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The following shots were taken on the Insta360 Luna Ultra. There are so many factors that go into making a video.
Daniel Marsh shares how to vlog your life: choosing gear (Insta360 Luna Ultra, tripod, mic), good sound, editing, and building a story with a clear focus and central struggle.
Key Takeaways
- Sound quality is often more important than image quality for audience retention.
- Know your gear thoroughly and experiment to be resourceful.
- Every vlog needs a clear focus, goal, or central struggle to be compelling.
- Use varied shots and logical sequencing to build a story.
What the video covers
- Video creation involves grading, lighting, framing, movement, and assembling a coherent story.
- Documenting your everyday life creatively is a good starting point for vlogging.
- Camera choice is a trade-off between portability, image quality, and ability to get the shot; smaller cameras have improved greatly.
- The Insta360 Luna Ultra offers 10-bit 4:2:2 and Log recording plus dual lenses with up to 12x zoom for background blur.
- A tripod or selfie stick with tripod legs enables showing yourself within a scene from a distance.
- Good audio often matters more than image quality; the DJI-style Mic Pro with 32-bit float recording was recommended.
- Editing can be done on various devices; the creator uses DaVinci Resolve and Blender for 3D elements.
- A story needs a core focus and a central struggle; ask who you are, where you are, and what you want to achieve.
- Shot variety (wide, medium, close-up) and capturing yourself moving between locations help storytelling.
- Sequencing should move logically from point A to point B, and creators should find their own personal style by studying others' work.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction: Elements of a Good Video
- 00:59Starting Your Vlog and Creative Concepts
- 02:05Gear: Choosing the Right Camera
- 03:55Tripods and Movement
- 04:56Sound and Microphones
- 05:32Editing Tools and 3D Elements
- 05:52Developing a Story and Focus
- 09:06Sequencing, Shot Variety, and Personal Style
- 14:59Closing Thoughts and Facing Fears
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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The grading, the colors, and lighting, the framing and composition, knowing when to add movement and when not.
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[music] And putting it all together and making a story, which sometimes can be hard to know where exactly to start.
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So, [music] where do we start? You could start by documenting a slice of your life, your own personal experience, and relaying it in a creative fashion.
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Wake up. It can be about where you are. Good morning, Oxa. Who you are. Good morning, Mr. Marsh.
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Good morning, Boo Boo. Or the characters within. [music] Good morning, Wally. This world is literally your canvas.
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And to build out your story, [music] you're going to need the right tools. Okay, hello everybody. It's been a long, long time since I talked to you guys like this. And this is a kind of a sit-down vlog. And if you're wondering
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why it is that I'm doing this kind of concept [music] or this kind of style, it's primarily because I'm working on a pretty elaborate video that requires [music] a lot of research and shots, and it's taking a little longer than
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expected to make, but it'll be out very shortly because it's about 80% done.
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But I need to get something out nonetheless, and not everything has to be super complicated. So, I decided, why not talk to you [music] and discuss my process on how it is that I make content? How I, you know,
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structure my work, so to speak. Now, bear in mind I'm just covering the basics, and [music] maybe in the future I'll cover the more technical details in another video. So, the first step in this wonderful video-making journey,
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where you document your life, is the gear, the tools. A lot of people say that the gear doesn't quite matter, but you do need a shovel to dig a hole. So, likewise, you're going to need a camera to film and document your journey.
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Now, with cameras it's all a balancing act. There's not a camera on this earth that solves all your problems. What a big cinema camera may give you in quality, it lacks in efficiency, portability, and just generally [music]
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ease of use. So, remember there's always a trade-off between the portability of it, the image quality, and the actual ability to get the shot. And over the years I've been quite surprised by the image quality of smaller sensor
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cameras. I've been using 360 cams and action cams. So, yeah, these smaller ultra-portable cameras are definitely getting better in image quality, and I've been able to test one out recently. This is a gimbal camera by Insta360. It's the
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Luna Ultra. I'm quite happy with the image quality. It's really wonderful because you have the ability to shoot 10-bit 4:2:2, which is a high bit rate in terms of color, and Log. So, this really helps in post-production
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[music] and if you want to color grade and whatnot. I also find a dual-lens setup very helpful. You can capture wide but also reach up to 12 times zoom.
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[music] And this gives you an equivalent focal length of 220 mm. So, you get good-quality background blur that you normally wouldn't get from a smaller [music] camera.
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And this is especially good for portrait shots. So, whatever camera it is that you do choose, be it a phone or a bigger camera system, learn the ins and outs of your camera. Learn everything about it.
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[music] Be creative. Have fun. So, when you go out into the world and you're having fun and experimenting, [music] you instinctively know how to get the best image quality based on the particular situation that is at hand.
