How To Film Like Life Of Riza

- If there's one question I get asked the most, it's how I make my videos.

I've had this idea for a while now and I thought that this would be a good time to do it.

In my videos, I tried to have an emphasis on storytelling, filmmaking lighting and there's been a lot of things I've picked up along the way.

I guess the closest thing you can call it is a cinematic vlog, but that's still a very loose term.

So I asked you guys what you're most curious about, and today we're gonna dive into what goes into a life of video.

Before we get into it, a brief backstory on how I got here in the first place.

Prior to YouTube, I was a freelancer. I did videography, eventually spent some time on set trying to learn as much as I could about the film world.

That's when I really started to not only fall in love with it, but to learn so much, but I always loved YouTube and making my own videos.

So in 2020, I really started to take things more seriously. I was really inspired by shows that I was watching on streaming platforms at the time, and separately from that, I was watching a whole ton of vlogs and a whole ton of filmmakers, but no one was really doing both the way that I wanted to see it. So I got curious.

I went out and I made that video, and I knew that day something finally clicked and that became what I now call the cinematic flog.

And I just made that up one day when somebody asked me to describe my videos, and that was what I thought of.

I'll talk about building style a little bit later, but that is essentially what ignited what my videos are today. That being said, whether I'm filming alone, vlogging on the go, or with a small crew on bigger projects, there are things that almost never change no matter what kind of video I'm doing. And these are the foundations.

When YouTube into a video of mine, I always write down my ideas. Every time something pops into my head.

Once I know it's a strong enough idea, then I'll start pre-production. This is the hard part because if I do my pre-production well then filming goes smoothly and the editing is way easier.

And without that first step, everything else falls apart and I keep learning that lesson every time.

Sometimes pre-production looks like just a basic outline, and other times it's a more detailed script. Mostly it's somewhere in between with bold points to keep me on track. Either way, I like to have a plan.

There are many different ways you could structure a story. Stories I end up pursuing are the ones where they feel the most relevant to me in the moment. It's a compelling enough case and that there's a full story arc in it, but however you choose to tell your story, I think the main point of writing anything is to make people care.

So iterated, if there is really one thing I can say to focus on, it's that plead your case.

Assume that nobody knows anything about you. They don't have the full story like you do.

And so sometimes making someone care is as simple as providing context.

For example, I did a marathon video called The Art of Showing Up an outlier in terms of style.

It was not cinematic at all. Traditional vlog. I really tried to make sure that people cared about the characters in that video because my audience doesn't have the same relationship with them as I do. So it's important to them to know the context these people have in my life.

And once I understood that, I think that's when I started to see a huge difference.

So for that video, I did the most basic outline. I think it was like day one, day two, day three.

Granted something like a marathon or a transformation has a built-in story already.

But for more complex ideas, I sit down and I do a shot list.

I will write down the shots I need for sure, but if it's filmmaking heavy, then I'm definitely drawing them out. This is the notepad that I've been using and I'm pretty much done a new one, something. It will look like this.

This is from, oh, this is from a project I did. There are days when I'm filming upwards of 30 shots and I, there's no way that I'm remembering all that, so it's easier for me to just reference the drawings so I can remember the composition.

Storytelling is not something that came naturally to me, but it is something that made a huge difference once I started to focus on it.

But my favorite part is when I get to filming before I continue, I need you to know that it's taken several years for me to accumulate all the care that I have now. It definitely did not have all at once, although that would've been nice. That being said, you're here to know what to use.

So do with this information, what you will first up is camera. I like a camera that has full frame capabilities.

Good for vlogging if you have a short reach, if you are just starting out, I'm gonna say this, you do not need a cinema line camera, really, you don't.

As much as I love the camera that I use, instead, I would maybe get a camera body a bit less expensive, and then focus on lenses and lighting.

That's just my opinion. Next is a versatile lens. If you're doing more cinematic stuff, 24 to 72.8, right? But I would go for something wider if you want that vlog look like an 11 millimeter or a 16 mil.

