; "Anyone But Me" has gotten huge support from both gay audiences and soap opera enthusiasts. Fans are great — they stalk your content, engage with your show, and spread the word. The earlier they discover your show, the more supportive and empowered they'll feel. The better-known the fan, the better luck you'll probably have.

Also, studies show that most people these days discover web content, for the most part, through blogs.  Forging relationships with the people who run high-trafficked sites where you've seen videos is helpful — just don't demand too much without getting to know them first.

What kinds of recent trends have you noticed in online content creation? Where do you see the medium heading in the next five years?
It's hard to pick out recent trends, if only because the classics seem unlikely to go out of style. Girls in bikinis, adorable animals, guys getting hit in the crotch, guys getting hit in the crotch by girls in bikinis — these are easy tricks, but they remain effective even over 20 years after the premiere of "America's Funniest Home Videos."

Very specifically in terms of Web series, though, in the next five years, we'll probably see fewer series that might be defined as amateur. Instead, the level of quality across the board will be much higher, and there'll be greater diversity across the board on all levels. Right now, people are playing around more with episode length and release schedules, especially as audiences seem to grow more comfortable with watching videos longer than three minutes.

Also, the fact that many of the new stars emerging today are getting discovered on YouTube will probably have a profound impact on the entertainment world over the next five years. Justin Bieber's only the latest example. 

What's the best part of covering new media at NewTeeVee?
Getting to tell the stories of the people who make up the Web video community. When a show we've already covered gets a great new distribution deal, when a talented creator figures out a way to make a profit in this hectic industry, it's inspiring even from a spectator position.

Plus, the fact that sometimes, we're literally being paid to watch YouTube? That's pretty awesome as well.

Excerpts and summarization of "Chapter 7: Building Your Audience from YouTube: An Insider's Guide to Climbing the Charts" by Alan Lastufka (aka fallofautumndistro):

I am routinely asked about how to gain more subscribers. First, you can’t fake it. Well, okay, you can fake it, but any cheat you attempt will be transparent and won’t really do you much good in the long run. Second, while having thousands of subscribers is good, it's not necessary to enjoy your time on YouTube or even to "go viral." All it takes to go viral is for one viewer to share your video with another, who shares it with two or three others, who each pass it on, and so on. But obviously, the more subscribers you have, the greater the chance that one of them will pass your video on...to be the seed that quickly becomes a forest.

Before you set out to earn more subscribers, remember that your content has to be good. I can show you how to get a lot of traffic to your channel, but if your channel description, your profile icon, or, most important, your videos don’t entertain or pique visitors’ interests, they won’t subscribe!

Review your channel design. Take some time to write a compelling channel description. Make it personal, make it funny. Insert a favorite quote of yours. And make sure the featured video on your channel is one of your best.

Now you’re ready to set out to actually use some of the following tips. The best way to drive traffic to any web page, whether it's a blog, a new e-commerce site, or your YouTube channel, is to create inbound links. Inbound links are hyperlinked (usually blue and usually underlined) words or phrases that, when clicked, take viewers from a web page to your YouTube channel page. With that in mind, drive viewers to your channel by:

• Commenting on other videos. Every time you leave a comment, your username is hyperlinked and takes those who click on it directly to your YouTube channel.
• Commenting on other channels. Videos typically receive new comments at a very quick rate, depending on when that video was uploaded. But channels, unless they are extremely popular, tend to receive far fewer comments. So your channel page comments won't get buried to the bottom as quickly as your video comments. If you find a video maker whose videos you enjoy, leave them a channel comment.
• Create playlists. Playlists show up in the YouTube search results. YouTube is the second biggest online search engine after Google. If you create interesting, entertaining or educational playlists of good videos, viewers will check out your channel and hopefully subscribe as they want to get to know you.
• Network and collaborate. Appear in videos on channels that are more popular than your own. The video maker will either give you a link in the video description, or annotate directly to your channel page. This is a great way to drive viewers to you, and a great way to have fun while building your audience.
• Make videos. Sounds silly to say, but if you don't make videos, regularly and consistently, people won't watch. Hours and hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. A video that's a week old may as well be three years old. Stay current to stay relevant.

Remember, you want people visiting your channel as often and as much as possible, in hopes they will subscribe. You can't do that if you only interact within your own bubble. So get out there and watch, comment and interact with other video makers.

For more tips and information on building your YouTube audience, check out YouTube: An Insider's Guide to Climbing the Charts: http://tinyurl.com/youtubebook.

