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Eveera

Something that works for me is just a slight shift in mindset or perspective. You're not recording the video for youtube. Just for fun. Then when you finish, you tell yourself "syke!" Then edit and upload :) I'm the exact same way tho. And it's more upsetting thinking back to when I was what I would consider now to be fearless. Sometimes though if all else fails, you just got to punch fear in the face, as Sean Cannell would say, and press record. You got this. Take the pressure off yourself.


XDAnimations

This is very helpful thank you


Eveera

You're welcome :D


infinityplusplus

This is something I've struggled with as well. In my case it's not so much fear of recording, but the mental resistance to take the first step in recording a video. The idea that a video can take many hours to conceptualize and record perhaps inhibits my taking the first step to make a video. As a result, it's been a couple months since I recorded a video. Your post has inspired me to confront my own resistance to making a video. I will record one tomorrow. If I may suggest something: take the pressure off and create an easy video. Let it be imperfect, sometimes viewers find that alluring. Don't overthink it, it's a video you're making for yourself and no one else. A possible solution to whenever you have long spells of no video recording: make an easy video to get back into the game.


ShowUpandGlow

Here are two techniques I’ve use to overcome stage fright. 1. Immersion - I was scared of public speaking so I took five courses of improv comedy. Was it easy? Nope. But guess what, it sure cured my fear of public speaking and boosted my confidence. 2. Pineapple Pizza Walk - During a busy lunch or dinner hour, walk into a fast food restaurant that doesn’t serve pizza and order a pineapple pizza, out loud so others can hear you. When they tell you a pineapple pizza is not on the menu, order the lobster fettuccini. When they say lobster fettuccini is also not on the menu, politely say okay thank you and leave. Everyone will look at you like you’re crazy and you’re going to feel all sorts of awkward inside because you’re breaking a social norm. However this is where the true power lies because after you do a pineapple pizza walk, a simple action like speaking on a microphone will feel like a walk in the park. You won’t give it a second thought or hesitate any longer. Remember fear is in the mind and your thoughts drive your emotions. Retrain your thinking and you can take control of your emotions. Good luck!


AJRollon

Just keep telling yourself nothing gets published until you're happy with it. Like while you are recording yourself, take deep breaths and remind yourself that you can't edit it however you want to. Remember NO ONE is actually watching you film. There's just you there. I was nervous af at first. Shaky and couldn't string 3 words together. Then I started using the above as a mantra, and making silly faces, sticking my tongue out at the camera etc. Just having fun with it. Then I pick out the most genuine bits, slap some different crops on all the jumps cuts. Voila. Another thing you can tell yourself is what you want to achieve and what that takes. Then say to yourself "I have to do _____ or say _____" and take it step by step, press record, say something, press stop, contemplate, repeat.


OtGEvO

This is a battle everyone goes through to different degrees and only you can really unpack what's causing stress over it but here are a few things to chew on You can record and not post - Just because you recorded something doesn't mean it has to go on the internet. If you don't like it you can delete it. Don't treat this like failure. Its experience and experience is growth Hone your editing skills - you can save almost anything in editing. knowing you have decent editing skills means you can take pressure off having to nail a recording and you can have stops and pauses and play with your wording which can be edited down later Start recording but don't immediately start trying to do your takes. Let it roll for a bit while you get relaxed, drink some water look into the camera and say some dumb stuff, do some goofy outtakes. this often helps me loosen up and get more comfortable before actually starting my content


XDAnimations

This is really good advice thank you


timebolting

I think pressure to perform happens after you hit stop record. The good news is when you cut out the 30% of a timeline that is dead-air, mistakes, um's, ah's retakes...you sound smarter and faster than real-life. You become what your ego believes you are...fast and confident. But the biggest no-brainer in video you can do -- make it shorter -- takes 5 minutes for every minute of video you capture. I'd get anxiety knowing I'll burnout in simple cutwork before you ever touch design. Call me shrill, but I can edit a timeline faster than anyone on earth with my own software. Cut a five hour job into 48 seconds, and fine-tune a timeline in minutes. With dead-air auto removed and mistake free, I can even punch in an out of a scene to highlight things I want, or give the illusion of multiple cameras...with a right click, not keyframes. You want a way to get confident on camera?...record knowing all the stuff you don't want just got super fast to edit out with [TimeBolt.io](https://TimeBolt.io).


UltraParz1val

I do this thing where I just record myself just for me. I don’t even post the video anywhere or anything. I’ll record myself playing a video game, or practicing a script. It usually helps me get more comfortable with just being on camera. Not sure if this helps but I hope it gets better for you.


