For all you Youtubers Out there

[Neon_42]

Like many of you, I watch Starmade tutorials, reviews, etc. on youtube. Unfortunately the quality of many of these videos is not very high. I know lots of the streamers and youtubers put a ton of effort into making their videos for the community and I dont want to poo poo anyone individually, however there are a great many annoyances and generally stupid things that everyone does. I would fail any student in my classes for presenting anything like what I see for starmade. For the past year or so I have been cataloging video 'taboos' If you will, below I will list them and hope that you will use them to improve your channels.

1. Do not take 2 minutes to get to the point of the video. Introductions should be short and to the point.
2. Do not spend longer than approx. 10 seconds on an intro. This is is not saturday morning cartoons I don't need to be pumped up with a 1min theme song. Shorter is better.
3. Do not apologize for crappy quality in sound or video. If you know its crappy quality then fix it or don't make a video. Nobody is giving you props for doing what you're supposed to.
4. Do not say ' I thought X might be interesting so I made a video about X'. Of course you did. Stop wasting my time telling me you made the video I am watching.
5. Do not talk about editing your videos.
6. Stop saying 'yeah, um, so, like, you know, okay,' with long pauses after. Long pauses in general are bad. You are not William Shatner. Do not speak like him.
7. Do not make a 'short' video longer than 5 minutes!
   
8. Edit your videos down.
   -If you are just speaking for the sake of speaking, cut it out. Your audience doesn't love your voice, even if you might, we certainly don't care about a random thought that just entered your head, and we don't care about your personal life.
   -If you are just building or editing or doing any task repetitively, skip to the end. I dont need to see you remove all the wedge blocks on your titan. I get how to remove wedge blocks.
   
9. Stop using the word 'interesting' so much. If everything is interesting , nothing is interesting. This is particularly important for ship reviews. Use other adjectives. Buy a thesaurus if you need to.
   
10. PRACTICE and EDIT your videos! The odds of you getting a perfect 20 minute video in one take is 0%. Really I can't think of any Starmade video that should be longer than 10 minutes.

There are exceptions to these rules and I leave that up to your discretion, but know that most of you don't make tutorials and reviews correctly as is, so be careful. These rules may also be applied to streams with a few obvious exceptions. I hope this helps, and I look forward to higher quality videos in the future. Feel free to ask if you have questions.

 

[Criss]

What class are you teaching where students wold be presenting in video format?

Personally...
1, and 2. Have never had issues
3. I always strive for quality. Mistakes lead to re-renderings. Even if I'm late on posting.
8, 10. The longest most videos I see are 15 minutes or so. I have pushed my videos to shorter lengths. The issue is that if I split a longer video into 2 parts, it is very unlikely people will come back for the second half. It depends on content of course.

I have no idea if I am someone you watch. I can't remember. I think my reviews are different from a few other's in the sense that I have background with design which can be applied to many things in life. As for the quality of content, hardly do I get requests to change my format. That being said, as for newer Youtubers. They are learning. It can take a while to get into the motions. For me it's easy to know what I am covering ina video, where a newer person might feel the need to cover everything.

 

[ResonKinetic]

Ayyyy, you're 100% correct, Neon.

Although, not all videos have to follow strict guidelines. Sometimes it's nice to see professional-ish videos, other times it's a little more relaxing to see some campy commentary.

 

[SkylordLuke]

which one of these apply to me? so i can improve myself,you know?

 

[aceface]

Your audience doesn't love your voice

I thought the same, but after doing videos on the server feedupyourbeast, they actually said they wanted just to hear me more in terms just generally speaking, instead of saying yes i have done this and i have done that etc.

 

[Megacrafter127]

I thought the same, but after doing videos on the server feedupyourbeast, they actually said they wanted just to hear me more in terms just generally speaking, instead of saying yes i have done this and i have done that etc.

If one watches a video for the game's sake, one does not want to have parts cut out. However, if the commentator falls silent it gets boring, but since one watches for the game's sake, it doesn't matter THAT much if the commentator talks about random stuff, provided the topic doesn't "scare" people away.

