It sounds like it could be a pretty sweet deal, and is definitely positioning YouTube as more than just an amateur video creator platform or home for weird cat videos, with YouTube gunning to create original content for YouTube Red following Netflix’s success with its original programming … though YouTube’s original content offerings definitely take a different direction in their themes, focusing on creating partnerships with some of YouTube’s current top stars.

We’ll see if YouTube’s current user demographic (used to getting everything for free and skewing pretty young) will pony up the cash for the subscription. If you do decide to go with the subscription option, definitely wait to get it on October 28 directly from YouTube on the web, you’ll pay an extra three dollars through Apple’s in-app purchase platform. Then you can sign in to the app and get the benefits on your phone without Apple’s 30% mark up.

We’re not sure how the new subscription service will affect content creators. Some things seem somewhat alarming at first blush – like the fact that creators who don’t agree to the new subscription terms will have their videos marked as private and they won’t be able to be seen by anyone. But YouTube says 99% of their content creators have agreed to the new subscription terms. So maybe marking only 1% of videos private won’t be that big of a deal.

YouTube also hasn’t laid out how they’ll share revenue with content creators. They have said that the “majority” of revenue will go to the creators, but that’s a pretty vague term. Currently content creators get 55 percent of the advertising revenue on their videos. In theory, this should only help add revenue for content creators, right? They’ll still get their ad-supported revenue from the free YouTube, and then the official YouTube blog says, “YouTube Red will play an important role in expanding user engagement on YouTube and provide creators like you with an additional way to get paid for the content you’re already creating.” Unless however they carve out $9.99 between all the videos subscribers watch ends up coming out far less than what the content creator would have gotten with ads.

Right now is probably not the time to worry. We’ll see how things go when the service is released to the masses on the 28th. We just hope that YouTube will still continue to be the awesome place we can go to find great videos from great artists.

In the meantime, you can still use Wispeo to send and share videos that aren’t for the masses at YouTube, free or otherwise. Share videos with your family, friends, and colleagues with Wispeo, now available in the App Store and from Google Play.

The post YouTube Red New Subscription Option appeared first on Wispeo.

There are so many ideas about how to make a viral video and as time progresses and it gets harder to go viral, those ideas are changing, but there are a few common trends.

People Plan

Not everyone takes the time to plan out exactly how they are going to execute a viral video. In fact, there is really no way to predict whether your video will successfully go viral, but as Karen Cheng (creator of the viral video Girl Learns to Dance in a Year) will tell you, planning makes going viral feasible. Think of the 5 “W”s you learned in elementary school – except we are modifying it to be 3 – who, what, and why. “Who” is the people you plan on contacting to get involved with making the video viral. That includes friends, family, businesses, and anyone else you think might give you some attention. “What” is the content of the video that makes it worth going viral. “Why” is the reason people will make it a viral success (more on this later). In addition to these questions, thinking about the length of the video will also influence its success. People don’t have the patience to watch extended videos anymore, they want the entertainment to come fast and end fast. As you plan out your video, asking yourself these questions will help point you in the right direction.

The Element of Surprise

This is the “what” and “why” of viral videos because, as Kissmetrics emphasizes, content is the key to success. “What” and “why” determine the nature of the video and the reason behind it going viral whether it’s because it’s completely stupid, a great ad, or practical advice. Whatever route your video takes, the most important element is surprise. Get creative and don’t let norms of what people expect to see block your thinking. Most likely you will have to go through some trial and error to figure out what is surprising to people and what is unimpressive, but keep trying. In the end all that matters to the viewer is that they are entertained (even if it is not for the reasons you thought they would be).

Garner Support

This goes back to the “who” question. Who are you going to contact to help make your video viral? Sharing with friends will do a lot. Individually contacting them and asking them to continue sharing will do even more. But that may not be enough no matter how popular you are. You have to tap into a much larger, well-known network for something to go viral. This is what Kevin Allocca, the YouTube trend manager, calls “tastemakers.” Essentially, gaining the support of one tastemaker, such as Ellen Degeneres, or any other celebrity for that matter, will make you a success because they have thousands if not millions of fans that hang on every word they say. One share from them and you have gone viral.

