My first Vid: C and C please (drifting)

nicknackgtb

Hi there,

Produced my first video last week, only done on imovie because my computer wont update to put fcp on it! so this has to do!

Let me know what you think anyway please!

Cheers,

Paddy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKH3yTPoTfI

travelledpengy

I enjoyed it.. the angle at 35 seconds is class

johnners2981

I also approve.

Just wondering how much were the royalties to Aloe Blacc?

Tactical

Overall I enjoyed watching this.

The music possibly presents an issue as already pointed out.

However the main thing that stands out for me is the focussing. In places its pin sharp and in others its quite soft.

Manual or auto focus? Intentional or otherwise?

Camera used?

For me personally, a sharper focus on the subjects being shot (both persons and vehicles) would be more pleasing.

Tallon

johnners2981 wrote: »

I also approve.

Just wondering how much were the royalties to Aloe Blacc?

I'm guessing he doesn't have permission

OP, great video, I really enjoyed it

nicknackgtb

Tactical wrote: »

Overall I enjoyed watching this.

The music possibly presents an issue as already pointed out.

However the main thing that stands out for me is the focussing. In places its pin sharp and in others its quite soft.

Manual or auto focus? Intentional or otherwise?

Camera used?

For me personally, a sharper focus on the subjects being shot (both persons and vehicles) would be more pleasing.

I still don't know how to get around the music thing, thats why I mentioned the singer in the vid and also in the comments section, all I could do.

Focusing is in a sense made to be constantly changing focus as I am using a high apperture on my camera so would say intentional. There are some parts that are out of focus a bit more than I want so wasnt happy with them myself. It is all shot with manual focus. Need to get myself a LCDVF though as was just using the LCD screen on its own.

I'm using a 5d mkii for all of it. Lenses were Canon 300mm F.4L IS and Sigma 70-200 F2.8.

Then only have Imovie to edit as I need to update my mac to install FCP.

Cheers

Tallon

You are not allowed use music on Youtube that has copyright, simple. No way around it, unless you have express permission from the artist!

You can upload any song that is copyright free or uses Creative Commons and claim it under the CC act.

For all my videos, I use either friends who write songs, or some CR free sites like http://www.newgrounds.com/

Tactical

nicknackgtb wrote: »

Focusing is in a sense made to be constantly changing focus as I am using a high apperture on my camera so would say intentional. There are some parts that are out of focus a bit more than I want so wasnt happy with them myself. It is all shot with manual focus. Need to get myself a LCDVF though as was just using the LCD screen on its own.

I'm using a 5d mkii for all of it. Lenses were Canon 300mm F.4L IS and Sigma 70-200 F2.8.

Then only have Imovie to edit as I need to update my mac to install FCP.

Cheers

iMove is fine to edit with and has more features than the Microsoft Movie Maker package. Don't get hung up on FCP as iMovie is a very capable package.

Using a large apeture will give a nice background blur alright but the focus will be critical.

So you were looking to create a soft look in some parts then? Can you link to an example of the effect you were trying to create? There are a few instances where focus hunting is evident.

Does the 5DMkII have focus assist available on the LCD? It can be hard to judge focus on a small LCD. To be honest a VF isn't much easier and I always use the focus assist mode available on my camera.

Over all a good effort and I'd like to see more of your work as I enjoyed watching this. Thanks for taking the trouble to post it for us to view

m83

Tallon wrote: »

You are not allowed use music on Youtube that has copyright, simple. No way around it, unless you have express permission from the artist!

And yet millions of people do it everyday. It's not a big deal for something like this tbh.

Tallon

m83 wrote: »

And yet millions of people do it everyday. It's not a big deal tbh.

I never said it was

I was just explaining how to get around it as asked!

I get paid for my videos, so I am strictly prohibited from using 'standard' music

m83

You just picked me up wrong. I wasn't making out like you said it was a big deal.

I have found a way around Youtube detecting commercial music in a video, a bit shady but it can be done.

Tallon

Why go to the effort though and also you risk your video being removed

I personally prefer original music that I've never heard before in videos.

m83

Tallon wrote: »

Why go to the effort though and also you risk your video being removed

It's no effort really. It's not something I actively do, but I know it's possible. Also as a huge music lover, I find that 99% of the stuff that is available to purchase is absolute crap, ie there's a reason why you can buy it.

Tallon wrote: »

I personally prefer original music that I've never heard before in videos.

Just because you haven't heard it before doesn't mean you can use it in a video. Personally, I'd never use something like Aloe Blaac as OP has done. It's extremely disheartening though when I try to share 10/15 year old rare vinyl B-sides and the likes on youtube and the video gets blocked for copyright violation. Who is that helping? The music would be dead otherwise.

I'll leave you with a quote from Neil Young, "Piracy is the new radio".