 

[OdraNoel]

i guess these points really depend on what kind of video it is. most of these would apply to tutorials, but perhaps not so much with lets plays. on that note...

1: Agree, for tutorials it is maddening to hear someone ramble for a few minutes before getting to the point of the video. but for lets plays, since its supposed to be more casual, i say chat away.

2: Agree, long intros can be annoying after the first 2 or 3 times you see them. my intro is somewhere inbetween at an even 20 seconds.

3: Agree, altho i might have been guilty of this a couple of times as well.

4: Half Agree, this one really depends on the content of the video. for more obscure things it might be interesting to know what prompted the youtuber to make the video in the first place.

5: Half Agree, again depends on the content of the video. letting the viewer know that a cut or jump is about to happen can be less jarring then an unannounced hard cut in the middle of a steady flow.

6: Agree, i may have been guilty of this a few times as well.

7: Half Agree, again depends on content. but on that note iv been guilty a few times of starting a video off by saying, "this is going to be a short little video" and it ends up being 20+ mins.... >.<

8: Half Agree, again depends on what kind of video. for tutorials then YES absolutely, stop rambling and stick to the main point of the video. for lets plays, as i said above, the casual nature of it is perfect for small talk.

9: .....Agree? i haven't really noticed this so much in any videos iv seen. but i guess if the person is saying "this is interesting" every 2 minutes, then yes, STFU already

10: Half Agree, again depends on the video type. for tutorials then yes it is a must, get your set up ready off cam and then go through it steadily and edit out any blank or irrelevant parts. but as for lets plays, then it really depends on what your doing, if you doing something boring and repetitive and dont have anything interesting to say during, then either cut it out or fast forward. on that note however all my lets play videos have been done in one take, for better or for worse :D

so i basically agree with most of what you said. it seems more geared towards tutorials rather then casual lets plays, but some of these definitely apply to lets plays as well.

 

[Keptick]

@Zanaten says "hhhmmmm" and "uuuuh" quite a lot. But it's part of the charm since it's usually "uh... wtf am I doing" moments, which are pretty hilarious (especially in the ship reviews).

 

[OdraNoel]

ya thats a great point, sometimes its all about the charm that keeps you coming back for more

 

[SchnellBier]

Rules for good youtube vids? Sorry but that isn´t a good idea. I know what kind of vids you want to address with this but this doesn´t work. First problem is that the tastes are different. It´s like music. You can´t tell people what they have to like. Second problem is that entertainment is something that can´t be pressend into rules. Some people like videos because they are bad. Bad enough to make them laught. If the video isn´t boring you win. How to achive this is up to you. If rules would work everyone would use them.

Every youtuber should just remember two basic things before he uploads a video.

- What is the purpose of this video?
- Would you like to watch this video out of this purpose?

If you think your video isn´t that great most people would probably call it bad. But don´t concern yourself with someone who doesn´t like your videos. There´s always one. Get some expierience and self-esteem. With this most of the mentioned problems are gone and you can work on technical details.

 

[Criss]

I watch my own videos all the time actually. Especially the ship releases and endslate that I have. I just think I did a great job and I'm proud of myself. So I guess that in a way I would watch my own content.

 

[Crimson-Artist]

Not everyone is a professional video editor and most videos look like they were impromptu. but very good points.

i would add that unless you know what you're doing, just don't talk in general. or if you must keep your segments to only a few lines. 2 sentences of poorly delivered dialogue can ruin an entire video.

if you're doing a ship showcase, show don't tell. I would rather see the missiles on your ship fire/hitting something then you telling me how powerful they are. (for ppl who are asking how you can film that, use a logic timer on your weapon systems then tab+f8 to a "camera" ship to start rolling)

 

[blurb357]

What class are you teaching where students wold be presenting in video format?

Personally...
1, and 2. Have never had issues
3. I always strive for quality. Mistakes lead to re-renderings. Even if I'm late on posting.
8, 10. The longest most videos I see are 15 minutes or so. I have pushed my videos to shorter lengths. The issue is that if I split a longer video into 2 parts, it is very unlikely people will come back for the second half. It depends on content of course.

your videos are perfect criss, I think he is talking more about the MushroomFleet youtube channel

 

[Saber]

@Zanaten says "hhhmmmm" and "uuuuh" quite a lot. But it's part of the charm since it's usually "uh... wtf am I doing" moments, which are pretty hilarious (especially in the ship reviews).