Remember that virality is not always by chance. You make it happen by planning out all the details from “who” to “why.” Making the content surprising in some way will increase your chances of going viral. Most importantly, there is no way you will be able to make a viral video on your own, so network and see how much attention you can generate.

We also think a really good way to start your video going viral is to start with sharing it with coworkers, friends, and family through Wispeo. You can test out clip ideas, piece together shots from several different people, or just let them watch your great video before everyone else. Check out Wispeo (now available in the App Store and from Google Play) to get started on the easiest way to share your video files.

The post How to Create a Viral Video appeared first on Wispeo.

So we thought we’d talk about how to best utilize the convenient camera, especially when shooting video. The folks over at Wistia posted a blog about the best ways to capture video on an iPhone, and we were so impressed by their tips, that we thought we’d share some of our favorites and talk a little bit more about how these tips can be adapted in the wild (outside of the office).

Keep scrolling to see a few ways that you can maximize the quality of your iPhone video:

First off,  people frequently make their first mistake before they even start filming: They don’t use a tripod. Instead, they opt for a simpler method like holding their hands really still.

Nobody can hold as still as a tripod (so don’t even try). The only time a tripod may not be better than just holding your iPhone is maybe if you’re on a boat and the ground the tripod is on is moving, but other than that, always shoot with a tripod.

Tripods are also great for shooting video on an iPhone, because they also allow for horizontal filming – a much better option than vertical. Vertical video will leave bars on the side when shown on TVs, computers, and most screens outside of a phone. So if you want your video to have life outside of a phone, make sure you shoot it horizontally.

The built in flash may also seem tempting, but only use it if studio light or natural light is unavailable. The exposure lock feature helps create constant lighting for the video. Make sure the exposure is locked. If it’s not, the iPhone will change focus and increase exposure throughout the filming process, which creates jumpy looking video.

When focusing your video, avoid the zoom feature. The zoom on the iPhone is digital – not optical. So zooming in will only result in a pixilated video. Any zooming or editing should be done after the video is shot. There are some great editing apps available for iOS, but for the best possible quality, a computer is your best bet.

After you’ve finished editing, you’re ready to share your awesome video with the world. And that’s where Wispeo comes in. Visit our site to send your high quality iPhone video for free.

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post How to: Shoot Video on an iPhone appeared first on Wispeo.

Depth Rating. Depth rating refers to how far the drone can sink before it is no longer able to function properly. The lower the drone sinks, the more pressure there is on the casings of the drone. Before buying, have an understanding of how deep you’ll have to go to capture your footage, and make sure the depth rating fits your needs. In general, you’ll find that the cheaper the drone, the lower the depth rating – meaning there are drones that can go down 330 feet, but they’re thousands of dollars more than a drone that only sinks 150 feet.

Cable Length. ROVs don’t fly (or swim) unattached to you like air drones, which is probably a good thing because it’s hard enough controlling drones when you can see them in the air – it would be far more difficult when they’re a hundred feet underwater. The longer your cable, the deeper your drone can go, as long as it’s within the depth rating. Luckily, you won’t find a drone with a cable equal to or longer than the depth rating, so as long as you’re happy with your depth rating, you shouldn’t have to worry about cable length.

Video Features. There are two aspects of video you should check. First, does it have a live video feed? Or, do you just drive around and see the footage later? Second, how high is the quality of the video? Many cameras will capture footage in 720p, but they have the option of upgrading to higher resolutions, or you can start with an ROV with 1080p resolution.

Motors. The number of motors and their function makes a difference. The more motors you have, the faster you can travel through the water. Motors have two functions: thrusting and hovering. Some ROVs that don’t have hovering motors (they are also less expensive).

There are many other features you should look at when investing in an ROV, including battery life, Wi-Fi, and memory capacity, but the four mentioned are some of the main differences between ROVs.

After you’ve captured some awesome footage of a shark swimming straight at your ROV, wisp the footage to your friends, family, and clients (and us).

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post 4 Features of Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROVs) appeared first on Wispeo.