Tallon

m83 wrote: »

Just because you haven't heard it before doesn't mean you can use it in a video.

I never said that, stop taking me out of context!!!!

m83

I'm just repeating what you're telling me

Tallon

m83 wrote: »

I'm just repeating what you're telling me

No, your taking what I said out of context. I've already said not to use songs you do not have permission for, but to use copyright free music which you are allowed to use

ScumLord

Tallon wrote: »

You are not allowed use music on Youtube that has copyright, simple. No way around it, unless you have express permission from the artist!

It's clear YouTube already knows his using copyrighted music as they have as much as said so below the video. I thought they just took advertising control of the video? Basically he would have been able to make money off that video until he put a copyrighted song on it, now all the money goes to that record company.

Tallon

ScumLord wrote: »

It's clear YouTube already knows his using copyrighted music as they have as much as said so below the video. I thought they just took advertising control of the video? Basically he would have been able to make money off that video until he put a copyrighted song on it, now all the money goes to that record company.

Sorry, yes, that's what I meant.

The label can ask for the video to be removed, but they rarely do, they just stick adds on it

pandaboy

nicknackgtb wrote: »

I still don't know how to get around the music thing, thats why I mentioned the singer in the vid and also in the comments section, all I could do.

Focusing is in a sense made to be constantly changing focus as I am using a high apperture on my camera so would say intentional. There are some parts that are out of focus a bit more than I want so wasnt happy with them myself. It is all shot with manual focus. Need to get myself a LCDVF though as was just using the LCD screen on its own.

I'm using a 5d mkii for all of it. Lenses were Canon 300mm F.4L IS and Sigma 70-200 F2.8.

Then only have Imovie to edit as I need to update my mac to install FCP.

Cheers

For a first video I have to say it was quite well done, especially on iMovie.

What ISO were you shooting at? Crank that up a bit and you can minimise the aperture thus increasing your depth of field. That'll help out with the focusing.

Also, if you crank up the ISO to say 800 you can lower the blacks in the image when colour correcting. This will lower the grain a small bit in the image from the ISO compensation and will also give a nice look to the image.

If you're working with the 5D though I do recommend moving onto a better editing application. You want to be able to do your footage justice with the use of colour correction and added filters. Once you get the hang of it you'll wonder why you were using iMovie (not bashing iMovie).

One thing you could work on when it comes to camerawork is panning with the vehicle. These cars were moving at a fast rate but you still want to keep the one object at a certain part of the image frame. You had a few successful shots but to maintain consistency with the motion of the shot try and allow the pan to stick with the car rather than rush to fix the frame.

Other than that I have to say that it's a great video. I'll be subbing you on Youtube.

Padzter.

Tactical

pandaboy wrote: »

For a first video I have to say it was quite well done, especially on iMovie.

What ISO were you shooting at? Crank that up a bit and you can minimise the aperture thus increasing your depth of field. That'll help out with the focusing.

Also, if you crank up the ISO to say 800 you can lower the blacks in the image when colour correcting. This will lower the grain a small bit in the image from the ISO compensation and will also give a nice look to the image.

Padzter.

ISO is not directly related to depth of field.

Changing the iso to a higher value will increase the sensitivity of the sensor allowing you to use a smaller aperture (enabling the same exposure to be obtained) and this will indeed allow an increase in the depth of field.

However there are two immediate penalties to be paid.

The first is an increase in noise and the second is a reduction in bokeh which is a nice feature in this video allowing the subject to stand out from the background. My personal opinion is to keep the depth of field relatively shallow allowing a nice bokeh or blurring of the background, thereby helping to eliminate features that may distract from the object of interest in the frame.

Its far better to keep the ISO as low as possible to reduce the amount of noise. Post production is not really the way to correct noise problems.

Decide on the required effect and then see what parameters are required to achieve that effect while ensuring the correct exposure. So decide on the required depth of field, choose the aperture required to obtain the desired depth of field then examine the other remaining parameters such as shutter speed and ISO (but keep the ISO as low as practical to keep the noise at a minimum):)

James74

Nice job nicknackgtb.

One wee comment, I would have liked to hear a bit more of the squealing tyres and screaming engines in the mix. But maybe that's just my taste. Anyway, great first vid.

James.

ScumLord

James74 wrote: »

One wee comment, I would have liked to hear a bit more of the squealing tyres and screaming engines in the mix.

Agreed, but I'd assume he's using a DSLR which doesn't have much in the line of sound recording without ad ons.

m83

ScumLord wrote: »

Agreed, but I'd assume he's using a DSLR which doesn't have much in the line of sound recording without ad ons.

Alternatively, there are many libraries of stock sounds online that foley artists use.

nicknackgtb

I'm not quite sure what ISO I was on. I normally try and use as close to 100 as I possibly can and work back from there. I could have been 1 or 2 stops out.

