Video Selfie Secrets

Video Selfie Secrets
i
VIDEO SELFIE SECRETS
Turn Your Ordinary Video Selfie Into
Wonderful Moments
By Olivia Sarah

ii
CONTENTS
Introduction………………………………………..….……….….….…1
Chapter 1
BENEFITS OF VIDEO SELFIE…….…………………………..……2
Chapter 2
SECRETS OF VIDEO SELFIE…..……………………………………9
Chapter 3
TIPS ON CAPTURING VIDEO SELFIES WHEN
TRAVELING………………………………………………………………20
Chapter 4
HOW TO TAKE GREAT SELFIE VIDEO OF A LIVE
EVENT………………………………..……………………………….…….26
Chapter 5
HOW TO USE PERISCOPE FOR VIDEO
SELFIE……………………………………………………….……………29

iii
Chapter 6
SOFTWARE AND APPS FOR YOUR PERFECT VIDEO
SELFIE…………………………………………………………………..….32
Chapter 7
HOW TO CREATE A TOUCHING AND MEMORABLE
SELFIE VIDEO…………………………………………………………..42
Chapter 8
HOW TO SHARE YOUR VIDEO ON SOCIAL
MEDIA…………………………………………………….………………..45
Conclusion………………………………………………………………53

iv
The Video Selfie Secrets: Turn Your Ordinary Video Selfie Into
Wonderful Moments by Olivia Sarah ©2016 by Olivia Sarah. All
rights reserved.
No part of this book may be copied or reproduced without the
author’s written approval. This book may not be reproduced in
any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the
author. The author takes no responsibility for any injures which
might occur as a result of following the advice contained within
the book, and holds both herself and all of her representatives
harmless in a resulting damage. By reading this book, you agree
to hold the author harmless for any damages incurred as a result
of following the suggestions within this book.

v
This book is lovingly dedicated to my mother, Sophia Emily.
Thank you for teaching me to love myself—and in turn to love
others from a place of wholeness and truth.

1
Introduction
The past few years have seen technology gifting us a
number of innovative and useful social tools. Video selfie is
surely one of them. You might find my words too strong,
but I feel that making video selfies a part of your life is
extremely important. It will not only make the process of
capturing precious memories permanently easier than ever
before, but will also help you to meet many of your
professional goals. So, I recommend this book to every
single person who is yet to try out the art.
What is video selfie?
The technical definition of video selfie would be a video
taken in style of a selfie, which means it’s a video of you
captured by you. It may or may not include other people
and objects, but the capturer’s presence is a must.
Although video selfies are primarily taken for being
published on social networking platforms, their efficacy is
not just limited to improving social interactions. They are
widely used even for business communications and
promotions. Read on to know more about this amazing gift
of technology.

2
Chapter 1
BENEFITS OF VIDEO SELFIE
Video selfie has a number of uses and what’s even more
fascinating is that the creative minds of people are allowing
them to come up with newer uses with every passing day.
The section below will tell you how you can use video selfies
for your benefit.
For letting the world know about you through
social media platforms
This is probably the most common purpose of making video
selfies. I remember I uploaded my very first video selfie on
my Instagram account and it brought me more followers in
a single day than I got during the previous one month. This
encouraged me to upload video selfies even on my Facebook
account and Twitter account. The most amazing thing about
this tool is that the majority of the friends and followers
added to my account were likeminded individuals.

3
Figure 1: Girls taking video selfies for letting people know
about their life
When we look for virtual friends, we primarily look for
people who love doing things that we love. Yes, it’s true that
images we upload provide the profile visitors a basic idea
about our likes and dislikes, but a video selfie can do more.
It can provide people visiting your social media profile a
clear idea about you as a person, your profession, passion,
lifestyle etc. in a jiffy without requiring them to scroll down
and click on several posts. It’s a great thing because no one
seems to have time these days. Even people looking for
friends on social networking websites (which is definitely
not a time bound job) don’t like wasting time.

4
For getting ready for job interview
Believe me a video selfie can groom you better for a job
interview than any professional groomer. I have always
heard my mother saying, “You are the best person to
identify your flaws” and that’s the reason why video selfies
can be the best groomer you will ever have. William, my
best friend since childhood, was struggling to get a good job
in spite of being highly qualified. The culprit in this case
was his incongruously low self-esteem. His counsellor
suggested him to stop thinking about interviews and just
practice taking selfie videos. He gave him a script with
general questions asked by interviewers. The places
dedicated to answers, however, were kept empty. It’s
because there was never a problem with his answers, the
problem was always with the way he was answering.
Figure 2: A guy taking a video selfie to find out what kind of
facial expressions he should have during an interview

5
William followed the guidelines and soon detected a
number of flaws in him. For instance, he found that he
always looks at the ceiling when answering a question. Now,
that’s a really bad thing. Who would want to have a high
profile employee (I already mentioned how highly qualified
William is) who cannot make eye contact? My friend was
intelligent enough to find out ways to get rid of all the issues
detected by him pretty promptly. Soon he was selected by
one of the top automobile firms of the country. However,
his tryst with this amazing tool hasn’t ended. Even today, I
see him making selfie videos to get himself ready for
meetings and presentations.
For informing people about happy moments in
your life
When you are happy, you should share your happiness with
as many people as you can. Yes it’s true that posting an
image of the moment, sending a message describing the
event or calling near and dear ones are some of the easy and
tried and tested ways of informing people about the happy
events taking place in your life, but none of them can be as
effective and revealing as a video selfie.