• The participants must have at least some dancing skill, so it isn’t completely terrible
• Apache (Jump On It) should not be part of the music mix (or any other cliché dance song for that matter) – quite honestly one could argue there’s too much Michael Jackson in these dances, but then again, you can never get enough MJ
• There has to be a lot of audience engagement, otherwise it’s just awkward

You’ll notice that we made exceptions to these rules to include some dances that we thought were worth the exception. So without further ado, here are our top ten wedding dances:

There’s one more thing that makes the majority of these wedding dances great. Almost all of them had professional videographers to capture the fun memories. There’s no replacement for sharing videos in the highest quality, and Wispeo is here to help you do just that.

What dances were your favorites? Have any that didn’t get included on the list? Leave the link below, or wisp us your own wedding dance video to social@wispeo.com!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post 10 Best Wedding Dance Videos on YouTube appeared first on Wispeo.

W: Can you tell us how you got your start?
BM: I got my start in videography about 10 years ago during my freshman year in high school. My friends and I seemed to do a lot of what you would call “stupid” stuff so we wanted to document it. Simply put, I had a camera and always found myself being the one to film it. I soon realized I had a passion for working with a camera and took that passion to skiing. I used my other passion of skiing as a gateway to film more. Fast forward 7 years and I was lucky enough to create a viral video that currently sits at over 8 million views on YouTube with the help of Ohio Dreams. Working closely with Ohio Dreams has allowed me to make several connections.

W: What is your biggest inspiration?
BM:Often people compare me to Devin Graham who is known as Devin Super Tramp. I think I truly realized where I wanted to take my career when I saw Devin’s original Rope Swing video which boosted his career as well. Not only have I looked up to Devin’s work, but I look to ski film companies like Level 1 and of course one of the biggest name in actions sports, Redbull.

W: How would you describe your style?
BM: I love me some crispy goodness, meaning I am a huge sucker for detail in pure quality. I think that’s why I began considering myself a cinematographer. I focus on telling a story through the lens, rather than with a script.

W: Tell us the story behind one of the photos/videos we’re featuring – why did you choose that photo/video to send?
BM: “Dedicated” is still one of my favorite videos to date. The idea was something I had been wanting to do for a while and when the day came to shoot, the weather wasn’t looking good. In Ohio the weather can change in an instant and sure enough it changed in our favor. The shoot began at 5:30am before the sun came up to get every shot of the subject Brandt going through his morning routine of setting up the terrain park. Before we knew it, it was the sunniest I have ever seen it at that ski resort and we filmed from sunrise to sundown. I ended up winning a contest with that video and still refer to it as some of my best work.

W: Where are your favorite spots to shoot?
BM: Out in the mountains. Seeing as I live in Ohio, this rarely happens but any time I can be in pure untouched nature, I am happy.

W: What kind of equipment do you use?
BM: My go-to piece of equipment is my trusty glidecam. It has an infinite amount of uses in a shoot to get any shot possible. When I’m not using a Sony mirrorless camera on the glidecam, I have my GoPro mounted to a Feiyu tech gimbal.

W: Do you have any special techniques? Do they define your style?
BM: I shoot with music in mind. Every shot I create, I already have a specific section of music picked out to match it perfectly. I believe your video is only as good as the audio you choose.

W: What challenges have you had to overcome in this industry?
BM: Money and resources. I know it sounds cliché but it’s the truth. I’ve found myself literally making equipment to meet the shot I want to create. I’ve made sliders, stabilizers, and even an attempt at a cable cam with whatever I could get in my garage and local hardware store. Heck, my grandmother gave me the loan to purchase my first real video camera. Ohio obviously isn’t the mecca of filmmaking so you have to get creative with your shooting. We don’t have studios or beautiful locations to shoot in as much as other states out west or the east coast would. I could film the exact same thing at a ski location in Ohio and a location out in the Rockies and the footage would look much better out west.

W: How do you see your career progressing?
BM: My long term goal is to become one of two things. One would be to work full time for YouTube, traveling, shooting content all over the world. The second would to be to work full time as a cinematographer for an action sports company like Redbull. See a pattern?

