julmax
Knight Arbiter
Force Alignment: 75
Posts: 271
A Sith... Hear? Bad Sishy, Bad Sithy! ...WOOSH!
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« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2014, 04:50:40 PM » |
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Hi, good first effort. Unfortunately I cannot offer any advice regarding the technical issues you spoke of. However, I do have a fair amount of experience with public speaking and a limited knowledge of video-ography gleaned from a basic film making course in college.
(Oh... and please, please, please, don't take this is being mean spirited. I seriously don't have a mean bone in my body, and really hope that I'm not overstepping my bounds. However, I got the impression that your truly interested in making good videos. So...)
Issues and suggestions...
First and foremost, the video was too long. This however, was not due to any perceived rambling on your part, you actually speak and presenters yourself quite well. No, I think the real issue was more due to trying to cover too much subject matter in one video. For example, you presented the following...
A review of the initiate LE... A review of the scorpion... An extensive explanation of fit and finish issues and things you would do differently. (This was taken to the point of becoming a separate topic.) And finally a review of the Obsidian / Emerald options.
All of these topics which you covered are certainly legitimate and worthwhile. However, try to keep in mind that most people have the attention span of a nat. So my advice here would be to break up the subject matter you wish to cover into separate videos.
The second big issue is in regards to cinematic presentation. A subject that is far too expansive for me to explain in this post. I can however give a few quick tips...
Location, location, location... Like real estate, a video presentation depends heavily on the location in which it's filmed. Though I understand the reasons why you chose a hallway, the environment was far too constricting which limited your movements. Or in other words, the banging of the saber blade into the walls and ceiling was far too distracting. The sample suggestion I can give is the creation of a quick soundstage. Don't fret, this is actually very easy to accomplish. Just about any location will do as long as you actually have space to move around. Then simply choose a camera angle that will give a clean background. Or if this cannot be accomplished, simply stirring up a sheet.
Vertical letter boxing... Simply put, it's a big no-no. To the viewer, it's very distracting and should be avoided whenever possible. Try to keep your presentations full screen. Another aspect of your video that was distracting to viewers was the constant opening and closing of doors for lighting. The simplest remedy for this is a constant ambient light level that is bright enough for general viewing, but low enough to show off the blade affects. A more advanced approach would be to present the general review in full lighting, then cut to and from the saber being displayed in the dark.
Camera angle... Biggest suggestion, a full size tripod. Even a really cheap one from Wal-Mart. Camera stability issues aside, having a low camera angle results in the subject--in this case, you--to come off as (visually) imposing. This is a great thing if you're filming a bad guy, but not so good when you're trying to have a conversation with a viewing audience. Try to think about what it looks like when you're having a face to face conversation with someone and emulate that appearance with your camera angle.
As I mentioned, there is far too much to cover. Sound issues, lighting, foreground, I can go on forever ever and only succeed in confusing the heck out of every one. But making a good quality review video presentation is really far easier than most people would think. The best suggestion I can give you is to look up some basic (on-the-cheap) film making tutorials on YouTube. You'll be surprised how simple it really is.
Well, enough said... In closing however, please understand this was only meant to be a critique and to give a few suggestions. Regardless of how you choose to present your videos, or the subject matter presented, have fun with it. Otherwise, what's the point...
All right, I'm done... And It's time for me to go back to being wacky... ...hear sithy, sithy, sithy...
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