I try to keep it to a minimum. =P The only problem is, especially with ship reviews, it's all unscripted. Especially when it comes to trying to find my way around a ship I don't know so there are more "uh's" and "um's" in those because in my head I'm usually going "where the F am I?" or "where the heck is the door/core/etc.?"

And @Neon_42 I agree with many of your points and having a degree and experience in graphic arts myself I can understand your point on all of them. However as SchnellBier said it all comes down to taste. I'll be honest I'm not fond of every starmade video that's out there either, for many of the same reasons you listed, however if they draw a sizeable audience then I just chock it up to not being in my personal taste.

We won't ever be able to have high-quality professional level videos across the board. But one thing most of us content creators do (at least within this community) is share each others videos with one another, looking for feedback and ways to improve. Or looking to the audience at large to fine-tune videos. For example my Ship Reviews series isn't perfect, but it's been a constant evolution.

I'm not trying to rant or anything, but as I said I agree with you on a lot of points, and I try to improve myself with each video I do, but sometimes you just want to hit record and see what happens. =)

Edit: Almost forgot, I hate to be that guy, but my audience doesn't seem to mind my voice too much.

 

[Lecic]

Your audience doesn't love your voice,

There are youtubers who I actually like the voice of. This isn't really true.

Otherwise, this is pretty accurate. There are a lot of youtubers who could do to improve their videos.

 

[Neon_42]

I'm glad there is a discussion on this. I have a couple comments to add as there is some slight misinterpretation on a few points.

1. On the 'sound of your own voice'. This seems to be a popular point so let me explain. You are not morgan Freeman. So dont add extra dialog or sounds or stretch your video where it doesn't need to be. This is the point. Not that your voice is somehow ugly or irritating.
2. I realize many of you are not professional video editors. You dont need to be, but you can still edit your videos to make them watchable.
3. There are a few exceptions to the rules as some of you have pointed out.

 

[Majorfatboy]

OP, I love You.

Youtubers should print this list out, and rub it all over their naked bodies in the hopes that even if They don't get it's message via reading, it may at least be absorbed into their bodies and co mingle with their DNA.

This is why I hate Youtube videos of gameplay. Not just for Starmade, but everything.

Guess what? You're not a professional stage actor, You're not going to come up with anything good to say "off the cuff". Write a script. It doesn't have to be perfect, and You certainly don't have to follow it one hundred percent, but for the sweet love of little baby Jesus figure out what it is You want to say before keying Your mic. Even a simple text file with a few speaking points on it would do wonders.
"It's like, uh, You know, totally just so.... I don't know, uhhhhh.... Like fuckit, whatever. You know what I'm saying"
YOU ARE KILLING ME.
And for the love of bacon pancakes stop trying to sound like a radio DJ. There is no law, anywhere on the planet, that states that every gameplay vid has start out with: HEeeeeey bitches! It'snoscope2285redstoneherewithanother -insert game name here- letsplayvideoupdate!
There's nothing "uncool" about just keying up Your mic and saying "Hi, starmadefan69 here, and today I've got a video about the latest update. I hope You enjoy". Stop trying to sound cool. You're not cool.
This brings Me to another point: Annunciation. You are probably talking into a cheap, mass-produced, line-level headset microphone, with game audio and probably some crappy "music" in the background, You have to speak Your words clearly, and with intent.
Using Your casual, indoor, buddies-sitting-right-next-to-Me voice may not cut it. And then after encoding and uploading to You tube, well...