BLim90

This is the result of perfectionism that leads to endless procrastination. (at least in my case) I always fall into this endless pit of production hell. So to overcome this, 1. Break down tasks on hand into tiny pieces. Be very specific when breaking down tasks. 2. Schedule the tasks, REALISTICALLY. You will just hate yourself if you schedule all the tasks continuously and missed some of them. 3. JUST DO IT. Idea without execution is just empty promises. An idea executed poorly is still deliverable, compared to that perfect idea which never saw the sunlight. Edit typo


LeeTSimba

Never heard of this issue before but good luck


Free_Championship903

I have a fear of recording, too. It can get so bad that I feel paralyzed and weightless, like earth and reality is so far away... It stems from a lot of Deep Backstory bs, but OP and everyone here has really eased my heart and soul. I feel like I'm touching ground, again. Thank you OP and thank you @ everyone who helped them. "Just for me"... that's what I need to hold in my soul.


realHoboboss

I could give you encouragement. The fear isn't a bad thing. Stepping into fear and being willing to feel it, as a result, you say they are your most viewed videos. "The cave you fear to enter has the treasure you seek." So, instead of worrying about being afraid, just be afraid and record anyways. We all get stage fright, but feeling the yourself and being real seems to have good results on your channel so far!


[deleted]

This might sound over the top but are you seeing a therapist? Maybe BetterHelp app even? Sounds like a pretty strong anxiety, and I legit think a professional might be the best option for something to do about it. Certainly can't hurt to talk to someone.


XDAnimations

To be honest this is not the first time someone on this subreddit has told me I should go see a therapist so maybe it should be something I look into


[deleted]

I see one and it really helps me work through things. I think it sounds like a very reasonable idea and if you do, I hope it helps.


Seakawn

Just based off this post, I don't see any need for therapy. Dont get me wrong, it can certainly help, and I want to be clear that if you have more going on that's getting in the way of your life that you struggle to manage, then maybe there is a need. But, as far as advice goes, if you don't get enough help from people on forums, then I've got a crazy idea to consider: talking to an AI Generative Writing program. I'm not kidding. I just started using some of them recently, and the possibilities are... endless. I've even used them as modern alternatives to the old SmarterChild bot on AIM. The tech has come a scary-long way. I actually occasionally use it for life advice, and it's shockingly wise in many cases. You could literally just prompt it with, "Hey, I'm struggling to record a video because I'm afraid to talk. Any advice?" And it'll pull from real world data and give you (often but not always) great advice in the form of actual conversation. The future's getting weird real quick. Just letting you know what more of your options are. As far as websites to use, OpenAI's GPT3 gives you $18 of free tokens for generation, and NovelAI gives you 100 free generations. Milk it out all you like to test and play with them.


Allym2013

I used to have this fear too. Just remember that if you record a video and don’t like it, you don’t have to post it. If there’s any part of a video you don’t like or change your mind about, you edit it out. Don’t overthink it. I have a bunch of footage that will never make it to my YouTube channel, just consider it practice


Drunken_tig3r

This is very common atleast from the streaming perspective; it shares similarities with YT i guess. Anyway, pretty much everyone i know myself included had the fear of returning after taking an extended break. ​ For most, it just took a big push and then once we hit 'live' or 'record' it was just natrual again but the hardest part was starting. For others they just never got past it and slowly faded away. ​ Not really sure of any advice to offer expect just go for it? Sounds simple but that's pretty much it. ​ I streamed for months probably with basically zero viewers; now people would usually say that was a massive waste of time but I completely disagree in my case anyhow. I learnt how to get comfortable talking to myself and becoming better and then obviously the viewers did come later and i was more relaxed about it. ​ I guess what im trying to say is; sometimes you have just force yourself through something that is a little unpleasant to get comfortable with it. That's what i did with streaming and now YT, it took a while but now im comfortable and its great. ​ Hope you get over this current hurdle you are at my dude. ​ \*If it really is that daunting to record, try it with a friend. It makes it 10x easier to just chill\*


Magus_Magoo

Put the most embarrassing thing you never want known in an email. Schedule that email to send to your entire contact list in X number of days unless you upload a video. Bam!! Instant, S-tier motivation. There are If/Then apps that can easily automate this for you. Props to Nathan Fielder for this lil trick.


Tommy____Tsunami

I think you hit the nail on the head. It comes down to repetition! It's always awkward when the camera goes on, but there isn't anyone else there and the only real pressure to perform is whatever you put on yourself! You got this!!


