Blaine and some other guys....

So how could I NOT respond? :)

Okay Rick, I think you've come a long way in making the images pop. I had to go back and watch your other version side-by-side with this one, but to my surprise, you've done a major re-edit. I like the new version quite a bit. I liked the music on the original but I actually like the music on the new cut better. It's shorter and moves well. I put some of the pictures side-by-side and have to say your really brought out your colors...making them pop off the screen.

Understand that I'm not an editor. I like to have fun with it, but it's not my strength. Saying that, I like to think I can tell if an edit works or not...and yours works. This was a pleasure to watch. I'm sure some of the editors may have some constructive criticism for you, but at this point, I don't. I really enjoyed the look you gave me of Upstate New York (I'm assuming the Hudson Valley is Upstate New York), which of course is practically New England.

EDIT: Did you do a selective color processing?
 
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Blaine said:
So how could I NOT respond? :)
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I knew that'd get your attention! Ha!

Thanks for taking the time to review this and offer constructive criticism. I'm always up for input and whatever bits of knowledge I can get to make whatever it is I'm doing, better. So thanks.

I did do somewhat of a selective color process. But, I also messed with the curves a lot, and used *gasp* Magic Bullet. I tried to avoid the "Magic Bullet" look. But it had a plug in that gave me (what I think anyway) some great color boosting results without making it look over processed.

Its still somewhat of a work in progress. So if anyone else wants to chime in with some input, I'd love to hear it. But considering this is a vanity project, I'm about to put the baby to bed.

Yes, this is Upstate New York. The Hudson Valley is about an hour north of the city and continues on for a while. I am about 2 hours north of the city, smack dab in the middle of the Hudson Valley. Its some of the most beautiful place on earth.
 
Some nice scenery there. Didnt dig the music style but thats just taste. Exposure didnt always work for me, felt there was some missing latitude in some shots. But for what it is, I enjoyed it.
 
ncje said:
Exposure didnt always work for me, felt there was some missing latitude in some shots.
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Thank you for your input and honesty. I know the shots you are referring to and wasn't sure how well it would be received. The days I went out to shoot, I was playing with the iris to isolate parts of the frame. Wasn't sure if it was going to work or not. I was going for some color/silhouette shots. But you are right, by doing that, I lost a lot of detail.

I was also toying with the white balance. You'll notice some shots were cooler and blue and others were very warm. To get the warm orange-ish shots, I was white balancing off of gray. Again, didn't know what the thought was going to be.

As for the music, hmmmm...maybe I need something with a little more punch. I can't seem to find the right music/editing combo to make this not too dry of a watch. This is my biggest concern. I watch a DISJECTA nature film and I am never bored. So, I am just trying to accomplish that. I'll take any suggestion...

Rick
 
Rick, thanks for the mention.

I watched your piece and I have some thoughts. As you know by now, I don't beat around the bush so I'm just going to give it to you straight :)

1. The opening shot showed a lot of promise and then you shot the same thing right after with a different camera move. Bad idea because it makes the viewer loose interest very fast and it's somewhat disorienting.

2. Your shots in general are way too random. There's no order to your subject. It can all be classed as nature, of course, but you should order your shots a little more so you are moving your viewer along in a logical pattern and not bouncing them all over the place.

3. Your camera moves need work. First, I do not like the handheld and zoom combo, it is shaky and looks unprofessional and takes attention away from your subject and makes the viewer think about the camera operator. Spend some extra time toting a tripod around and setting up the camera. The results will be worth it.

4. It's not necessary to keep the camera moving. There are some shots where I wish you had just stopped so I could focus on something. For instance, the building by the bridge, it just flew right past and went nowhere. Pick something interesting and don't be afraid to keep it onscreen for scrutinization by a viewer.

5. Framing and composition. I'm afraid I think this is something you need to do a lot of work on. There is no sense of solidity to your shots. There's no weight in your compositions and it seems to me that you didn't really spend much time composing and thinking about what you were really focussing on. It seemed to me that you saw a pretty scene and basically wanted to show as much of it as you could in as fast amount of time as possible. Slow down and compose.

6. The music. It was interesting for a while and then it got old for me. One thing that's cool in editing if you are using a musical soundtrack is to find something with a lot of dynamics in it. That way, you can show off the grandeur of a mountain vista with the rising dynamics of the music and you can demonstrate a more fragile subject with mirrored hushed tones. The music you chose has very limited dynamic range and it makes your whole piece feel flat and predictable.

6. Editing. It felt a little mechanical to me. There are times when editing on the beat really works because there is such a strong bond between sound and visual elements but I was too aware of the robotic nature of your editing in this piece. Be a little more adventurous with your timing.

7. Compression. Your film is so compressed that I feel like half the subtlties in your shots are lost. I would urge you to try to up the quality of your files when you are throwing them out there for comments.

Overall there were some nice shots in the piece (the rapids, for instance) so there's a lot of potential out there but I would urge you to study composition and slow down a little. Treat the camera like it's a big 35mm rig and move it accordingly. I find that the shots that look the most cinematic when I shoot are the ones where the camera is moving at a snail's pace. On screen it looks great and the slow movement also exaggerates the size of your framed vista.

Keep working at it.
 
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Disjecta-

Thanks so much for your input. I totally appreciate it. And, I will defintely take your advice, along with everyone elses advice, very seriously. I pretty much agree with everything you said and needed to hear it.

I couldn't figure out what was draggin so much and you pretty much hit the nail on the head...its a combo of a lot of things. So, I am going to get my ass in gear and keep at it...

Again, thats for being direct and constructive.

Rick
 
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