Advice needed for "building" a YouTube/Web Show

[VagabondStarJXF 350]

Hey everyone on TC!

Long time no see! I'd reduced my time on TC a few years back because I was working/tired all the time so, after a couple of years of 'lurking' on here, I find myself going back to an idea I'd had back in 2010 of making a YouTube RC video show/blog/thing. I'd never really given up on the RC hobby (probably never will) so doing vids about my builds was what the main idea was about. The only problem is that I really don't know anything about doing the whole YouTube thing. As some of us on TC do vids regularly I'm hoping people can chime in on how to build a YT channel. I'm going to be doing builds so that's not the most exciting thing ever but I'm hoping that I can avoid making the show too boring to watch so any pointers about avoiding 'boring-ness' will be appreciated.

If anyone has advice on setting up their room as a 'studio' that's also be appreciated. For filming I have 3 small 1080p camcorders to capture multiple angles. They're all the same model, and they're old models for sure, but they were cheap and film pretty well. My initial idea was to have one cam for me, one for my desk and one for close up shots of whatever I'm building. Each camera has time lapse capability but no slow-mo. I do have a small selection of small tripods to stand them on my desk and only one large enough to stand on the floor. 

For lighting I have 2 small spot lamps that can add a lot of light (they're blindingly bright) although I don't have anything to diffuse or reflect at this moment. My window is semi-blocked by equipment at the moment so natural light shouldn't be too much of an issue.

For sound recording I've got a small lavalier mic setup but that only attaches to my phone or my laptop so I don't have any other decent way of recording sound at the moment. The camcorders don't have a mic input on them.

For editing I have no clue as to what programs to use. When I did my first few vids back in 2010/11 I had access to Windows Movie Maker which was free and did a decent enough job but now, in 2024, that program no longer exists. I can't fork out the money for Adobe (as good as I hear it is) so if anyone has any recommendations for free software that'd handle the task of A/V editing that's be great.

For Content... Obviously I'm going to be doing vids about my RC builds, as I'd stated earlier, but what exactly about the builds would everyone like to see? How informative would you like the builds to be? Would RC painting vids be welcomed viewing? Are you interested in watching someone fumble around in CAD and/or 3D scanning before 3D printing? Is there any RC related content that isn't in the multitude of RC vids out there that you'd like to see? (or to see attempted in a YT channel) N.B. I don't have an RC track (or access to one) and nowhere really available to run my RCs in safety so action vids will be minimal if any.

Lastly... Is it worth setting up a Patreon account right from the beginning? What even is Patreon? Is it better to use than YouTube?

 

Thanks in advance to all who can offer advice and/or tips & tricks on how to get this idea up 'n running.

J.

 

P.S. I apologise if this is in the wrong section of TC. Mods - please move if necessary. Many Thanks, J.

[Exvee-Ohwan 105]

No experience running a channel, so these tips are skimming the surface...

• YouTube applies a sub-par compression codec to uploaded content below 1440p.  If your cameras are native 1080p output you will want to consider upscaling your exported file to 1440p or higher to get YouTube to apply their superior codec to the video.
• Davinci Resolve is a studio quality editor with a free version, the output is limited to 4k60 but that should be ample.
• If you're doing any recording of CAD or PC apps for videos on design, OBS Studio is the goto - also free.
• You can clap to sync the audio from your offboard lav mics with your video.
• Patreon is an online funding platform making it safe and easy for fans of your channel to, essentially give you money.  You'll get a range of views on this I expect, on the one hand it's a straight up way of asking people to fund your endeavour.  Some people might be happy with that if the content is good.  Others might see this as the cynical begging of strangers who owe you nothing to pay for your hobby.  I have no real bias either way, but I've never donated to anyone's Patreon and I very much doubt I ever will!  Getting the tone right is essential I expect so that you don't alienate any viewers.

[ad456 460]

I'm can only comment from a watcher POV so for content I'd find the notion of a channel featuring building interesting. I can watch shills review all day long if I want(I don't though), I'm getting fed up of the Infomercial channels, some are entertaining but they get little loyalty from me as they are ten a penny, sadly a few decent channels I used to watch changed to this and lost my interest but if its where the money is then good luck to them. The odd episode like that is fine as everyone needs a bit of cash but when its all that a channel does then its just not for me. Some of the stuff that keeps me interested is RCEverday, ProNoob(although a lot of the building is sometimes left out), OliveRC, and KpopRC does some cool stuff too. 

I wouldn't likely watch someone use CAD unless it's an important part of a bigger project, like scan in 3d, process, edit and print then that would be logical.

I'm an edge case as I like watching folk experiment, kit bash, do out of the box stuff, build not bought type of stuff is maybe the best description. Straight box art builds aren't for me.

Good luck with it!!

[turbofan 20]

I could only advise on the lighting, as for me it's the most important aspect of filming (way more important that a camera etc)

make sure you diffuse the light, it could be a softbox or umbrella, this will make everything easier (no hotspots) , even exposure and a more pro result

also make sure all your light sources are the same color temperature (Kelvin), it's easier to get two new Led bulbs that have the same K rating (warm 3000, Daylight 4500 to 5500 or cool 6000 and above) and set the value to the cameras, this way you will avoid yellowish or bluish tints in your footage

 

[VagabondStarJXF 350]

2 hours ago, ad456 said:

I wouldn't likely watch someone use CAD unless it's an important part of a bigger project, like scan in 3d, process, edit and print then that would be logical.

I'm an edge case as I like watching folk experiment, kit bash, do out of the box stuff, build not bought type of stuff is maybe the best description. Straight box art builds aren't for me.

Good luck with it!!

Thanks.

I'm basically stalled on most of my projects due to custom parts needed so that's what I was thinking about doing on my projects, CAD & 3D scanning/printing as part of the project. As I'm not entirely sure how those parts are going to work out I'm sure that there's going to be a lot of experimenting thing going on. Custom parts FTW!

 

2 hours ago, turbofan said:

I could only advise on the lighting, as for me it's the most important aspect of filming (way more important that a camera etc)

make sure you diffuse the light, it could be a softbox or umbrella, this will make everything easier (no hotspots) , even exposure and a more pro result

also make sure all your light sources are the same color temperature (Kelvin), it's easier to get two new Led bulbs that have the same K rating (warm 3000, Daylight 4500 to 5500 or cool 6000 and above) and set the value to the cameras, this way you will avoid yellowish or bluish tints in your footage

 

Thanks for the advise on lighting. I've been looking at the umbrellas but I'm a bit unsure about how I can place them in my room as space is a premium. The light boxes seem like a nicer idea but I think I'm going to have the same problem with placement & space. That being said, I do have a pop up photo booth that came with some 'backgrounds' which might work as diffusers... if I can remember where I put them!?!  I'd replaced the bulbs on my spot lamps when I'd bought them for the exact reason you'd mentioned. I don't know why they were so badly mismatched in the first place. Maybe one bulb was on its way out? Anyways, good advise on the bulbs. Thanks.

[Mad Ax 10130]

Again, I can only comment as a watcher of videos, and at that, as a cynical watcher who is tired of people trying to make a fast buck out of filming themselves playing with toy cars.  From my perspective the market seems saturated, so I'd think any new channel that actually wants to monetize has really got to bring something new.  I personally wouldn't be interested in watching other people build kits, though, so I'm not really your intended audience, but maybe there are plenty of people out there who want to see that.

On the other hand, if you're doing full custom builds with lots of different aspects to make a cool project that nobody else has built, then that might be interesting.  A good, watchable, high-quality version of what Bad Obsession Motorsport do would be good, because they spend several weeks or months (or years) working on a custom motorsport project, and film their progress, and manage to make it both entertaining and educational.

Alternatively, an RC-version of Vice Grip Garage or Roadkill would be good, but I find those channels are less about the content and more about the charisma of the people on the screen.

A few years back I had an idea for a YouTube channel that ideally needed 3 members, whose roles would rotate every week.  One would set the "challenge" (e.g. get to 50mph, or climb a set of stairs), one would choose the chassis, and one would choose the body.  But - the challenge, chassis, and body, would all be chosen blind - i.e. they all put their option in an envelope without knowing what the others have picked, and they get opened at the start of the show.  So, maybe the challenge is "climb a set of stairs", the chassis chosen was a well-used TT02D, and the body was a beat up Gravedigger.  Then the video would focus on the builder, who needs to work out how to achieve the challenge, and spends some time doing that.  Then the chassis would go to the body guy, who would somehow make that body fit and make it look good.  Then the whole thing goes back to the challenger, who tries to complete the challenge.  I envisaged the whole thing sort of looking somewhere between Scrapheap Challenge (except with only one team), Colin Furze, and Roadkill.  Now I don't have time to make this happen, and I certainly don't have time to do all the editing and post-prod that a quality video needs, so if you wanted a starting point, you're welcome to it.

As for Patreon - I use it for a non-RC related side-hustle, it really is very simple to use and getting paid is a doddle.  There are some traps you can fall into (PM me if you want to start using it and I'll go through the details) but generally it's very good.  On the other hand, I don't know how many people you'll get signing up right away since you really need to prove you can put together good quality enjoyable content, regularly, without any breaks or lapses, before people are going to justify spending the extra over the free YouTube version.

[ad456 460]

@VagabondStarJXF Custom parts are the best. The 3D printer is a Kitbashers best friend!! I've got so many stalled things just waiting on that moment of clarity or inspiration! 

My current build log is this kinda thing. one is an Element IFS2 mongrel, the other is a leaf sprung Axial chassis with a custom IFS.

This is an almost fully custom one that's slowly nearing completion

 

[turbofan 20]

24 minutes ago, VagabondStarJXF said:

Thanks for the advise on lighting. I've been looking at the umbrellas but I'm a bit unsure about how I can place them in my room as space is a premium....

Yes, both take up space, in case you want to invest some money, a good alternative to both, is a Led Panel or Led matt, it overs nice even soft light and it takes almost no space (but it costs a lot...)

[VagabondStarJXF 350]

Well this idea of mine went a bit sideways. Half of my camera gear, as well as some of my RC stuff, is still stuck in the Philippines and its been about 4 months since it was initially sent. The box didn't pass the x-ray scans and just sat in a depot over there until a couple of weeks ago. My cousin only notified me today that he's just reshipped it and so the waiting game begins anew. Honestly if this wasn't the cheapest (i.e. only) solution for me, or if I could afford to just replace everything and leave that stuff over there, I'd be able to get started properly. But anyways. Enough ranting...

 

I've picked up some lighting from Lidl of all places. They're small Parkside cordless LED worklights... so not exactly "photo studio" purpose lights but I'm sure I'll make them work! 😄

Now if only I can figure out how I'd need to rearrange my room to accommodate the lighting and cameras. I'm not too sure about rearranging anything until my stuff gets back to me. In the meantime I'm thinking of 3D printing some custom diffusers and/or reflectors out of some white PETG. That'll mean I can make them fit my lamps and the available space but I'm not sure if there's a minimum space needed to achieve the correct effectiveness. I think I'm going to have to do some more Google "research".