Can you give me feedback on my last video contract ?

D

deleuze3

Well-known member
Hi,
i did this video :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSYiL4wTPGg (you can skip the portion 3min44 to 7min since its only talking)

I did the camera work, the editing by myself. My best friend did the music.

I was wondering if you have any tips for me to get better as a filmmaker, editor ? If you notice any aspects that could be upgraded ?

Thanks in advance everyone,
Deleuze3
 
- General length should be shorter... I'd rather make 4-5 shorts that describe the different departments and maybe 1 that quickly brushes over them all. Max length: 2 minutes (TOPS!). Noone is going to watch all 22 minutes....

- Get a tripod for the indoor shots, the shots look messy with the bouncing and all since your subjects are often locked in position. And maybe arrange for a mini jib and / or a slider for the next job to add a little diversity in the shots. I think the free camera works better in the outdoor shots because there is more tracking going on.

- Use music that will support the purpose of the film. If you are trying to get people to sign up in the school, then find some inspirational music that will heighten the sense of importance and skill of the school. There are lots of roayltyfree music sites where you can buy music cheap that has good production value. Will also be easier to find music once your total length is shortened down.

- During your interview part, don't jump cut where you move the camera.... keep it stationary all the time or change location / setup completely.

- I'd get a florescent or two for next time to make the interviews more pretty.

Thats just off the top of my head.... it's not rules or laws, just ideas. Any idea is valid, even your own.
 
I'd agree with the things legrevedotcom says, especially WRT the length. Break it up: nobody is going to sit through a 22 minute promotional video for a language school unless you put a gun to their head.

Also:

- Consider the rule of thirds: putting your interviewee right in the middle of the frame is inelegant and awkward. It looks like he/she's being interrogated. Putting them on the one-third line also gives WAY more space for the explanatory text boxes, which are now jammed up against her or even overlapping her shoulder. Also the interview with the older gentleman was shot from the wrong angle. Looking down on him made me feel like a naughty schoolboy being forced to stand while he read out a report detailing my academic failings. Get on the same level: you want these people to seem approachable, don't you?

- As legreve says, get some lighting to make your subject stand out from the background. A shallower depth of field would also help (you can read all the book titles and see the details of the computer screen behind one of the interviewees)

- Cover up cuts in the interview (esp. those awkward jump cuts) with b-roll, if possible related to what the interviewee is talking about. 5 minutes straight of a talking head and I'd want the guy pointing the gun at my head to pull the trigger.

- Is it important to hear the birds and what the kids are talking about in the intro? I don't think so. Also that swirly oncoming text/logo and cheapo synth music (sorry best friend) at the start and marking different sections make it seem like something out of a spoof corporate video. From 1987.

- Honestly you need to consider pacing: we don't really need to listen to an entire song to understand that sing-alongs form part of the school's modèle didactique (which would appear to be "treat grown adults like five-year-olds"). Same with the picnic thing. A Hollywood-style montage of the activities would do the trick in one-tenth of the time.

I hope I don't appear too harsh. It's very difficult to produce you first video, and you'll definitely improve over time. It's often hard to see your own shortcomings, but work on them and you'll get a lot better. Good luck!
 
Hi thanks for all the comments.
I've been doing videos since 20 years ago.
I learn by myself, started a couple of years ago to learn more by books and tutorials.
Thanks for the help.
I still wonder what kind of jumpcuts i did in my interviews.
thanks again
 
@

4:00

4:31

5:26

were the first three I found. You may want to look up some tutorials explaining what a jump cut is and why they're often not preferable.
 
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