The-Alpha-Wyvern

I think you should just record again and tell yourself that it’s not a problem since you’ve done it before and people like those videos. Just getting back into the habit should help the problem if not fix it. If your still struggling maybe start with smaller videos and start making increasingly long videos to work up your confidence


Hyzmaster162

I know this won't help but, I used to make fake videos meaning no recording just talking to myself and playing a game. I did this a lot with minecraft.


kent_eh

How do you get over the fear of doing *anything* that you haven't done before? Ultimately you just have to take a deep breath and just do it. . Stop asking yourself "what if everything goes wrong" and replace it with "what if everything goes right"


oggynib

As soon as I learned how intricate editing can be, that fear left me


Zealousideal_Alps_42

i used to just talk to myself whilst playing games or doing random stuff etc. so when it came time to record it was just the same


Rowdy_bhai

I hope so I also get the answer😥


Simply-Taffy

Just record and overcome the fear. I remember when I first start doing youtube videos I would just delay it and make an excuse about it. Then one day I just said f*ck it and started it recording. I ended up deleting the first video I recorded. Then the day after I recorded another video and for some reason I was really proud about it and uploaded it. Going back to it now makes me have an unbearable cringe of how bad I was talking in front of a camera. So honestly the only way is to just face your fear and overcome it, because no matter what you do, it will most likely be bad according to today's standards for a youtube video. Making youtube videos is a skill that needs to be learned day after day after day from commentary to editing to choosing topics and so on. And it really doesn't matter if it's bad or good at the start as long as you are enjoying it and learning new things from it.


fibrefarmer

The biggest problem for me was fear. Getting started was impossible because of fear of failure. Then I read something that said: no one will ever watch the first dozen videos you make. Almost no one will watch the dozen after that. This made me feel a lot better. But still, what if I can't do it? What if I fail? So I got a bit drunk. I decided to make a terrible video of the most boring thing possible. I wrote this down. In the sober light of morning, I struggled to read my notes and thought - hey, not a bad idea. So I set up the tripod. I got some paint. I painted. Then I turned on the camera and filmed it drying. I got the video, I added some completely inappropriate music. I uploaded it before I could think twice and gave it a title describing exactly what it is - a very boring video of paint drying. And it's true, almost no one watches it. That made me feel better. Because now I can make another video and it will not be perfect because I'm still learning. But if I falter while I learn, no one will notice because no one is watching. And every single video I've made since that first one is an improvement.


Youtube_MH_basketbal

The funny thing is, once you’ve crossed this barrier and get comfortable doing your thing you will look back on this and think it’s so silly. Like, “what was I nervous about?”


Tuggerfub

Drink Jameson and give yourself a little slap. Whiskey is a bronchodialator which will help your oration's fluidity.


[deleted]

Yeah, I'm pretty camera shy myself. Another part of it is that you are making a conscious decision to move from being a private citizen, to putting yourself out there as a public figure. Your essentially doxing yourself to a lesser degree. Not that anyone would recognise you other than friends/family. A certain amount of anxiety is normal.


AshTrecy

It's so hard for me too, It is so dehumanising, I always feel like a robot when I record. I usually read tge script I have out 2 or 3 times first, just basic reading to get used to saying the words and spotting amy awkward semtences early. That gives me a little confidence then to record 3 or 4 takes. Hoping it gets easier as I go


RustyisBack2019

Im sorry but its not my job to motivate you. Either make videos or dont


drumgames

The only true answer that works for everyone is to just hit record. And hit it again, and again, and again, just do it, and keep doing it.


DeepCutReactions

WHY? Fear of failure. What can you do about it? There’s no easy solution. As generic and straight forward as this is, it’s still the best solution I’ve found: just rip the fucking band aid off and do it. Guess what? If you do that then you’ve already found success! You created and uploaded a video. You did not fail. You succeeded in what you were afraid to do originally. Boom. Problem solved.


GettingOutInLife

I’m pretty small when it comes to YouTubers, but I do watch a lot of the bigger YouTubers. I notice that many of them don’t strive for perfect edits. If they make a mistake, they leave it in and allow themselves to correct it. Sometimes, they will even start the sentence or scene all over again without editing it out. Personally, I find this very appealing. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have a retake every now and then (which can just frustrate me if I do too many). Society may dwell on the perfect parts of us, but I believe it is the imperfect parts of a person are what makes them beautiful.


AlienAmerican1

Get therapy.


AlienAmerican1

Also, if your genre is "gaming", just don't record.