Vlogging And PodcastingTips For Artists

2 CommentsFriday • September 16, 2011 • by Imei

Tweet

You’ve figured a few things out. You have a subject you are passionate about, and you have skillz. Friends and colleagues give you feedback that leads you to believe you have something to share with a larger audience. When you open your mouth, you tend to say informative things in an engaging way. Someone calls you an “influencer.” You find yourself looking at podcasting and vlogging as the vehicle for your ideas. You’re in luck! Here are some very simple podcasting and vlogging tips for artists who wish to get started.

[Note: if you’re a techie, you’ll probably want to check out a tech blog on the same subject, especially for a run down of equipment in a higher price range for your specific needs.] This post is unusually long, but the newbie at podcasting and/or vlogging will find enough info here to get started. But first, I think a little humor goes a long way. Watch this older couple learn how to film themselves in “Web Cam 101 for Seniors”:

PODCASTING: What is it? Am I too late?
A podcast is an audio-only show featuring a subject selected by the podcaster, and made available through a variety of podcasting platforms, such as Libsyn.com. Many podcasters record from their home, office, or on-the-go, and provide regular programming in order to form a community base of like-minded people. In order to get their podcasts noticed, they often register it with a larger platform, such as iTunes, and syndicate their podcasts. For the majority of podcasters, they provide their podcasts for free, although some celebrity podcasters are able to charge a fee and still maintain a large following.

While podcasting has been available for some time, it is not too late to get started. Why? Because there is still a demand for interesting information, interviews, and entertainment delivered in short audio bytes, allowing listeners to connect with your podcasts at their convenience. They can listen to you while exercising at the gym, while commuting to work, and on short breaks from other activities.

Podcasting can help people find out more about what your subject of knowledge or entertainment by listening in. It typically enhances a blog (text and image format), and in many cases, bloggers add an additional page to their website which lists all current podcast links. By installing podcasts on a seamless platform, listeners can simply click on the link in the website without having to leave the site. Others choose to create a separate domain dedicated to their podcasts. There are pros and cons for both processes.

Vlogging: Using video to communicate your message
Vlogging is similar to blogging (hence its name), except the stories and articles are primarily told via video. I tend to disagree with About.com’s description (which I included in the link above) on one point: I believe a vlog is primarily made of a video with very little text, versus a traditional blog that simply integrates video (i.e. Hips For Hire is a web blog that integrates video and soon, podcasts).

Vlogging is popular because video is popular, and technological advances have made it clearer, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive. However, just because you can vlog doesn’t mean you should. There is a lot of noise out there, so consider what you’re offering before you step in front of the camera.

A great example of a vlog is WilsonTech1 on Twitter. His series of videos combining his knowledge about software and hardware, answering questions from his fanbase, and his entertaining style in front of the camera offer his audience a jump-cut style vlog that always makes me laugh. It’s a tech version getting a vitamin while eating a snack. Click here for an example from his extensive video library on Youtube.

What About A Plog?
Is there such a thing as a plog (a photo blog)? I would argue: YES. Some of the better plogs IMHO have grown out of recent applications like Hipstagram, Instagram, and the still-popular (and free!) Tumblr.com site that is set up for mobile picture downloading. All of these are set up to say a lot about your interests with pictures and a small amount of text, or with minimalist text as art.

The Goodies: What You Need To Get Started

Here’s my video on a simple way to get started in terms of what you’ll need for vlogging and podcasting:

For podcasting, you’ll need:
– a hosting platform to organize and hold your podcasts, such as Libsyn. I haven’t experimented with others, but sites like Podbean (free) and BlogTalkRadio (also free) have been getting a lot of shout outs and are worth looking into.

– a means of getting your podcast noticed. One of the simplest ways to do this to register it on iTunes (as mentioned above). There are also a host of other syndicated podcast categories of which to add yours. Of course, you can always try putting your podcast on your own website, and the SEO’ing the crap out of your site. If you know how to do this, more power to you. I frankly think this takes a little too much of my time.

– a format: a lead-in (such a clip of music, sound effect, or motto) that leads listeners know they’ve found the show they were looking for. Make sure your music clip is your own or obtain permission for use form the artist. Even if it’s less than 30 seconds (an urban myth), you can be fined or sued for broadcasting material you do not own without permission.

– a good quality microphone with a windscreen or foam cover (to absorb moist or harsh sounds from your mouth when speaking).Notice in my Youtube film below that you can ear my p’s and b’s as a “puh” sound that is a bit annoying. Radio hosts often use a windshield or a fuzzy cover on a condenser microphone to minimize this sound.

– a software program to help you mix sound, especially if you interview someone else who’s voice recording is significantly lower or higher in volume than yours. I use Audacity. Just remember to select the appropriate download for your computer’s OS.

– if you use a MacBook or MacMini (and some older Macbook Pro’s), you will have to select either a compatible USB microphone (and use a pre-amplifier), or use a compatible wireless microphone (but you might have problems with a low buzz or frequency interference).

