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Critique My First Year Of Legitimate Filming/Editing

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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Alright guys, last year (10/11) was my first year of legitimate filming and editing. I bought a basic DSLR, the Nikon D5000, and just went to work. I didn't know really anything about angles or what makes a shot look better than others, so I just went on what looked good to me. Here is one of the segments for my mini-movie to show what the final product looked like.


I would love for you guys to critique me on anything you want. I edited with Sony Vegas Pro 10 and added a some color correction (maybe a little much), but that's about it for editing. I am sorry for re-using the song, but I felt that it was a good fit for their riding and decided to use it.

Anyway, just let me know what you think and what I could improve on. I am going to be using the tripod a lot more this year so the shots won't be as shaky. Also, I will be making a separate thread on what I want my clips to look like (hard to explain, you will just have to see the thread.)

Enjoy and let me know what I can work on! Thanks, NS!
Nov 8 2011 7:07PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Bump.
Nov 8 2011 10:23PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,404
I really don't like your color grading, and don't use a song from one of the most viewed edits of all time
Nov 8 2011 10:29PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,285
+1 on the grading, but ive never heard that song before :/. and idk if the motion blur was intentional, but that was a bit rough.

It had a very "hipster" look, and I say that as a bad thing.

I didn't get to see the whole thing, but bottom line is you seem to like filmmaking so just keep at it. it will come. Spend a lot of time lurking and posting around the M&A and DVXuser forums too, I've learned a lot from doing that. You'll get there man, stoked to see what you put out this season!
Nov 8 2011 10:41PM
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Balto
Posts: 25985 - Karma: 4,404
3rd song in t-wall's superunknown
Nov 8 2011 10:47PM
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mBall
Posts: 1690 - Karma: 2,827
Not sure if you did or not, it's hard to tell, but in Vegas before you render it is essential that you highlight all of your video clips (not the audio) and right click, switches-disable resample. This will keep vegas from trying to blend the frames together.
Nov 8 2011 11:01PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Oh, my god, thank you! I've been searching for a way to get rid of this! I hate that look!

To everyone else, thank you for the constructive criticism! I will be keeping this all in mind.
Nov 9 2011 8:06AM
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Raz.
Posts: 7456 - Karma: 1,611
Bumper cars. my only thing would be watch the colors, its easy to get carried away and over edit.
Nov 12 2011 3:35PM
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dispatchQ_main
Posts: 2619 - Karma: 629
Ahah i was just about to say that. Also if you're editing with vegas 10 and you torrented it, its definitley worth upgrading to 11 pro as it has Magic Bullet looks which will help your color grading alot.
Nov 12 2011 3:47PM
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PJS.
Posts: 11943 - Karma: 895
this.

I'm in the same boat as you, except this will be my first year with a legit camera. My advice would be to try and learn as much about cinematography and angles and all that shit as you can, because it's a shame when a nice camera gets wasted with repetitive angles and bad filming.


and just like all my posts in M&A, this one comes with a disclaimer; there is a large possibility that everything I just said is completely wrong.
Nov 12 2011 3:51PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
change your shutter speed and it won't be choppy.
Nov 12 2011 4:45PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Yes, I have been wondering about this. What should I change it to and how do I do this? I have frequently searched my camera and haven't found anything relating to the shutter speed.
Nov 12 2011 5:08PM
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Raz.
Posts: 7456 - Karma: 1,611
I'm not sure how it works on video, but are you shooting on manual?

if you do that, then you should be controlling your:
ISO
Shutter Speed
and Aperture.


For action (such as skiing) you would want at least a 1000-2000 shutter speed, the faster the better. you would have to adjust your ISO and aperture accoringly; but remember, a high ISO could get you grainy results.


