I recently saw a movie that could have been great. The plot wasn’t bad, the script was okay, the visual effects were stunning, and the actors were awesome. Unfortunately, the last 30 seconds of the movie ruined the whole thing. Everything the characters had struggled for, everything they had sacrificed during the movie was pretty much made meaningless at the very end, and it really just made the entire movie trite. It was forced, and as we left the theater, I could hear many of the other theater-goers talking about how disappointing the ending was.
Do you ever do that with your videos? Do you overthink it, or somehow think the ending isn’t right, and try really hard to fix it?
People seem to mostly fall into one of two categories; those that think they’re awesome but really aren’t (see the American Idol auditions), and those that are so overly critical of their own work that they don’t recognize when it’s good. The truth is that when we are creating art–yes, videos are art, even if they are of a game–we are too close too it to be really objective sometimes. For a lot of videos like day-to-day vlogging, it’s not too much of an issue, but it can really get in the way sometimes.
The best way to know whether you’re on the right track with your latest video is to get feedback from trusted friends. The great thing about the YouTube community is that you can find people who would also like some feedback. If you’re really serious about taking advantage of feedback, my suggestion is that you have three types of people watch your videos before you publish them: a YouTuber who does stuff similar to yours, one who does something different than you, and someone who is not really a video creator. This way, you get advice on your content, on technical issues, and also from an audience member who looks past the little technical details.
Remember, if you want feedback, you will probably also need to help out others with giving feedback to them. Be honest and let them know what you really think, but don’t be mean, and don’t be too nitpicky unless they ask you to. Remember that giving feedback and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is to help people better themselves and their art!