6
Figure 3: A woman capturing a cuddly moment with her little
one
Last month my sister gave birth to a little angel. I was out of
town and couldn’t make it to the hospital on the special day.
Sharp at 2 am I received a video on my WhatsApp. It was a
selfie video taken just a couple of hours after the baby was
born. It featured my sister and her husband with the little
bundle of joy in my sister’s lap. They congratulated me for
becoming an uncle and shared their joy with me. I could feel
there happiness in spite of being miles away from them.
I keep receiving such selfies from my sister, which helps me
keep a track of the little one’s growth and her bond with her
mother even after moving out of my home city.
For business communications and carrying out
promotional campaigns
I haven’t done this myself, but I often come across video
selfies on Facebook promoting product/services. I click and

7
view the majority of them and thus I feel that they are
alluring enough to make targeted audience spare a few
minutes to watch them. Selfie videos can also be used for
business communication to convey your messages to your
clients and business associates in a more personalized
manner.
For teaching and motivating
The internet is filled with videos selfies featuring top
motivational speakers in the world. You will be amazed to
see the number of visits those videos get. Most of us love
taking part in one to one communication. Motivational
speakers and life-skill coaches seem to address a much
bigger audience through regular videos seems. However,
when they speak through a video selfie, it seems that they
are addressing only the current viewer. This automatically
generates more views.
For conducting health awareness campaigns
The online video sharing platforms like YouTube are filled
with videos where cancer survivors (and people surviving
other severe illnesses) are sharing their experiences of
treatment, recovery and post-treatment care.

8
Figure 4: A cancer survivor taking an after-chemo video selfie
to inspire other cancer patients
Such videos help in motivating patients undergoing
treatment to take the pain of treatment without losing hope
and fight with side effects more easily.

9
Chapter 2
SECRETS OF VIDEO SELFIE
People taking video selfies generally don’t have any training
for shooting and editing videos. I also didn’t have any when
I shot my first ever selfie video. The first one I made was
definitely enough for letting people know what I was trying
to say, but it was filled with flaws. Of course, I didn’t notice
those flaws at that time. Instead I was over the moon
assuming that I have done an extraordinary job. However,
when I look at that piece of work now (yes I still have it
saved in my phone) I just keep identifying mistakes.
Practice has brought me closer to perfection as far as video
selfies are concerned. So far, I have captured more than
thousands of them as if I compare them now I can clearly
see how my skills have grown over time.
I can help you in speeding up the process of understanding
how to take a perfect video selfie. Read through the secrets
shared below to know more.

10
Check the lighting
Figure 5: Woman checking the light before taking an outdoor
video selfie
Having good lighting is a must not just for video selfies, but
for all kinds of videos and photos. It’s true that unlike selfies,
selfie videos are not so much about showing off things like
hair, makeup, new outfits etc. It’s because the main aim of
these videos is conveying a message to the viewers.
However, it would not be a bad thing if you allow people to
know how good you look in a sexy outfit or in your new
hairdo, while putting across the required message. This
makes having good lighting extremely important even for
selfie videos. Avoid dark lighting. Your viewers would not be
interested to just listening to your voice if they can’t see you
properly. Also, make sure the lighting is not too harsh (even
if it allows you to hide the blemishes on your face) as that
would make the video less watchable.
Having proper lighting is also vital for capturing the
background clearly. Often we make video selfies to talk

11
about the background. If that’s the case, you must also
check the background lighting before shooting. Natural
light can do the trick for you. You can also use street lights
for keeping your background prominent.
Pick the right background
Unless you are trying to let people know how messy you are,
you should not pick backgrounds like a dirty bedroom with
a bed filled with piles of clothes. Also, avoid committing
mistakes like taking video selfies in your bathroom. Your
aim should be having a clear and happy background. If you
are capturing a selfie video in your home or office, position
yourself in front of textured curtains or solid colored walls.
Figure 6: An example of ideal background for video selfless

12
If it’s an outdoor shoot, try to make your background a mix
of blue (the sky) and green (trees, grassy lands etc.). If
there’s lack of greenery at the shooting spot, a combination
of brown and blue will also do. My personal view having a
touch of blue or green is a must when it comes to outdoor
video selfies.
Take care of the angle
When taking video selfies the majority of the people don’t
consider the angle of the footage. That’s one flaw all my
initial selfie videos have. You definitely know from which
angle you look the best. You should place the camera in that
angle. If the video is not about you, but about the
background, place the camera in a way so that the
background is clearly visible without diminishing your
prominence on the screen.
Figure 7: A short man positioning the camera to look tall in his
video selfie

13
I feel you are the best person to judge what would be the
best angle for your selfie video. So, never shy away from
experimenting. Soon, you will find what would be best for
you. For instance, if you are short, you can take a low angle
selfie video (as shown in Figure 7).
Avoid having mirrors
Make sure you don’t take the selfie video standing in front
of the mirror or with a mirror in the background. I once
committed this mistake and found that my entire effort was
spoilt as my smartphone was looking pretty ugly in the
video.
Take final look before beginning to talk
Once you know what would be your background, what kind
of lighting you’ll be having and the angle you’ll be holding
the camera at, position yourself accordingly and click a
selfie. This will allow you to understand how exactly you
and your background will look in the video. Make changes if
you are not happy with the result. If you are satisfied with
the result, press the record button and start shooting your
video selfie.

