5 things you’ll need to be a Youtube sensation

MANILA, Philippines – Ever dreamed of becoming a star? In the age of the Internet, it might be easier than you think.

Here are the 5 things you need to have to make it happen:

1. A Youtube account

There’s no denying that Youtube was where it all started for a number of famous personalities, like Charice Pempengco, Donnalyn Bartolome, and Rebecca Black – people who got discovered online and achieved fame offline in a snap.

But within the confines of this video sharing network dwell stars in their own right: Youtube Personalities. 

The likes of danisnotonfire and nigahiga are popular vloggers. In the area of music, we have boyceavenue and KurtHugoSchneider, to name a few. If you’re a short film buff, you may have heard of wongfuproductions. And if you’re more into funnies, perhaps EpicMealTime has come across your radar.

The Philippines has spawned a large share of online celebrities, including HappySlip, ashleyslips aka Petra Mahalimuyak, and MikeyBustosVideos‎.

Their careers started by creating a Youtube account. So, if you’ve been inspired by these netizens’ rise to stardom, think of a witty channel name, get a cute display picture, and get started!

2. A working camera

You will be needing one – be it a simple webcam or a full-fledged movie studio camera – to make videos. Of course, the better the specs, the better the outcome.

Find the best camera for you on TechRap:

The type of hardware you’ll need is based on the kind of videos you want to produce. For short and sweet vlogs, a decent webcam may do the trick. For short films and music videos, you may want to get a good handheld camera that you can take on location. For makeup tutorials (as per Talia Castellano), you’ll need one that can show off color really well. For cat videos, your cat probably already has a camera, so just borrow it from your furry friend.

3. Your uninhibited self

And I mean a no-holds-barred, let-it-all-out, scream-and-shout, whatever-whatever-I-do-what-I-want version of you. The wackier, the better. Let’s face it: who wants to watch some kid just sitting there?

The great thing about doing a video is that it doesn’t even necessarily have to be “you” in it. Although it would be great to let your inner freak fly, it’s up to you to choose what kind of character/s you want to play. Put on that dress you bought but never thought you’d wear, take out those gigantic sunglasses you’re too shy to show your friends, etc. Got a Brad Pitt poster? Talk to it! Anything goes – as long as it’s legal.

Take a cue from every celebrity (online or offline) that has ever played any role: don’t hold back. It doesn’t matter how strange your ideas are. If you stay true to them, they’ll make great material.

4. A video editor

Choose a video editor you are familiar with.

Video editors come with varying interfaces, memory storage, and difficulties. (A couple of free ones are Windows Movie Maker and iMovie.) Start yourself off with a user-friendly software because you don’t want the editing to take much longer and be more stressful than the shoot itself.

As long as you can put the right clips in the right order, put in some music, and add a few awesome effects, you should be fine to start. 

5. Time and patience

You are going to have to invest in this project.

From thinking up a good username, to clicking the refresh button over and over to see how many views you’ve gotten, a lot of time is going to go into this.

Also, you will have to be patient. Even online, fame rarely comes overnight. You may be one of the exceptions and get a million hits on your first video, but the likely story is that you’ll need to build your fanbase from clay and slowly breathe life into it with each new video.

If the time comes and you get tired of even trying, ask yourself how badly you really want it. If the answer is anything close to “a lot,’ then keep going. After all, it’s the Internet! You’ll never know if your next I-was-bored-so-I-made-this video will be the next big thing.

Put all these ingredients together and here’s what you’ll get:

From danisnotonfire:

From ashleyslips (Petra Mahalimuyak):

If you’ve got one of your own potentially viral videos, share it with us in the comments section.

Happy vidding and see you around! – Rappler.com