I have literally seen 1000s upon 1000s of videos, I check them out almost every single day. Both for my blog “Furry Times” as well as my own enjoyment. But the one thing I can say without a doubt is there is no such thing as a bad video. As long as those who took the time to create it, and are happy with it, that is all that matters.
It might be surprising to some that a self-proclaimed expert in what makes a good furry music video says that…but I honestly feel that way.
Furry videos in general literally can be anything from dance, random things that happen at cons to full-fledged stories. Not all are the same, but it would be boring if they were.
Are all fan-made videos brilliant? No, but that is just my opinion.
Like me saying anyone can make a great video. It could be their first or something they did at the last minute. I have seen dozens of incredible videos, not necessary furry ones. They all share the same story that it’s creator could have been making videos for years, then all of a sudden…INCREDIBLE!!! To quote Aladdin, “A diamond in the rough”. Really I am not even joking about that. It really can happen, and I could honestly give dozens of examples. Think of it as like winning the lottery, it doesn’t happen every day. Like what will become viral I think the best example (and frankly the only video that I will mention by name) is “All The Single Furries!” which has as of the last time I checked had 1.17 million views. Love it or hate it, that video has literally gone viral. Okay so it’s viral…so what? Since the song is a parody and if they monetized that song. And in case you didn’t know parodies are legal and based upon what I could find out they could have made around $5,000.
Like I said “A diamond in the rough”.
Do I feel those like EZ Wolf always make a great video? No, and this comes from a guy who really doesn’t like Bitter Lake, but that is just my opinion.
Before we really get into stuff that I feel all video makers should know, not nescessary those making furry music videos, just videos in general and what to watch out for. If you want to know what I think makes a really good furry music video. Check out my playlist on YouTube, just search for “Best Furry Music Videos” and I have another playlist called “Best Furry” for other things furry I thought is quite good and you will have your answer.
With that said the following is really more a list of suggestions rather than actual guidelines. Really it more a list of what you should watch out for and stuff any video maker should know.
Okay so the first one is really a rule, and something all video makers should follow.
MAKE SURE YOUR EQUIPMENT WORKS!!!
I can’t honestly tell you the number of posts or the plain number of people ready to record something and suddenly discovering their equipment isn’t working, or that something is missing. Please check first!!!! Even make a test video on whatever you plan on using. If it doesn’t work you can’t record anything…and do this before you get to the location…more on that later.
Next…
I guess planning, and there is really a lot that goes in to this and I’ll break it down. Not necessarily in order but still something you should really think about.
What kind of Video will you be doing?
Story, song, whatever…do like the professional do and plan it out. You want people to enjoy and and not complain you didn’t have a clear idea of what the hell was that about.
MUSIC
As in what song are you planning to use, that actually guides you to what you plan on recording. Think typical circus music to a background of hardcore dancing like at a rave. Doesn’t make sense now does it, to me that is why picking the right song is so important and from the very start.
Speaking of which, and this frankly has been happening a lot on YouTube. Getting you video flagged because of the song you used. Face it, any popular in America song will get flagged for copyright infringement. But not ones recorded outside the US. Really there are a lot of great songs that frankly most of us never heard before why not consider one of them.
Really parodies don’t get flagged, neither does original songs. Besides you can really monotize them and make money if you get a lot of views.
Location
Remember the people you are recording are in fursuits (in general) and you don’t want problems. The general rule is that if it’s not safe to fursuit, it’s probably not safe to record. If your in a building like a store, it’s doesn’t hurt to ask if it’s okay to record. Cons are an exception, but you have to deal with crowds.
Editing
Unless you planning to do the entire song in one take. You might need to edit your video, and a friend with an actual YouTube channel told me. Editing is a lot harder than you can imagine. It’s a combo of skill and whatever program you are going to use, and naturally you will get better with practice. But knowing someone who is already good at it is a real plus.
Promotion
Promote the hell out of your video. Don’t think about making a single post to social media and think that was it. You need word of mouth, post it on everything and everywhere and if your brave enough ask for comments.
Furry Times 