14
Keep it short and precise
If the video selfie is for a promotional campaign, you should
have the script ready well in advance. In fact, you should
have an idea of what you would be talking about in the
video in case of all informative video selfies. This will help
you to keep the video short and precise. The majority of the
people don’t click on videos that are more than 10 minutes
long. Ideally, you should try to convey your message in less
than 5 minutes. If your content is good, even a video that
runs only for a few seconds would do the job for you.
Elimination of unwanted portions during editing is surely
an option for videos that are too long.
Recently I helped my brother put together a selfie video in
support of his school basketball team. We decided whom we
would talk to and what kind of questions we would ask
before starting the shooting. This allowed us to get the
desired results quickly and without much fuss.
Be energetic
You should look happy (not when covering a story of an
accident or a disaster) and energetic in the video selfie.
Shoot the video only if you are feeling great. Yes there are a
few exceptions. For instance, when shooting a selfie video
during a trip, you can look a bit tired when signing off.

15
Have multiple takes
We all know that some of the best shots in films have not
been achieved during the first take. So, if you are not happy
with the video selfie, you can try more than one takes for
getting the results you want.
Focus on audio quality
Sound plays an extremely vital role in video selfies. The
content of your video might be great, but if its audio quality
is not up to the mark, you will not be able to provide the
viewers with the video experience they want. Can you
imagine watching an X-Men movie without great sound
effects? I know your answer is “NO”. The same stands true
for selfie videos. They are meaningless without the clear
audio.
Like most rookies, I have also committed the mistake of not
focusing on sound quality when I started. However, I was
quick to spot the mistake and was lucky to identify the
easiest way of obtaining good sound without much ado. For
me, the easiest way was getting rid of all sorts of distracting
noise. I identified the first culprit during an indoor shoot. It
was the fan in my room. Whining sounds made by a fan can
muffle your voice significantly. The only way to beat this
issue is putting off the fan when capturing a selfie video. I
know it’s difficult during the summer months. However,
you shouldn’t have much trouble shooting a short video

16
without the fan on. I have already mentioned selfie videos
should always be short and precise.
For people, who live in cities, the most common culprits
(particularly during outdoor shoots) are vehicle noises.
Sounds made by other humans when interacting and
speaking are also often found to spoil audio quality of selfie
videos. The best way of avoiding those noises is picking a
serene place in your area. For instance, I have managed to
find an abandoned house just a mile away from my house.
There are certain videos that you will always have to capture
amid a lot of hustle and bustle. For instance, if you are at a
pub, you would never be able to eliminate the noise from
your video. Noise is actually one of the most important
elements of such videos. It’s impossible to imagine a pub
without noise. In such cases, you will just have to make sure
your voice doesn’t get overpowered by the sounds in the
background.
A friend once asked me whether it’s possible to take a video
selfie in a closed room. If you are also thinking about a
similar option, I just have one thing to remind you. Don’t
close all doors and windows as it might result in an echo.
Avoid zooming in
You should never zoom in as that might diminish your
videos’ production quality. We zoom in with the aim of
catching things more closely. However, the fact is that
zooming technology is only good at pixelating videos. The

17
end product you will get will be grainy and no one will love
the experience of watching it. Remember 720 pixels is the
minimum requirement for your video.
Use landscape mode instead of portrait mode
Figure 9: Landscape mode
The majority of the beginners commit the mistake of
picking portrait mode when taking selfie videos. This
tendency of picking portrait mode probably has its roots in
the fact that taking selfie videos in that mode is significantly
easier. I am suggesting you to use landscape mode as its
reach and depth is much higher. In addition, landscape
mode makes the experience of watching videos on mobile
phones and tablets more fascinating. As our subconscious
hates watching videos in portrait, we often rotate our phone
in our hand to create a landscape view. By capturing the
video in landscape mode you can ensure that viewers don’t
need to make such adjustments when watching videos.

18
Use cam equipment
Figure 8: Selfie stick
Although I don’t like using cam equipment whenever I take
a selfie video, I recommend each individual interested in
this art to have them in their kitty. It’s because under
certain circumstances, cam equipment come in really handy.
One item you must definitely have is a selfie stick.
Take care of movement
Often when we take video selfies, the process involves a
movement. To make sure that the video looks good, it’s
extremely important that our camera adjusts to such
movements. However, often people fail to adjust their
camera positions according to different movements taking
place during the shooting. Let me explain the issue using
the example of camera panning. We often pan our camera
when capturing selfie videos for showing viewers an entire
scene. We can complete the job just by making a tiny
movement. However, the camera requires taking a giant

19
stride to ensure that it has panned aptly. It needs to adjust
to the changed scene only within a few seconds.
Like most of the other skills required for clicking a perfect
selfie video, I also learnt adjusting my camera to different
movements taking place when capturing a video after
practicing the art for some time. When I look at the first few
video selfies (yes I have each of them saved) captured by me
now, I can see how my camera movement was clearly visible.
The sudden shakes and quivers in them indicate that those
were the times I was moving the camera. On the contrary,
the video selfies I take now seems to be a smooth ride when
I watch them as a viewer. Here, I must mention that having
the older creations saved is a great way of identifying the
areas you have improved in as well as areas you need to
improve further.