And yes, You may not be a professional video editor, but You don't have to be a professional video editor, just give some effort.
If You're going to do something like this, put a little effort and practice into it, otherwise, Your video is just one more piece of crap I have to sift through in order to find something good, and If You really care about the game in question, and want to promote it, don't promote it with a bad video, that does not help anyone.
Windows movie maker, MSI afterburner, the VFW x264 codex, and Audacity are free, and if You have some spare cash, there's fraps, bandicam, and everyone's favorite, Sony vegas or movie maker. If countless stoners can pull their lips off of their bongs long enough to use these pieces of software to make video mashups of My little ponies belting out obscenities and spongebob going on a killing spree, then I think You can figure out how to tweak Your audio levels and encode in the proper aspect ratio.
(Not knocking the cartoon re-edits, mind You, those are awesome.)

And then there's the awful, two minute long intros... FILLED WITH THAT GOD AWFUL NOISE POLLUTION; DUBSTEP
I could spend a few dozen paragraphs on how dubstep is utter crap that is pulling real electronic music down into the gutter by association, but in general when I click on a video "Tutorial" on a new gameplay mechanic, the last thing I want is BWAAAAAAAAAAAAM-BWABWABWABWABWA-DUNTISS-THUUUUUUUUUUUUUMPTHUMMMMMMMMMMMMP -WAHWAAAAAAAH- DUHDUHDUHDUHDUH BAM for a solid minute, while Your screen name flashes into view and bounces around the screen with some crappy stock explosion effects.
... A ten second placard announcing Your name and or You tube channel along with a little jingle is fine.

Next: Don't bring Your buddies into the video unless They've actually played the damn game.
It causes Me physical pain to see a video that spends an hour like this:
moron 1: "Duuuuude, I'm going build a dick ship and call it "the HMS Cave's Johnson"! LOLOLOLLOL"
Moron 2: "How the fuck do i rotate this wedgethingie!?!"
Moron 3: "Oh My God You guys! Did You know that there's this build mode thingie? You don't have to build your ship one block at a time!!!"

Also: Get some sleep and put the bong down. No one wants to hear You mumbling intro Your mic and miss understanding every other word someone else says, only to follow it up with "sorry mate, it's like two AM over here". If You can't find time and people to record with at a sane time, You're doing it wrong. And don't use it as an excuse to martyr Yourself either. You staying up late to make a video is not the same as putting out fires or delivering babies, I think I'll live if Your video takes a few days longer to release.

Now I know what You're thinking: "Gee wiz Fatass, everything You just said is really horrible and rude, nobody's making You watch these videos". Actually, Yes, people are making Me watch these videos, at least the beginnings of them. When I'm looking for a video on a game, and I spend half an hour sifting through the crap videos, just to find the one video worth watching, I tend to get a bit salty.

And another thing! You kids these days with Your.... whoa, does anyone else taste copper in their mouths? That's funny, My left arm is kind of numb... think I'll just have a seat, think about happy things for a bit...

 

[SkylordLuke]

OP, I love You.

Youtubers should print this list out, and rub it all over their naked bodies in the hopes that even if They don't get it's message via reading, it may at least be absorbed into their bodies and co mingle with their DNA.

This is why I hate Youtube videos of gameplay. Not just for Starmade, but everything.

Guess what? You're not a professional stage actor, You're not going to come up with anything good to say "off the cuff". Write a script. It doesn't have to be perfect, and You certainly don't have to follow it one hundred percent, but for the sweet love of little baby Jesus figure out what it is You want to say before keying Your mic. Even a simple text file with a few speaking points on it would do wonders.
"It's like, uh, You know, totally just so.... I don't know, uhhhhh.... Like fuckit, whatever. You know what I'm saying"
YOU ARE KILLING ME.
And for the love of bacon pancakes stop trying to sound like a radio DJ. There is no law, anywhere on the planet, that states that every gameplay vid has start out with: HEeeeeey bitches! It'snoscope2285redstoneherewithanother -insert game name here- letsplayvideoupdate!
There's nothing "uncool" about just keying up Your mic and saying "Hi, starmadefan69 here, and today I've got a video about the latest update. I hope You enjoy". Stop trying to sound cool. You're not cool.
This brings Me to another point: Annunciation. You are probably talking into a cheap, mass-produced, line-level headset microphone, with game audio and probably some crappy "music" in the background, You have to speak Your words clearly, and with intent.
Using Your casual, indoor, buddies-sitting-right-next-to-Me voice may not cut it. And then after encoding and uploading to You tube, well...

