A Tolerable YouTube Car Review

In some of my recents posts I've written about having bought a new Lexus RX 350h, and about some of the YouTube car reviews I watched as part of that experience. I wrote about some of the shortcomings of the reviewers in a recent post, and now I'd like to offer my suggestions for improving those videos, either a little or a lot.

I make these recommendations knowing that practically nobody reads this blog. So I'm dropping my thoughts into the void for the most part. Nevertheless, here they are.

Wash the Car

I can't believe how many times the reviews leave the car looking dingy or dirty before they begin filming. Dirt on the fenders, spots on the windows, even what looks suspiciously like trash inside the vehicle. It really doesn't take long to give the car a quick wipe-down prior to filming, so do so.

While you're at it, don't plop your backpack onto the front passenger seat or the back, or anywhere. Leave your backpack and your Starbucks cup out of camera range.

Script

Definitely script the review. Work it out. Figure out what you're going to say, and then stick to that script. My overall impression is that about 50% of most reviews could be trimmed out with absolutely no loss to the content of the review. More importantly, unscripted reviews can be difficult to follow as the reviewer flits about from idea to idea. Plan first, film later. That's something that all professionals know—filming is the last thing you do, not the first.

Edit Wisely

First of all, nothing is more irritating than a stream-of-consciousness, unedited review. Just some guy (it's always a guy) with an iPhone on a stick, going at it. So always put the video through a solid editing process.

And by 'wisely' I mean that you shouldn't edit it down so it becomes jumpy or terse. Sometimes people do that in the mistaken notion that it might make the video more dynamic or interesting, when in fact what it does is inject a note of hysteria into the thing. Especially be careful about numerous jump cuts. Try some dissolves.

And be very careful not to edit out your breathing! Several videos did that, and I became very uncomfortable listening to somebody talk without, apparently, taking a single breath. Ick.

Engage an Editor

Everybody needs a second pair of eyes and a second pair of ears. Everybody needs an editor that isn't you yourself. That's particularly the case if you have physical or verbal habits that can grate on a viewer. It doesn't have to be a professional editor, but it does have to be somebody with a good ear and a sharp eye.

To offer one particularly grating/glaring example, what should have been quite a good review, given by an engaging young man with a nice smile and plenty of knowledge, was ruined for me by his constant gesturing with his hands and arms, as though he had a bunch of hyperactive snakes attached to his shoulders. That needs to be rectified. Learn to use gestures wisely, and sparingly. Stop flipping your hands and arms all over the place. It's intrusive, it's distracting, and ultimately it's annoying. Besides, it dilutes your message since at least one viewer (me) couldn't focus on anything except those damn arms and hands flip-flopping around.

Beware Casual Sexism

It's no secret that most YouTube car reviewers are frat-boy types—youngish white males. And frat boys can come off like insensitive jerks at the drop of a hat.

I'm thinking of one particular fellow who kept referring to his viewers as 'guys.' Hey guys, he said, hey guys. If I was a female viewer (if there are very many, which I doubt) I'd be thinking: hey guy, fuck off.

The buddy-boy bonhomie of your basic YouTube car review can work badly against the review's effectiveness. We all have to learn to avoid casual sexism and racism in everyday speech.

Listen

Youngish frat boy types have a tendency to talk too fast. Cool it, buddy boy. Listen to yourself. Or get somebody to listen for you.

One particular reviewer gabbled so quickly that he was almost indecipherable. His editing made that even worse, given the numerous jump cuts that removed his breathing. I found him intolerable as a result, although as a nice-looking young guy with lots of enthusiasm, he should have been engaging.

Go back and listen to your delivery. Ask yourself if your Aunt Agnes could follow you. Listen for rushing. Listen for dropped sentence endings. Listen for verbal tics such as "OK" every third word or "like" used indiscriminately. Scripting will help. But only listening will cure such problems.

Retake as Necessary

Don't leave verbal crap in place. If you stumble over a word, go back and retake that segment. Ditto on confusions, forgetting your lines, etc. Nobody in their right mind expects to get it right the first time every time.

Brevity is the Soul of Wit

That's a tough one in the YouTube universe, where videos need to be over a certain length to get extra cred. But take to heart the maxim that what you can trim, you should trim. Don't babble. Don't go on tangents. Keep it simple, keep it clear.

This gets back to that 'scripting' message above.

Model

The best single YouTube car review I saw came from a slightly older man who covered a Lexus NX350h. His review was obviously carefully scripted and planned out. There were no irritating mannerisms, either physical or verbal. He went through his points clearly and adroitly. The car was clean and uncluttered, as was the entire video. When it finished, all I could think was that it should be presented to those young frat-boy types as a model to emulate. After all, in the long run, the biggest problem with YouTube videos of all stripes is that they're amateur productions. And amateurs will be amateurs. But that doesn't mean that they have to be amateurish about it all.