20
Chapter 3
TIPS ON CAPTURING VIDEO SELFIES
WHEN TRAVELING
Are you planning to take selfie videos during your next trip?
If yes, then reading this chapter is a must for you. Here, I
have shared the experience of taking selfie videos during my
trip to China earlier this year. Being an avid animal lover, I
would like to discuss about the experience of capturing my
own interactions with a cuddly panda.
Figure 10: A man capturing video selfie with a cute panda
Below are the things I kept in mind when capturing the
video.
1. Light - I shot the video during daytime, so, getting
good light was not an issue for me. However, I had to
ensure that both the black and white parts of the

21
panda are clearly visible. So, placed myself
underneath a tree that exposed us just to enough
light for being clearly visible on camera. I couldn’t
allow the light to be harsh as my previous
experiences suggested that shooting under extremely
harsh light spoils the viewing experience significantly.
2. Background - When you shoot an animal or any
other object of nature you must try to keep the
backdrop as natural as possible. The same theory
stands true even for video selfies. As I was shooting
in Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center, one of the
best places in China for seeing giant pandas, I didn’t
struggle to find a suitable backdrop. There was the
temptation of keeping the background green as the
place is full of greenery, but I chose to keep in brown.
There are reasons behind this choice of mine. Firstly,
I have always seen black and white objects appear
more gorgeous when shot with a maroon, brown or
dark beige background. Secondly, when I searched
for panda video selfies on the internet, the majority I
came across was shot with greenery in the backdrop
and I didn’t want to do something similar.
3. Angle - I got a place where I could sit with the giant
panda, which made getting a perfect angle absolutely
easy for me. I shot the selfie video with the same
panda I spent time with for 30 minutes. So, by the
time I began shooting I had already developed a
rapport with the cuddly creature. I needed to put in
very little effort for bringing the friendly with me and

22
sitting in front of the background chosen by me. I
placed the front camera of my phone a little towards
my left and had the panda on my right. This allowed
me to shoot a video featuring my face and neck and
the entire body of the subject i.e. the giant panda.
Some of the other angles you can choose based on
the panda’s position are as follows:
 If the panda is sitting on a lower branch of the
tree, you can place yourself on its left and take
the video selfie. You can consider using a wide
angle view as it will allow you to capture a
large portion of the tree with the panda.
 If there are a group of pandas playing amid
the forest, place yourself just in front of them
and sit down on your knees. Use your selfie
stick for capturing the video. This will ensure
that all the pandas in the group are visible.
 If it’s a baby panda, sit with the panda on your
lap. Use your selfie stick so that you can
capture the entire body of both the panda and
you. This will allow the viewers to see how
comfortably the panda is sitting in your lap.
4. Script - You must have a basic script ready, but as
you cannot predict what exactly the animal would do
during the shooting, you must also be prepared for
impromptu communication with your audience. At
least, I had to do that, and the results were
surprisingly great.

23
As I was discussing how great I felt when hugging the
soft little creature, the giant panda came closer to me
and started poking me for a hug. I embraced him
with one hand and narrated how amazing our first
meeting was and how it took us just a few minutes
for becoming friends. I am sure that your selfie video
would feature similarly (or even more) exciting
stories.
The above suggestions are reflections of my own experience.
Below I have provided some tips for clicking selfie videos
during two other types of trips, both equally popular. Read
on to know more.
1. On hot air balloons in Melbourne- When
clicking selfie videos to capture your experience on
hot air balloons, you should not put in additional
efforts to make people understand how the balloon
you are traveling in looks (don’t use a selfie stick).
Instead, try to keep one or more balloons in your
background. The video’s background should be
largely blue. To allow the viewer relate to your
feelings, you must make sure they can see a lot of sky
when you will describe the fears and excitements of
exploring the planet Earth from above.

24
Figure 11: Girl taking a hot air balloon video selfie
These videos will obviously include impromptu
dialogues as it’s not possible for anyone to know how
exactly he/she would be feeling when floating in the
air on a hot air balloon. Deliver the dialogues in a
way so that the viewers also feel like taking part in
the activity as soon as possible.
2. When trekking on the Himalayas- Trekking is
definitely not everybody’s cup of tea, more so, if it’s
the Himalayas. However, still I would like to offer
you some tips for taking selfie videos when exploring
this legendary South Asian mountain range.

25
Figure 12: Man capturing a video selfie with the blue
sky and a mountain range in the background
It would be wise for you to use a selfie stick as it’s the
only way of capturing a wide view of your
background. The wider would be the view, the
greater would be your chances of having a large
portion of the mountain range behind you. Trekking
video selfies should ideally be taken during the
daytime as chances of availability of light become
pretty dim once the sun sets.
What about the color of the background? There are
not many options available. You would either need to
pick white, blue, a vague and shabby green, a mix of
any two of them or all three of them. Checking the
image above would give you some idea of what you
can expect as far as background is concerned. I,
however, would have kept a mix of blue sky and milk
white snow as my background. I would love to get
more ideas from you.