/never filmed a day in my life, so others confirm/deny this?
Nov 12 2011 5:17PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
I set my ISO to 2000. Is this what you mean? Sorry I'm a complete noob.
Nov 12 2011 5:28PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,285
DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS ADVICE!

a 1000-2000 shutter speed will make the picture look much less smooth and very computerized.

when shooting at 60fps i try to keep it between 125-250 but I'd say you'd be safe shooting between 125-500 for skiing.

And ISO 2000 is way to high man! try and stay as low as you can and max out at 1600.
Nov 12 2011 5:55PM
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Raz.
Posts: 7456 - Karma: 1,611
haha fail on my part. i assumed it would be like photography, apparently not.
Nov 12 2011 6:11PM
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S.C
Posts: 3068 - Karma: 2,285
yea for photog anything over 500 is fine, and the higher the better
Nov 12 2011 7:14PM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,332
Guys, 180 degree shutter rule, c'mon.

24 - Do not go below 1/50 under any circumstances.
60- Do not go below 1/120 under any circumstances.


Nov 12 2011 9:04PM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,332
As for the video, not sure if it was your shutter speed or frame bending that made the slower stuff look bad... and the grading was done poorly.

Try fixing your exposure first, the shots were generally very dark. Also the purple/pink tint in the blacks can look good if applied subtly, but It was far to overdone in your case.

I didn't mind the song. The video's creator can choose any song they please. Its up to him to place a value on the fact that it has been used for another production.
Nov 12 2011 9:12PM
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cwillygood
Posts: 6831 - Karma: 1,829
try and shoot in good light
Nov 12 2011 9:30PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
I'm giving everyone karma for the feedback. It's all being taken into account for this year filming-wise.
Nov 13 2011 11:06AM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
DING DING DING I shoot at 1/60 usually.


Nov 13 2011 12:30PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
as far as your angles and such they weren't too bad at all. A tripod will make a HUGE difference in your shots so maybe think about investing in a really good one. Don't waste your money on a cheap one, if you can't afford a nice one I would just stick to hand held maybe find/build a steady cam setup.


One thing I like to do when framing my shots is to trap the viewer in the frame. Pay attention to lines in your composition and try to have them running towards each other. Avoid lines that lead the viewer away from the subject and/or center of the image.

Sorry if that doesn't make sense. I can try and find a picture to show you an example.
Nov 13 2011 12:34PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
I think I understand what you're saying. It definitely makes sense and I'll incorporate it into this year. I do have a tripod, but I found it hard to lug it around every time I went up to the hill. The shot at 0:22 was using the tripod for example.

Also, please stop inviting guests onto your show only to interrupt them at every turn.
Nov 13 2011 12:43PM
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,295
Hey, you should read this about ISO's, really, really helpful:
http://shootintheshot.joshsilfen.com/2010/05/13/canon-hd-dslr-native-iso/

It pretty much explains why you should or shouldn't use some ISO's and why they don't or do work.
Nov 13 2011 2:05PM
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KarmaInitiative
Posts: 2028 - Karma: 174
that bluryness doesnt come from your shutter speed, it comes from frames getting blured together, either because of slow motion or your timeline not matching your source footage
Nov 15 2011 8:40PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
I think it's the re-sampling as stated above. I fixed it on some other videos (decided to keep using it on the rest of my movie because it would look odd to just stop using it half way through) and it stopped the blurriness.
Nov 16 2011 5:42PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Here's my most recent edit. I took a lot of what you guys said into account, so let me know what you think!


Dec 21 2011 4:26PM
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KillaSteeze
Posts: 3329 - Karma: 351
so there was no other song that fits their riding? pretty sure anything could work
Dec 21 2011 4:38PM
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[evan]
Posts: 5628 - Karma: 117
You probably already know this, but with the D3100 and D5100/D5000 the exposure is only somewhat manual.

The ISO and aperture have to be set BEFORE going into live view, and shutter speed is automatic. Also make sure you have AE Hold on, this will prevent any flickering in your shots.
Dec 21 2011 4:59PM
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Raz.
Posts: 7456 - Karma: 1,611
question for people in this thread because it was stated earlier. but how do you match the frames in your time line too your camera?
Dec 21 2011 5:03PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Well, I figured out this season my camera only shoots in 24fps so that means no good slow-mo, only skateboard-like ramped slow-mo if I choose. Here is my edit from this year.