I've also had the chance to use cine lenses this year, which I love, and usually I'll put on a filter like the Promi one eighth. When it comes down to it, different lenses give off different vibes. So it really just depends on what you're going for in the future. I would love to try my style with different cameras, different lenses, even phones. So let me know if you wanna see that.

For audio, I keep it simple, either a good shotgun mic or labs.

I've been using the road mic pros and I love them. Sometimes if I'm in a pinch, I'll also use them for my voiceovers actually. And I like these because I'm usually filming with Aria and they have worked so good every single time.

This is my travel tripod, and this is my baby tripod.

Colt gave this to me and it's fantastic. Payload is crazy. I use both simultaneously, and what I have on them is quick release plates, and basically it allows me to switch from one to the other so quickly. Boom, that's it. I love that.

Literally the best invention ever. Can't live without it.

I'll link everything in the description below.

Affiliate, of course, if you wanna support the channel, I really appreciate that.

I use a variety of lights, big lights, small lights, natural lights, natural looking lights.

Truthfully, lighting can be a whole video on its own, but if there's one thing that made a difference with learning lighting, it's to pull reference images.

I'll use something like Frame Set or Pinterest. Sometimes I'll make mood boards, especially if I'm crafting a scene or if it happens spontaneously, I know to just roll with it.

Even if I don't know how to do something, I'll keep looking back and forth at my lighting references while setting up until we figure it out. And it is truly essential when working with others.

So everyone's on the same page. There's a mini lighting lesson, unfortunately, I love this light.

The Amran F 22 C. I use this light for all my April. It is a little big.

I think that they have a smaller version, which I will probably also get, don't judge, but I use a foam board that needs to be replaced. As you can see, I use it all the time, and then I usually just have a bounce to fill in the shadows a little bit more. I just got this from the dollar store literally, and that is how you do it. I try to be pretty intentional when filming not really

overshooting, and when I move the camera, there's always a reason for it.

I always thought our style is a combination of things that inspire you and your creative solutions around any limitations you have at that time.

For example, when I first started out, I didn't have a lot of help filming, so I would film on a tripod, but I would just get a ton of angles to keep things interesting. And now that's kind of a cornerstone characteristic when it comes to my videos. Now, constraints exist for a reason.

It helps you do what you can in the time that you have with the things that you're given.

And I think that's when you come up with extremely creative solutions.

You can say it comes down to color grading or that it comes down to lighting, but truthfully, it comes down to all the little creative choices combined that will make you stand out and create what will ultimately be known as your style.

I would say majority of what you see is already done in camera.

It's also about the color palette you choose and what you wear, and all the little choices that contribute to making that final image. Because there are some times where I don't really have the lighting that I want, but if the set design is good, if I have colors on my wardrobe, then it's still kind of makes the shot.

And don't underestimate natural lighting either.

It goes a long way. So sometimes you're just picking and choosing elements, but it's not always down to just one thing. I'm always going for a certain look or feel.

I love aesthetics. What can I say? I've always been fascinated with art directions at design.

As you can see, I'm always collecting little trinkets for my shelves.

I wish I can say that. It just happens. But truthfully, it does take a lot of intention into making a space, and to me, it's always worth it.

Ultimately, I try my best to make things look as effortless as possible, even when it's not.

I never wanna take people out of the video. I just want them to live in the story and enjoy it.

Someone told me you'll know when it clicks, which I always thought was complete BS until it actually happened. But until then, keep on experimenting and building upon things.

It's the stepping stones that make the biggest difference versus the huge leaps every once in a while. The more you do it, the faster you get there.

And over time you get to see it evolve. If you think about it, every director, every creator, every author that you love has their own distinct style. It's like they're their own category.

It's what they're known for, and I think that's important to try to find for yourself.

So you can ultimately make videos like me, but the goal should be to make things like you and figure out what that looks like. Most importantly, enjoy the process because building things does not happen overnight.

So I hope you guys enjoyed that. Let me know if it was helpful.

Please like and subscribe if it was, thanks for watching and I'll see you soon.