26
Chapter 4
HOW TO TAKE GREAT SELFIE VIDEO
OF A LIVE EVENT?
To capture a great selfie video of a live event, you must first
pick a great event. It should be an event that doesn’t take
place every other day, the rarer the better. One such event is
the solar eclipse. Solar eclipse takes place almost every year,
but is can be viewed only from certain parts of the world.
People may need to wait for decades for viewing a solar
eclipse. This makes the event a great subject for selfie video.
Figure 13: Protective glasses
The most common means of watching a solar eclipse is by
using photo films. To make the video selfie a bit more
interesting, you might use your creativity in choosing the
process of viewing the eclipse. Here are some options you
can try:

27
 A colorful colander
 A bin
 Protective glasses
 Large telescopes
 Tools crafted out of cardboard boxes
Figure 14: A bin and a colander
The weirder your means of watching the eclipse is the more
exciting is the video. If you have any creative idea in your
mind, I would like to know about it. People in the United
States would be witnessing its next total solar eclipse on
August21, 2017. I am planning to take a video selfie of that
mesmerizing life event. Hence, I am keen to get any number
of tips and suggestions from my readers.
You would struggle to capture the actual event when taking
selfie videos. So, it would be good to keep flipping your

28
phone camera and later edit the video to allow viewers to
see a fair share of you and the eclipse.
When the camera is capturing you, narrate stories you have
heard from others about their experience of watching
eclipses. You can also share your previous experience of
watching similar events and tell your viewers how you
celebrated the day. Once you flip the camera to capture the
eclipse, start describing the event as creatively as possible.
Your words should make the eclipse look even more
gorgeous.

29
Chapter 5
HOW TO USE PERISCOPE FOR
VIDEO SELFIE?
Figure 15: The Periscope Logo
When it comes to live video streaming, Periscope is the
most popular app these days. Just tapping on the icon twice
would turn on the app’s selfie mode. Here are a few tips you
can follow when using Periscope for live streaming video
selfies.
 Use an attractive title for every video - The title
should be promising and must appear compelling to
your target audience. People will never look at your
video if they are not hooked by the title. The
importance of title remains the same even if the selfie
video has winning content. What’s the use of having
high quality content, if no one gets to see it? I would
suggest you to write down a minimum of four to five
titles for every Scope you create. Show it to your

30
friends and family members and pick the one that
attracts them most.
 Be careful about the time - When you are using
Periscope, you are actually taking part in live
broadcasting. So, unlike regular blogs, this app
would need you to be careful about the time when
broadcasting something new. The rule stands true
both for a regular videos and videos selfies. For
instance, if you looking to live stream a selfie video
describing the process of using a hair gel, you should
do that only when your targeted audience will most
likely be free. Hair gels are primarily used by young
college goers. So, you should never carry out live
streaming of your video during day time, when most
of the colleges are open. I would suggest you to
utilize weekends for this job as that’s the time when
most young adults stay at home.
 Converse - When on Periscope, all your video
selfies should include conversations. Don’t worry as
you will come across several people to communicate
with, when using this amazing app.
 Learn managing trolls - Yes, it’s the era of
internet and getting trolled is probably the most

31
common event here. I never get bogged down when I
get trolled, but I also don’t wait a minute to tap on
those disturbing users to block them.
 Be prepared to be creative- When working on
live streaming video selfies, you will not get a chance
of edit your mistakes. So, you must be ready to hide
your mistakes using your creativity. Additionally,
you’ll also need to develop the skill of not letting the
sorrow of committing errors be apparent from your
face.

32
Chapter 6
SOFTWARE AND APPS FOR YOUR
PERFECT VIDEO SELFIE
Past two years have seen launch of quite a few video selfie
apps and software. Some of these apps that are making
maximum buzz, according to me, are Triller, Dubsmash (my
personal favorite), EyeGroove and Flipagram. These are
apps that will help you to make your selfie videos more fun-
filled and interesting. If you can use them intelligently, they
will surely bring in more viewers for your videos.
1. Triller
Figure 16: The Triller logo

33
Figure 17: Young people capturing a music video using
Triller
It’s a music video app that allows mobile phone users
to shoot themselves while lip syncing their favorite
numbers and then sharing the videos on social media.
The app has managed to gain significant popularity
due to the plethora of amazing features it comes
equipped with. One of them is its facial analysis
technology, which gets videos edited automatically.
As a user, you will only have to shoot a few takes of
yourself. That’s it. The job of post-production will be
done by Triller. It will cut the clips and come up with
a perfect music video. Another impressive feature of
Triller is its intelligent audio.

34
Figure 18: Simple Steps of Using Triller
Below are some simple steps to use Triller:
a) Select a song of your choice
b) Capture multiple video takes
c) Stylize with cool filters
d) Auto-Edit your music video
e) Text or email to friends and family
f) Share to Instagram, Vine, Twitter, Facebook,
YouTube and other social networks

35
2. Dubmash
Figure 19: The Dubsmash Logo
I fell in love with Dubmash the first time I tried it. It
was definitely love at first sight for me. This selfie
video app allows users to sync up the audio of
popular/legendary quotes to videos featuring
themselves (the videos will have to be shot using
mobile devices). Yes, it’s true that Dubmash allow
users to get just a single take and there’s no
opportunity of editing. However, that doesn’t make it
less incredible. The results you will get will always be
awesome. Even celebrities find it quite exciting.
Famous people like Kevin Hart, Josh Groban, Hugh
Jackman, Lena Dunham and Rihanna have shared
their Dubsmash videos on Instagram.

