It’s been one other wild yr for Marques Brownlee. When WIRED spoke with the video creator generally known as MKBHD in 2014, the 20-year-old “YouTube sensation” was busy enjoying final frisbee and about to graduate from school. Brownlee still plays ultimate, however now his enterprise operations have considerably expanded.
The constant stream of slick movies on Brownlee’s YouTube channel cowl a large breadth of client tech, from the newest smartphones and electrical autos to bizarre earbuds and retro tech. Notable channel visitors embody Elon Musk, Invoice Gates, and that creepy robotic canine from Boston Dynamics. He additionally hosts a weekly tech podcast, Waveform, in partnership with Vox Media.
A singular voice on the planet of tech opinions, Brownlee is charismatic on digicam with a supply that comes throughout like a wise, unpretentious buddy who’s simply obsessive about devices. The finer particulars stand out in his movies with cohesive B-roll and color-coordinated tableaus for displaying off units.
The movies not often stray from tech subjects, however an exception was made through the mass protests in 2020 regarding American police brutality with a video titled, “Reflecting on the Color of My Skin.” He’s reached a degree of success and visibility seldom achieved by anybody collaborating within the so-called creator economy.
Brownlee is partnering with MasterClass to show a session on video creation with nuggets of helpful recommendation overlaying key topics like cameras, lenses, lighting, composition, and visuals. Earlier than his upcoming MasterClass drops, WIRED had the chance to speak with MKBHD about his greatest practices for creating YouTube movies, what you really want to get began, and the way to cowl tech that personally impacts you.
Younger individuals often fantasize about turning their YouTube channel or TikTok account right into a full-time profession, however Brownlee cautions freshmen in opposition to approaching video creation as a cash making endeavor.
“It’s important to perceive that it is one thing you may not ever be capable to make into your job. It is likely to be a pastime eternally,” says Brownlee. “Lots of people need to be an NBA participant, however lots of people simply need to go to the park and play ball as a result of they take pleasure in enjoying basketball. I feel you are able to do that with creating movies, as an alternative of deciding you need to be into it to make it your job. If you will have enjoyable at that degree, then you definitely’re already profitable.”
Whereas it is fascinating to check high-end cameras and lenses, it’s useful for anybody making their first movies to not be overly obsessive about pricy tools. As a substitute, give attention to making nice movies with gear you have already got.
Brownlee says, “One of the widespread questions I most likely get requested is, ‘I need to sort of do what you do. How do I get began? Like, I do not actually have that a lot. I haven’t got a RED digicam. I haven’t got a MacBook Professional. I can not get began.’ No, no, no. You are speaking to me on a smartphone proper now.”