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Video Critique on Peru Trip ( +K )

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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
Hey NS,

Just got back from my trip to Peru, and created a sort of reel, however my family wanted a travel like video so I had to incorporate an arc. Tell me what you think. +k will be given to everyone, harsh or nice


May 19 2012 1:49AM
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Mkvackay
Posts: 1903 - Karma: 5,465
i mean cool dof and shit
May 19 2012 1:53AM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
that was pretty sweet, i definitely enjoyed it. the color was great and the variety of shots set a pretty relaxing vacation type of vibe. my only complaints would be that on a few shots it looked like you used a post image stabilizer which had some flicker and weird waviness to it. but not quite enough to take away from the whole shot. other than that it was pretty enjoyable for sure
May 19 2012 1:54AM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
forgot to mention, this was also for a moviemaking project in which we were supposed to get familiar with the 1.8, in which I completely overused.
May 19 2012 1:55AM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
thanks for the critique, and I am glad you said that because I definitely hate using smoothcam but for some shots its a life saver.
May 19 2012 1:57AM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
i had to use smoothcam on top of a glidecam shot once cuz it was sooo windy outside and when watching it on the big screen in our video class it was hard for me to look at, but then other times if you aren't doing a lot of rotating type motion it really can help out a lot
May 19 2012 2:01AM
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.Max.
Posts: 2930 - Karma: 701
So much rolling shutter in the first 30 seconds that I stopped watching.

In the future you have to stabilize DSLR footage. It doesn't matter if it's a rig, a glidecam, a tripod or a monopod. Just use something.

You also need to know where your focal planes are before even shooting if you're going to use such an incredibly shallow depth of field. Throwing focus back and fourth several times before you hit your subject is really distracting.
May 19 2012 10:20AM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
thanks for the criticism. I'll definitely try to bring along a stabilizer next trip
May 19 2012 11:39AM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
good work man, i enjoyed it.


the stabilization filter was VERY noticeable. sometimes it's better to just not use it, even if the shots going to be shaky, because at least that way it will feel more natural. like the shot at 1:21 (i think) of the person walking was very shaky, but it wasn't as distracting as the stabilization filter.

having done a video like this myself, i understand that it's really hard to have stabilization on these trips. i wasn't even allowed to bring my tripod or anything because we were flying on such small planes and every pound counts, so i had to shoot the entire thing handheld. definitely challenging
May 19 2012 3:21PM
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edai
Posts: 4988 - Karma: 4,655
One thing I've found when using a DSLR handheld, if you can't bring a stabilizer, keep a large-ish tripod baseplate on your camera. It helps to place one hand under, then one on the side. The increased gripping area really seems to help me.
May 19 2012 3:35PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
hah i also just noticed that i have almost the exact same shots of that cave at 1:30, cool place.
May 19 2012 3:43PM
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phreshpow
Posts: 834 - Karma: 133
nice work man, looked like a fun trip.

As others have said, the stabilization, which I'm assuming you did in post, was very distracting, especially at the beginning for some reason, it is hard to do on a trip but as DTF said, I would just leave the slightly shaky shot sometimes.

Also, as others have said, you used a ton of focus pulls, which got a little repetitive in my mind and sometimes it seemed like you possibly had trouble finding the correct focus plane...although I appreciate it is very difficult to do shooting at 1.8 and I assume 50mm (80mm on a crop).

I liked the time lapses and the shots in the town the best and think you captured the people very well!
May 19 2012 7:12PM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
Thanks everyone for the critique! For Will Start, that's exactly what I was dealing with, packing lightly doesn't correlate well with video equipment. For others, I definitely realize I need to improve on my 1.8 rack focuses and less smooth cam!
May 20 2012 2:00AM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
BUMP!
May 22 2012 8:13PM
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j.benziger
Posts: 688 - Karma: 8,024
I thought that some of the shots were shaky but they were probably taken by hand. I liked the song selection plus how the edit flowed with the music. I Liked it a lot tho
May 23 2012 6:23PM
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Satan666
Posts: 139 - Karma: 21
this video would've been 1000x times better with an actual video camera
May 23 2012 8:44PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
please explain
May 23 2012 10:49PM
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Satan666
Posts: 139 - Karma: 21
dslr's are hopeless for run and gun shooting compared to a normal video camera, and that's mainly what op was shooting
May 23 2012 10:54PM
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juicedrummer11
Posts: 1960 - Karma: 1,331
you can still do run and gun with a dslr if you know what you're doing...its not the equipment that makes a good cinematographer, run and gun or not, its knowing how to use what you've got. i feel like it wouldn't matter if the OP was using a camcorder or not, his shots were shaky nonetheless and he knows it, sure the artifacting due to post stabilization was increased because of the rolling shutter, but he would still have problems with shaky camcorder footage too.
May 23 2012 11:31PM
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Satan666
Posts: 139 - Karma: 21
of course, camcorders are definitely easier to get useable footage on shooting handheld though
May 23 2012 11:41PM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
agreed..i hadn't had much experience with traveling and 60D's, but it definitely was a learning experience..
May 24 2012 12:35AM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
might enter this in the ns moment contest, just to get more feedback..does anyone think i should completely take out a shot or section? +k will be given
Jun 2 2012 2:59PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
have you thought about slowing down some of the really shakey shots? i have no idea if you shot in 1080 or 720 but slowing down the shots takes some of the shake out as well.
Jun 2 2012 3:40PM
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west-coast
Posts: 985 - Karma: 204
shot all 1080..and i havent tried, ill see what i can do.thanks!
Jun 2 2012 4:05PM
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cwillygood
Posts: 6831 - Karma: 1,829
i thought it was interesting! some very cool, unique shots in there, the color seemed on point and i thought the music went along nicely! i though the shake to the camera gave some shots a good vibe/feel, but some of the pans and walking shots looked like you used a post production stabilizer which may have led to a little warping, so besides the shakyness of the camera, i liked it lot! looks like a fun trip
Jun 2 2012 7:18PM
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