36
Figure 20: Simple Steps of Using Dubmash
Below are some simple steps to use Dubmash:
a) Choose your favorite sound on Dubsmash
b) Record yourself with the sound
c) Share the recorded dub with your friends
3. EyeGroove-
Figure 21: The EyeGroove Logo

37
This app is capable of shooting high-definition videos
and then adding dramatic sounds and visual effects
to them. The company has a huge collection of tracks
in its library. Users are allowed to pick tracks from
there and add them to the existing videos in their
camera rolls. EyeGroove allows users to edit several
video clips simultaneously.
Figure 22: Simple Steps of Using EyeGroove
Below are some simple steps to use EyeGroove:
a) Choose from millions of songs you love
b) Shoot, import, and edit multiple clips together
c) Shoot hands free and at multiple speeds
d) Add incredible effect filters, adjustable by touch
e) Instantly share to Instagram, Facebook, and
Twitter
f) Send Grooves privately via SMS, Facebook
Messenger, and Kik
g) Find and follow your friends, favorite creators,
and styles

38
4. Flipagram-
Figure 23: The Flipagram logo
Flipagram will allow you to put your selfie videos to
music. I prefer using this app for making video
stories. I recently made a farewell video for one of my
colleagues using Flipagram.
Figure 24: Simple Steps of Using Flipagram
Below are some simple steps to use Flipagram:
a) Capture - Shoot music videos or select photos &
video clips from camera roll, albums, or Facebook.

39
b) Create - add your favorite music, set timing, cool
filters, and text to tell your story.
c) Share - on Flipagram or to Instagram, Facebook,
Twitter, WhatsApp, or beyond.
Tips for creating the best Dubsmash
I have already mentioned that among all video selfie apps
Dubsmash is my favorite. So, here are some secrets to
become a successful Dubsmasher:
1. Be careful about the frame - Never make the
mistake of assuming that no one would notice the
background. The past few years have seen internet
turning into a dangerous place. Netizens rarely miss
the opportunity of trolling someone. To prevent that
from happening, keep the background of your
Dubsmash videos neutral. They should not feature
anything that is embarrassing. Remember even
simple things, such as a childhood photograph can
cause a lot of trouble if the video becomes viral.
2. Try to look good - People create Dubsmash videos
to get known on the Internet. You would definitely
not want people to know you as someone who is not
good looking or doesn’t possess an attractive
personality. I would suggest you to click a selfie
before you start shooting a Dubmash video. If the
way you look in the selfie doesn’t impress you,
change your dress, get a new hairstyle or change your

40
eye makeup (for girls only). Click another selfie to
ensure you have achieved your desired look. Always
try to shoot in a well-lit place as without light you
will never be able to highlight your looks. Maintain
an optimal distance between your face and cell phone
when shooting. The device should neither be too far,
nor too close.
3. Say no to too much makeup - All you girls out
there, here’s a word of caution for you. Never use too
much makeup when Dubsmashing. If you look
plastic in the video, and if it goes viral, no one would
be able to stop you from getting brutally trolled.
4. Don’t forget your partner - It has been found
that Dubsmash videos featuring two individuals are
usually more popular than those that feature one.
There’s a clear reason behind this. A video featuring
two people can showcase things such as conflict,
romance, anger etc. more prominently. So, if you
want your video to get more hits, it would be a good
idea to have a partner. However, when shooting with
a partner, you must be extra careful about the
positioning of your cell phone. The device should be
placed at an angle from where both you and your
partner are covered. Hit the “Start” button only when
you are satisfied with the coverage you and your
partner are getting.
5. Practice, practice and practice - You will find
the ‘Play’ symbol on the left of each snip. Click on it

41
and listen to the snip to find out what exactly you will
have to say. Once you know the dialogue, practice it
meticulously. I would suggest you to practice until
you are confident that you will be able to shoot the
video without forgetting a single word.
6. Learn dealing with pauses - There are some
snips that feature small pauses. If you are not sure
whether you will be able to manage the timing, count
while practicing for the shoot. This will allow you to
know how long the pause lasts. If you know that you
will need to count 4 for the next line to start,
matching the lip sync will no more be difficult for you
even if there’s a pause.
7. Don’t delete abruptly- Dubsmash cannot restore
any deleted video. Once you delete a video, it’s
completely removed from the system. So, even if you
don’t like a video, don’t delete it abruptly. Who
knows the video might eventually turn out to be the
best one out of the ones you have captured.
8. Think before trying weird things - It’s true that
videos featuring weird concepts are often big hits.
However, you must think before trying out a weird
concept. The concept might not end up embarrassing
you.

