@odog318
Still gazing man.
It's great to see how far you've improved in such a short time. From doing simple 'Vine-style' sketches on a low quality webcam/phone to a full on three and a half minute, high quality sketch piece on some decent gear in only 2 weeks is phenomenal. That being stated there's still a lot you can improve upon to take the quality of your content to the next level.
RIght off the bat, audio. Consider investing in an external audio recorder (like a Zoom H4n) and either wireless lavalier/lapel microphones or a shotgun microphone on a boom pole. All of your content so far is relying on the on-camera audio which is servicable but not of very high quality. My suggestion will cost quite a bit and it will require more help on the production side (audio guy, boom pole operator etc) but you'll benefit from higher quality audio and thus increase your production values significantly. How much you spend and what you buy is entirely dependent on your budget so don't jump straight into buying what I've suggested unless you do some significant research beforehand.
You'll also need to work on your audio mix. Concentrating soley on your 'Top Flight Security Rebirth Ep 1' video, the actors are hard to hear (due to on-camera audio) while the 'bleeps' used for comedic effect are incredibly loud. For sketches like the content on your channel, vocals from your actors should be audible with music and sound effects (if used in the background) lowered to give more focus to the voice.
In terms of video quality, invest in lighting equipment for your indoor shots. Rule of thumb - if it looks like you have enough light, add more light. It'll help reduce the visual noise in your image and help give more life to your shot. You can watch an example of what lighting can do here:
One other point on video. Try to add more camera angles and shots to cut between when editing it together. Having over 1 minute of footage from one angle will bore your viewers. Let's take the 'Top Flight' video as an example again. When the cops bust into the house, have a low angle shot looking up at the criminal to give your viewers the impression that he's imposing, threatening and, well, a crook. Have another angle facing the Officers. Already that will give you 3 angles to play with and cut between which is far more exciting to look at than just one angle. There's a reason why in most theatrical films, a shot lasts around 10 seconds before cutting to something else. Visually it's more exciting to look at and will hold the attention of your viewers.
Finally, work on your branding. You've got a blank channel header, a group shot of your team with barely legible text for your avatar and thumbnail design all over the place. Think about a logo, colours, fonts/typefaces and styles that you can use as the basis of your brand and use those elements across your entire channel. Check out
https://logopond.com for inspiration on logos/brandings.
Best of luck to all involved in your channel!
@Gods of Odds
A pop filter will help remove the plosive consonants from popping your audio. Your Bs, Cs, Ks Ps and so on; basically words with very hard sounds. To help remove the echo, you can either line your walls/roof/room with acoustic foam although that can get quite expensive on a low budget. Another option is to fill the room with as many items as possible - carpet, rugs, cushions, bookshelves, anything really. It'll help stop the sound from bouncing off the walls and getting back into your mic. Finally, as I already mentioned in my first comment, record 10 seconds of room noise to use as a sample to then remove those frequencies from the main audio using the 'Noise Reduction' process in your audio recorder of choice.
@ItsLasma
Thanks for the kind words.
I like the design of your channel header and the photo you've got in your avatar. The colours of your dress are consistent with the colours of the flowers and the colour of the text. It's simple but effective and you should try to incorporate those elements into yout thumbnails. Consider using the flowers as a frame or if it's too excessive, choose a side or even a corner to use those flowers. You can follow that up with white text in the same font/typeface as what you've got in your channel header. Have a play around with it and see if you like the way it looks.
Content wise there's not much I can add. Your videos are entertaining and any suggestion in terms of equipment would hinder you and be detrimental when bike riding. You could invest in a selfie stick/stabilising rig but that's just more equipment to carry around. The same can be said with audio - you could invest in a wireless lavalier/lapel microphone or a shotgun mic for your camera to help give you cleaner, higher quality audio but again, that's more stuff to carry around and wield.
At this point all I can recommend is to extend your branding into your thumbnails and keep up a regular upload schedule. Good luck and have fun!
@HereBeBarr
Still reviewing and won't stop until I'm no longer needed.
I can tell you're using a GoPro camera (or similar) due to the fish-eye lens and perfect focus on everything it captures. I've got no complaints, just making an observation. It's portable, convenient and great for essentially a one-person crew for travel vlogs like your content. Every other suggestion in terms of equipment will just add more things to carry around which might not be convenient at all.
Really all you need to work on is your branding. I like the cartographic style you've got in your channel header so if possible, try to extend that into your thumbnails and avatar. It doesn't have to be as detailed. Have a worn/torn paper texture (something like this:
http://graphicriver.net/item/4-realistic-ripped-paper-backgrounds-textures/4255464?s_rank=23) with a few more filters to give it that old-school look on the bottom of your thumbnails acting as a frame and a place to put the heading/text/name of the video. That's just one example of course, so feel free to experiment and play around with styles that you like.
Good luck!
@TriviaTrain
You should really try to fix the link in your signature as it'll be easier for those here on this forum to check out your channel. I'm pretty sure you haven't got access to a custom YouTube link yet so you're better off using your channel ID (which is this: UC23iNvEGVNZVgN9UGcFVDbA). For those reading this thread, you can find the link to TriviaTrain here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC23iNvEGVNZVgN9UGcFVDbA/videos
If you want honesty, you're going to get it. Your channel needs a complete brand overhaul. The logo you have now looks incredibly cheap, as if it was made in MS Paint in only a few seconds. To compound it, you've got a simple black-to-white gradient in your channel header and avatar and furthermore, you've got a simple blue and green background with a simple 'wipe' transition to show your logo in your logo sting/intro. The cheap looking branding you've currently got is single handedly the reason why your channel isn't as big as it could be.
As I've mentioned many times in this thread and even in this post, check out
https://logopond.com to get some inspiration for logo and brand designs. Your channel is called 'TriviaTrain' and you're on the right idea with the 'train' idea, however you need to find yourself a graphic designer or an artist to help you create a logo that is far more visually appealing. Try asking for help in the 'Branding and Channel Design' or 'Graphics, Intros & Music' forums here on YTTalk.
Content wise you need to work on your audio. I'm hearing a lot of background noise in your audio which tells me you're either using the built in microphone on your laptop/webcam or you're using a headset microphone. Save up as much money as you can and consider investing in a high quality condenser microphone and pop filter to give you a cleaner, higher quality audio signal.
You've got a long way to go to make your channel stand out from the hundreds of thousands of channels on YouTube. Be persistent, be dedicated and continue to work hard on your branding and audio. Best of luck!
@TheBlackBoyGamer
Your branding is completely inconsistent and not unique to you at all. GTA5 promotional art with the same font for your channel header, avatar with a logo in a completely different style and thumbnails that are promotional art with text slapped on wildly. You have tried to make your thumbnails slightly unique with your Mafia II videos but they're still inconsistent with everything else you have.
Start with your avatar - a circle, blue and orange colour scheme with a futuristic font/typeface. That should be used as the basis of your branding. Apply the same font/typeface, colours and style to all of your art assets on your channel for that added consistency. You can use the circle as a visual element in your thumbnails to denote episode number or the game being played. Play around with the idea I've given here to see if you like the look and feel free to experiment with visual design. Whatever you do, you need to do it to ensure your thumbnails stand out from the millions of other videos like yours.
Another issue comes down to your audio. I can tell you're using a low quality headset microphone due to the distortion and background noise present in your recordings. Save up some cash and invest in a high quality condenser microphone and pop filter to give your audio a more professional edge.
That's about it. Work on your branding, work on your audio and keep a regular upload schedule. Your channel should do fine. Good luck!
@MasterEth
Like a majority of the critiques I've made in this post, your channel is no exception - your branding needs a complete overhaul. It looks cheap, is completely inconsistent and tells me nothing about you or your channel. The tagline "The channel for weekly gaming videos!" is generic to the point that it's meaningless.
Go to Logopond and get some inspiration on logo and brand design. Think about colours, fonts/typefaces, styles, anything that comes to mind that best represents you and your channel and use it as the basis of your branding. Apply it to your avatar, channel header and thumbnails to give your channel consistency. I will give you credit, there is SOME consistency with your thumbnails but they're generic and don't give me any indication that the videos belong to you.
Content wise you need to invest in a high quality condenser microphone and pop filter for your audio. The headset you're using right now is surprisingly decent but there's still a bit of background noise creeping into your recordings.
Work on your brand, work on your audio and you should be fine. You've got potential but those two issues are holding your channel back. Good luck and have fun!