If you want to start making vlog-style YouTube videos and you need help with filming and editing, then this guide is for you.

If you want to learn how to film and edit vlog-style YouTube videos like this one, then keep reading because in this post, I’m sharing everything you need to know to become a vlogger.

​In this vlog-style YouTube video guide, we’re going to cover:

• Mindset shifts that help you get comfortable with filming vlogs
• All my gear recommendations
• Angles and shots that make vlogs more appealing
• Simple storytelling hacks

And at the end, I’m going to share my process for organizing and editing your vlog footage. As always, if you’d prefer to watch instead of read, go ahead and click on the video below. Let’s jump right in.

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this post might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting me so I can continue to provide you with free content each week on my blog and on my YouTube channel!

How to Film and Edit Vlog-Style YouTube Videos

1. Mindset Shifts

I want to start with mindset shifts you need to become a vlogger, because trust me, there are plenty. This is a topic that I get asked a lot by my students inside the BSP Model®, and by people in my comments section on Instagram and YouTube.

​Knowing what to film, getting comfortable with filming in public, and talking to the camera are some of the biggest hesitations and challenges for creators who want to start creating vlog-style YouTube videos. And a lot of these things can actually end up being the one thing that holds people back from ever starting.

The good news is that vlogging is just a skill, like playing the piano, swimming, or storytelling. The more that you do it, the easier it becomes, until one day, pulling out your camera and capturing the moment starts to feel completely normal.

With that in mind, here are a few mindset shifts that can help you break through that mental barrier and start grabbing your camera.

Vlogging is a muscle

You don’t need to be perfect. All you need to do is practice. So, if you’re setting out to record your first-ever vlog, I want you to vlog for yourself, not for YouTube. Not for your dream subscriber. Not for anyone other than yourself. Your first vlog doesn’t have to see the light of day. Just have fun with it. Don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure to make it perfect.

​The goal right now is to practice. Start vlogging and see what thoughts or challenges come up for you as you start exercising that muscle. The more you create for yourself and see creation as practice, the easier it becomes to film and create for YouTube.

​And whatever you do, don’t compare your first vlog to someone’s hundredth. Don’t even compare your first vlog to someone’s tenth. Every creator that you watch and love has started somewhere. The difference is that they’ve had hundreds of opportunities to improve.

Lean into the cringe or the discomfort

You know what? It’s okay to cringe at yourself. I do it all the time, especially when I’m filming. Feeling cringe is completely normal, and it’s definitely not a sign that you don’t know what you’re doing or that you weren’t made for this. When you feel that discomfort, let it be a sign that you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

​Anytime that you feel uncomfortable, that’s you pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone, and that’s ultimately a good thing. That’s growth.

​Anyway, most people are too worried about themselves to think too much about what you’re doing. What might feel like a huge deal to you usually goes unnoticed by other people.

There isn’t a “right way” to vlog

There’s no right or wrong way to vlog. At the end of the day, you need to do what’s best for you. It doesn’t have to be aesthetic; it doesn’t have to be talking to the camera all day. You could vlog once a month or once a week. You could talk to the camera, or you could record your day and add a voiceover. Your vlogs could be casual low-cuts or fast-paced cuts. It honestly doesn’t matter.

​Start with a style that feels comfortable and build from there. In doing so, you’ll also find and develop a style that makes your vlogs so authentically you.

Your thoughts are not reality; they’re just thoughts

Just because you think “Oh, I look uncomfortable” or “I don’t look good today,” those are just thoughts; they’re not reality, and you shouldn’t let them stop you from getting started. Also, if you’re somebody who thinks you couldn’t possibly film in public because everyone is going to be judging you… just because these thoughts come to you does not mean that they are true.

​These thoughts are just thoughts, and they usually pop up because your brain is trying to keep you safe from some perceived threat that’s not really there.

​Just because you think something doesn’t make it true.

​Those are just a few of the mindset blocks that have helped me overcome my own fears of filming in public, creating vlog-style YouTube videos, and just becoming a vlogger in general. Now let’s talk about gear, because this is another question that I get asked all the time.

2. Gear Recommendations for Beginner Vloggers

One of the most common concerns that I hear from creators who want to start vlogging is, “I just don’t have the right camera yet.”

​Honestly, you don’t need a lot of gear to get started. For your camera, use your phone.

​One of my favorite YouTubers, Ryan Trehan, films 90% of his content on his phone. And he has millions of subscribers. I filmed my entire “Week in the Life of a Content Creator” vlog on my phone. Just remember to always, always clean your lens. Always. If you need a reminder, keep lens cleaning wipes on you at all times. This is the easiest way to instantly uplevel your phone content.

​Personally, I found that filming on my phone was way easier and less intimidating, because I already take my phone with me everywhere. I was also way more likely to remember to capture moments throughout the day when I already had my phone on me.

​Alongside your phone, there are two pieces of gear that I’d recommend adding to your vlog setup—first, a microphone. Good audio quality makes a huge difference in how your videos sound and feel, especially if you’re filming out in public (in a coffee shop, or even in your car). For my vlog, I used my Rode Wireless Go mic.

