Put down the drones and gimbals, says this YouTuber. "The gear is not going to make or break what you want to say"
You don't need a gimbal, says Jesse Senko!(Image credit: YouTube @jessesenko)
With the number of YouTubers throughout the world estimated at around 61 million, opinions on how to create the best content for your channel differs wildly.
Most content creators feel as though they need the best kit and to make the loudest noise and get noticed above their millions of counterparts. But Jesse Senko, a YouTuber and commercial filmmaker and photographer, disagrees – and some of his opinions are sure to get the masses shaking their heads.
Senko takes aim at everything from gimbals to drones, using music over film and cutting to the beat in his video titled Ignore These 9 Filmmaking Tips. First on the list, Senko comes at the perpetual gimbal users. "It seems like a gimbal is in every videographer's kit, except for mine and I'm doing okay."
He argues that even the best gimbals take an amount of realness and rawness out of a shot. After using a homemade steadicam rig, he realized that he actually just wanted a heavier camera, preferring locked-off shots on a tripod with the stabilization off as "the best way to build a great composition".
Next Senko argues that drones are not the way forward, much to the dismay of our in-house expert Adam Juniper. A little provocative, his point here is that you may be able to source a drone from a well-meaning acquaintance, rather than adding the expensive piece of kit to your own arsenal.
I won’t go into detail about all his points, as you should check out the video (above) yourself, but in some parting words of wisdom Senko adds:
"The gear is not going to make or break what you want to say. So if you caught one point drifting through all of this it's that you should just be intentional in your choices, be decisive, be open to learn and reflect on whether that was a good choice and be open to making a better choice next time."
"This is a craft, an art that you can only get better at by doing… And pretty soon you’ll look back at what you thought was important – 12K sensors, or 240 frames per second slow-motion, or whatever this new camera was – and you’ll realize you had way bigger fish to fry."
If you disagree with Senko or just want to see what's out there take a look at the best FVP drones and best DJI drones on the market. If you do agree, but you still want to try one, why not check out the best cheap drones on the market.
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After graduating from Cardiff University with an Master's Degree in Journalism, Media and Communications Leonie developed a love of photography after taking a year out to travel around the world.
While visiting countries such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and Ukraine with her trusty Nikon, Leonie learned how to capture the beauty of these inspiring places, and her photography has accompanied her various freelance travel features.
As well as travel photography Leonie also has a passion for wildlife photography both in the UK and abroad.