" If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make the change,"
-Michael Jackson, "Man in the Mirror"
About a year ago one of my best friends came to me saying that she wanted to start a YouTube Channel. I was instantly interested in helping her out with everything as I've always loved creative projects; that was when we decided to be a team. For us, this channel wasn't going to be about making money or becoming famous (even though making money is something we aren't opposed to), it would be about having a creative outlet for us to express ourselves, and to be able to inspire others and connect with people. One weekend I helped her choose topics for videos and she jumped in front of the camera.
It hasn't been easy to maintain a schedule for uploading, or even making, videos because of school and family events that get in the way, but this has made the experience all the more rewarding. Whenever we do have time to get together for videos, it is all the more wonderful of an experience. When we do get together, we put our all into shooting. Sometimes we seem crazy or might go overboard, but we don't care much about that. I don't think that I've ever done something that is so fun or makes me as this happy before. Being able to spend time with someone who is special to me while we do something we love is great.
By far the biggest challenge we've faced while starting our channel up is having the cash funds of full-time students; we have no money and neither of us work. However, despite having an incredibly small budget we have still found ways to make everything work out. Our secrets are: a step ladder, a selfie-stick, a lamp, an iPhone, and some duct tape.
Most YouTubers, even people starting out, have a camera and a tripod to film with. For Gaby and I, we have an iPhone 7 and a selfie stick. When looking at pictures of the set-up for our videos it seems absolutely ridiculous, but you have to work with what you've got; our trusty duct tape hasn't failed us yet. It takes a lot of time to set up the selfie-stick to get the right angle for the shots that we use, and it also takes a large amount of duct tape to keep everything in place. So while Gaby is getting ready for the camera I spend my time setting up the phone and making sure the lighting is perfect.
Lighting. Front lighting is one of the most important factors when filming or taking photos of anything. If you don't have the right amount of front light then all the shots or photographs look dark and shadowy. Our solution to this is a large floor lamp that we remove the lamp shade from. Because we don't have good lights, we lean the lamp up against a step ladder and, again, use duct tape to keep it in place.
The last piece of homemade equipment that is essential to our video making process is a small stand up mirror that we place in front of the ladder. If anyone else is like Gaby, then you understand that when you're in front of a camera it can be easy to forget what you're talking about at times. So, we use an Expo marker to write notes on the mirror like a cue card.
And finally, when it comes to editing our videos we use free editing software online.
Right now we have a small audience and only 21 subscribers, but we are working so hard to change that. Gaby's goal is to be able to be influential and inspiring to people who feel like they don't fit in, and to help bring a smile to anyone who needs it. We hope to see you visit our channel soon.