Well, the equipment list from Shane Dawson was so popular, we're pleased to now have vlogbrothers' Hank Green revealing his essential toolkit:

Camera: Canon Vixia HF-20

Microphone: 1 cheap audio-technica wireless lav mic and 1 Equation DS-V7 (with an XLR to 3.5 mm adapter)

Tripod: The cheapest one Best Buy had

Lighting: Two $10 halogen work lights from ACE Hardware. I need to get some blue gels for them because they're too yellow

Editing Program: Final Cut Express 4

Computer: Macbook Pro

Other: Western Digital 500 MB Hard drive – a big piece of green cloth

Advice: "Have a good time. Seriously. You have to work hard, you have to understand your audience, but if you aren't having a good time, everyone will know it...and so will you."

Proudest video: "I'm just gonna say my '15 hours in Target' video, because it's something I said I'd do, I did it, and I think it forced me to be really creative."

Kevin MacLeod is "a guy who writes music for film." He says: "I just do it as much as I can. If I don't have a film to work on, I'll invent something that needs a soundtrack."

Search his name on YouTube and there are over 36K results. That's because MacLeod is a popular source of royalty-free music, which he provides for free under a Creative Commons license; all he asks in return is credit in the video's description. What this means is that you can go to his Web site, Incompetech, browse tracks by mood or genre, and then download the one that best suits your video. The FAQ on his site tells you all you need to know about using his recordings.

MacLeod doesn't know exactly how many YouTube users download his work every day, but it is a lot. "I remember one day I scanned through the top 20 featured videos and my music was in 11 of them," he recalls.

"Scheming Weasel," "Deliberate Thought," "Plucky Daisy" and "Sapphire Isle" are the most popular of his tracks among YouTube users (he's not sure why), but his own favorite is "Ghost Dance." "I did this as an opening theme for a Sherlock Holmes audio production, and I think it is perfectly fitting for the genre," he reveals. "The piano arpeggio technique is interesting, and fits well with the opening phrases, which are later picked up by the orchestra."

If you're a musician and you'd like to allow your work to be used for free under the Creative Commons, MacLeod has these bits of advice:

• Start by getting your own web site. There are a pile of aggregation sites out there who promise to add value to your works by setting them with hundreds of other composers, making it a one-stop shop for producers who need music. Using a site like that is a fantastic way to get lost in a sea of not-so-good music.
• Set up your site to be easy for people who are making films to find what they want. Make life easy for other people, and they'll appreciate it.
• Share your music as liberally as you can. I recommend the Creative Commons: By Attribution license. If you add stipulations like "Share Alike" and "Non-commercial," you're limiting the usage of your music. The goal is for more people to hear you, not less.
• Promote yourself. Hey, you have a free product; it isn't that hard of a sell!
• Be patient.
• And of course, Keep Writing Music (but if you're the kind who writes music, it isn't really possible to not write music).

Of all the videos that include his compositions, which are MacLeod's favorites? He's got a few, which he breaks down by type:

Narrative: "Balls of Mystery" by captainstargood



Non-Narrative: "51 things i found around my house" by HurricaneAubrey



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From time to time, we see questions in the Creator's Corner forum asking for advice on the best tools to use to make videos. So we thought it might be helpful to ask popular YouTube users which products got them to where they are today; one nugget of essential advice for any videomaker, and which of their own videos they're proudest of.

Shane Dawson of ShaneDawsonTV and ShaneDawsonTV2 was kind enough to be our first subject. Here are the tools of his trade and some important words of wisdom:

Camera: Panasonic GH1

Lighting: Pro light box kit

Mic: Plug into camera microphone

Editing: Final Cut Pro

Computer: Mac

Advice: "Make videos that YOU would want to watch. If you aren't enjoying your own videos, chances are no one else will!"

Proudest video: "'Happy Fatherless Day.' It was a chance for me to open up about my childhood and help other kids deal with the troubles of having one or no parents. Reading comments on that video makes me realize why I make videos in the first place, to connect to others. It's an amazing feeling."



Leave a comment on this post with other folks you'd like to hear from, and we'll do our best to include them in this series.

By now you might have seen the immaculately accurate recreation -- in Legos -- of the legendary "bullet dodge" scene from The Matrix, in honor of the film's 10th anniversary this year:



But what's really cool is that the filmmakers, Trevor Boyd and Steve Ilett, have some detailed behind-the-scenes information on their site, including a guide to the technology behind the video and this fantastic tip sheet, which is a must-read for any budding Lego animator.

One of the top contributors in the YouTube Forums, rewboss, has written two helpful Knols that might be of interest to anyone reading this blog.

How to make a decent video, which is chock full of sound advice about equipment you will need to make a video, writing and filming tips, and things to keep in mind in the editing room.

Uploading Windows Movie Maker files to YouTube, which tackles what happens when you try to upload a project file instead of a video file to YouTube. Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to render your video in WMM, and you may eliminate the frustration of getting an "invalid file format" message or the limbo of endless "processing."

Know of other YouTube users who give great advice? Let us know in the comments below. We're looking to highlight, celebrate and collaborate with all you experts out there.