As a frequent YouTube viewer, I jumped at the opportunity when Mad Scientist BBQ asked me to help them increase the production value of their videos. They had been filming YouTube videos themselves for years with no background in video production. As their audience expanded, an upgrade in video quality became a worthwhile investment. The channel had 127K subscribers when I began working with them, and within six months that number roughly doubled.
It was important to integrate the production upgrades into the channel's established workflow with minimal friction. Part of what makes YouTube special compared to television is the personal connection between the creator and the audience. I did not insist on the production being technically perfect or overly rehearsed. I wanted it to feel real and relatable, not over-produced and larger-than-life.
Before & After
As with any cooking show, the schedule was dictated by the progress of whatever is being cooked. I built my camera rig to swiftly transition from a clean, studio-like kitchen setup to a nimble, run-and-gun outdoor setup for cooking segments. Sometimes this flexibility made the difference between getting the shot and missing it, particularly when filming multiple videos simultaneously.
For audio, I gave the host a lavaliere microphone to wear on his apron, feeding into a belt pack recorder with a safety track at a lower gain level. With the recorder rolling the whole day, it was easy to film quick update and observation segments in the middle of long cooking days. The microphone also picked up small details, like the sound of a knife scoring the fat on a cut of meat.
Besides filming the episodes, I also prepared the footage and audio for editing. Mad Scientist BBQ wished to continue editing their videos personally, as they had done previously, so everything had to fit within their limited post-production capabilities. I handled tasks like audio synchronization, color correction, and file compression before sending organized folders of media to them. Sometimes quick turnarounds were required to meet sponsor deadlines, and my workflow proved capable of handling same-day-delivery.
Kitchen Before
Kitchen After
Closeups Before
Closeups After
Cooking Before
Cooking After
The classic YouTube sponsor read