I'll agree with Bert. The smoke was like, "...huh?" Other than that, good job. I've found out that staying on the same shot for more than 2 seconds really pushes it unless you're trying to tell a story. There were a few longer shots that could have been clipped, but that's my personal taste.

Looked like some really bad interlacing in the first vid.

You have a Z1 right? Why aren't you shooting 30p / Rendering it...

Because that was the first time I had ever shot with a fx1 and edited with premiere pro 2.0. The second video is me with a z1 and cut with fcp 6

next time think more about composition.

When there is straight on band angle, camera cuts of vocal's half of the body and shows ugly ceiling instead, thats incorrect.

Wonderful thank you for the feedback so far.


The smoke got left in, I was mixed on it, and just messing around. The vocalist ended up liking it and wanted it in.

You're right about some of the time on shots Alex, more than I wanted too, I already know I have to go in and tighten some of that up.

Some of these shots I'm working with no sounds and have to frame by frame match vocals. I started to get abstract a little, not wanting an always on vocal match.

Great, notepad is getting used, thanks again!!!

Music Video Parody
 

First shot at a music video. Our remake/variation of SNL's Lazy Sunday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHBP92HHMfQ

GET FOCUSED 07, shot with hte DVX100a
 

Here's the clip: (recommended to download the high quality clip)
http://files.filefront.com/Finalmovi.../fileinfo.html

Get Focused is an annual festival in Norway.

It's not a promo video for the festival, I just brought my camera and filmed some..

Untested Theories
 

hi guys!

i'd just like to share with you some mobisodes i've been working on for my company theHUB. we're a content provider currently focused on mobile tv and one of the programs we're developing is called Untested Theories. at the moment our YouTube page features four episodes - do check them out and if you're so inclined, leave your comments. oh and if you like what we're doing, feel free to let your friends know. thanks!

www.youtube.com/untestedtheories

regards,

dan abbey

Norwegian American Football
 

I got the opportunity to follow my local college football team during their climb from the newest and most inexperienced, to the third place in the national rankings.
My main job was to give the coach material to review and do statistics from, but I also made a highlights edit from each game for the players.
This is the highlights from one of their best games (in my opinion).
Shot on a HVR-Z1E
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0Xg7Q9rX16s

What do you think?

interesting posibilities
 

I thought the you made a fantastic choice in the music you chose. It adds a certain transcendental feel to the piece. I would have liked to have seen a few close ups of clashing bodies and grimacing faces.

As seen on youtube, it was rather dark...needed to be brightened and punched up.

Too many scrimages..Some sections could have been slowed down and others speeded up for dramatic effect.

With some additional work it could leave the viewer anxious to know what the "back story"is.

Thanks for the reply.

I was actually going to shoot the game with two cameras to get more close ups and a different angle to choose from, but my friend was too whipped by his girlfriend, so that didn't work out.
The reason to the darkness is the fact that this was my first time using the Z1, with most of my experience from my PD-170 which I think handles low light much better. Should have done something with it in post though, but I only had about an hour to edit it, so I didn't spot it.
I tried to cut out some scrimmages, but it didn't seem right. The action needed to start somewhere. But thats just me I guess.

Local TV spot - greenscreen & motion graphics
 

I updated a spot for a local credit union and went in a totally different direction from their previous spot that Comcast did. I shot the CEO on a greenscreen and animated her into a kid's notebook (using After Effects).

I'll get to update the middle "pages" every month for a new Teacher of the Month, going on-site to shoot the classroom and teachers. It's been an enjoyable project and a great client.

http://www.browncowvideo.com/svvcu/TOM/

Thanks for watching,
Brian Brown
BrownCow Productions

That was going to be my first suggestion, but it would seem that you've already thought about that.

I'll refrain from the obvious joke here.

All I can say about the game footage was that:
1) #36 is a battering ram of a running back. Watching that guy run was like watching old NFL games from the 60's and I say that in a good way.
2) the opposing team was brutally bad
3) tackling must not have made it's way to your country yet

The game ended 40-0. I actually heard that this became the last season for Eidsvoll (the losing team). This isn't a very popular sport in Norway, as you probably saw on the numbers of spectators, so the players game knowledge and experience is limited. But "my" team actually has an American coach, which has done a great job teaching these players.