Brice is based in Ohio.
Contact him on Instagram: @bricemilleson, Twitter: @BriceMilleson, or YouTube: Brice Milleson
Interested in being a featured creative on the Wispeo blog?
Send an email to our team at social@wispeo.com!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Featured Creative: Brice Milleson appeared first on Wispeo.

Check out our new tutorial video to see how easy it is to use Wispeo:

1. Click and drag your attachments (up to 3GB) into the box.

2. If you’re wisping a video, make sure you “check” the video conversion box. We make it easy for your recipient to receive footage in high quality – no matter what device they’re using. Our insane converting capabilities will send your video in usable formats to the web or to a smartphone or tablet.

3. Enter your recipient’s email address (and don’t forget to enter your email address below).

4. Make sure you agree to the terms and conditions, and you’re ready to start wisping your files!

After you press send, we’ll never leave you hanging. You’ll receive an email confirmation notifying you that your wisp has sent.

Click here to start wisping now. And don’t forget to let us know if you have any questions or feedback!

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post How Wispeo Works: Connecting Every Story appeared first on Wispeo.

Pizza Hut recently released this video poking fun at the selfie stick trend. As you can see, the commercial’s selfie sticks keep getting longer and longer, lengthened in an effort to find the perfect shot to share with the “world…wide web.”

We might make fun them, but selfie sticks are here to stay. Although popular with the general public, videographers and photographers have found a way to use selfie sticks to create some pretty cool footage. Selfie sticks enable a much wider depth of frame, which helps create the “wow factor” in videos like this one:

When GoPro and other adventure cameras first added the helmet mount, adventurers like bikers, skydivers, and snowboarders were able to capture footage in a new way. This skiing video is an awesome example of the unique video that can be captured by a helmet mount:

While the helmet attachment for GoPro allows for a first-person view, selfie sticks give a view of the facial expressions and background. This “face to face” interaction allows for the synergy between viewer and subject that videographers strive for. This rope swing video lets us see the exhilaration on the jumper’s faces. It enables videographers and amateur video makers to capture footage from a unique vantage point, (and it gives viewers a better connection with video subjects.)

Would you use a selfie stick to capture video? If you decide to try it out, head to Wispeo to share your footage with your circle.

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Capture Extreme Video Using…A Selfie Stick? appeared first on Wispeo.

We designed Wispeo especially with photographers and videographers in mind.

Picture this. You’re working hard to capture photo and video at a special event. After the shoot, you’re excited to share your work with your client, but you run into some trouble. Your files are too large to easily send in high quality as email attachments.

This theoretical situation might be something you deal with on a regular basis if you’re in the business of producing great video. Sharing footage with friends or distributing edits to colleagues for video projects is an ongoing challenge.

We pinned down the three key issues that make it hard to truly leverage video content:

1) High quality files are too big to easily share.

2) Converting video to useful, usable formats is confusing.

3) Distributing video in your chosen format can be laborious.

With Wispeo, it’s a simple fix.

On our site, you can attach and send up to 3 GB of media at a time. Just to put that in context – that’s the equivalent of 60 hours of internet activity, or 3,000 emails. It’s groundbreaking.

Wispeo’s amazing video conversion options allow your recipient to view formatted attachments on whatever device they want. Your client wants to check out the attachment on an iPhone or tablet? No problem. We’ve got you covered.

Imagine what it would be like to devote all your time to crafting the perfect story – no conversions. No formatting. Wispeo does all the tedious work for you, like transcoding. (We’re all going to miss that step in the post-production process.)

Now that we’ve gushed about all of Wispeo’s capabilities, feel free to give it a try yourself.

And once you hit the ‘send’ button, we won’t leave you hanging. You’ll receive instant email notifications when we wisp your files, and when your recipient gets them.

Want to know more? Have any ideas about how to make Wispeo even better? Send an email to our team at social@wispeo.com.

Wispeo is now mobile! Get the easiest way to share videos and photos from your phone in the App Store or from Google Play.

The post Introducing Wispeo (n.): The Startup That Helps You Send High-Quality Media appeared first on Wispeo.