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And this is the first step [music] in the overall art of filmmaking, which is being resourceful with what you have to achieve the level of taste or quality that you want for your videos. The next important tool is a tripod. There are
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big tripods, small tripods, all kinds of tripods. But a tripod is very important, especially if you're filming alone, as it can open up a different layer to your storytelling and your content, because you can now show yourself within the
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world from a distance and not just hold the camera like this. For the Luna, I simply use a selfie stick with tripod legs, and that does a great job of just setting up and tearing down and moving on. Number three is good sound. I think
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sound is often overlooked. I think it can actually be more important to your video than the image quality, depending on the situation. But if we were to take, for example, this, now this isn't the most optimal image quality,
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but the sound is still pretty good, right? Bad audio is inherently worse to endure for an audience than bad image quality.
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So if you want some good equipment for recording the audio of the environment around you, consider getting a shotgun mic or a good lav. I'm currently using the Mic Pro right now. The Mic Pro has 32-bit float, which means it captures
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every audio range from the high to the low, so there's no clipping. [music] It has a 10-hour battery life, a 400 m max range, and a customizable e-ink display.
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Number four is editing. Now, you can edit on a computer, a pad, a laptop, or a phone, but remember the extent and how elaborate you want your edit to be will depend on the specs of your particular system. Now, I use a MacBook Pro, and the
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software that I use is DaVinci Resolve. I use that for most of my edits, but I also tend to use Blender a little bit as well, for 3D elements like my friend over here, Boo Boo. Hello, Boo Boo.
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Hello. And this is a 3D puppet that I made myself. And I have to manipulate his hand, move his mouth, in order to, uh, yes, basically make him talk. This is not AI, by the way. This is literally me setting up the lights within the 3D
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space to create this puppet. Bye-bye, Boo Boo. Now, good shots are all well and good, but without even a basic story, they can only take you so far. So, before you film, you should have an idea of what it
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is in your story you want to tell. What is your core focus? And what is it you want to portray or attempt?
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[music] Now, a story's focus could be a particular aspect of your location. That always brings me here for videos. I think I've been here like 10 times in the last 7 years.
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Or something a friend may say in conversation. No work and no friends. All work and no play. No work.
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All work and no friends? Yeah. Or it could be a creative shot style or composition that you're attempting.
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So, whether the topic is about you, is within your head, or is about the location or other people, you need a goal to strive towards. [music] Something to focus on and build upon. Now, let's say you're out and
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about filming and you don't know what to focus on, and you don't know what the vlog is about. A good exercise in developing a solid foundation to start from would [music] be to ask yourself these three questions: Who are you?
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Where are you? And what are you trying to achieve? And also, let's not forget that certain situations produce a natural storyline that flourishes as you document the process. Have you ever climbed a mountain? No? Document it. Do it. That's a story. And remember that a
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compelling story needs a central struggle you or your subject is genuinely trying to figure out or overcome. And yet, there are so many ways you can put yourself into compelling storylines that have a natural kind of progression. And
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all you have to do is document it. It kind of reminds me of this one time many years ago, I was with the fighter boys. I don't know if it was Minnaar or Ssemakula.
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Yeah, I remember now. It was Katende Ronald's, and I was with my bestest friends at the time, and this is about 7 years ago to the day. And each one of us had our own personality and our own way
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of seeing a place. I want to be like Bret Maverick. I want to be strong. I want to be big.
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[laughter] I want TO BE JACKED. I WANT ALL THE GIRLS TO LOVE ME. LOOK AT THEIR TRUE FEELINGS coming out here.
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So, whilst everyone's out, you know, seeing the sights and so
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This is so weird. [laughter] I think I'm like a third of the way through right?
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Yeah, you're pretty much a third of the way through. And once night time hits, that's going to be your hardest challenge. And then when you see daylight, you know it's only a few hours till then.
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Yeah. Lots of time to think about stuff. Oh, sweet Jesus. Muscle cramps. I can't do it.
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A bit more easy again. We can't do it. So, whilst Mike was buried in the sand, I decided to try surfing.
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[music] Now, bear in mind I can barely swim. And as I got caught in the rip tide, this is me getting rescued.
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And uh yeah, it didn't turn out so great. I nearly drowned earlier. Well, I didn't quite drown.
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So, the moral of this story is you can either give yourself a challenge through intention or ignorance.
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Uh I think intention is better. So, the thing is most people don't want to put themselves in uncomfortable or you know, uncertain situations. But if you do, that space between where you are and where you want to go,
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and everything you go through in between, that becomes a story. [music] And also remember that your other interests can help a lot.
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Like the things that you might be good at painting music photography whatever it is you're interested [music] in, they they all translate over, you know.
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Read books, you know, read articles, get interested in other subjects, and try to figure out, how can I bring bits of that into [music] bits of this? And that creates originality. Of course, you know, there's elements we're inspired
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by, but you know, have a distinct you within your creation. And only you will know that because there's no one else out there but you, right? So yeah, sequencing. And a sequencing is very important. You must go from point A to
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point B. And how do we do that? How can we transition from a regular scene to something else?