My new film trailer... Redrock M2
 

Made this first weekend of September... Really had alot of fun with it... Shot on Canon HV20 with M2

Remember this is a trailer to a scene i shot, that takes place in the middle of a feature... so it doesnt amke sense at all... unless you know the backstory....

im working on making a CGI Afx sequence for the beginning showing what has taken place thus far

Read up on it here: www.reduxfilm.blogspot.com

http://www.redrockmicro.com/footage/...rrierfinal.mov
Right Click and Save As


I'm also 17 and made this...


Zac

Great job I thought it was very creative. I bet your client loved it. Good concept you really pulled it off.

nice to see another example of the m2 redrock. Good use of focus on some shots, but it was pretty messy. This is just my two cents: you should try to keep the title designs the same style, just for a cleaner finish. And the whole 'montage' doesn't add up to a story. (I might have to watch it a few more times.) It's nice to see another teen filmmaker on these forums. What was this project for? School or fun? I'd like to learn more about your background as a filmmaker.

-Mike

Some examples of my work with the M2:
(sorry some of these are youTube)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=59z55AT5snA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oHV5zsTU1co

http://invisionitstudios.com/johnwoo.html

http://invisionitstudios.com/JT.html

yeah, i have to admit it was messy, we got the M2 the day before and i was the only one able to learn it , so my DP had to learn that morning... but for the small learning it was nice to use, and easy to figure out...

and redrock let me use it for the weekend... so i don't have it anymore, but im buying the DIY version and in the process of building one, with canon lenses and a follow focus

and might i say some amazing shorts on your site, very professional... wow, you using the M2 bundle... cause thats mighty expensive...

Z

Michael, watched through your stuff. It looks really great! The only thing I could offer up on the JW one was to make sure you don't forget to motion track (like the muzzle fire smoke), so that it follows the tip of the gun and not the camera movement.

Making the most of limited resources
 

Editing this short teaser was an exercise in using somewhat uninspiring footage to make something that would entice the competitors in this bodybuilding contest to buy the DVDs by making the show seem as exciting as possible.

The contest was shot with one camera from the back of the hall and the show is somewhat slow moving. The trick was to pick the clips in such a way as to hide the fact, as much as possible, that the footage is very repetitive and also to show as many of the different competitors as I could in the time allotted. The hope is that they may recognize themselves, get excited, and purchase the DVDs. The real challenge for me became finding as many variations of action and framing as possible and sequencing them in such a way as to keep attention throughout. How well I achieved that is for you to decide.

Comments and criticism are welcome, of course.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cwSkA3jI8Ng

Haha, trust me I know my share of boring footage.

Although my sound is dead (just formatted and forgot sound-card drivers) it seemed to flow at a decent pace.

Although I will say the freeze-frame effect was a little repetitive but it may have flowed better with music/sound. I'd tone the sharpening/contrast filter back a little bit. So you can tell something is different... but it isn't as hard hitting as before...

Flow is the most important part imo. If it flows and keeps your attention without you having to focus hard, it's doing a good job.

I like it... boring footage is boring footage, but you made it pretty interesting. I like the freeze frame with the graphic effect, and the way it went together with the music/sound effects, and the voice over was pretty good too. You've given me inspiration for the next time I have to edit boring footage!

HV20 - Preview of "Makers" - The Mouse Trap
 

http://www.vimeo.com/377215

Comments appreciated.

For the fishermen amongst you
 

Hi there

Don't know if there are any anglers out there, but I've been adding my video clips to You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjaG71ltQZ4

If you're into fishing especially for carp you might find them interesting.

cheers
Gareth

Music Video Shot with Canon XL-H1
 

Video Clip for dutch band.

Info:

-Canon XL-H1 HDV 25p
-Various Tiffen 4x4 Glass filters
-Lupo fluorescent lights
-Final Cut Pro 6, also for colour correction



http://www.oogappel.net/maybees/

Did the essay in the original post put everyone off?!
 

It was rather a lot to take in, wasn't it? Does anyone have any feedback for me?

Good or bad - I can take it!

-Russ

Eepybird Diet Coke & Mentos - in HD!
 

That is just AWESOME!

Nice work but some of the pages were on screen for too short of a time for me to get all the info.

Just an opinion.

Randy

Wow. That was awesome. I love the firework-esque styling of it :D

Carl

I didn't believe it when i saw it on youtube. I figured there was no way you could get that kind of pressure out of those bottles (I had tried it, and it went maybe 3 feet up). That's what i get for watching SD with youtube compression, i guess.

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

Yes, the pages do go by pretty fast. Maybe I should have eliminated one of the page turns, or altered the timing of them. I'll get the chance to revisit this spot for next month's Teacher, so maybe I'll tweak it then.

Thanks,
Brian

The trick: You need to decrease the diameter of the exit - they do that through those little nozzles. Also, for some reason, it works best with warm soda, not cold soda.

Trailer for my first paid project...
 

Well I finished up my first real, (meaning paid), project this week and threw together a preview just for fun....
I posted it over at the motorcycle drag race forum where the target audience hangs out....and the response was good.

So....I thought I'd share it here, with all you experianced guys and gals...

And as always...feedback is welcome and encouraged... :)

2WheelSpeed 2007 Trailer

Bob

Really funny!!

"Hot Women In Tiaras"! LOL!

Hi Bob,

Nice job for the first $$$ gig. Here's a few generalized suggestions:

- Assuming you're serious about making money, include both EMAIL address and phone contact along with URL.

- The font type and color could use some improvement; check out effective designs on other posts here, TV ads, other internet sales videos, magazines, etc. Try not to use so much titling that it obscures the video much of the clip.

- As you gain proficiency, add creative edits, camera work, and effects. Develop a shot list - during the shoot, be sure to check off at least 80 percent of the items on your "to-do" list. You can never take enough B roll cutaways (I didn't see much find it's way in the promo). The story telling shots should go wide, medium, close-up, ECU (avoid zooms except in rare situations). Incorporate dutch angles and gliding corkscrews, silouettes, moving foreground and fly-overs, reflection shots, point of views, over the shoulder noddies and pivot/reverse pivots, wrap-arounds, rack focus, effective framing, revers/compass shots (between 2 people talking), staggered shutter speeds, dolly shots, etc. and always be thinking John Cooksey's WALLDO acronym (Wide, Angled, Low, Linking, Depth of field, Opposites).

- Consider ways to enhance the story-telling, integrating the media (content, camera shots, audio/music, lighting/color, editing/pacing, etc).

- Focus on ways to enhance the audience's emotional involvement. Including the racer's sound bites was a good start. Your titling eluded to hot women, but it was unsupported with close-ups, creative shot angles, audio clips, color-corrected video, etc. Ditto with the biker racetrack edits; instead of editing biker racking left, biker racing right, back-forth, look for ways to build emotion and captivate interest by keeping the viewers eyes busy - consider top-bottom split screen, sequencing racers peeling left-right across screen, etc. (be sure to follow rule of thirds, too). Hopefully you got some angled shots in addition to the 2D flat 90 degree angle stuff.

- Find ways to promote sales by enticing promo for the viewers. The message doesn't work as well when you use titling like, "Secrets of the Winners" and then follow-up with them saying "we got lucky..."

BTW, I loved the puppy shot! Even better would be if you had the camera at "position 1" (same low angle as dog). Along this line, be sure to include a shot of kids, assuming you can find footage that will either get a laugh or emotionally touch the viewers/prospective buyers.

Hope this provides food for thought - thanks again for sharing!

Warm Regards, Michael

Hi Russ,

I seldom frequent "Show Your Work" but always enjoy sharing thoughts. Hopefully my feedback is focused on "how it is shot, its composition, editing, framing, and post production."

- The first few seconds start off well, but soon loses continuity. The rear-lot thug shot should come after the guys knocking on the door. I'm all for flash-forward time-sequence shots, but this doesn't seem to add interest to the story when the two segments are closely bound.

- The lighting was the first thing that caught my eye - could really use a reflector if lighting isn't available. At least go for a wider iris, more gain, or boost in post. Much of the video very, very dark. The silhouette shots near the end (foot chase scene) were okay, but on the first half, we couldn't see the subjects.

- The kidnap shot didn't seem to fit. The kidnappers weren't related to the scenes before/after the shot (clearly different guys). From an shot/editing sequence, this shot greatly needs establishing shots - walking to room, entering, shot from kidnapper's perspective (we have no idea who is being kidnapped), shot from victim's perspective, etc.)

- The rear-view shot going up the stairs could use improvement - what's going on here? Can we find a better angle to tell the story?

- The wide views would probably be improved with a much higher camera angle, looking down somewhat to improve the framing composition (rather than showing skyline). Also, try to vary the shot sequences of this scene - wide, medium, close-up, etc.

- Use linking shots, especially during action sequences. After the thugs shove someone in the car, take a shot inside the car - preferably a point of view toward the thugs.

- Try to avoid repeatly reusing shot sequences. Maybe it's okay once or twice, but that's it.

In summary, I agree with your assessment the content was difficult to work with, so the onus is on you to pull it off with superior camera work and edits. Fortunately, the music helped carry the video.

Thanks for sharing, Michael

Hey Russ,

I think you should try to differentiate between a story with a soundtrack and a music video. I wasn't sure if the guy with the gun was the lead singer, he mouthed some lyrics at one point. I think if he was lip syncing during all scenes with him in it, you'd have a music vid. Maybe a small drum kit etc. to cut away to, to distinguish it as a music vid. This looked more like a short with a suited soundtrack.

Keep shooting.

Michael...thanks!

The Tiaras thing is an inside joke....glad to hear it's funny to those not "inside"...

Michael number 2...also thanks! All valid points...

The finished DVD addresses many of those points....

I also race a bike in the series, so I was there for every race and ended up with plenty of footage, from many angles.....(although, between working on the bike and racing it, shooting tape sometimes became a run and gun operation)...

I do struggle with the rule of 3rds though....I know that.

As for being serious about making money...it would be nice, but that's not my goal.
I have a great job that pays me well...
This is really just a hobby for me, one I love, but still a hobby. Any money I make gets invested back into the hobby.

Again, thanks for taking the time to share your opinions..

Bob T.

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

Michael

I see what your saying about varying shots. You mention that the thugs change? they don't they are always the same two thugs. The composition was dark in the running scenes, but I did this intentionally as I like silhouettes against sky (!) Yes I did need more POV shots. However, the idea was to show flash shots, kind of snippets of action. Two people shadow a door, cut to present, two people burst open said door, cut to present, thugs walk upstairs, cut to present...etc. I know it was dark, but did you tell it was a woman during the kidnap and not the same kid tied to the chair?

Ken

That was the main problem - the band wanted a short film making comprising of three music videos, of which this is the ending. Lots of flash scenes. The band didn't want a direct appearance in this video, so they appeared as 'extras' in the street chase. The guy with the gun is not with the band, but it was meant as him telling the kid "if you want to play, you got to pay" the song is the guy with the gun lecturing the kid, so the lip sync towards the end was done to support that, although I agree if he was syncing the entire song it would have been better. That was the initial plan but he was rather nervous (friend of the band)

No professional actors were used in this shoot, it was just me, the band and a few friends. Apart from about a week planning from me it was literally who turned up on the day were in. Not an ideal scenario for a professional looking shoot.

Thanks for the comments guys, they will help the next shoot.

Russ

Rehi,

Yes, now that you've mentioned they are one in the same, I can make the connection. Perhaps it's just me who will miss that, however the thugs are otherwise very wide shots and with the dark scenes I didn't make the linkage. Yes, after several viewings and freeze frames, I noticed the woman in the kidnapping - strange, since it wasn't developed in a linear sense. You'll need a real cult following to have the audience maintain interest in catching many of your details - I hope it works out for you.

Michael