Video Blogging Bite-sized – the key takeaways

Jake Wharton, Marketing Assistant at Computer-eyez, attended our recent Bite-sized Learning session on 'Everything you need to start video blogging'. Here's what he learnt. 

Brighton Chamber’s ‘Bite-sized Learning’ events are incredibly helpful, so when I found out there was one on vlogging I was quite excited. Computer-eyez, the company I work for, is starting to work with vlogs, so I wanted to soak everything I could. 

The event, on the 16^th March, was led by expert Mi Elfverson, a photographer and video producer with over 25 years of experience in film production and video strategy. Mi is very passionate about vlogs, and with her hands-on experience as founder of The Vlog Academy, we knew we were in very knowledgeable hands.

I’m going to start with the best thing I took away from this session (in my opinion). Detail is everything, or - as Mi put it -, the Devil is in the Detail. What colours are in the shot? What does the environment of the shot look like? What tone are you using? Is the lighting right?

Chances are, the answers to these questions will change for different professions. For example, if you are a dentist, you would want to record in a clean, bright lighted office with a very professional tone. However, if you were a distributer of health and fitness products you might want to be in a bright and colourful room, with an energised personality reflecting the products.

Another great tip Mi shared with us is that coming across as relaxed and confident is a necessity. No one’s going to pay too much attention to you if you’re not fully engaged and comfortable. In a way a vlog is meant to be a conversation between you and just one other person, the viewer. Here’s some great tips Mi shared on how to come across like this on the screen:

• Have a sort of 'vlog avatar' when talking to the camera. Imagine someone specific that you are talking to. In a lot of cases this would be your ideal client
• Turn your body slightly to an angle to show confidence
• Make eye contact with the camera; if you are not focused on the viewer it will make it slightly less easy to focus on you
• If you are sitting down then lean forwards so the camera gets the better angle of you
• Be a celebrity!

After Mi’s lecture I am now confident and ready to dive into vlogging! If you want further information on how to start vlogging for your company then check out The Vlog Academy. 

Thanks to Jake Wharton, Marketing Assistant at Computer-eyez, for writing this blog for us. Find out more about Computer-eyez by visiting their website, and have a look at our upcoming Bite-sized Learning sessions on our events calendar. 

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk