Vlog-o-drama

The digital age has crept upon us — and we’re totally loving it! Our dear diaries became blogs, which have now turned into vlogs! Video essays or v-blogs have become the next best thing for netizens. We catch up with some of Chennai’s coolest vloggers and find out what makes their submissions on YouTube, a hit among youngsters.

MISS PINK SHOES:

Sushmita Agarwal on fashion and makeup:

I’ve always been passionate about fashion. When I started watching make-up tutorial videos online, I found that there were a few missing links. In order to solve this, I decided to start my own vlog. The highlight of my work is that I use affordable products that everybody can use, and demonstrate styles that one can actually pull off with ease. All the episodes are shot at home, using a Canon DSLR camera. Since I study Visual Communication, I practice the lighting and editing techniques I learn in college for the shoots. Each vlog has a particular theme — I’m bringing out a Valentine’s Day special look book next.

FLEX ‘EM UP (representative title):

Satkrit Krishna on his upcoming fitness Vlog:

Every time I go to the gym to work out, I see other fitness enthusiasts doing a routine the completely wrong way. While some come and ask me for help, I often go to people to tell them what they’re doing is causing more harm than good. Trainers are too busy focusing on their personal clients, so most gym-goers end up making mistakes. In order to increase awareness about the proper way to work out, I came up with the idea of creating 10-minute vlogs, where I will explain how to go about a training session. In addition, I will also be sharing reviews and my personal opinions on supplements people consume. Earning in rupees but spending in dollars on protein powders or fat burners will just end up burning a huge hole in your pocket. So I will share tips on how to cut down on unnecessary supplements, or find suitable alternatives. I’m planning to upload one episode every week, starting from the second week of February.

VLOGWITH SHASHANK:

Shashank Ashok on travel and culture:

I  love discovering new cultures and talking to new people. By doing this, I gain a lot of knowledge and try to implement it in my life. My channel on YouTube called ‘Vlogwithshashank’ is where I upload videos on a weekly basis. At first I started off as a blogger, documenting my journey to each and every destinations, but then after I returned home, I sat down and realised that travelling requires a lot of money and might not be possible along with my academics. So I thought let’s vlog anything which has a content that people would watch.

I chose videos over a blog because I feel I express myself orally better than through writing. I always like the fact that I’m sharing my life experiences by showing people where I have been or what I’m doing. People whom I have never met or come across are also involved in my journey.

THE GREASE MONKEYS:

Siddhaarth Sivashanmugam on biking and moto-vlogging:

A bunch of friends and I started a Facebook page called The Grease Monkeys because we were all passionate about riding bikes. We wanted to share our experiences with others — a vlog was the perfect medium for this! Any one of the riders in our group mounts a GoPro camera on his helmet to document our rides; be it endurance, off roading, track racing or just touring. Once we come back, the video is edited and uploaded on our You Tube channel that goes by the same name.

I never expected our vlogs to get any response, but we have a lot of viewers. Some even comment about how we can improvise our videos, share new techniques and give us constructive criticism — making it an interactive platform. I’m proud to say that we have three female professional female riders in our group, who also actively take part in our vlogs.