I’m white, scrawny, and nerdy and I’m not a very good juggler. Yet people seem to find my videos very enjoyable, even non jugglers. Over the years of making videos (juggling and non juggling), I’ve learned a thing or two about what audiences like to see. Here are some tips on making a better juggling video.

1. Cut down on the fluff. Put in the clips that are fun to watch. ESPECIALLY in the beginning. A lot of people approach internet videos with the "ehh should I watch this or not..." attitude. In this case, the beginning is CRUCIAL. This is where you snatch your viewers, especially on youtube where you can't just skip to a random part to check out the rest.

2. In the same vein as #1....you might have to realize that the stuff you're working on, while exciting to you, is boring for others. I recently (last week) decided to start working on clubs. Even though I'm having a lot of fun learning 441, 531, pirouettes and mills mess with 3 clubs, I'm not going to put that in a video because no one cares. I was outside practicing 3 diabolos today. I can't do any siteswaps so it's not really exciting for others. I'm not gonna put my 7 ball practice in a video. Those things are all challenging and very fun for me, but nobody wants to see that.

3. Difficulty of tricks is not as big an issue as people make it up to be. Gatto has the hardest tricks in the world, yet his videos are boring as hell. It's imagination and creativity that win over your audience, on juggling of course but also on editing. You want the audience to say "what the hell was that?" when they watch your video, either because you whipped out some weird trick or some weird editing. Unfortunately, most people can't make an audience say "what the hell?" with pure skills, that's the area reserved for the Galchenkos, or Gatto, or Dietz. So for us mere mortals, just do something interesting. I'm sure 7 clubs is fun for you, but for the rest of us, it's boring (like I said). Look at Wes Peden, he is gaining a HUGE fanbase with 3 and 4 club manipulation and other interesting stuff. What I'm trying to say here is that there is a big difference between pure technical skill/difficulty and a good video.

4. Have a little self esteem and creativity. Calling your video something like BAD JUGGLING is not a good idea, and similarly, introducing it with the appetizing description of "this is a piece of crap, this sucks, don't watch it, but do watch it and tell me how much it sucked and how I can get better" is another disaster. Have pride in your work, in what you've created! Try to get a title that tells what it's all about, and when you explain it, explain it with confidence.

5. Music. You need better music. Sometimes the best (or your favorite) music is just not a good choice in videos. I love Pink Floyd, but I just can't fit any of their music into my videos. That's just the way it goes. Choose music that's appropriate considering your content and audience, not your favorite music.

6. Watch other videos and take inspiration. Go to your favorite videos and watch them over and over. Ask yourself, "why do I like this video?" and break it down. Is it because of a certain juggling style? A filming style? The location? The music? The editing? Try to reflect that back into your own style and then go from there.

7. Get some friends! No, I don't mean to quit juggling and get a life...I mean find some more people to make a video with! I've never made a solo video, but I've made a bunch of videos with me in it. I just can't make a video work if it's just me (all white and nerdy and such), but when I bring in my friends, the video quality goes up a lot. Just the fact that you're looking at different people helps out a lot, too. Variation is good. Watching the same thing over and over gets boring.

8. Remember to have fun. It seems like I’ve put forth a list of commandments and things that you have to do to gain maximum enjoyment with minimal effort, but really, it’s all about having fun. Make a video that you enjoy, one that you can sit down and watch on your own or even show off to your friends and be proud of. Now get out there and start filming!