That's Life from Dylan Anderson on Vimeo.

I present my winter 2011/2012 visual project featuring Missouri's best. This mini-film/edit documents the two short months of true winter we were given and how hard we worked in that time period to create the best film possible. We were faced with many challenges, e.g., a broken camera lense which happened to be our only one, no budget, and the shortest winter we've ever experienced, but, hey, that's life.

All shot at Hidden Valley Ski Resort, MO with a Nikon D5000 equipped with an 18-55mm lens. Please watch in the highest definition for your maximum viewing pleasure. Thank you and enjoy!

(Song questions are popular and if you are wondering about the name(s) or artist(s) of certain track(s), please watch the film completely as they are in the credits segment.)


Mar 24 2012 12:03PM
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Bmo.
Posts: 4907 - Karma: 2,667
huge improvement over last year. Nice job man! my only complaint is that playbacks is real choppy, think it has something to do with your frame rate restriction you mentioned. Colors were pretty good, skiing was decent, and shots were fairly interesting. Keep working on it, your definitely improving!
Mar 24 2012 1:27PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Yeah, I definitely need to upgrade to a camera with a larger frame rate and somewhat better quality for that matter! Thank you so much for the complements and constructive criticism! I love improving anything I can.
Mar 24 2012 2:35PM
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goodiepocket
Posts: 950 - Karma: 641
I don't fully agree with this rule. I think it depends on what the subject is that you are shooting and the person shooting the camera. When shooting just about anything other than action sports I almost always use the 180 degree rule, however, for action sports I personally like the look of a faster shutter speed (In terms of hollywood examples, saving private ryan (particularly the opening beach scene) was all shot with a high shutter speed to give it that unique look).

So yea, be aware of the 180 degree rule, but don't think that it is a rule you should never break.
Mar 24 2012 3:14PM
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rareison
Posts: 10263 - Karma: 219
Filming was pretty good, colors were a little off, and I didn't like the fade between the clips. Also, there was like six clips of the exact same trick.
Mar 24 2012 3:46PM
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Bmo.
Posts: 4907 - Karma: 2,667
agreed. forgot to mention in my post. Take out those long black transitions! and fix the colors a bit
Mar 24 2012 4:03PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Yeah, with the short season we had and limited diversity in tricks I shot, I had to re-use some tricks.
Mar 24 2012 4:17PM
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rareison
Posts: 10263 - Karma: 219
That's Life was dope though
Mar 24 2012 4:24PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
First thing that stuck out to me and is very easy to fix: composition. If you're shooting a skier from the side, they should start the shot on one side of the frame, and ride away on the opposite side. In other words, let the skier move across the frame, ALWAYS. Keeping your subject in the middle for panning shots is sloppy.


Also, grading is one of those things that if you can't do it right, it's better left undone. Learn some basic color theory before you go radical with it.
Mar 24 2012 5:53PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Ok, sounds good! I'll start panning that way. This is referring to the OP, I'm sure. Any advice on my "That's Life" edit?
Mar 24 2012 6:26PM
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M3TRO
Posts: 645 - Karma: 5,397
It may have been said already...
But it was obvious you were using Vegas.
This is because when you slow down a clip in any of Sony's Editing programs it automatically tries to re-sample the clip
When you slow do a clip right click it, click on "switches" and click on "disable re-sample"
This will assure there is no ghosting in between each frame making you slow-mo crisp and clear.
Mar 25 2012 3:10PM
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danderson.
Posts: 6560 - Karma: 5,252
Yes, I definitely hated that look and changed it this year. Check out the "That's Life" edit a few posts above you. I included no re-sampling for better viewing.
Mar 25 2012 4:18PM
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