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That is a good question. Hmm. [music] What should we do, Wally? What is it that you want to do?
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And so we went to Ocean Park to test the Luna Ultras iLog and 10-bit 422 in different lighting conditions.
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Now, sequences or scenes flow through your story's foundation. And your foundation could be something like a three-act story structure. The beginning, the middle, and the end.
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Now, let's show a simple example. I have a simple friend. I like fishes. With simple taste.
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I like fish. And one fine Sunday morning, he decides to join me on a day out. He's a good friend, a loyal friend.
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Because you see, Kieran doesn't actually like fish. What are we doing here today? So we explored this wonderful place.
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What are you looking at? Is that tilapia? Got to see all the beautiful creatures.
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This place is so cool. And it's so much fun. [music] Oh, I'm supposed to speak?
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We saw animals of spectacular color. Those from the abyss. All right. Okay, we're underneath the the tunnel.
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Where you can see the crocodile. This is me. Holy smokes, look at that. This is a great His nails, oh my god.
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Yeah, he needs a he needs a pedicure, huh? nails. Grooming. And Kieran, well, he was hiding his true nature.
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What is a nice place, beautiful place. Um it's hot though. It's really hot. And as Daniel embraced this wonderful experience, for Kiron, it was never about the fish.
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[music] It was Dan's first time seeing a fish and a bird, so that's nice.
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You see, for Kiron, it was about a friendship. Hanging out with a friend. Except he doesn't have any.
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So, this is Luneta Park. And he's very lonely. Dan always brings me here for videos. I think I've been here like 10 times in the last 7 years.
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And And he admires his idol. experienced in the history of this place. He knows where Where What's the name of the guy again?
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Rizal died cuz he used to uh He He was So, according to Dan, Rizal was executed Yeah, he knows that because he was He was like 15 back then.
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Which led me to a question I have for Kiron. How does he stay creative?
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I think I stay creative by looking at other people's work. And then make my own better.
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Yeah, inspiration. That's it. I can't think of any other way, yeah. That's the only way, yeah. Like What else you going to do?
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You can think of ideas, but those ideas usually come from other videos. And films. Watching movies.
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And the final piece of advice would be always [music] strive to make your shots visually interesting. Learn about the fundamentals of composition, such as the rule of thirds.
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Know when to follow it. And when to break it. Learn how to use movement to enhance a scene. [music] And when shooting yourself, aim for three distinct angles.
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A wide, [music] a medium, and a close-up. Take care. Also, in switching locations, capture yourself moving between them.
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So, for example, if you're moving from one place to another, you're going to get into the car, get yourself getting into the car, get yourself getting out of the car.
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Um because those kind of elements help give a sense of movement and continuity with the shot.
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Or, I mean, but it's up to you. It's your creative decision. You could simply just flash cut to the location. Even if you say it in cam, "Oh, we're going to go here." Boom, you're there, you know?
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So, it really depends on the visuals that you have for your your video project. And it gets even harder when you're doing it on your own. If you have a cameraman, it's better.
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But, when you have things like Wally here, like the Luna, when you can just deep track your face, with the press of a button, you now have a cameraman.
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That's pretty cool. Now, when placing yourself optimally within the shot, an external monitor or phone can help greatly.
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This portable, detachable monitor is honestly amazing. I use it all the time. Look at that half lighting.
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It's really cool. [music] [music] Now, you can follow my previous [music] advice. Or not.
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Cuz no matter what others may say, no matter the opinions of them, or what even I may say, there are no rules to this thing.
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Let me say something. Look at this world. Oh my god. So, let's say you don't have time to think. You just want to have fun. You want to experiment.
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Well, you can document your life in segments. Take the nice angles and talk when you feel like it.
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Because sometimes it is confusing. There are so many things to choose from. [music] Do I need another frying pan? Premium cookware set. Premium. They say Teflon's bad. But I heard cast iron is better.
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Well, maybe I mean, what's the harm? Premium. I could cook later with this new 10,000 bucks.
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So, yeah. Sometimes you don't need to think too much. Just have fun and play around. Trust me, you will get better at repetition. And whatever the team, story, or idea that flourishes out of that particular or segment is, it'll be
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an honest part of your overall story. I'm so confused. There's just so much to choose from.
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Holy Talking to the camera's hard. So, those are a few basic tips to keep in mind. I hope that you picked up something from this. And I might do more videos like this in the future. So, let's see.
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Uh but for now, thank you so much for watching. And uh yeah, I'll see you in the next video.
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Thank you. What's your name? Which hopefully I'll get out soon. Oh, I'm squirming away from you.
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And not in 3 months. Bye-bye. I'll write down your name. No, it's okay. [laughter] Okay, then.
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No okay. You have to face your fears. Okay, I'll face my fears. We're all scared, though.
Topics:vloggingvlog tipsInsta360 Luna Ultravideo storytellingfilmmakingaudio recordingDaVinci Resolvevideo editinghow to vlogcontent creation
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