And yes, You may not be a professional video editor, but You don't have to be a professional video editor, just give some effort.
If You're going to do something like this, put a little effort and practice into it, otherwise, Your video is just one more piece of crap I have to sift through in order to find something good, and If You really care about the game in question, and want to promote it, don't promote it with a bad video, that does not help anyone.
Windows movie maker, MSI afterburner, the VFW x264 codex, and Audacity are free, and if You have some spare cash, there's fraps, bandicam, and everyone's favorite, Sony vegas or movie maker. If countless stoners can pull their lips off of their bongs long enough to use these pieces of software to make video mashups of My little ponies belting out obscenities and spongebob going on a killing spree, then I think You can figure out how to tweak Your audio levels and encode in the proper aspect ratio.
(Not knocking the cartoon re-edits, mind You, those are awesome.)

And then there's the awful, two minute long intros... FILLED WITH THAT GOD AWFUL NOISE POLLUTION; DUBSTEP
I could spend a few dozen paragraphs on how dubstep is utter crap that is pulling real electronic music down into the gutter by association, but in general when I click on a video "Tutorial" on a new gameplay mechanic, the last thing I want is BWAAAAAAAAAAAAM-BWABWABWABWABWA-DUNTISS-THUUUUUUUUUUUUUMPTHUMMMMMMMMMMMMP -WAHWAAAAAAAH- DUHDUHDUHDUHDUH BAM for a solid minute, while Your screen name flashes into view and bounces around the screen with some crappy stock explosion effects.
... A ten second placard announcing Your name and or You tube channel along with a little jingle is fine.

Next: Don't bring Your buddies into the video unless They've actually played the damn game.
It causes Me physical pain to see a video that spends an hour like this:
moron 1: "Duuuuude, I'm going build a dick ship and call it "the HMS Cave's Johnson"! LOLOLOLLOL"
Moron 2: "How the fuck do i rotate this wedgethingie!?!"
Moron 3: "Oh My God You guys! Did You know that there's this build mode thingie? You don't have to build your ship one block at a time!!!"

Also: Get some sleep and put the bong down. No one wants to hear You mumbling intro Your mic and miss understanding every other word someone else says, only to follow it up with "sorry mate, it's like two AM over here". If You can't find time and people to record with at a sane time, You're doing it wrong. And don't use it as an excuse to martyr Yourself either. You staying up late to make a video is not the same as putting out fires or delivering babies, I think I'll live if Your video takes a few days longer to release.

Now I know what You're thinking: "Gee wiz Fatass, everything You just said is really horrible and rude, nobody's making You watch these videos". Actually, Yes, people are making Me watch these videos, at least the beginnings of them. When I'm looking for a video on a game, and I spend half an hour sifting through the crap videos, just to find the one video worth watching, I tend to get a bit salty.

And another thing! You kids these days with Your.... whoa, does anyone else taste copper in their mouths? That's funny, My left arm is kind of numb... think I'll just have a seat, think about happy things for a bit...

wow,that is a nice wall

EDIT* valid points tho

 

[Majorfatboy]

wow,that is a nice wall

EDIT* valid points tho

Thank You. I entered advanced build mode, and built the whole thing legit using hardened hatred, with coffee as the main power source.

 

[Criss]

To be honest. I have yet to find a YouTube channel featuring really long intros on Starmade videos.... can someone show me one? I am also pretty sure Saber is Morgan Freemans long lost relative.

I have to say, there is a lot of criticism on this thread. I think a few people might be getting one thing wrong though. One point made above is that we are not professionals in the particular hobbie that is posting YouTube videos. But if we aren't professionals, you also really shouldn't expect the best quality. I have only gotten where I am now after 3 years of YouTube and I still consider myself lacking in areas. Saber has only been doing it for a year yet he has experience in other fields that give him a bit of an advantage. I only started producing better quality content and animations when I started graphic design in college. Even if a person has posted for a while, there are other things they will not learn for a long time.

Since we have covered all the "negatives" is there anything that us current YouTubers do really well? We hear far too little in terms of compliments.