Have you watched this awesome video yet?
Everyone on the Collective Team was super impressed with Camilo’s creativity, so we asked him some questions so you guys can get to know more about him, his work, and how you make a commercial at home in the middle of lockdown!
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into filmmaking and photography:
My name is Camilo and I was actually born in Colombia. My parents took my sister and me to the UK for better opportunities. I studied Mechanical Engineering at university and now have a Masters. I discovered filmmaking while at university because I was very into business but I enjoyed video editing. I used to edit videos of my video games and of myself doing magic tricks. There were business courses in my degree which helped me realise that I could make a business out of anything! With that motivation in mind, I started doing freelance videography during my studies. I developed my skills and started a YouTube channel to teach people what I had learned. It’s currently my side project as I work full time as a Fire Engineer.
How did you get your channel started on YouTube?
I initially wanted to document everything that I was learning and then I realised that people really value being taught on YouTube. Filmmaking courses are expensive in many countries so a lot of people resort to “YouTube University”. I initially made tutorials and unboxing videos of camera equipment that I had, but I have recently evolved to creating projects that I enjoy or client work and guiding people through how I achieved that.
How has growth on your channel been this year?
I started 2020 with 200 subscribers and I made the decision to upload a video a week for the whole year. This was difficult due to having a full-time job but I was very passionate about the channel and felt like I had a lot of value to give to people. By July I reached 1,000 subscribers and currently on the 27th January 2021 I am at 3,300 subscribers. It’s been an insane journey and I am grateful for all this growth!
How has COVID-19 and lockdown affected you creatively? What unique challenges have you encountered?
COVID-19 has actually pushed me to be more creative with less. I got into making commercial videos from home and it showed a lot of people that you don’t need a studio or expensive sets to make great looking and fun commercial videos. However, mentally it’s been difficult as I don’t go outside to do video shoots as often or meet other creators.
How do you plan out a commercial and how long does it usually take?
My process involves:
- Looking at the product and finding its key features and values
- Finding the music that fits the brand and sets the rhythm of the edit
- Storyboarding shots and ideas for the video
- Producing a shot list
It usually takes about a day in total for pre-production as finding music can take forever!
So, how do you choose the perfect background music for a video?
If there was an answer to this, every filmmaker would pay to get it! It takes a lot of listening, searching and trial and error to find the perfect background song. You have to start with the mood. Is it hype? dramatic? romantic? Then you have to see how the music is structured. Is there an intro, build up and drop? or is it a constant rhythm? These things really affect the edit.
Which of the shots in the Liberty Air 2 Pro commercial was the most challenging to shoot?
The first shot where the camera pushes in and the bud cases slide away was very challenging. I have never done a shot like that before so it involved a lot of testing and trial and error. It was also hard to edit out the fishing wire to make sure it looks seamless.
The other difficult shot was the 3D animation. My dad built the model, but I had to add the materials, animate the parts and add camera motion which was difficult to do in time with the music. Also, it took over an hour to render that file.
How did you come up with the idea of using a drill for the close-up shots?
I have seen this method used before in other behind the scene videos. The challenge was finding a good pivot point for the buds as they needed to be seen from every angle of rotation. A lot of post-production was required.
Was the driver of the car surprised when you started filming? Do you have any advice for people who feel self-conscious when filming in public?
They were very kind and welcoming. My advice is that most people are so busy worrying about their own lives that you don’t need to be self-conscious when filming in public. In most cases, people are actually interested in what you are doing and will find it cool. It’s difficult doing anything in public, but if you look at street performers, they don’t care because they are there for entertainment. If you think about it the same way then you can be comfortable being yourself.
We’re very impressed with your Dad’s 3D-modelling skills. Did he enjoy getting involved with the video?
Yes! He really enjoyed it and I was very happy to get him involved. He’s been learning a lot of new things recently and this gave him more motivation.
What are your top 3 tips for people who are thinking about starting a YouTube channel or want to get into filmmaking or photography?
- Commit yourself to making videos consistently for at least a year.
- Stop worrying about what people will think, 9/10 times they don’t actually care.
- The market is not saturated. There is room for many new faces and YouTube has built its system to allow new creators to thrive.
What Soundcore product do you want to make a commercial for next?
I’d be grateful to make any commercial! I really enjoy Soundcore products, especially their speakers so maybe one of those?
What are your goals for 2021?
My goals are to keep creating videos and make them even better than last year. I also want to collaborate with other creators but given the circumstances, I’m not sure if it’s possible. I also want to commit to making another 50 videos this year!
Big thanks to Camilo for chatting with us, you can check out more of his work here:
YouTube
Instagram
Twitter
Website
Which Soundcore headphones or speaker would you like to make a commercial for? Let me know in the comments below!
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