42
Chapter 7
HOW TO CREATE A TOUCHING AND
MEMORABLE SELFIE VIDEO?
A touching, memorable selfie video can be the best gift for
many occasions including retirements, birthdays,
anniversaries. This chapter will provide you with tips for
making some amazing selfie videos to wish people you love
and care on the special days of their lives.
Retirement
Are you planning to organize a farewell party for your dear
colleague? If yes, I would suggest you not to rely on
materialistic items for making that person happy. Expensive
items are definitely not the type of things a person would
like to take from the workplace she/he spent so much time
in. Instead, he or she would be striving to take some
memories along. A perfectly made video selfie would make
the job of gathering memories much easier. Here are a few
things you should try to do for creating a perfect video selfie.
 Old photographs with office colleagues at office
picnics, get-togethers, meetings etc.
 Try to find at least one picture depicting a funny
moment she had when working

43
 If the person has ever taken part in plays and other
performances at functions organized by the company,
try to find footage of that program. Footage of a few
seconds would be enough.
 Contact her family and ask whether they have some
mementos from her early work life. Of course, you
will have to request them to keep the entire plan
secret.
Compile all the items to create a short, but touching video
selfie and top it up with a crisp script. Gather as much
information about the person as possible to make the script
interesting and emotional. Don’t say something that might
embarrass the person.
Anniversary
Is your parents’ anniversary around the corner? A video
selfie in which you and your siblings are wishing them
together will surely make them happy. The video might also
feature old photographs of the lovely couple. You can also
use words and video footages to depict their journey as a
couple. Some of the items you might incorporate into the
video are:
 The photograph of their first kiss as husband and
wife
 Video footage that captured the moment they
brought their first child home

44
 Footages showing them shop for their wedding or
plan for the big day (it would be difficult to get, I
managed to gather some from my granny)
 Footages of their fights (the fight in my video took
place just a few days before my parents’ anniversary,
I was intelligent enough to capture the moment)
 Footages showing them partying or laughing
together
Write some invigorating dialogues that would complement
those images and footages aptly.
Birthday
If you are looking to put together a selfie video for wishing a
dear friend, you can make it a bit interesting for him by
adding some images/footages from his childhood (an
image/footage showing him taking a bath can be a great
addition). Your friend’s mother is the best person to provide
you with the required assistance. The dialogues can also
have a funny tone. The end product should lift the mood of
the gathering.

45
Chapter 8
HOW TO SHARE YOUR VIDEO ON
SOCIAL MEDIA?
The majority of the video selfies we take are meant to be
posted on the social media. We do so for letting our friends
and family members, who we can’t meet physically, know
what we are doing or how we have celebrated a special day.
We do so for letting our acquaintances or virtual friends
know how our life is and what kind of activities we take part
in. We also do so for promoting the services and/or
products our business offers or for letting people know
about our company as a whole. The section below talks
about the types of videos that enjoy maximum popularity on
social media.
YouTube
Figure 25: The YouTube logo

46
When it comes to selfie videos, you can consider creating
the following video types for your YouTube channel.
Unboxing videos - In spite of being quite unusual, this
video genre has been found to be extremely popular on
YouTube. To create an unboxing video, you need to capture
yourself opening a box and then getting excited by seeing
the contents. You don’t have to put in much effort for
creating such videos. Just fill a box with some gadgets,
makeup (if you are a girl, there cannot be a better option
than this), or toys (this will work if you are taking the selfie
video with your little one) and cover it. Start capturing the
video with the box in front of you. Open the box and act as if
you are extremely surprised to see the items inside it. If you
are shooting with your child, I would suggest you not to tell
your child what you have kept inside the box. Ensure that
those are surprise items for him or her. This will allow you
to get some amazing reactions from your little one.
Keep talking as you unbox the objects. This will allow
viewers to relate to you and interact with you via the
comments section. If the unboxing video lasts for just a few
seconds you can run a soundtrack instead of offering a live
commentary. For those short videos keep some weird things
like a dirty pair of socks or a shabby outfit in the box and
end the video with an even weirder expression.
Time lapse videos - Download a time lapse app on your
smartphone. These apps are extremely user-friendly and
always produce exciting results. That’s probably the reason
why time-lapse videos enjoy immense popularity both

47
among the viewers and the creators. Some of the best
subjects for a time lapse selfie video for YouTube can be
solving a puzzle along with your kid, an ongoing quarrel on
a very popular subject (it can be a football match that took
place last night) etc.
Tutorials - If it’s a selfie video I would suggest you to pick
topics, for which small tutorials would be sufficient. You can
create a selfie video with your mother in the kitchen. Ask
her to make a simple dessert like banana smoothie. Assist
her in finding ingredients and capture the entire process
with your phone. The visuals should be accompanied by
interesting live commentary. Instead of just talking about
the items used for preparing the dessert or describing the
process, talk about things like how you used to hate
bananas, but never denied having them in form of this
dessert. The camera should, however, clearly show every
single thing your mother is doing.
Product reviews - There’s no need of having
brainstorming sessions for picking the product you would
be reviewing. You can review anything on YouTube. It can
be your soap, a pair of jeans, the car wash you are using,
your phone, and so on. The two things you will have to keep
on mind when making the choice are the product picks by
you belongs to a well-known brand and is fairly new (if it’s a
gadget, just making sure that its’ still available on the
market is enough before reviewing it on YouTube).
I have seen that when it comes to product reviews the
comparison videos manage to gather more hits than the

48
regular review videos. If you want to compare two products,
for instance, tablets manufactured by two different
companies, I would suggest you to request a friend of yours
to join you. Try to depict as if you and your friend are
comparing your favorite gadgets with each other.
Disapprove each other’s claims fiercely. This will make your
video selfie more exciting.
Facebook
Figure 26: The Facebook like button
We already discussed about selfie videos that have greater
chances of going viral on Facebook. It’s true that these
videos also perform incredibly well on YouTube. I am
mentioning them here just because they tend to do better
than other videos on Facebook.
Inspirational videos - Take selfie videos that capture you
explaining verses from Bible or famous quotes and upload
on your Facebook account. It will surely fetch hundreds of
likes. The results would be similar if you discuss about
teachings of life skill coaches and religious gurus.

