TheMuffinMagician on Youtube

[loldudex2]

Hello, I am just about to upload my Red Artifice review on my Youtube channel. It is my first review, so most likely it is terrible. I will let you guys know when it is up, and PLEASE give me criticism. There is about a 95%chance that I will redo this review in the future, but until then, let me know.

tell me where I should sit (In front of or behind the camera), what I should review on each deck, and etc.

[MrLukeCarroll]

Sitting in front of the camera with an overhead shot seems to be the preferred camera angle for most card based youtube channels and you can see why - because it works well.

[loldudex2]

Thanks! I will try to do that next time.

[xela]

I actually got backlash after switching from the side-view to the overhead view I now use. People were fans of my 2010-style videos, and a lot of those fans were displeased at the 2011 style. On the other hand, after switching, my channel grew exponentially faster, so perhaps the overhead angle is the best and sacrificing uniqueness for popularity is a wise move.

Also, keep in mind that all development-related questions go in the D&D board.

[KPopFever605]

Most people prefer to do opposing camera shot, like how my videos were for a while, but once I got my tripod, I preferred to do an over-the-shoulder shot. It's more convenient for me, and works great when teaching tutorials on tricks or flourishes. Also, you don't have to fumble around with seeing if you cards are turn the right way, or your out of range.

Also, when reviewing decks, I depends what kind of review you want to do. Do you want to review decks based on their design, or on how good they handle? I review decks based on design because 1) I don't want to have to own multiple quantities of every deck, and 2) I don't really use specialty decks for magic, so there is no need for me to test their condition. Anyways, I'll tell you what to review in both type of review styles:

::Design::
Basically, review everything about the deck as far as appearance goes. This includes: AoS, Tuck Box, Jokers, Additional Ad Cards, Court Cards (If Customized), Back Design, ect. Give you opinions on the deck: Whether you like them or not, why, what you hate/like about the deck, ect. That's pretty much all I can think about on the top of my head.

::Conditioning::
If you'd like to focus more on conditioning, you'd have to be pretty good at basic flourishes like fans and spreads. Beforehand, test how good they fan and how good they spread. Then, break in the deck and create a separate video showcasing whether the deck has stood up all this time, or completely died. This is all I can think of doing. Sorry for not that much input, this field is not my specialty. Ask Alex for conditioning tips

No matter what type of review style to pick, look around Youtube for samples from other deck reviewers, such as CardsRFun, deckmastercards, Yours Truly JK.. With all jokes aside, just search Youtube for deck reviews and take what you like from them. You don't have to copy someone's routine entirely, just make it your own. That's what will draw people in and make them stay - Originality. Overall, Just Have Fun With It.

[Jin Jian]

I actually got backlash after switching from the side-view to the overhead view I now use. People were fans of my 2010-style videos, and a lot of those fans were displeased at the 2011 style. On the other hand, after switching, my channel grew exponentially faster, so perhaps the overhead angle is the best and sacrificing uniqueness for popularity is a wise move.

Also, keep in mind that all development-related questions go in the D&D board.

i prefer your 2011 style .. since i quit card collecting and just got back and after seeing your review i always thought that IAOCP and MSM watchers deck are slighty smaller and bigger at the side LOL

[xela]

CardsRFun's Allen says a lot of misinformation about cards (not that I haven't, but some of his claims are out there).

Please do editing on your videos. I hate watching people go on and on and half way through they forget what they were going to say, or do a weird throat clear, etc. No one wants to hear that, and on average I end up cutting a 12-15 minute review down to 4-8 minutes because of useless footage.

For reviewing "conditioning" as Kpop put it, do not just do a thumb fan and a spread and call it a day. Seriously, all USPCC decks will spread. Even my Cardinal decks can spread. This info is near useless, and the only reason I do it is because if I don't I have people asking me about it. It's tradition, but it is irrelevant information.

You don't have to spend days breaking a deck in, but you will want to play with it for at least a few hours before you claim it handles well. I don't understand people that unbox & review handling in the same video. All new decks will handle well!

Fancy flourishes look cool, but they're unnecessary if you can't do them. I get away with doing a random flashy flourish here and there and people awe at it. Most of the people that watch these videos can't do much more than some false cuts, a thumb fan and a dribble.

As for design, do not be afraid to be critical. The worst reviews are along the lines of "Yeah, it's cool, I guess." You have opinions, I hear them every day on the boards. When you are reviewing, take those opinions and say them loudly and proudly.

From my experience, I received a lot of flak for doing this on UnitedCardists. It's one of the reasons I created my own board, I refuse to be surrounded by people who try to censor opinions and act like everything is awesome. If you get a hold of a Merz deck, tear into that thing (assuming you hate it, of course). Seriously, beat that deck over the head.

Most importantly, find your own personality and style. I try to use some humor, good music, and very critical opinions for my reviews. It works for me. Figure out what works for you and do it as well.

Also, get used to being confident in front of the camera. I like to pick my favorite fan, and pretend they are right there listening to what I am saying, asking me questions along the way.

My big issue is not having professional lighting and an HD camera to do my work. I also had huge speech issues when I first started, and even though now they are gone, they are still prevalent in the videos because of how rarely I upload new content.

Also try to review decks no one else touches. The only times I milk a popular deck is when no one else has a review for it. I was the first on YouTube to review DeckOne and SMv5 for example. I was very late to the party with the Artifice decks, and while I wanted to skip doing a useless review I had  to follow through because of a sponsorship deal.

Final tip: When you get around 100-200 subscribers and you begin your search for "sponsors" avoid resellers and the like. Create your sponsorship with the source of the decks themselves. I know I am sending several Vortex decks to reviewers for free to help market the cards. I am sending out decks to spread the word about my work, while a reseller only wants sales and notoriety and will look down on a terrible review.

[Kanped]

1 thing, Alex; myself and many others like me HATE jump-cuts.  It seriously drives me crazy because it sounds totally un-natural and 99% of the time, people don't realize what happens to an audio file when it stops or starts suddenly (a horrible scratchy click that most people seem to have developed an ability to ignore).  It's like auto-tune; people just ignore it now (and I mean the more subtle examples, not like t pain or whatever he's called) but I can't because I worked for so long for the exact purpose of being able to detect that kind of thing.  There's a reason TV productions don't use them; they suck.  If you can't get enough takes to get it right, I would come back to it rather than use jump-cuts.

Just my 2 cents.   

[moonexe]

It doesn't have to be a sudden stop. With a slight overlap (a fraction of a second does the job, really), it looks and sounds a lot more natural and still retains its original purpose of shortening the clip.

[Jin Jian]

Cardsrfun have 3 new video .. you should check it out,now he do a different type for his deck review

[Kanped]

It doesn't have to be a sudden stop. With a slight overlap (a fraction of a second does the job, really), it looks and sounds a lot more natural and still retains its original purpose of shortening the clip.

What do you mean 'overlap'?

[Curt]

What do you mean 'overlap'?

I think he is talking about a fading transition from one clip to another. Instead of just having an abrupt stop and start for each of the clips

[dmbaggs]

Cardsrfun have 3 new video .. you should check it out,now he do a different type for his deck review

You probably shouldn't put that up in a persons thread trying to promote their own channel, just out of respect. Maybe start a thread in the LOLAQ updating people on new video reviews on various channels? 

[KPopFever605]

good music

The only thing trick about that is that Youtube can flag your video for quote "copyright material" - If you do put music up on your videos, pick carefully which ones to put up.

[MrLukeCarroll]

Yeah you don't want to get your videos flagged and muted as a review video is pretty useless without sound