To meet YouTube superstar Fabio Wibmer for once. That was the big wish of Fabian (11) and his two years older mate Andi. Their coaches from the sports club secretly applied to of our reader campaign "Make a wish!" a very special training session that was about more than just bunny hops and wheelies.
We would have loved to have seen their faces when they found out just one day before the trip where the weekend excursion would take them... The full story about the home visit to Fabio Wibmer can be found in
BIKE 4/2020
. Fabio's tips for the perfect YouTube video can be found here.
Because it's not just the riding scenes that decide whether a mountain bike video is clicked and gets lots of likes. YouTube star Fabio Wibmer leaves nothing to chance. Here he reveals how to turn your video into a hot action film.
1 - The be-all and end-all: cool storytelling
The most important thing is that you come up with a cool story first. Preferably an everyday situation, as viewers can really put themselves in it. A casual story that is easy to realise could be, for example: You arrange to meet up with a friend for a bike ride and the film then shows you riding to the meeting point and getting some great action in the city.
2 - The length
The right length for a YouTube video is a minimum of two and a maximum of ten minutes. Be careful not to use any filler - i.e. scenes that unnecessarily lengthen the film. Be critical when choosing scenes: Is it really really cool, or just dull 08/15?
3 - It's all in the mix!
Your video will be interesting thanks to a skilful mix of ride-along sequences, landscape shots, wide-angle scenes and telephoto settings. A tip to maximise the height and width of jumps: it's best to film such scenes from below and in wide-angle mode.
4 - Across is better
One thing that is very, very important: always film in landscape format for YouTube. The 4:5 format works best for videos for Instagram.
5 - Sound: not just fast and hard
Music is super important to convey the mood and atmosphere of the story. Punk rock is great, but it doesn't always fit. Attention: The rights must be cleared! There are many portals where you can buy licence-free music cheaply.
6 - The cut
Editing is incredibly important. This is what makes the video really exciting and gives it a soul. If you only want to shoot the occasional video, it's obviously not worth buying an expensive programme. But I would advise everyone else to do so, as there are very good subscription models with student discounts and the like.
7 - Matching title
The name of your video should roughly summarise the content. And it should be unique. Like Wibmer's Law, for example, which stands out.
And here it is, Fabio Wibmer's ratings hit from September 2019 with currently around 54 million (!) views: Wibmer's Law.
P. S.: We absolutely have to show this one: If you scroll down to the bottom of Fabio's YouTube channel, you'll find his first bike video, uploaded in 2009, with the very fitting title "MTB" from 2009 - enjoy!
"Appropriate title" - Fabio Wibmer already implemented his tip no. 7 perfectly in his first bike video in 2009: it is simply called "MTB".
You can read the story of the home visit to Fabio Wibmer in BIKE 4/2020. You can read the entire digital edition of BIKE in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or reorder the print edition in the DK shop - while stocks last:
