I've genuinely been fidgeting over the question of getting into youtube for all year now, this video's timing was genuinely the best it could be. Thank you so very much!!
All very nice tips! The "third person" thing in particular brings up funny memories of my oldest video essays (some which are privated/unlisted now). I was so allergic to using "I" or just overall very personable language since you just don't do that in academia lol (plus my majors were writing intensive). But it made so much of my early content feel so "clinical." You definitely want to be using casual language for (most) video essays formats. Formal sentence structure and that kind of shit, yeah don't do that kind of thing on this platform. Like ESPECIALLY since it's RUclips: it's actually better to showcase your own personal biases as much as possible, because as you said, it's a big part of what will make your channel stand out.
You had me on the plot summary thing. I've seen several "video essays" that waste too much time recapping the basics of the plot, to the point where that's the whole video. Sometimes this can work, IF the whole point of the video is "story summary" or "what you need to know before [x]", but if you're trying to actually SAY something about a work, don't do this.
Funny that you upload this video now since I started making videos that could loosely be considered "essays" earlier this year. I think the "putting you whole ass in it" advice is super valuable, especially when you're talking about what games mean to you personally. You can't (shouldn't) compromise on that stuff. Another thing I would recommend everyone do before they make their first video is learn about the three act structure. It's simple: Set-up, conflict, conclusion. It creates an engaging flow and gives your work forward momentum. The difference between a video you finish watching VS one you don't is almost always good or bad pacing. Even if you're not aware of it, your brain subconsciously picks up on it.
I also found that what I learned in English class made for a decent blueprint for when I started writing videos. Stuff like structure, reinforcing your points, and creating a "hook" in the first paragraph. (which was prolly a simpler way of describing a thesis) I took that information and molded it with what I saw other RUclipsrs doing, and that's basically how I started. All the other advice was pretty spot on too, although I will admit that I'm also a bit stubborn when it comes to consistent topics. I feel like doing different stuff all the time is a bit more fun haha.
@@_bubbletea yeah, i've had some vids pop off in the past, but I never cared to capitalize on em. It's a bit too late now, but when it came to those topics, I didn't have much else to say. Communicating with ur audience to see what they'd watch is a good idea tho. I just don't have much of a crowd to do that with rn. I just do my own thing lol
I wonder about the different topics things, I feel like if you present yourself as a video essayist, then people expect you not to be all over the place. BUT, if you present yourself as, say, a commentator primarily, then (I find with these RUclipsrs) that you can have a wide range of video essays. It's all about what your home base is presented as. Those RUclipsrs talk about _everything_ and inbetween video essays just release commentary videos keeping in contact with their community.
as somebody who’s tried and failed starting up channels for years and finally feels like they’re getting somewhere- thank you so much for this- and here’s hoping the best for everybody getting started!
I really appreciate you making this. Your Persona video essays were what inspired me to start writing my own so hearing about what criteria you keep in mind while working on yours is incredibly valuable advice. Thank you so much!
Love it! I've been starting to write more essays just broadly about things I like and am passionate, and have been planning some videos to hopefully translate that into! I hope that more people do the same, I always find essays about media I like entertaining regardless of the stance they take. Hell, half the time I like watching videos hating on things I like more than videos praising things I like, getting the new perspective and considering things I never thought of it always refreshing. As such I very much agree that 'objectivity' is pointless. I want to hear what a human different than me thinks, not the wikipedia recitation. Wish you and everyone else watching future success on your vids!
I have been making educational videos for years, but have always REALLY wanted to jump into making video essays. But, there’s not a lot of great material out there to learn how. Thank you for this. This has tipped the scale for me, and I’ll be working on my first video essay soon. Thank you so much for making this!
A lot of solid points here! I started my video easay journey 2 months ago and have been fun with it since. Great video and thanks for inspiring me to create!
Huge fan of video essays. Thanks for the guide. It kinda looks like magic from this side of the fence, although when I've consumed coffee I seem to have a better grasp of nonfiction text. That's something I've wanted to write about, amongst other things, it feels like a huge mountain to climb (obviously because I haven't tried). Research is the bit that feels most daunting. And also it doesn't help being self-conscious about one's own voice (literally) and generally (in the sense of 'intellectual aptitude'). But I get one must start somewhere and anything feels daunting if you don't give it a swing-so yeah. Dasein etc etc Great video!
It's really nice to see someone in the community that I really respect bring out some points that I agree with and find helpful when it comes to making videos. While I don't follow everything that you mentioned in this video all of the time, it's so nice to hear that someone I have been watching for a while has been doing some of the same things I have been trying to do with my own work. Just a question for you though. What do you consider necessary when to summary in RUclips videos? Me personally, I really enjoy it when someone goes in depth with all of the story beats of something that I absolutely because it feels like I am having a conversation with that person about that piece of media. And I have been writing my own video about Persona 3 Reload for a few months now bringing up every single plot point because I really enjoyed everything about this game's story. I tried to throw in some analysis and jokes here and there (because I am not trying to make a super duper serious video about it), but I'm not sure if people would want to watch that. I am making this video for myself mostly because I really want to make a video that I would want to watch. I just curious if you think that this could still land an audience even if it is very summary heavy for one part of the video. Anyways, thank you for making this video! It really gave me the motivation to keep on writing my own videos! Can't wait to see what you make next!
a good amount of people like in-depth summarizations. if the entire point of your video is to do a full comprehensive breakdown of the story, that's perfectly fine. if there's some sort of greater idea you're trying to get across, then you want to make sure that you're explaining why you're bringing every point in the story you deem necessary. make sure it enforces your main point if it's something other than just explaining the story.
Thank you for the video. Becoming a video essay RUclipsr is Easier Than You Think was very interesting. Looking forward to the next video. 8:27 Yes. Yes, I do. Also, clever use of the May meme face from the Pokémon movie Destiny Deoxys.
description readers like you deserve an award. also, that face is iconic to me because destiny deoxys was the second pokemon movie i ever watched when i was really into my pokemon craze as a kid.
For me the intimidating part is the editing/visual/audio generation, gathering footage, etc. I don’t know anything about that stuff and I get lost when I try to look up how to get started. Even picking an editing software feels like a chance to make huge errors.
With the reference to writing a video being like an English essay, summarization should be used like quotes! Use it sparingly as a tool to support your point, rather than anchoring a large chunk of your paragraph/video on it.
All the tips you listed in this video also applies to writing any sort of analytical essay! You should never summarize the plot when analyzing use it to support your arguments!
regarding consistency, let’s say, hypothetically, someone made a sea of stars video, a game made by a studio that has only made one other game that the vid author has not played. would it be unreasonable to cover the RPG genre in general as the target audience?
As someone who watches a TON of video essays on (mostly) RPGs, you've definitely highlighted some important points. I see so many videos titled "Why 'X' is the best game ever" and then it winds up being 30 minutes of plot and mechanics breakdowns without actually ever telling us WHY they actually love the game. An AI bot could rehash the plot and explain the difference between magic and special attacks. Tell us about how that one special made you feel the first time you used it to kill a boss! Also, the more real people making content the better. I'm so sick of AI voicovers and writing (worse in science than game spaces, but gross all the same)!
I wish I saw this back in January. I made a 40 minute video on Sonic 2 and once I watched the full draft I immediately tossed it in the trash. Would of saved me a month😅
I was wondering, regarding the research part, since I'm writing a video about Giten Megami Tensei, my only source for information are magazines that honestly lack interviews and other stuff that isn't important (mostly summarizes on the game's new mechanics), so finding information is stupidly hard even in Japanese, so in that case, what would be the best to do? The games I mostly want to make videos about are super obscure too...
Yeah of course it isn't very hard none of the people who make them have actually done a real academic essay with sources that aren't pulled out of you ass and tangible arguments
I've genuinely been fidgeting over the question of getting into youtube for all year now, this video's timing was genuinely the best it could be. Thank you so very much!!
if you have something you wanna say, then go for it! i'm glad this video reached you.
Go on! You can do it!
All very nice tips!
The "third person" thing in particular brings up funny memories of my oldest video essays (some which are privated/unlisted now). I was so allergic to using "I" or just overall very personable language since you just don't do that in academia lol (plus my majors were writing intensive). But it made so much of my early content feel so "clinical." You definitely want to be using casual language for (most) video essays formats. Formal sentence structure and that kind of shit, yeah don't do that kind of thing on this platform. Like ESPECIALLY since it's RUclips: it's actually better to showcase your own personal biases as much as possible, because as you said, it's a big part of what will make your channel stand out.
