I am sure that you all love to peruse youtube and watch videos of your favorite bellydancers. Or perhaps you get to see them on Facebook or Instagram– sometimes these clips are from the true audience point of view. Someone who is there to enjoy a show and wants to share that experience with the world! And that’s great! Us dancers love seeing and getting clips like that from customers. But in some cases, dancers can’t get those clips or don’t find them. How do you get those kinds of clips for marketing? or showcasing your craft? Well, here are 4 tips on how to get those bellydance clips!
1. Invest in a phone tripod. They are not expensive and nowadays they make everything and it’s mother for your phone in terms of attachments so you can take better selfies and videos. Heck, most phones have better cameras in them than some of the digital cameras out on the market! I personally have a monkey style one so i can hang it wherever i choose. since sometimes a tripod isn’t the most convenient thing to place in a venue un-attended.
2. Take a friend. Does a friend of yours like Indian or Mediterranean food? treat them to a dinner at the restaurant where you perform and have them videotape your set. could be a live video on Facebook, could be on a video camera, phone, whatever. I don’t think this would work very single time as people’s schedules don’t allow but at least you’d have a few instances. I’m sure a friend would be happy to help you out and to eat a yummy meal
3. Hire a photography student. There are photography and videography students who need material for their portfolios. they also prob ably have pretty good equipment. you can find one through schools or sometimes through fiverr and ask them to attend your gig. Or maybe even follow you for an evening of gigs. You may experiment with a few to get a good one but again, you will get video and perhaps you will gain a new fan or following!
4. Ask the staff. With the new wave of Facebook live videos, a lot of the restaurant owners and staff have started to take them. Make friends! You will then be able to see and share it to your own pages and if you know them then they could also send you the raw footage so you can edit, brand, etc. It may seem like a no-brainer but sometimes it take effort to get to know the staff at a venue. Just speaking to them for a short moment ahead of time could result in photo and video gold for your marketing future.
I hope these 4 tips have helped you and that you are able to get yourself some great bellydance clips! If you have any tips of your own that have worked please feel free to share them here in the comments! I’d love to see your ideas!