Astrology Cooking Show

[DannayZay]

So I've been shooting this Bite Sized Astrology cooking show for http://InsightfulAstrology.com (along with all of the other videos) and I thought I would get your guys opinion/critique on an unreleased episode:

http://blip.tv/file/4087151

It is long, close to 17 minutes I know. I'm trying to get ideas of how to liven up the show without killing myself with graphics. The budget for these are small but what I've thought of is to have a graphic where the ingredients are listed. I've also thought about getting a 2nd angle on a tripod again to change up the shots.

Either way all input is welcomed!

 

[Cole]

Not bad at all. It made me hungry!

I think some relief from that angle would be a great idea. Make that your static shot and move around from position 2. Ideally a second camera op would be nice but you could get by without it.

A little trick from other cooking shows is to shoot pick up shots before you actually cook. Have her reach for the ingredients in the order she will use them and get tight shots of them being removed. Then in post weave them in accordingly. Each ingredient should be placed out of sight for the pick ups as they are removed and then returned to the same spots for the cooking. Also use some shots of the finished dish before she cuts it up. Get as far back as you can and zoom in close so the background gets a little softer. I saw you used this in the open but it was the same angle as the cooking.

As for adding the graphics you could do this fairly easy and it would definitely liven it up a bit. Maybe a still grab of the finished dish or the ingredients with a color matte over it at 30% opacity or something. Over that you can list ingredients as she lists them or bullet point her Astrology discussion. An overlay along the sides would make it look a little more polished.

Hope it helps. Now where did my wife hide the cookies?

Cole

 

[DannayZay]

Thank you Cole for the feedback.

I previously filmed this show with a tight shot from a static Canon HV10, and myself operating a Sony Fx1. Having sold both I am now just with the hvx200 and I am definitely feeling the drawbacks of only having one HD camera.

Good idea about filming the pick ups before the cooking, I will definitely do that next time. Your idea of the finished dish/ingredients screen shot sounds feasible. As for the overlay goes, are you talking about a soft vignette for the sides? Or are we talking like an actual designed overlay?

Once again I appreciate your input!

Dan

 

[Cole]

As for the overlay goes, are you talking about a soft vignette for the sides? Or are we talking like an actual designed overlay?

More like a graphic overlay off to one side or maybe across the top and bottom. Maybe some stars in a constellation grouping or something else related to either the dish or the conversation. Then list your bullet points in the area opposite or between the graphic. Depending on how fancy you wanted it you could even change the background image to relate to each bullet point by using screen grabs from that show.. It would take more time but it would add to the production value if done properly. I look forward to the next one, make sure you post it when it's done.

Cole

 

[kyleb]

another thing you can do is buy a indislider or low budget dolly rig. then you can slowly move from that static shot.