49
Babies and kids - Baby videos are almost never
overlooked by Facebook users. Share a video selfie featuring
your toddler on your Facebook account. You will surely see
it getting more likes than all your other posts.
Ethan, a 3 year old kid, in my neighborhood allowed me to
make the most popular video selfie I have ever made for
Facebook. He was playing in the garden when I visited his
house. He was standing on a tree pot and was trying to act
like a tree. He was not doing anything amazing, but the
reactions I got when I captured the event in form of a selfie
video and uploaded it on Facebook left me highly surprised.
I was flooded with likes, the comments section got more
than hundred comments within a jiffy, I received friend
requests from at least 20 more people within just one hour
and what’s more I got invitations from a dozen baby groups
on Facebook. I never expected so much. I am confident that
a simple selfie video featuring a baby can bring you similar
rewards, if no more.
Surprising talent - Do you know a kid who is a great
musician? Have you come across someone who can cut
vegetables really fast? Can you juggle with one hand? These
are all surprising talents and can be subjects of your selfie
video. Selfie videos showcasing surprising talents often get a
lot of attention from Facebook users.
Offensive comedy- I am not a big fan of this category of
videos, but I’ll have to admit that video selfies featuring
offensive comedies gather likes more easily than most other
video types in this list.

50
Pets and other animals- Like videos featuring babies,
those with pets and animals in them also almost never get
ignored. If you live in a city, it would be difficult for you to
capture selfie videos featuring animals like snakes, squirrels,
bears and porcupines doing weird things. So, concentrate
just on pets. A great idea would be creating a series of
videos featuring a single pet. This will allow your audience
to develop a rapport with the pet and a day will come when
they will start demanding the next selfie video with you and
the pet in it. Make sure that the videos are not boring. Keep
a close eye on the pet and always have your phone with you.
Capture every single mischievous or weird thing it does.
Don’t upload everything you capture. Pick the best
moments, compile them into a single video and then upload.
Also don’t upload too frequently. Maintain a gap of at least
a week (but not more than one month) between two uploads.
Twitter
Figure 27: The Twitter logo
Dubsmash - Turn yourself into a Dubsmasher if you want
to increase your popularity on Twitter. For getting
maximum number of retweets pick dialogues from newly

51
released movies or legendary movies of yesteryears, quotes
by famous personalities or a recent statement by a celebrity
that took the world by storm. One thing you must be
extremely careful about when making Dubmash videos is
your expressions. If you cannot express yourself properly,
no one would love watching your video. Your expressions
must justify the key emotion of the video. The viewer must
not feel that you are just sitting in front of the camera and
delivering the dialogue. That will destroy the fun quotient of
your Dubmash video.
Movie reviews or game reviews- Create a selfie video
reviewing a tennis match that ended just now. Make sure
that the match was an important one or was played between
important players. For instance, a video that tells viewers
about your views on a Wimbledon match played between
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic has significant chances
of getting several retweets. The same can be said about
reviews of big banner movies featuring famous actors.
Are you wondering about the qualities that allow video
selfies to get over 1 million hits on YouTube, more than
10,000 likes on Facebook and thousands of retweets on
Twitter? Keep the following things in mind and increase
your likelihood of creating a viral selfie video.
 The video must have an universal appeal
 It should be short and easy to understand
 Having emotional content is a big plus
 People should easily relate to your video

52
 Videos that expose truth have great chances of going
viral
 Interactive videos tend to catch the attention of
viewers more easily
 If you witness something that occurs rarely or has
never happened, capture the moment

53
Conclusion
I have shared different facets of selfie videos and my own
experience with you with the sole aim of increasing your
interest in this amazing art. I am confident that you will
keep on discovering more about this art as you will try it
yourself.
Believe me it can be a great hobby. It’s true that I often use
this skill of mine to solve problems, for instance, to check
how exactly I am looking when talking before going for a
meeting. However, for me it’s mostly a hobby, something I’ll
never be able to let go for the rest of my life. The habit of
taking video selfie has allowed me to capture some of the
most treasured moments of my life without any hassle.
A couple of months back my great grandmother passed
away. There’s nothing to be sad about the incident as she
was 99 and passed away without much suffering. She even
ate her lunch properly before breathing her last.
Coincidentally it was a family lunch and was attended by
almost 25 people. I didn’t know that it was the last time we
were eating together with the most loved person in our
family, but I didn’t miss the chance of taking a selfie video
of the moment. The video features interviews of every single
person present there including the precious old lady. You
can surely imagine how valuable the video has become for
all of us.

54
Capturing selfie videos actually means preserving special
moments. So, I feel everyone should try it. What’s your take?

Video Selfie Secrets

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Video Selfie Secrets

Similar to Video Selfie Secrets (20)

More from WPBaba

More from WPBaba (16)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Video Selfie Secrets