Final video project for school. at DVinfo.net

Eric Stemen · May 28th, 2009, 11:19 AM

Hey guys, I just graduated from Western Kentucky University for TV production and was wondering if you would take a look at my video I made for the class.

Part 1
YouTube - Cave Documentry Part 1
Part 2
YouTube - Cave Documentary Part 2

I don't expect anyone to watch all of it, but if you could watch a little bit and give me some feedback that would be great.

Thanks.

Rick L. Allen · May 28th, 2009, 12:29 PM

Overall Nicely Done and a good story.

Part 1 & 2
1. Haven't a clue what the first 30 sec. with the planets was about - nuke it.
2. Nice jib work. You took time to drag a jib into the cave but didn't take time to light the formations? No backlight?
3. Font/lower third is WAY TOO busy. The video should be about your subject and the story not your graphics skills.
4. Nice interview lighting.
5. Music seemed a bit heavy for the subject. Maybe pick a different piece with more "adventure" in it and use it off and on throughout to help pacing.
6. Would have loved to see more b-roll of the spelunkers. Take a look at how Wes Skiles crafts his u/w caving stories.

You're obviously passionate about the subject - keep it up!

Eric Stemen · May 28th, 2009, 07:11 PM

1. I wanted some sort of intro...I should probably try something else for it....I already made the planet thing just for fun and didn't have time to do anything new so I just used it.
2. There is no way I would drag a jib though a cave....I just shot hand held(kidding). I agree about back lighting the formations. My inverter died on one of the trips so I only had one light on the day where the backlight would have really helped (where he was talking about broken formations.)...I was pretty bummed. I carried a car battery, inverter, and one of the 150W HID lights from cool lights and couldn't even use it.
3. I was kind of undecided about the graphic...Thanks for the opinion I'll remove some of the stalactites.
4. Thanks about the lighting. This was my first time to light an interview by myself. I should have moved the back light down so it didn't hit her forehead. I also know I messed up the camera position for most of the second interview...messing up is a great way to learn though...I won't make that mistake again(and I'll try to get ahold of a second camera if I'm shooting and doing the interview by myself.)
5. I agree about the music.
6. I will definitely get more b-roll of spelunkers. I'm really lucky that I was able to get what I got for now.

For a project that I did while taking 16 credit hours, and only being able to shoot on Saturdays over the course of 3 months I think it turned out pretty good. Eventually I would like to just use the B-roll and have a good voice over and music throughout.

Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate it.

May 28th, 2009, 11:19 AM	#1
Eric Stemen Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 378	Final video project for school. Hey guys, I just graduated from Western Kentucky University for TV production and was wondering if you would take a look at my video I made for the class. Part 1 YouTube - Cave Documentry Part 1 Part 2 YouTube - Cave Documentary Part 2 I don't expect anyone to watch all of it, but if you could watch a little bit and give me some feedback that would be great. Thanks.

May 28th, 2009, 12:29 PM	#2
Rick L. Allen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 535	Overall Nicely Done and a good story. Part 1 & 2 1. Haven't a clue what the first 30 sec. with the planets was about - nuke it. 2. Nice jib work. You took time to drag a jib into the cave but didn't take time to light the formations? No backlight? 3. Font/lower third is WAY TOO busy. The video should be about your subject and the story not your graphics skills. 4. Nice interview lighting. 5. Music seemed a bit heavy for the subject. Maybe pick a different piece with more "adventure" in it and use it off and on throughout to help pacing. 6. Would have loved to see more b-roll of the spelunkers. Take a look at how Wes Skiles crafts his u/w caving stories. You're obviously passionate about the subject - keep it up! __________________ "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you believe it or not." Neil deGrasse Tyson https://www.nautilusproductions.com/

May 28th, 2009, 07:11 PM	#3
Eric Stemen Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 378	1. I wanted some sort of intro...I should probably try something else for it....I already made the planet thing just for fun and didn't have time to do anything new so I just used it. 2. There is no way I would drag a jib though a cave....I just shot hand held(kidding). I agree about back lighting the formations. My inverter died on one of the trips so I only had one light on the day where the backlight would have really helped (where he was talking about broken formations.)...I was pretty bummed. I carried a car battery, inverter, and one of the 150W HID lights from cool lights and couldn't even use it. 3. I was kind of undecided about the graphic...Thanks for the opinion I'll remove some of the stalactites. 4. Thanks about the lighting. This was my first time to light an interview by myself. I should have moved the back light down so it didn't hit her forehead. I also know I messed up the camera position for most of the second interview...messing up is a great way to learn though...I won't make that mistake again(and I'll try to get ahold of a second camera if I'm shooting and doing the interview by myself.) 5. I agree about the music. 6. I will definitely get more b-roll of spelunkers. I'm really lucky that I was able to get what I got for now. For a project that I did while taking 16 credit hours, and only being able to shoot on Saturdays over the course of 3 months I think it turned out pretty good. Eventually I would like to just use the B-roll and have a good voice over and music throughout. Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate it.