So far in this ongoing series, I have only focused on my written content, mainly because there continues to be an influx of AI-generated blog posts. But this isn’t the only area where AI is starting to get in the way of real creative content. AI videos are a thing with avatars that can act and look like real-life people. Also, the number of ‘faceless’ videos with obviously generated images and voices is large. I’m happy that my channel is AI-generated content-free and always will be! Let’s dig into the process of how I go about creating a YouTube video. In the case of this blog, I’ll be working through the video review of the Miranda Sensorex. Photography-related reviews are the bread and butter of my channel, so it makes sense that I work through that process here.
In the Beginning
My channel is scheduled; I like to have a consistent posting day and time each week, so the preparations often begin months in advance. In the case of a camera review like this one, I usually run the preparation for the YouTube video alongside the written review as the two have similar touchpoints. I often work on the written review first, as that gives a strong foundation for building the video script. I can be more wordy with my reviews, especially in the history section. After I’ve written the history section, I’ll pick out key points for the development of the camera, along with some talk on corporate history. I’ve made a point to condense the history down to a short paragraph, only touching on key points necessary to developing the camera at hand. Once there, based on my impressions of the camera, I built a rough idea of what I wanted to discuss. The one difference between the written and video reviews is an overview of the camera’s functionality. Originally, the “Impressions” section was a “Tour” section, but that felt redundant from the “Functionality” section. I decided to keep the “Functionality” section as it plays well with the visual aspect of the medium. Again, I take notes on the functions the average user would want to know about. It can get tricky when handling advanced cameras; getting into the weeds with custom menus and every available option can be easy. That’s what the manual is for; the idea is to give the person the ability to get the camera up and running and out and take photos. I will also take notes of the key parts of the Experiences part of the written review and again condense it down into key points, stripping out anything related to the function of the camera and going with how the camera feels and functions in the field or any odd quirks that might pop up. From there, I take notes and write the script; not all sections, such as Functionality and Impressions, are scripted. I talk of the notes if not adlibbing things. This is essential for the part of the impression as I speak from my gut reaction to the camera. However, for items like the Optics, Experience and History, a script is absolutely needed to keep me on track. Once I have all the notes done, I’ll write up the script for the short-form content at the same time if I have one planned out for the video. The short content will often be released the week before the full-length video as almost a teaser for the main video.
The Gear
Regarding gear, I stick to what I know and trust, and that is my Nikon autofocus system; I have an excellent selection of autofocus and manual focus lenses that work with my primary camera, a Nikon D750. In fact, when I was looking for a new digital camera, I added the ability to shoot 1080p video and connect an external microphone, and the D750 floated to the top. Now, is an SLR the perfect camera for video? Of course not; mirrorless would be far better. Generally, I’m working with prime lenses unless I’m doing more walking and talking, in which case I’ll use a simple zoom lens. Primes are excellent for the studio because I can isolate myself in the frame using the faster lenses. Mostly, I’ll shoot with the 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm, which are all fast lenses and will generally do all I need to in the studio. The 85mm is excellent for close-up work and filling the frame for short content shots in the portrait format. Meanwhile, 28mm and 50mm are excellent for close-ups and demo work, especially in camera reviews. I’ll also work with the primes in the field when I don’t need anything too fancy and want to reduce the weight. My zoom lens of choice is an older elevated kit lens, the 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D, which offers up enough range for field duty and with the 105mm, I can still stop down to f/8 and get enough subject separation and still be able to get those wide shots. I have used two cameras in the past for a couple of videos. Still, I quickly found it challenging to work with two cameras and know the best time to cut between them. My second camera was my old Sony a6000, but it recently stopped working. Now, I could use my Sony WX7, but I’m not 100% comfortable matching the two cameras together. Then there’s my iPhone 15 Pro, which makes for a point-of-view camera. I mount it on a simple grip mount that slides into the camera’s hot shoe. So, I can only use it on my Canon and Nikon cameras. Perfect for On-The-Road content where I don’t feel comfortable lugging the D750 and a tripod. I first experimented with this for a Holga Week video and then took it for a couple of on-the-road videos. I rather liked the results. For audio, I use the Rhode GO wireless setup; it’s a nice compact system that I can hook into my camera and have plenty of distance between myself and the camera. While I have a small lapel mic for the transmitter, it can be used as a microphone, or I can hook up a shotgun mic. The shotgun mic is excellent when I need to get more environmental sound. A recent addition is a Zoom Podtrack P4, which allows me to hook up four microphones and use the output from a headphone jack into the camera. I have used that to use one of my better mics for strictly studio work; I was initially using a Shure SM57 but didn’t like how it made my voice sound, so I switched to a Behringer 85A, a clone of a Shure Beta 58a and I like how I sound with that microphone. I never thought I would be one of those folks who use a studio mic, but here we are, and you know, I can see why other creators use an external mic.