​The second piece of gear that I recommend if you want to become a vlogger is a tripod. If you have an iPhone, then I definitely recommend getting one that’s MagSafe, because it makes filming yourself so much more efficient.

​A tripod lets you set your camera down, capture different angles, and get yourself in the shot without balancing your phone on random objects either in your house or out and about.

​I promise that with your phone, a tripod, and a microphone, you’ll be able to start creating great vlog content. Please don’t let gear keep you from getting started.

​If you do decide to upgrade later, my favorite vlogging camera is the Sony ZV-E10 paired with the Tamron 11-20mm lens. I recently created a YouTube video sharing all of my YouTube gear, so if that’s something you’re interested in, you can watch that here.

3. Filming

Now it’s time to talk about filming. There’s a lot that goes into filming your first vlog-style YouTube video. We can talk about camera settings, angles, capturing b-roll, lighting, and so much more. But let’s start with camera settings, especially if you’re shooting on your phone, because you have lots of options.

Phone Camera Settings:

• For your standard ‘Day in the Life’ content, where you’re not trying to film anything cinematic: 1080P-30 FPS is good.
• If you want more aesthetic or cinematic shots: 4k-60 FPS.
• I personally keep ‘Enhanced Video Stabilization’ turned on
• And I don’t like HDR video, so I turn that off.

I always recommend filming in 4k if you’re filming horizontally, but you want the option to crop the video to use in short form as well.

​My biggest piece of advice for filming is this: document.

​The more you document your day-to-day, the more you’ll start to see opportunities to play with a variety of different shots. When you get in the habit of documenting every day, even if it’s the same thing every day, you begin to uplevel your skill. It starts to become easier for you to think of different angles or a new perspective to share.

​This could be playing with the rule of thirds or leading lines. All of these things will come to you more naturally the more you practice. And if you want to make your vlog-style YouTube videos look better than they actually are, watch this video next. It breaks down how to film using the rule of thirds, how to add dimension, and a whole lot more.

​But for my beginner vloggers, document what you do every single day. And the more you do it, the more variety you can add to your shots.

​And speaking of shots, let’s go through some of the shots that you can get while you’re creating vlog-style YouTube videos.

Vlogging Shots:

→ Establishing shot: This sets the scene and gives viewers context for where they are. If you’re filming a “Weekend in NYC” vlog, this could be a wide shot of the city skyline or a busy street.

→ Wide shot: A wide shot captures the full scene. For example, you walk up to a cafe and open the door.

→ Medium shot: This brings viewers a little closer into the action. If your wide shot was walking into the cafe, your medium shot might be ordering your coffee at the counter.

→ Portrait shot: This is one of the most common vlog shots. Think torso-up and talking directly to the camera. It’s a great way to share updates, tell stories, or bring viewers along throughout your day.

→ Close-up shot: These are the details that help viewers feel immersed in the moment. The steam coming off your coffee, your fingers typing on a keyboard, or the pages of a book turning.

​Those 5 shots are probably the most common ‘vlogging shots,’ but there are a few others that I love because they can take your videos to the next level.

→ Overhead shot: This is where your camera is positioned above the scene looking down. For example, making your morning coffee or planning your week at your desk. This is where having a tripod comes in very handy.

→ POV shot: These shots help viewers feel like they’re experiencing the moment with you. Walking through a busy street, shopping at a market, or grabbing something from a shelf are all great examples.

→ Over-the-shoulder shot: This angle makes viewers feel like they’re looking over your shoulder. It takes a little extra setup, but it can make your vlog feel more cinematic.

→ Macro shot: These are the tiny details. Coffee pouring into a mug, water droplets on a window, or a close-up of your keyboard while you’re typing. These shots add texture and help tell the story of the moment.

Using B-Roll in Vlog-Style YouTube Videos

I know I just threw a lot of shots at you, and if you’re thinking, there’s no way I can film all of these shots by myself, well, don’t worry, because you don’t have to. All of the examples that I used in this video (watch it on YouTube here) were found on Storyblocks.

​If you’ve read any of my blogs or watched any of my videos before, then you will already know that I love Storyblocks. They help to bring my stories to life with more compelling visual storytelling, and they save me so much time.

​Filming extra b-roll on top of your main video footage can feel like a lot of work, and sometimes, when you get to the editing stage of a vlog, you realize that you didn’t record enough. That’s when I go to Storyblocks to find everything I need in post-production.

​Storyblocks is a human-made stock media library that’s an essential tool for creators. If you need stock footage, music, sound effects, motion graphics, or templates, you can find all of that through them, without jumping between different websites (or needing to worry about licensing).

​I swear one of the things that slows me down the most when editing is simply looking for assets. Luckily, Storyblocks solves that problem easily by putting footage, music, sound effects, images, and templates all in one place, helping you stay focused on editing instead of getting lost hunting everything down.

​When I’m editing, I’ll create a folder for my b-roll, music, and sound effects so that everything stays organized during the process. You can also use Storyblocks for background music and sound effects. Plus, everything is royalty-free and pre-cleared for commercial use.