You had me on the plot summary thing. I've seen several "video essays" that waste too much time recapping the basics of the plot, to the point where that's the whole video. Sometimes this can work, IF the whole point of the video is "story summary" or "what you need to know before [x]", but if you're trying to actually SAY something about a work, don't do this.
Funny that you upload this video now since I started making videos that could loosely be considered "essays" earlier this year. I think the "putting you whole ass in it" advice is super valuable, especially when you're talking about what games mean to you personally. You can't (shouldn't) compromise on that stuff.
Another thing I would recommend everyone do before they make their first video is learn about the three act structure. It's simple: Set-up, conflict, conclusion. It creates an engaging flow and gives your work forward momentum. The difference between a video you finish watching VS one you don't is almost always good or bad pacing. Even if you're not aware of it, your brain subconsciously picks up on it.
this is good advice! thank you for sharing.
I also found that what I learned in English class made for a decent blueprint for when I started writing videos. Stuff like structure, reinforcing your points, and creating a "hook" in the first paragraph. (which was prolly a simpler way of describing a thesis) I took that information and molded it with what I saw other RUclipsrs doing, and that's basically how I started. All the other advice was pretty spot on too, although I will admit that I'm also a bit stubborn when it comes to consistent topics. I feel like doing different stuff all the time is a bit more fun haha.
we're all like that sometimes haha. glad we can relate on this!
@@_bubbletea yeah, i've had some vids pop off in the past, but I never cared to capitalize on em. It's a bit too late now, but when it came to those topics, I didn't have much else to say.
Communicating with ur audience to see what they'd watch is a good idea tho. I just don't have much of a crowd to do that with rn. I just do my own thing lol
I wonder about the different topics things, I feel like if you present yourself as a video essayist, then people expect you not to be all over the place.
BUT, if you present yourself as, say, a commentator primarily, then (I find with these RUclipsrs) that you can have a wide range of video essays.
It's all about what your home base is presented as. Those RUclipsrs talk about _everything_ and inbetween video essays just release commentary videos keeping in contact with their community.
as somebody who’s tried and failed starting up channels for years and finally feels like they’re getting somewhere- thank you so much for this- and here’s hoping the best for everybody getting started!
Here's to your unshakable spirit!
It's crazy how many points of advice I've given to others verbatim. i'm gonna give this link to other people from here on out.
choops found in da wild
I really appreciate you making this. Your Persona video essays were what inspired me to start writing my own so hearing about what criteria you keep in mind while working on yours is incredibly valuable advice. Thank you so much!
Love it!
I've been starting to write more essays just broadly about things I like and am passionate, and have been planning some videos to hopefully translate that into! I hope that more people do the same, I always find essays about media I like entertaining regardless of the stance they take. Hell, half the time I like watching videos hating on things I like more than videos praising things I like, getting the new perspective and considering things I never thought of it always refreshing. As such I very much agree that 'objectivity' is pointless. I want to hear what a human different than me thinks, not the wikipedia recitation. Wish you and everyone else watching future success on your vids!
Thanks for the tips!
you 👏 can 👏 do 👏 it!
This video has some very very useful tips! Thanks for helping out us current youtubers, as well as potential new youtubers!
love that sweet good bubbletea you’re making my guy 🧋
I have been making educational videos for years, but have always REALLY wanted to jump into making video essays. But, there’s not a lot of great material out there to learn how. Thank you for this. This has tipped the scale for me, and I’ll be working on my first video essay soon. Thank you so much for making this!
A lot of solid points here! I started my video easay journey 2 months ago and have been fun with it since. Great video and thanks for inspiring me to create!
Huge fan of video essays.
Thanks for the guide.
It kinda looks like magic from this side of the fence, although when I've consumed coffee I seem to have a better grasp of nonfiction text.
That's something I've wanted to write about, amongst other things, it feels like a huge mountain to climb (obviously because I haven't tried).
Research is the bit that feels most daunting. And also it doesn't help being self-conscious about one's own voice (literally) and generally (in the sense of 'intellectual aptitude').
But I get one must start somewhere and anything feels daunting if you don't give it a swing-so yeah.
Dasein etc etc
Great video!
Great content as always.
im pretty new to making these sort of videos, but this gave me very useful tips for the future. thank you
It's really nice to see someone in the community that I really respect bring out some points that I agree with and find helpful when it comes to making videos. While I don't follow everything that you mentioned in this video all of the time, it's so nice to hear that someone I have been watching for a while has been doing some of the same things I have been trying to do with my own work.
