Shoot and Upload Your Own BJJ Technique Videos to Youtube
Step 1: start with a simple tripod for filming
The tripod I used when filming videos for my gym doesn't cost hundreds of dollars, and it wasn't difficult to use at all. This little tripod looks like something from a futuristic sci-fi flick, where aliens are going to crawl out of your phone (works really great with my Android Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which is huge). I have to say that it really keeps your phone steady whenever you're filming video. I have shot a handful of videos now with it for my BJJ gymin Richmond, VA and it works just fantastically.
"The Octopus"
Additionally, it's priced right- a truly amazing bargain. Think how far we've come with things like this over the last few years. A quality HD video camera would have cost you like $3000 just ten years go, and a tripod stand specializing in holding the camera as steadily and safely as this thing holds your phone in place would have likely cost upwards of $500. Ludicrously prohibitive expenses for a guy like me, who just wanted to shoot a few technique videos for our youtube page. Now, thanks to nifty inventions like this tripod stand, I can make my own videos in literally seconds.
If you're looking around on the internet and trying to figure out what a good purchase might be for a phone tripod stand, I think you can safely just snag this one and not sweat it too much. If you have Prime membership, your shipping will be free and your total investment will be under ten bucks. Tough to argue with that kind of bargain, and you'll probably like this stand as much as I do (and if not, hey, you're only out a few bucks).
Step 2: use a smartphone with HD video (Android is easiest)
I love my Samsung Note 2. It's affordable and super user friendly, which is an absolute must for me. All you have to do is select the camera option, then make sure "video" is selected. Set up your phone on the tripod, set up the technique with your partner a couple of times (it's always a good idea to have a "dry run" or rehearsal), and then press the button to reverse the video camera. This way you can see the image as it's recording, making sure you're in the frame, and thus eliminating 90% of the headache of filming without a third person present.
Not to mention: the tripod will be far, far more steady than human hands!
Step 3: set up your youtube page
This is my favorite step, because it's the easiest one of all: set up your Youtube page simply by creating a Gmail account if you haven't already done so. You will automatically have a Youtube page of your own when you sign up for Gmail!
Step 4: upload
This is super easy if you have a smartphone of any type. You'll essentially just need to make sure that your phone is synced with your youtube channel (this just means sign in to the Gmail or Youtube app on your phone!).
Once you're signed in, you can hit the "share" button and select youtube once your video has been shot. Very, very intuitive. From there, you'll want to set the privacy setting to "unlisted" so that you can view your video, but nobody can see it unless they have the video URL (you could opt for "private", alternatively, but then you can't show the video to someone else to proof).
Once the video is up and running, you'll just want to title it, geotag it, and write a description for the techniques you just shot (be specific and thorough here!). If that stuff sounds like greek to you, don't sweat it - there are plenty of tutorials out there, and you're going to be fine once you get your feet wet.
Here's a video I shot myself using the above techniques
And that's it!
That's really all there is to it!
- Set up a tripod (or have a third person there to shoot)
- Insert your smartphone into the tripod stand
- Flip the camera around
- Shoot the video
- Upload it to Youtube
- Keep the link unlisted for now
- Geotag, title, and write a description
Don't be afraid to get your feet wet, either. You're going to make small mistakes with the videos, but that's okay - keeping the video unlisted means nobody will see it until you change the privacy settings to "public", and even if the video is public, there's usually plenty of time to fix the video before armageddon happens. You're off to the races!