​To start telling better stories with the tools I use, head to storyblocks.com/modernmillie. They’re also offering a limited-time discount for my audience, only available through my link.

4. Simple Storytelling Hacks

Speaking of storytelling, let’s move on to some of the storytelling hacks that are going to help you take your vlog-style YouTube videos to the next level. Another common concern that I hear from creators is, “My life just isn’t interesting enough to vlog.”

​Honestly, I used to think the same thing. For me, my life feels so mundane because I do the same things every day. But what feels ordinary to you might be interesting to thousands, if not millions, of other people. So, to help make your vlogs more interesting, I want to share some simple storytelling techniques that you can use for your next vlog-style YouTube video.

Technique 1: Timeframe + Identity

One of the easiest ways to create a story is by giving your vlog a clear timeframe and ‘audience’.

For example:

• Week in the Life of a Content Creator
• Day in the Life of a Student
• Weekend in New York City as a Solo Traveler

Right away, viewers know who the video is for and what they can expect.

Technique 2: The Objective

This is one of my favorite storytelling tricks. I first noticed this in Ryan Trahan’s videos. He might be filming a travel vlog, but throughout the trip he’s working toward a small goal or challenge. Maybe he’s collecting something in every city he visits. Maybe he’s trying to complete a challenge before the end of the video.

​The goal gives viewers a reason to keep watching. So for my vlog, I challenged myself to train every single day.

​If I missed a workout, I had to buy my trainer coffee for a week… and I wasn’t allowed to have coffee myself. For anyone who knows me and my content, that’s a pretty big deal.

​Now suddenly viewers aren’t just watching a week in my life. They’re watching to see whether I actually complete the challenge.

Technique 3: The After-effect

Voiceover is the story AFTER you film.  A lot of people think vlogging means talking to the camera all day long, and it really doesn’t.

​Most of your vlog can be B-roll, voiceovers, captions, and moments from your day. The talking head clips are there to move the story forward and keep viewers updated on what’s happening.

​One creator who does this really well is Linda Sun. She uses a lot of B-roll and voiceover, then jumps on camera when she wants to share an update, explain what’s happening, or add context to the story.

​And if talking to the camera in public feels intimidating, don’t worry about it. Film those updates when you’re at home. When you’re out and about, focus on capturing the moments that make up your day.

​You can always add the voiceover, captions, and storytelling later.

5. Organizing Footage

We need to talk about organizing your footage, because when you’re vlogging, you’re going to end up with a ton of footage every single day, especially if you’re not sure what direction your video is going in and you’re just capturing everything. That’s why I really recommend staying organized from day one.

​Here’s my system: at the end of each day, I transfer all of my footage off my phone and onto my SSD, which is where all of my working projects live. I edit directly from that drive so the footage isn’t taking up space on my phone or my computer. You can use Airdrop or a Phone Drive like this one from SanDisk.

Then on my SSD, I organize everything by day so nothing gets mixed up. My folder structure looks like this:

• Week in the Life
  1. Monday
     1. B-Roll
     2. A-Roll
     3. Voiceover
     4. Graphics (anything extra I want to show on screen, like text or images)
  2. Tuesday
  3.    …and so on

Once I’ve finished a vlog, I back everything up to my external backup drive and clear off the SSD for the next project.

​Don’t wait until Sunday night to sort through 300 clips. Spend five minutes at the end of each day filing footage into the right folder. Future-you will thank you when it’s time to start editing.

6. Editing Tips

I could talk about editing forever, so if you want a full part two on this, I already made one, and you can watch it here. For now, here are my top tips for editing vlogs that are fast-paced and keep people watching.

​Two things matter most here: pacing and retention. In other words, what keeps the video moving, and what keeps people watching all the way to the end.

Tip #1: Nail the Intro

You’ve got about thirty seconds to hook someone before they click away. The best way to do that? Go back through your footage and find the story you’re actually telling. Once you know that story, build your opening around it so viewers have a reason to keep watching from the very first few seconds.

​(I go deeper into hooks, packaging, and pacing in a recent article if you want to learn how this helps you hit 4,000 watch hours faster.)

Tip #2: Cut More Than You Think You Need To

When I filmed my “week in the life,” I wanted each day to land around 5 minutes. My first pass? Monday was running 10+ minutes, which would’ve made for a 50-minute video. So I ended up cutting a lot more than I initially wanted to.

​If you’re not sure what to cut, finish your first pass, then watch it back with fresh eyes. Anything that makes you lose interest, even for a second, cut it. Be ruthless here; I promise it will make your video better.

Tip #3: Show, Don’t Tell

Talking-head moments are usually what make your video run long. Instead of having viewers watch you talk for five straight minutes, take that same story and tell it with b-roll instead. Show them what you actually did that day instead of just talking about it.

​There is so much more we could talk about with editing, so if you want to learn more about how to edit your vlog-style YouTube video in a step-by-step tutorial, watch this video next.

As always, thank you so much for being here. I’ll see you in the next one. Follow your joy!