around a lot, your data flow
may differ from someone who
vlogs about their family life or a
product they use. The on-the-go
vlogger may have to use multiple
SD cards. They even may have to
move data from those SD cards
to their laptop or portable stor-
age drive when their cards fill up
mid-adventure.
ORGANIZING VLOG FOOT-
AGE FOR BEGINNERS
Once it’s offloaded, professionals
organize their data by creating
folders and subfolders on their
computer hard drives and backup
drives. For instance, top-level
folders can be labeled by month
or week, with subfolders for each
day. Inside, you can label your
clips with time of day, location
and/or event.
Organizing your footage
through folders and subfolders
helps you to keep track of what
you shot and when you shot it
in case you need to access that
particular footage later. Whatever
system you develop, try to stick
with it and be as consistent as
possible in your naming conven-
tions. Using an established file
system will boost your productiv-
ity and give access to more tools
that can help you tell your story.
ALWAYS KEEP A BACKUP
If you choose to keep everything
you shoot, you can run out of
storage space fast. This is when
storage capacity becomes a
VLOGS
How to organize and store your vlog footagenecessity, not an option. The best setup is to have
a smaller working drive that you use to store your
most recent footage along with a larger external
drive or a multi-drive RAID for archiving. With
the right settings, a RAID, or redundant array of
independent disks, provides redundant storage,
meaning that if one drive fails, you will still be able
to access your data. RAID 1 is a good choice if you
choose this route.
Cloud storage has its advantages as far as storage
space and automatic offloading, but when it comes to
transferring and storing large video files, it can take
hours. That’s why a cloud storage service is best for
long-term off-site archiving and backup. Generally,
it’s more practical to keep your footage on an external
drive than on a cloud storage service if you plan to
access it often.
It is strongly recommended that you store your
videos in more than one or two locations in case your
computer crashes or your external drive is damaged.
Read the best digital storage for video editors — 2020
to learn more about external drives and storage and
which ones to consider buying.FINAL NOTE
Keep in mind, every method of keeping track and
storing data has its advantages and disadvantages
depending on how often you shoot and how much
footage you stockpile. The only way to find a per-
fect solution to your needs is by continuing to cre-
ate while making an effort to stay organized. Find
a system that works for you — and stick with it —
and you’ll have a more efficient vlogging workflow
in no time.Stephen Mandel Joseph is a published writer, art student, and
filmmaking enthusiast. He has directed several Sci-Fi 3D animated
shorts and a short drama film on video. He currently resides in
New York City.