Steve Crow
Forum Replies Created
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To be honest, I don’t know if you really want to hear my feedback because it’s probably not going to be what you think you want but here goes: 🙂
I think the main area you can improve in has nothing to do with new gear – the videos I’ve watched of yours over the last few months are all basically shots of bikes racing around the track – and if that’s all you are going for they’re not bad, not at all. But what is lacking is any kind of attention to STORY, I find the videos you’ve posted boring and repetitive but a lot of that has to do with the fact that I’m not a fan of the sport. But if I WERE a fan, I think I’d be asking you where are the racer interviews? Where is the technical information about the bikes and the track, and of the race itself that fans want? You could also benefit by varying the pacing and the “style” a bit – I realize that racing videos are often not much more than upbeat music, “in your face” graphics and transitions – but aren’t you tired of that already?
Why are you creating these videos? That’s an important question I haven’t asked yet…are they basically promotion for bike or gear manufacturers? In any case, I bet 80% of your peers doing similar racing videos would take the same approach as you have done. I’d say set yourself apart and try something more interesting and then use the shots of the actual racing as B-roll, the spice – not the main meal.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
You might try the optical flow technology built into Apple Motion.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
In that price range if you want the look of a DSLR then get a DSLR! I’d suggest the Canon 7D since it has basically the same video performance as the 5D Mark II and with the money saved you can put some money down on all the other gear you are going to need. Remember DSLR filming is a lot more involved than what you are used to with your current camera. Read through the forums here and you will find plenty of suggestions on specific gear items. Have fun!
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Hmmm, trade show floors are relatively bright, bright enough anyway to film at no higher than 800 ISO I would think so I’d be tempted to go with available light or maybe just a reflector. This is one area DSLRs really beat the pants off of traditional camcorders that need a hell of a lot of light. Setting up lights on a trade show floor environment sounds like a practical and safety (trip hazard) nightmare for a one-man-band video crew. Maybe one on-camera light and a reflector on a stand for fill?
Sound is usually the weak spot for these kind of tradeshow floor interviews, I’d concentrate on that – wireless lavs seem the best solution….I see far too many videos using only on camera microphones that are picking up so much of the sound happening around the person speaking that it is very distracting.
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Because a videocamera that good and that cheap would leave consumers little reason to buy their more expensive cameras. There are and will be relativly inexpensive camcorders with large chips but these cameras will be purposely hobbled by the manufacturer to give you some reason to buy one of their more expensive models
Only a manufacturer with nothing to protect would build the kind of camera you are dreaming of
Steve Crow
Crow Digital Media
http://www.CrowDigitalMedia.com -
Does the clip look okay when you review it on the camera’s LCD? In other words, I am wondering if this is a Final Cut Pro issue. If the sequence settings are different than the original clip parameters then that could be doing something.
Also, if you are just looking at it within Final Cut, have you tried actually exporting the clip and seeing how it looks then?
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Are you moving the camera or holding it steady and letting the action run through the frame?
Is motion blur the only problem you are having, I am not clear what is poor about the results you are getting.
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I know there are specialized “flat” microphones that are designed just for conference table applications (they look like conference room phones sold by Plantronic) – you can check into those but also I would first try simple experiment to see what can be achieved by placing one Zoom H4N itself at one end of the table and a second closer to the other end, in other words not attaching any external mic to it…since you can move the mic heads it MIGHT work for you and would certainly be a lot cheaper…just a thought.
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No problem Brittany, glad it worked out for you
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My guess is that it has something to do with your sequence settings being different than the source/raw video you are importing…have you tried starting a new timeline and then dragging in one of your clips so that you get the dialog box asking you if you want fce to adjust the timeline settings to match the clip? If so be sure to select “yes” and let us know if that makes any difference.