cyoubx
Veteran
Hi everyone,
Many people have requested a guide on how I make my review videos. Although my videos are far from perfect, I've picked up a few tricks along the way and hope to impart them on people who are interested in my style of review. I don't see myself doing cube reviews for the rest of my life so I thought it might be a good idea to write down what I've learned so that new YouCubers can have something to follow.
For those who have never seen my reviews before, here is an example:
Below covers my philosophy and a few techniques for the reviews I do.
The Purpose of a Review
Review videos come in many different styles, none of which are inherently better than another. However, they all serve a similar purpose - to demonstrate the positives and negatives of a puzzle. If your review can communicate this information to the audience, it is successful.
Two Main Review Types
I like to classify review videos into one of two categories - cursory and demonstrative. Cursory reviews (which are what I do) are short and to the point. Demonstrative reviews are detailed reviews of the puzzle. Which is better? Neither! Both have pros and cons.
Cursory reviews may seem appealing, however I daresay there are more drawbacks than demonstrative reviews. Cursory reviews say a little bit about everything but a lot about nothing. A cursory review can share thoughts and opinions about the various characteristics of a puzzle, but no topic is discussed for very long. Another disadvantage is that cursory reviews are impersonal. Demonstrative reviews tend to be more organic since they aren't scripted out. It's almost like a person is showing you the product in a store whereas a cursory review is like a short infomercial (oxymoron?). Lastly, cursory reviews take a ridiculous amount of time to create. Since cursory reviews are shorter, every second is valuable screen time and you want to try to fit as much information in as you can. That means the script needs to be painstakingly concise, video footage needs to correspond with the audio while providing something extra (more on that later) and editing needs to be crisp. Since demonstrative reviews are less scripted, the occasional "um" isn't really detrimental and the entire process is easier.
So is there really a need for cursory reviews?
Why I Choose to do Cursory Reviews
The first reason to make any type of video should be because it's fun. If you're doing it for the "YooToob monayz", you're doing it wrong. The monetary payout is so pathetically low that you'll lose interest almost as soon as you finish uploading. The main reason I do cursory reviews is because I enjoy videography. Granted, I'm still a learning beginner, but I've always enjoyed the video medium. I consider myself to be a huge cinephile and wanted to pursue cinematography when I was still in high school.
As far as why cursory reviews are useful to viewers? They save time! Many people don't have the time to watch a 10 minute review. Furthermore, it's frustrating to spend 10 minutes watching a review only to find out afterward it was really quite awful. With cursory reviews, even if it's a terrible review, viewers will be glad to know they only wasted ~3 minutes rather than 10. Another benefit of watching cursory reviews is that they're more fast-paced which usually means they're more entertaining! A well-done demonstrative review can be equally entertaining but I'd say it's far more difficult. Demonstrative reviews can sometimes be slow and dull, particularly if the reviewer's voice isn't engaging. Cursory reviews resolve this dilemma by employing multiple video clips in quick succession.
But if it's so much work, why would anyone want to create cursory reviews? If you're into that whole "YouTube views" thing, you'll be glad to know cursory reviews generate a lot of views. It's a fairly open market right now! So many people do demonstrative reviews (it's how I started too!) that viewers have already learned who makes good ones. People won't be interested in your demonstrative review if they already have a go-to person. However, so few YouTubers make cursory reviews that people are generally intrigued by the video regardless of the puzzle being discussed!
Lastly, although it's time-consuming, cursory reviews are really quite automated.
The Stupid-Easy Methodology of Cursory Reviews
There are a few ways to make cursory reviews but since I know my own method best, that is the one I will share. This is the general workflow I have for making review videos:
1. Actually use the cube for some period of time. I generally do ~1,000 solves on a 3x3 before reviewing it just to make sure everything wrong with a puzzle is exposed.
2. Think about your overall opinion of the puzzle before starting to write your script. These can be simple words like "good" or "awful." It's hard to write a review if you don't know how you feel about the product first. So take time to think over what really bothered you or what you really enjoyed.
3. Write the script. This is when you can write down your thoughts in a way that communicates it effectively with the audience. Unlike a demonstrative review, if something comes out the wrong way or if the tone is undesired, you can change it before you even start filming! Spend a good chunk of time on this step since it drives the rest of the process.
4. Record the script. I like to do voiceovers for my reviews. Why? Because it's super easy. I'm not good at multitasking, so I simply say what I want to say first then show what I want to show later. Then I just combine the two in post.
5. Film your script. This is also very easy. With the script in front of you, read what you wrote then film the corresponding portion. For instance, if my script talks about stickers, just show the stickers up close to the camera. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
6. Film some solves. Chances are, your video footage won't be enough to fill the entire audio clip. Particularly if you have a recommendation section in your review like I do you'll need filler video. However, every second of your review is valuable so you don't want to waste it on pictures of the puzzle. I'd recommend filling it with solves so that viewers can get a better understanding of how the cube performs in practical situations while listening to your words. It's almost like having two reviews at once!
7. Put it all together. Edit the audio then start laying the relevant video clips under your audio! If you have empty spaces, don't worry! That's what your filler solve videos are for. Just tack them in!
Although all of this takes a long time, it's the same process every time and after a few videos, it becomes second nature, just like your algorithms.
Now that you know of the process, maybe it's good to take a look at the actual content.
Content: The Script
How you choose to film your review and how you set up your lighting or audio is up to you. I can certainly give advice but that's not the real purpose of this post. If requested, I can add that in at a later time. Really, what's going to make or break your video is the content you communicate. It may seem complicated but I use a very simple template containing five sections:
1. Introduction. Here, I simply introduce my (online) name and state the purpose of the video. It's never more than two short sentences.
2. Design. This is the beef of the review. I like to go over the following topics:
--Price - for some viewers the price is a limiting factor so it's important to include it.
--Stickers - this isn't particularly important since replacement stickers are easy to come by. But it's still worth noting for the sake of completion.
--Size - cubes come in different weights and dimensions; it never hurts to quickly state your thoughts on it.
--Turning - this includes speed, feel (crunchy/smooth), (reverse) corner cutting, and pops.
--Mechanism - the mechanism is usually fun to look at. Generally, I'll transition into the mechanism after discussing something pertinent from the list above. For example, if a cube pops frequently, I would say "This cube has a few popping issues and taking the cube apart we can identify the cause." Smooth transitions are always nice to have. Not only for review videos but other forms of communication as well!
--Drawbacks of the cube - usually, something bad will appear in one of the categories listed above and it's fine to embed the flaws of the puzzle in that segment. However, sometimes the failure of a cube doesn't fit nicely with any of those specific categories and it's more convenient to mention it separately. Doing so at the end is perfectly acceptable.
3. Recommendation. Talking quickly about all of the above can be overwhelming and potentially misleading for the viewer. A simple recommendation (Yes/No/Maybe) is useful to clearly state your position on the product. A quick recap of relevant reasons behind your decision is also useful so that the viewer can remember those points. Think of this as like a conclusion for an essay.
4. Final grade. This is completely superfluous. A recommendation should suffice. However, sometimes a final grade can help returning viewers calibrate your reviews. For example, if you tend to give A's to every puzzle then all of a sudden give a D to another, people more readily recognize the difference. Similarly, if you're someone who likes to hand out C's and D's, people may realize that you're a more stringent reviewer and keep that in mind for future videos.
5. Conclusion. Just like the intro, tie off your video with a short sentence or two thanking the viewer for his/her time. I like to remind viewers that the link to the cube is in the description, but that's completely optional.
That about finishes this guide! Hopefully you learned something useful/applicable to your own reviews. A lot of these tips carry over to demonstrative reviews as well as other videos in general! All of this is simply what has worked for me and it's not guaranteed to work for you. But I hope it serves at the very least as a starting foundation. Below are some additional topics that didn't fit well with anything above.
Additional Information/FAQ
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a reply to this thread!
Equipment I use
Microphone - CAD u37 USB condenser microphone
Camera - Canon EOS Rebel T3i; shot in 1080p 30 fps; rendered in 720p 30 fps
Video Editing Software - Sony Vegas Pro 12
With all of that written, that's about all I have for now. I will continue to modify this post as I read it over and over again with fresh eyes.
Thank you if you've read this far! Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Toodles!
cyoubx
Many people have requested a guide on how I make my review videos. Although my videos are far from perfect, I've picked up a few tricks along the way and hope to impart them on people who are interested in my style of review. I don't see myself doing cube reviews for the rest of my life so I thought it might be a good idea to write down what I've learned so that new YouCubers can have something to follow.
For those who have never seen my reviews before, here is an example:
Below covers my philosophy and a few techniques for the reviews I do.
The Purpose of a Review
Review videos come in many different styles, none of which are inherently better than another. However, they all serve a similar purpose - to demonstrate the positives and negatives of a puzzle. If your review can communicate this information to the audience, it is successful.
Two Main Review Types
I like to classify review videos into one of two categories - cursory and demonstrative. Cursory reviews (which are what I do) are short and to the point. Demonstrative reviews are detailed reviews of the puzzle. Which is better? Neither! Both have pros and cons.
Cursory reviews may seem appealing, however I daresay there are more drawbacks than demonstrative reviews. Cursory reviews say a little bit about everything but a lot about nothing. A cursory review can share thoughts and opinions about the various characteristics of a puzzle, but no topic is discussed for very long. Another disadvantage is that cursory reviews are impersonal. Demonstrative reviews tend to be more organic since they aren't scripted out. It's almost like a person is showing you the product in a store whereas a cursory review is like a short infomercial (oxymoron?). Lastly, cursory reviews take a ridiculous amount of time to create. Since cursory reviews are shorter, every second is valuable screen time and you want to try to fit as much information in as you can. That means the script needs to be painstakingly concise, video footage needs to correspond with the audio while providing something extra (more on that later) and editing needs to be crisp. Since demonstrative reviews are less scripted, the occasional "um" isn't really detrimental and the entire process is easier.
So is there really a need for cursory reviews?
Why I Choose to do Cursory Reviews
The first reason to make any type of video should be because it's fun. If you're doing it for the "YooToob monayz", you're doing it wrong. The monetary payout is so pathetically low that you'll lose interest almost as soon as you finish uploading. The main reason I do cursory reviews is because I enjoy videography. Granted, I'm still a learning beginner, but I've always enjoyed the video medium. I consider myself to be a huge cinephile and wanted to pursue cinematography when I was still in high school.
As far as why cursory reviews are useful to viewers? They save time! Many people don't have the time to watch a 10 minute review. Furthermore, it's frustrating to spend 10 minutes watching a review only to find out afterward it was really quite awful. With cursory reviews, even if it's a terrible review, viewers will be glad to know they only wasted ~3 minutes rather than 10. Another benefit of watching cursory reviews is that they're more fast-paced which usually means they're more entertaining! A well-done demonstrative review can be equally entertaining but I'd say it's far more difficult. Demonstrative reviews can sometimes be slow and dull, particularly if the reviewer's voice isn't engaging. Cursory reviews resolve this dilemma by employing multiple video clips in quick succession.
But if it's so much work, why would anyone want to create cursory reviews? If you're into that whole "YouTube views" thing, you'll be glad to know cursory reviews generate a lot of views. It's a fairly open market right now! So many people do demonstrative reviews (it's how I started too!) that viewers have already learned who makes good ones. People won't be interested in your demonstrative review if they already have a go-to person. However, so few YouTubers make cursory reviews that people are generally intrigued by the video regardless of the puzzle being discussed!
Lastly, although it's time-consuming, cursory reviews are really quite automated.
The Stupid-Easy Methodology of Cursory Reviews
There are a few ways to make cursory reviews but since I know my own method best, that is the one I will share. This is the general workflow I have for making review videos:
1. Actually use the cube for some period of time. I generally do ~1,000 solves on a 3x3 before reviewing it just to make sure everything wrong with a puzzle is exposed.
2. Think about your overall opinion of the puzzle before starting to write your script. These can be simple words like "good" or "awful." It's hard to write a review if you don't know how you feel about the product first. So take time to think over what really bothered you or what you really enjoyed.
3. Write the script. This is when you can write down your thoughts in a way that communicates it effectively with the audience. Unlike a demonstrative review, if something comes out the wrong way or if the tone is undesired, you can change it before you even start filming! Spend a good chunk of time on this step since it drives the rest of the process.
4. Record the script. I like to do voiceovers for my reviews. Why? Because it's super easy. I'm not good at multitasking, so I simply say what I want to say first then show what I want to show later. Then I just combine the two in post.
5. Film your script. This is also very easy. With the script in front of you, read what you wrote then film the corresponding portion. For instance, if my script talks about stickers, just show the stickers up close to the camera. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
6. Film some solves. Chances are, your video footage won't be enough to fill the entire audio clip. Particularly if you have a recommendation section in your review like I do you'll need filler video. However, every second of your review is valuable so you don't want to waste it on pictures of the puzzle. I'd recommend filling it with solves so that viewers can get a better understanding of how the cube performs in practical situations while listening to your words. It's almost like having two reviews at once!
7. Put it all together. Edit the audio then start laying the relevant video clips under your audio! If you have empty spaces, don't worry! That's what your filler solve videos are for. Just tack them in!
Although all of this takes a long time, it's the same process every time and after a few videos, it becomes second nature, just like your algorithms.
Now that you know of the process, maybe it's good to take a look at the actual content.
Content: The Script
How you choose to film your review and how you set up your lighting or audio is up to you. I can certainly give advice but that's not the real purpose of this post. If requested, I can add that in at a later time. Really, what's going to make or break your video is the content you communicate. It may seem complicated but I use a very simple template containing five sections:
1. Introduction. Here, I simply introduce my (online) name and state the purpose of the video. It's never more than two short sentences.
2. Design. This is the beef of the review. I like to go over the following topics:
--Price - for some viewers the price is a limiting factor so it's important to include it.
--Stickers - this isn't particularly important since replacement stickers are easy to come by. But it's still worth noting for the sake of completion.
--Size - cubes come in different weights and dimensions; it never hurts to quickly state your thoughts on it.
--Turning - this includes speed, feel (crunchy/smooth), (reverse) corner cutting, and pops.
--Mechanism - the mechanism is usually fun to look at. Generally, I'll transition into the mechanism after discussing something pertinent from the list above. For example, if a cube pops frequently, I would say "This cube has a few popping issues and taking the cube apart we can identify the cause." Smooth transitions are always nice to have. Not only for review videos but other forms of communication as well!
--Drawbacks of the cube - usually, something bad will appear in one of the categories listed above and it's fine to embed the flaws of the puzzle in that segment. However, sometimes the failure of a cube doesn't fit nicely with any of those specific categories and it's more convenient to mention it separately. Doing so at the end is perfectly acceptable.
3. Recommendation. Talking quickly about all of the above can be overwhelming and potentially misleading for the viewer. A simple recommendation (Yes/No/Maybe) is useful to clearly state your position on the product. A quick recap of relevant reasons behind your decision is also useful so that the viewer can remember those points. Think of this as like a conclusion for an essay.
4. Final grade. This is completely superfluous. A recommendation should suffice. However, sometimes a final grade can help returning viewers calibrate your reviews. For example, if you tend to give A's to every puzzle then all of a sudden give a D to another, people more readily recognize the difference. Similarly, if you're someone who likes to hand out C's and D's, people may realize that you're a more stringent reviewer and keep that in mind for future videos.
5. Conclusion. Just like the intro, tie off your video with a short sentence or two thanking the viewer for his/her time. I like to remind viewers that the link to the cube is in the description, but that's completely optional.
That about finishes this guide! Hopefully you learned something useful/applicable to your own reviews. A lot of these tips carry over to demonstrative reviews as well as other videos in general! All of this is simply what has worked for me and it's not guaranteed to work for you. But I hope it serves at the very least as a starting foundation. Below are some additional topics that didn't fit well with anything above.
Additional Information/FAQ
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a reply to this thread!
Equipment I use
Microphone - CAD u37 USB condenser microphone
Camera - Canon EOS Rebel T3i; shot in 1080p 30 fps; rendered in 720p 30 fps
Video Editing Software - Sony Vegas Pro 12
With all of that written, that's about all I have for now. I will continue to modify this post as I read it over and over again with fresh eyes.
Thank you if you've read this far! Let me know if you have any additional questions.
Toodles!
cyoubx
Last edited by a moderator:
. Maybe you have some tips to either reduces the hiss on my cams audio or to get better audio out of my internal mic using audio recording software?
