My Vlog

In this video, I wanted to convey a sense of authenticity by making it natural and simple. With the lack of editing and normal conversation style talking, hopefully this video creates a natural, real sort of atmosphere. I discuss different aspects of who I am in a condensed version, so that viewer can gain an understanding of me, without getting too bored of a lengthy, dull video. Often an audience will perceive a video or vlog as more authentic when they can relate to the person in the video. As this is a video that is all about me, I thought it was important to come across as very authentic. Meaning I used colloquial language without worrying too much about how I said things or if it looked extremely professional. In terms of the actual shot, I used the hand-held camera technique. This also plays into the sense of authenticity. By holding the camera in my hand instead of setting it up on a tripod, the whole video feels more natural and less scripted, which could help the audience to feel like they can relate to me more. While my house doesn’t have the best lighting, I tried to use a room with suitable natural lighting. I recorded the video with my iPhone, while this may not be ideal the quality of the iPhone cameras is surprisingly good and it is a much better option than using the laptop to record, as they have both poor audio and visuals. My shot composition had a natural, bedroom background with my face being the centre focus, this works in well with the natural, hand-held style video that it is. I attempted to engage the audience by using a clear voice and not drag out what I was saying with unnecessary parts. I struggled initially to speak comfortably in front of the camera. The first few times I tried to record it came across too awkward and scripted, which was the opposite of the atmosphere I was trying to achieve in this video. I struggled with finding a medium between having an overly scripted video that felt fake, and having nothing to say and not meeting the time requirement. I ended up writing down a few bullet points so I could remember what I wanted to talk about without rehearsing what I wanted to say, therefore it would come off more natural. This was the first time I have filmed something in a vlog style of myself. I think I’ve learnt how to approach this sort of task in terms of speaking to the camera and creating an authentic atmosphere for the video. The only issue I would like to resolve next time is the lighting and camera. I would prefer to film on an actual camera rather than an iPhone, and in an environment with better lighting and surroundings. While it was important for me to make the vlog seem natural and genuine, I would like it to come across a little more professional next time, so the audience can have a better experience watching it.