How to Start a YouTube Channel – Should you write a script, an outline, or just wing it?

20 thoughts on “How to Start a YouTube Channel – Should you write a script, an outline, or just wing it?”

• I'm a total newbie at this, I started a channel that goes around the desert southwest on dirt or paved roads with off the cuff commentary. Just for fun, I'm retired, and it keeps me out of the bars … during the day!
  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcUgUUWUbyyfRF6f9VKyG0A

• Great video! Really helpful:)

• This is one of the better videos on scripting a video that I’ve seen thus far. Well done! And thank you.

• 2 points about scripting

  Firstly, the cue card problem only occurs if you are directly facing the camera. If you take your video off to one side, like a interview type position, it is not such an issue since you can face the cue cards

  Secondly, scripting is also useful when talking over a video or image

  However even using a script is difficult. I was amazed how badly some of my diction was when I played it back, and pretty well everyone hates the sound of their own voice when they 1st hear it

• As an example for more of the "Free Form" experience, I like to point to the channel Camera Conspiracies. He even makes a point of keeping in a lot of his flubs and has made them a point of his humor. Phrases like the Cannon Cripple Hammer and Panasonic Pony of Hope have even been adopted by other YouTubers.

• Thnx for the tips guy since the beginning you rock

• Jared Polin has 1.26 Million subscribers, and in at least one episode just pulled out a piece of paper and started reading points from it. So may be it doesn't matter that much after all. Or, Jared is so good he can get away with stuff like that!

• Thank you for sharing! I'll be using this content for sure!

• Chris, that's a really great sharing, truly. The amount you and Jordan make the photography videos entertaining, informative, and with the magic consistently presen that makes you want to see the next one, speaks to how valuable the ideas are here.

  We won't forget how unusually good you and your friend are in your respective visual arenas, either. Looking especially for that, it's been a great thing to find. Thanks for all.

• Handsome. And I like your fireplace too.

• Awesome video, great info thanks.

• I have tried all 3 methods; 1.) scripted with a teleprompter, 2.) outlines and 3.) just winging it!
  I have found the OUTLINE method works best for me.
  Making a script is time consuming and setting up a teleprompter doesn’t always work under some circumstances.
  Winging it and just record everything in a couple of takes is a pain to edit (like mentioned in the video) but also you forgot to mention the storage space that gets eaten up with useless footage.
  I’ll try to keep improving my in front of the camera skills. Thanks for the tips!

• For my intro and ending I speak to the camera with the points in my head. The rest of the video I speak reading the script (still trying to make it sound more natural) and show a lot of B-Rolls, after all people want to see the product more than me the presenter.

• My content isn't the best lol but I haven to tried a scripts, im just trying to overcome being nervous.

• I'll be sharing this video with my students. In their minds, it's all or nothing, and I think this breaks down the different uses for each method really well. Thanks, as always, for the great content.

• I looked but i couldn't find a review of the Hassleblad 907x. Have you guys done one yet?

• Great info! Hoping this is potentially footage of a pre-production A7c though 😉

• Also use your hands like Chris when you talk 🙂

• Thanks for the series. Waving in The Bahamas 🙂

• You kind of covered the time consideration with the fact that free-form is much harder to edit. I'm doing my channel on the side, not full-time, and while I love doing wild comedy off the top of my head, I was shooting a ton of footage and the edits became painfully long and I was burning out. I switched to scripting 90% of what I do, I read off my iPhone using Pages' presenter mode and I actually take the best all the way through take. I rarely even grab a better take from a previous effort because it just does not make that much of a difference. This way, I can easily chop up one long take and I'm done. Burnout over. YouTubing can take up a lot of one's time. Don't kill yourself. It's not worth it.

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