I normally like to use my lens at F2.8 to get a nice depth of field and that is why I have alot of focusing issues. but then it adds to the video in some circumstances and you might see something else in your frame that catches attention so therefor have to re focus!

I have gotten a variable ND filter which I hope to be able to use next time I'm out to keep my 180 degree rule at bay when shooting at 1 50th at F2.8.

As regards the panning, I want to purchase a fluid head next for my tripod. advice over last few months has said that this is a necessary purchase for smooth pans. but then again practice makes perfect i suppose!!

My software yes definately needs to be updated!!! But unfortunately my computer will not update to the needed osx so I cant install unfortunately! I have to send it off to get sorted out! I have final cut pro here but as said, cant load it! Want to get Apple Motion also, but yet again, same problem, need the update!!

Video's I'm getting inspiration from are from the BDC in England, and in particular a lad called Stephen Brooks. HEre's a video of what I'd later down the line hopefully be able to achieve.

https://vimeo.com/16596346

It's a seriously cool feel good video.

Cheers for the comments, all of which I am taking on board

pandaboy

That's cool. The less noise the better though you can still feel pretty safe shooting 200-400 ISO. The sweet spot with most DSLRs is 320 ISO. I haven't a clue why but there must be algorithms and science stuff behind it, lol.

It's nice to have the depth of field shots but to be honest when working with fast moving objects you really need to maintain your focal distance.

Another thing is shutter speed. I'd notch that up so as to have a clean image to remove motion blur. This gives you the option of adding effects to a cleaner image in post. The usual case of shutter speed with DSLRs is shoot at twice the frame rate. So if you're shooting at 25fps then your shutter speed is 50fps. If you're shooting at 50fps then your shutter speed will need to be 100th/s.

Manfrotto would be the what you're looking for when purchasing a tripod. Invest in a nice solid head and legs. Buy these separately it could work out cheaper. The Manfrotto 50i head is a great head and has an extremely smooth pan on it. It's perfect for DSLRs also.

Have you looked at going down the Adobe route for editing? Adobe Premiere Pro imho is now passing out Final Cut in editing. This could be because I'm not a big fan of FCX but I like Adobe. I've used FCP for years and decided to move to Premiere Pro as a trial because H.264 was native to it. The latest version is a little intensive on the RAM but there are so many previous versions that you could probably get one for your power pc mac. Also, instead of Motion you can play around with After Effects. After effects is the same form of application as Motion. I actually find it easier to use than motion and is user friendly. CS2 would probably be a good option for you for the time being and a great version to start with if you have not got much experience.

Good to see that you have inspiration. Keep on watching videos until you can find a style or even copy shots and then try to see how you can change them to fit your philosophy of shooting. It's all trial and error and you develop with every video.

I signed up toy our youtube channel and I like what I see. Keep up the good work fella.

nicknackgtb

pandaboy wrote: »

That's cool. The less noise the better though you can still feel pretty safe shooting 200-400 ISO. The sweet spot with most DSLRs is 320 ISO. I haven't a clue why but there must be algorithms and science stuff behind it, lol.

It's nice to have the depth of field shots but to be honest when working with fast moving objects you really need to maintain your focal distance.

Another thing is shutter speed. I'd notch that up so as to have a clean image to remove motion blur. This gives you the option of adding effects to a cleaner image in post. The usual case of shutter speed with DSLRs is shoot at twice the frame rate. So if you're shooting at 25fps then your shutter speed is 50fps. If you're shooting at 50fps then your shutter speed will need to be 100th/s.

Manfrotto would be the what you're looking for when purchasing a tripod. Invest in a nice solid head and legs. Buy these separately it could work out cheaper. The Manfrotto 50i head is a great head and has an extremely smooth pan on it. It's perfect for DSLRs also.

Have you looked at going down the Adobe route for editing? Adobe Premiere Pro imho is now passing out Final Cut in editing. This could be because I'm not a big fan of FCX but I like Adobe. I've used FCP for years and decided to move to Premiere Pro as a trial because H.264 was native to it. The latest version is a little intensive on the RAM but there are so many previous versions that you could probably get one for your power pc mac. Also, instead of Motion you can play around with After Effects. After effects is the same form of application as Motion. I actually find it easier to use than motion and is user friendly. CS2 would probably be a good option for you for the time being and a great version to start with if you have not got much experience.

Good to see that you have inspiration. Keep on watching videos until you can find a style or even copy shots and then try to see how you can change them to fit your philosophy of shooting. It's all trial and error and you develop with every video.

I signed up toy our youtube channel and I like what I see. Keep up the good work fella.

Thanks mate , appreciate it.

I'm not sure if I did it for that video, I cant actually remember but I am shooting at 24fps so need to keep my shutter at 50 to get best results! Then I have my ND filter for setting the exposure so looking forward to getting more experience with it!