Filming Day(s)
Working at a college with a strong film and television program has perks. And one of those perks is having access to some decent studio space. I don’t use the equipment in the studio space, but it provides a nice background for these video sections. The studio space I use is dedicated to Foley work, while the actual Foley studio is in a separate room; the space I use is for the controls. What’s great about it is that the space is well soundproofed, has an ‘in use’ sign, and the voice sounds excellent even in the control room. That means I don’t need to take any extra steps or worry about reverberating, unlike in some classroom spaces I’ve used. Plus, there’s a desk that makes for a good spot to display cameras and films and put a laptop for reading the script. Of course, I’ve also used an ADR studio and screening room, but those are more difficult for showing off gear or reading off a laptop screen. The one thing that I have been trying to do this year is to get an external monitor to help make reading off a prompter more natural and use a confidence screen so that I know what my composition on-screen looks like. Two things that are difficult when I’m the one doing everything.
Working in the field is also problematic in many ways. First, having to do everything, it can be challenging to get the composition right. Second, working in public can raise questions and often cause some interesting bloopers. I’ve had people walk across the frame, loud cars drive by, and much more. It also doesn’t help that I work in urban areas. Because of these things, I have streamlined things a little, especially with film and developer reviews for the field parts. Depending on my work, I keep the gear minimum, such as a lightweight tripod, zoom lens, or prime lens. I’ll do my best to frame the scene, then walk on and off. It is also much more critical in the field, so I can easily trip over my words (not that I’m perfect in the studio). The most significant part is that I’m often filming for twice as long because there’s always the running to my mark to start the scene. If I mess up, I’ll have to restart again. I do my best to respect the public and let them go past before I start. But it doesn’t always happen, especially if the camera is behind me. It’s why I’m glad I can do more POV work in busier areas like Toronto or places where I don’t want to leave my camera too far from me. The big thing is deciding what composition works best, and it always depends. In the case of camera reviews, my focus is on the camera, not the scene, so I keep the camera in front of me but out of the area where I’m taking the image. For On The Road content, the scene is the focus, so I’ll either film in point-of-view or with the camera behind me. Developer, Film, and Vlogs: I will switch between the two from scene to scene.
Post-Production
When it comes to post-production, I go with what I know. Since I started working with video, I’ve been using Adobe products. So, I’m working with Adobe Premier Pro these days, and I like the workflow. I keep things simple regarding editing, using no more than three video and audio tracks. I put the main video feed into the number one spot. Images are still directly inserted into this track through cuts. Thankfully, keeping a microphone near the cameras helps because there’s an audio cue for where to make that cut, and I leave the image on the screen for five seconds. Any additional graphics or video overlay that ends up in track 2. In that case, I’ll often delete the audio track from that one because it doesn’t impact the main audio track. Then, the graphic logo is on the third (or second) track; I use a simple animation to bring this in and out of the video. From there, I can layer in any additional audio tracks for voiceover and, finally, a music track. I still struggle with the right balance for the music and main audio, but I am getting better at keeping the volumes balanced. I do add in a brief end credit sequence, which I have cut down from what I did last year, to add in an opening sequence. Most titles are based on a standard template created from an online tutorial and then updated for each video. These are always done using Adobe After Effects, and I plan to add additional motion graphic titles. I make sure I do several watch-throughs before the final export.
The review videos are the easiest to get out and produce. Mainly because I can work with the material I have already created, most of the research is done, a lot of secondary graphics and content are present, and they are highly structured. It’s the most unstructured video that, while requiring a shorter runway (mostly), can run away from me quickly. I get long-winded in some cases. But these also can be fun; someone suggested I do a video (which aired in March) about the state of film photography in 2025, which was both entertaining and frustrating to put out. It took a couple of months of prep work before I finally sat behind the camera. Another prep work that took a lot was breaking down all the lenses from Nikon and the alphabet soup. I don’t often do these sorts of videos because of the mountain of work needed, and I’m the only one working on all aspects. That usually means I don’t always get my facts right or get things twisted around. People on the Internet love to point this out; sadly, it is the minority that will do this in a civilised and polite manner, but some will be far more polite.
Coming Soon – Miranda Sensorex Video Review
The only thing you won’t see or hear in my videos is AI-generated content, especially with video, voiceovers and graphics. I can’t be too sure of the music. I know most of the content I get from source sites like YouTube Audio Library and Epidemic Sound is created by real people. Sure, some AI tools are used in these cases, and I know that Premiere Pro has some great tools to streamline the process. But 95% of the content is real; I do all my stunts in shorter terms. I only recently had a comment (which I removed and blocked the person) saying that the short I did on Kodachrome was totally AI-generated and looked ‘almost real’. Yeah, people are weird. I shirk any AI content as much as possible; it is hard to avoid but still easy to spot. I didn’t think I would get through this series that quickly, but I still have one more to add, creating a CCR Podcast episode!
Previous Entries in the Series
If you’re new to the blog and have not yet read through the other entries in the series, you can find them here.
Writing Camera Reviews
Writing Film Reviews
Writing Lens Reviews
Writing Developer Reviews