peterconquest3
lvl.2
United States
Offline
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Hi Helen,
Very nice visuals! Beautiful place for sure! The timing of sunset was an excellent choice.
I'm struggling with my own 1st ariel video, so I know exactly some of the 1st time issues you must of had in editing. So I'll give you a professional critique, but I think you already are aware of most of these areas for improvement. Don't get me wrong, your video is amazing... and I'm sure the locals are going to LOVE IT! But to be truly helpful, I hope I'm giving you some useful input, while trying to be "gentle" (as you requested) too...
- When in editing did you often wish you could have changed the gimbal position more smoothly? Even the slightest change in gimbal can disrupt the otherwise smooth flow of a shot. I recently turned down the sensitivity of the gimbal to something like "30", and I think it helped a lot to smooth out pans or tilts. Obtaining smooth gimbal moves during shots is still a learned skill. I marvel at all the pilots videos posted on this site... some have amazing skills in this area. But you can bet it took a lot of practice to get there.
- Your title sequence is very nice. Simple fonts, simple animation. Keeping it simple always plays better and more elegant.
- The small "hiccups" in the camera moves do indeed distract from an otherwise more polished final product. If you don't have long enough footage without a hiccup, I might suggest dissolving out of that clip earlier to eliminate it. Even small mistakes in camera moves, and then corrections can make the viewer feel that the camera person was not confident in composing their shot... and had to change it. The more professional looking the shot is, the more convincing and confident the viewers perception will be. A lot of this is subconscious and quite subtle... but elimination all little jumps and hiccups really does make huge improvements.
- Dissolving from one shot to the next it is sometimes better to chose a completely different angle if possible. Using two similar shots together can be perceived as a "jump cut" (terminology some professional editors use to describe such an event). At :20 secs into your video, this happens. By changing the next shot to something different, it maintains a more cinematic feel.
- Continuing a consistent forward movement, orbiting movement, or combination of moments is difficult, but good to strive for. I can see you are really making the effort! Did you have a separate camera operator?
- Watch your exposure. Use histogram and zebra tools built into the camera settings. The shot starting at 1:30 is pretty over exposed. Did you shoot in "Log" mode? That helps give a little more exposure flexibility in editing.
- Shorter is better. I'd cut the last shot at 1:44 (the overhead wave portion), and not show the tilt back up to the lighthouse at all. The change is not that smooth, and the return to an ocean shot plays well against your opening shot. Overall some portions are somewhat repetitive. You could cut the total length by another 40%-50% and still have a beautiful piece that provides the same impact, if not better.
And whether you are getting paid or not, it's best to release the best product you can... you never know who's attention it will attract.
Please understand that my own videos have many of the same hiccups as yours... and I'm trying to improve them too. It will take time, but it's a lot of fun working on a goal of excellence... and in my humble opinion, you are definitely heading in the right direction.
- Pete
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