I got a Manfrotto Art 144 (i think) second hand and am now looking for a head for it. Think there are some well priced ones in berminghams at the minute so going to have a look at one of those for now. or else where would you buy the 50i could you tell me?

I asked the question about software before and I have gotten various opinions about which is best etc. I have used CS3 for years with my photography but just managed to get FCP so was going to try it. I would love to be able to try out both of them myself but just got myself FCP for now. once I upgrade my comp I'll be able to check it out properly!

Thanks for signing up to my channel, hopefully I get a few more up there! Just released my first Band shoot there so gonna ask for C and C on that also as it's different to the cars!!

Thanks for the kind words though!
Paddy

ScumLord

nicknackgtb wrote: »

I normally like to use my lens at F2.8 to get a nice depth of field and that is why I have alot of focusing issues.

I don't know, that depth of field thing is getting all to overused these days. AS soon as I see a video with really shallow depth of fields for everything I just think "someone's just bought themselves a new DSLR".

Practising with shallow depth of fields is good thing but I think everyone is just overusing it at the moment to the point your videos won't stand out if you overuse it too.

pandaboy

nicknackgtb wrote: »

Thanks mate , appreciate it.

I'm not sure if I did it for that video, I cant actually remember but I am shooting at 24fps so need to keep my shutter at 50 to get best results! Then I have my ND filter for setting the exposure so looking forward to getting more experience with it!

I got a Manfrotto Art 144 (i think) second hand and am now looking for a head for it. Think there are some well priced ones in berminghams at the minute so going to have a look at one of those for now. or else where would you buy the 50i could you tell me?

I asked the question about software before and I have gotten various opinions about which is best etc. I have used CS3 for years with my photography but just managed to get FCP so was going to try it. I would love to be able to try out both of them myself but just got myself FCP for now. once I upgrade my comp I'll be able to check it out properly!

Thanks for signing up to my channel, hopefully I get a few more up there! Just released my first Band shoot there so gonna ask for C and C on that also as it's different to the cars!!

Thanks for the kind words though!
Paddy

ND filters are a must. I recommend a graduated filter also. It's a split filter, great for sky shots. If you have a bright or extremely cloudy day it will bring depth and a great exposure to your image. Your work is mainly video so I'd stick with 25FPS. The extra frame might not seem as much but if you want to do say a slow mo it can come in handy. I'm not too sure about the 5D but can you shoot 50p in 1080 mode? That's another great option if you want some slow mo material. On the 550d it's only available in 720 (though I need to check magic lantern).

There are lots of good ebay stores out there. I could save you 60 quid. Also, keep an eye out on adverts.ie. You could find a good bargain.

Stick with FCP, it can be intensive on your machine if you're using an earlier version. I'm currently on 6 but I'm thinking of making the move to Premiere Pro. I like the feel of it and it's integrated with AfterEffects.

If you want to check out my stuff then visit my channel. I'm going to be posting DSLR and editing tutorials in the coming weeks. Just trying to update my mac to snow leopard at the moment.

My YouTube

Tactical

nicknackgtb wrote: »

I got a Manfrotto Art 144 (i think) second hand and am now looking for a head for it. Think there are some well priced ones in berminghams at the minute so going to have a look at one of those for now. or else where would you buy the 50i could you tell me?

Paddy

Barker Photographic in Cork supply Manfrotto and generally are good on price (not afilliated with Paddy's company, just a happy customer). They do mail order too. http://www.barkerphotographic.com/

Alternatively you could try www.warehouseexpress.com

Anyhow, I use a Manfrotto 503 Fluid Head. The pictures on the Manfrotto website make the actual heads appear smaller and you need to look at the dimensions to appreciate the size of them.

http://www.manfrotto.com/manfrotto-503-series-head

There's also this one http://www.manfrotto.com/519-professional-fluid-video-head

You might need to consider camera weight for balancing when choosing a fluid head. Especially with a DSLR depending on the lens used as it might actually be a bit too light for some of the fluid heads.

However if you might upgrade in the future or at an stage be using the DSLR with any of the heavier lenses (e.g. Canon EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens which weighs 1.67kg, or Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Lens which weighs 1.91kg)

The two heads I've used as an example allow a max load of 8kg and 10kg respectively and springs can be changed to suit different loads.

SouperComputer

Think I might have seen this video linked on FB. I'm not a video pro by any stretch of the imagination, more of a dabbler. I enjoyed watching the video. The tune selected was a bit understated, low energy but also a welcome change from a lot of the "SkangerFM" tunes you hear slapped on some drifting videos.

Seems you have a knack for video, stick at it and most of all enjoy what you do with it. I would agree that the camera audio could have been put up in the mix in a couple of spots, other than that a valiant effort.

Frigus

Anyway its great video. I can watch drifting cars all the time.