Since podcasts are all about sound, you might want to make sure you have no ambient sound running in the background. Turn off appliances, unplug a noisy refrigerator, turn off forced-air heating or air conditioners, and don’t forget to turn off florescent lights that make a buzz you might have tuned out. If you record from an apartment, consider recording during off-peak hours, and use a microphone that filters out ambient noise (i.e sounds pointed directly at the microphone are recorded, while sounds further away and not pointed at the microphone are not recorded). Again, the program Audacity has a nice noise-reducing option to clean up your audio even further. [You can remember to turn your fridge back on by putting something important inside it, such as a set alarm clock, or your car keys!].

– keep podcasts short. You can do a teaser podcast on a large subject, and then make a series of podcasts on the subject that are longer and more in-depth. [If you tend to speak too slowly, here’s a little trick: when editing the audio, you can sped it up by 25% before most people would detect that it doesn’t quite sound like you, or that your movements are unnatural].

For vblogging, you’ll need:

– all the same equipment and software as for podcasting, above, although you might not wish to purchase a mixer if you don’t need it right away.

– an easy-to-use camcorder or digital recorder that can be mounted on a tripod and used “handsfree”. I personally use my iPhone4 the most to record video when I’m on the go. I’ve also used a VADO 3G, which has come down significantly in price (this one is new for $64.99). The iPhone4 records at 1280p x 720 in beautiful HD; if you want to use it hands free, you’ll have to buy something to attach it to tripod such as the Glif, or a stand-alone mini tripod with a clip to hold it in place. The VADO 3G has a built-in tripod mount that takes care of that problem; however, it takes a bit of getting used to in regards to the interface, because it has no buttons. I like it better than the Flip Mino, but film quality wise they are comparable. The advantages of using an iPhone4 is the convenience of syncing it to iMovie for editing (or you can pay for the app to use iMovie from your iPhone4 or iPad1/2). By now, some of you are understanding why I ended up staying with one system in the Apple family and sticking with it [“keep it simple, stupid”].

– The same audio problems exist for the Apple users trying to get better audio recordings for their devices than the built-in microphone. Read what I wrote above.

– A movie editing program. I use iMovie for the ease of use for the novice.

– A means to get your vlog noticed. Hosting your vlog on a popular application such as Tumblr or WordPress will give you tools to help share your vlog with others. Make sure you add an RSS feed button to your site so they can easily follow your recordings. If you use WordPress, there are some nice Social Media and sharing plug-ins that make this quite easy to place buttons everywhere [but alas, I haven’t yet put a +1 Google button on my site…I suppose that will happen soon].

– An area for recording that is free of audio noise as well as background visual “noise”. Some people record podcasts and video in a makeshift “closet”, muffling outside noise and reducing background clutter.

– Obtain proper lighting, or use natural lighting during the right time of day, that does not cast shadows on your face or any items you might be featuring in your film. If you’re filming dance, make sure you mark off the edges of the camera’s view as well as optimal lighted space. When filming artwork, make sure the lighting does not bounce off the item in an unflattering way.

– Do a test video with clothing, hair, and makeup that doesn’t blend into the background. If you decide to use a lavalier-style microphone (i.e. clip on mic), make sure your don’t move too much, as hair and clothing can add a rustling sound to the video.

– If there must be panning in your vlog, make sure camera pans are slow and steady, and do not cause the viewer to experience dizziness because you move the camera too fast.

– If you’re going to use jump cuts in your editing, be intentional about them, and try not to clip off words or movement abruptly. A good movie editing program should allow you to make fine adjustments, add fade ins and fade outs, and use precision with jump cuts.

– Since Google does not search videos themselves (yet), you need to title your videos in ways that they can be searchable, and then host the video on a popular platform. The more popular places to host videos have been Youtube, Facebook, Vimeo, and one’s one blog.

– Decide whether or not you want comments on or off on any sites you host your video. There are pros and cons either way. If you’re worried people won’t like your work, or you are very sensitive to negative or “troll” comments, you might want to consider not posting videos at all; a plog (photo blog) might be the way you want to go. Then again, if you have some particularly funny or cheezy art material, there are aplethora of blogs and stores that might be right up your alley, such Regretsy.com (the spin off the popular Etsy.com personal store blog).

– Keep videos short. An effective and well produced three minute video is much better than a seven minute one that drags [I had to learn the hard way]. Not all content has to be covered on a single video; you can break up a subject into several videos, and provide written descriptions that fill out the content.

There are quite a few other ways to record and host videos, such as live stream captures on popular sites such as Ustream.tv and Livestream.com. However, the video quality is lesser than the available tools we have to chose from.

Most vlogging and podcasting workshops will spend more time talking about hardware and software to produce video and audio then they will on the actual content. Some will talk about how to build a fan base and foster community by integrating Social Media. The topic of content and communication is a separate topic, but at least you know how to get started. Practice making a few short podcasts and vlogs, and test them on your friends first. Get feedback, and remember: it’s OK to start over, even when you’re passing Take #10. Better to do it right, get the cuts you need, and paste it together.

Are you vlogging or podcasting? Could your artful project use these tools? What’s stopping you? Please share your questions here.

Posted in: blogging, blogs, camcorder, cell phones, content, entertainment, iphone4, Vado 3rd gen, vlog

Tagged with: audio, BlogTalkRadio, external microphone, hardware, how to, how to podcast, how to vlog, iRigMic, Libsyn, mixer, software, tips