Just a question for you though. What do you consider necessary when to summary in RUclips videos? Me personally, I really enjoy it when someone goes in depth with all of the story beats of something that I absolutely because it feels like I am having a conversation with that person about that piece of media. And I have been writing my own video about Persona 3 Reload for a few months now bringing up every single plot point because I really enjoyed everything about this game's story. I tried to throw in some analysis and jokes here and there (because I am not trying to make a super duper serious video about it), but I'm not sure if people would want to watch that. I am making this video for myself mostly because I really want to make a video that I would want to watch. I just curious if you think that this could still land an audience even if it is very summary heavy for one part of the video.
Anyways, thank you for making this video! It really gave me the motivation to keep on writing my own videos! Can't wait to see what you make next!
a good amount of people like in-depth summarizations. if the entire point of your video is to do a full comprehensive breakdown of the story, that's perfectly fine. if there's some sort of greater idea you're trying to get across, then you want to make sure that you're explaining why you're bringing every point in the story you deem necessary. make sure it enforces your main point if it's something other than just explaining the story.
@@_bubbletea Gotcha. Thank you for clarifying this for me! I really appreciate it!
Thank you for the video. Becoming a video essay RUclipsr is Easier Than You Think was very interesting. Looking forward to the next video.
8:27 Yes. Yes, I do. Also, clever use of the May meme face from the Pokémon movie Destiny Deoxys.
description readers like you deserve an award. also, that face is iconic to me because destiny deoxys was the second pokemon movie i ever watched when i was really into my pokemon craze as a kid.
Thank you so much for this video! After watching your PS2 video and just graduated my university doing nothing, I want to start my own videos too!
Thank you
Thanks man
Great vid G, hopefully this vid inspires people to be more like humans and less like redditors
spittin
All hail Zod
Thanks for making this video. Looking forward to doing it in Fire Emblem Engage.
For me the intimidating part is the editing/visual/audio generation, gathering footage, etc. I don’t know anything about that stuff and I get lost when I try to look up how to get started. Even picking an editing software feels like a chance to make huge errors.
With the reference to writing a video being like an English essay, summarization should be used like quotes! Use it sparingly as a tool to support your point, rather than anchoring a large chunk of your paragraph/video on it.
9:27 "I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes.. "- Akechi
soliciting much more of an "ah, so that's why it's like that" response more than "ah, so that's how it's done!"
Very nice! Will be using some of these tips on my next video! Question... how did you get this blue theme in your RUclips? Looks clean
the mario essay at the beginning had me laughing very hard for many minutes
Oh you’re the persona endings guy
You have the most video essay voice ever
You forgot one thing
when you show a game in the video , PUT. IT'S. NAME.
All the tips you listed in this video also applies to writing any sort of analytical essay! You should never summarize the plot when analyzing use it to support your arguments!
banger
regarding consistency, let’s say, hypothetically, someone made a sea of stars video, a game made by a studio that has only made one other game that the vid author has not played. would it be unreasonable to cover the RPG genre in general as the target audience?
As someone who watches a TON of video essays on (mostly) RPGs, you've definitely highlighted some important points.
I see so many videos titled "Why 'X' is the best game ever" and then it winds up being 30 minutes of plot and mechanics breakdowns without actually ever telling us WHY they actually love the game.
An AI bot could rehash the plot and explain the difference between magic and special attacks. Tell us about how that one special made you feel the first time you used it to kill a boss!
Also, the more real people making content the better. I'm so sick of AI voicovers and writing (worse in science than game spaces, but gross all the same)!
I wish I saw this back in January. I made a 40 minute video on Sonic 2 and once I watched the full draft I immediately tossed it in the trash. Would of saved me a month😅
I was wondering, regarding the research part, since I'm writing a video about Giten Megami Tensei, my only source for information are magazines that honestly lack interviews and other stuff that isn't important (mostly summarizes on the game's new mechanics), so finding information is stupidly hard even in Japanese, so in that case, what would be the best to do? The games I mostly want to make videos about are super obscure too...
i have never made good video ever in my life but somehow few video blew up for some reason
my video essays will totally take off (copium)
what program do you use for video editing??
davinci resolve
Yay! More people making shtty video essays about niche video games topics in recommendations!
Yeah of course it isn't very hard none of the people who make them have actually done a real academic essay with sources that aren't pulled out of you ass and tangible arguments