How would I improve my commentary?

Y

YinTaiYang

Guest
Hey there! Just want to have a general idea on how to commentate better on my gameplay videos.

I seldom watch other people commentate, so should I also watch them to get a general idea? Usually I don't have much else to say, so yeah.
 
If I wanna watch commentary, I wanna watch someone talking about an interesting topic that he/she seems to know something about. I want them to talk stuctured and not just random babble over the gameplay :)
 
But how exactly do you go about, say, playing a different game mode? It's not like I could just keep talking about the game mode. What stuff do you usually hear in commentaries? Or like to hear?
 
For this, I would just recommend watching and listening to other Youtubers that, either, you are subscribed to or are well-known.

When trying to improve on yourself, you have to learn how to analyze yourself objectively. Listen to what they say and do in their commentaries and notate what is different from your work; list what you need to do to make changes on to improve your faults or short-comings.

Another thing you can do is practice commentating your day to day behavior (narrate yourself) and make it sound interesting--as if someone is following you around and recording.

When doing any type of commentary--and you think you are not good--it is important to have some sort of script or cheat sheet in case your mind goes blank.

A lot of these things you really have to just go out there and learn on your own. People aren't going to hold your hand and tell you what to do. It's important to be able to improve yourself from within. You don't want to become dependent on others for your growth. If you want to be like the big Youtubers, watch them, learn of them, and emulate them in your own style never try fake (unless you are an actor).
 
As annoying as this is going to sound, successful commentary can depend on a persons voice (ex. Markiplier), being able to improv at a seconds notice in a funny way, and/or have a topic you want to discuss in advance while playing. I agree with @TheLilikoiJuice that its good to do commentary in your head for everyday situations as practice. (I didn't know other people did that cause I always find myself doing it! =P) It really comes down to personality though. The best commentators don't read from a script they wrote, they start playing and whatever pops into their mind to say, they say. It just either works or it doesn't.
 
I had a quick look at your videos and although you are clearly well versed in Minecraft and know what your talking about you kept doing silly voices and sometimes at a very high pitch, although some people will love this way of commentating, Take no offence but i instantly switched off. Its a bit love it or hate it. I would try more natural commentating. Also just listen to the bigger youtubers commentating. I tend to say "erm" quite a lot so I would go through and edit them all out. Hope this helps.
 
Yeah doesn't really seem like much different from what I'm doing
I guess practice?
 
It'll take a lot of practice more than anything man, the more you commentate the more use to doing it you get therefore the more things you'll have to say, maybe even before you start the video just think of a couple of things to talk about, the really good commentators you see on all the big youtube vids or the famous streams have been doing it for a long time, if you look at their first video's usually they suck haha just takes practice :) But i mean, i saw one of your video's and it's not like your a bad commentator, just keep working at it :)
 
Speaking of practice go back and watch some of Ali A's first videos, he is so awful, yet now comes across as a natural commentator, although I can think of some better ones. Dont give up though mate, stick with it through thick and thin and you will be rewarded at some point.
 
Practice seems to be the only way. I'm in the same boat as you kind of, except I don't always go quiet because I have nothing to say, it's because I'm concentrating, then I end up forgetting what I was talking about xD It's happening a lot in ACIV but as some say, keep practicing. I feel that I actually got better at doing solo commentaries, not good enough yet but getting better.
 
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