Critique on Audio Needed for Salem So Sweet event-style video

I

IanB

Active member
Ok, I have worked and when I say 'worked' I mean implement the following things I was advised to do in this latest video. (previous criteque thread here: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...Needed-for-recently-posted-factory-tour-video)

1. Keep any wireless receivers and recorders close to you! Don't walk out of range.
2. Use a proper lav mic for interviews (cos11d now vs AT803b)
3. Use proper 'background music at the right level's'
4. Place the mic on the 'talent' not you. (moronic I know)
5. Select a location that is good for audio and video, not just one or the other.
6. Use the 'right' mic for voice over in the intro (AKG CK93)
7. Don't 'over' post-process anything. Just 'light' on the noise reduction.
8. Cover gaps in audio with 'ambient sound' and lead the viewer from scene to scene with the audio whenever possible. (specifically used this going into the interview because the interview with CJ had sooo much background noise when the VO interview did not)
9. Produce a video that is on-caliber with your wine. Don't represent your brand poorly with a poor video.

I am open to more feedback guys & gals and hoping to improve again with my next project.

 
Good point....that one hurts....at least .5 seconds off....soo much work to go back and fix....sad start.... :(
 
A marked improvement. The guitar track helped smooth things out. So aside from the aforementioned sync issue... most of what needs work has to do with shooting and editing, not as much on production audio.

- You have a much better introduction. The journal/travelogue style works well.
- You have much cleaner interview audio, which is helpful.
- The jump-cuts in your stand-up should have been covered with b-roll, especially since each one happens right before a cutaway. For example, there's a jump-cut at :22 which is followed by a shot of the building at :23. The building shot is short. If you edit into it earlier to cover the edit in the dialog, you'll be better off.
- Nice use of nats under the stills and party footage at :40. The nats should not have dropped out so quickly when the dialog came back in... follow the video edit. It's like they disappeared altogether when your voice came back in, yet we were still watching the party.
- As you describe the desserts at 1:18... why are we staring at you? We need footage, really pretty close-ups, of these desserts. Show the spectrum of the offerings in more than just one or two wide/med shots.
- You kept going back to your stand-up after only one or two shots per cutaway. Fill that puppy in with b-roll. Lots and lots. When it comes back to you at 1:32, it's only for a second and there's really no reason to come back to you at that point.
- The cut from your stand-up to CJ's interview, and back, is awkward. Lead into his interview with footage of him mingling at the party. Lead out of the interview the same way, but with more generic party footage.
- And I have to ask... where was the footage (mediums and especially close-ups) of the party-goers enjoying the food... tasting the chocolate and wine... laughing... reveling in the decadence? That's the filler you need to complete the picture! All we really got were a couple of shots from the balcony, and a couple of shots of the chocolate, wine, and flowers.

This was obviously much more thought-out than the last, and it's coming along nicely. Just don't forget that the viewer doesn't want to watch your face as s/he hears you describe the event. Show the party!
 
IanB said:
Good point....that one hurts....at least .5 seconds off....soo much work to go back and fix....sad start.... :(
Click to expand...

?It's not that hard to fix sync. The question is why is it off in the first place? If you know why then you learned something and don't have to deal with it as a problem in the future. If you don't know why then it's a problem you need to study. Probably it's a work flow issue you need to straighten out.

Sound wise MUCH better, other than the sync.

There is something slightly strange and "compressed" about your VO. Not sure what but it sounds a bit like the mic was on the edge of overloading or something. It's not bad but sounds less full than I would have wanted. That's kind of picky considering how much better this is that the first.

I'm with C2V on the editing. The classic sound mix mistake with a band is to have the lead mix their stuff way too low but I would say you are probably on the screen too much. Maybe not time wise but too many times.

I would try to work off the rule that if you have to cut between two shots of the same person, don't. Use the audio over some B roll. Jump cuts look bad and they imply a mistake, especially if it's the host that is getting jump cut.

There is a kind of rule about credits that you should be able to read them at a comfortable pace three times if the time on screen is right. I would use that for the B roll beauty shots also. Give the audience time to really see the shot.

I would probably bookend you at the top and end and not have you in between, unless you are interviewing someone or YOU are the subject of the video.

Also, better, but you do need to watch those glance off camera looks. We have no idea what your looking at. My guess is there was a script over to camera right. If your the host you need to be looking in the lens and connecting with the audience. You look off and we do also, you look down and it comes off as embarrassed or sad. I would also go over your script a bit. You had a few repeat words that were a touch awkward.

But all in all LOTS of improvement, good job.
 
Much better job! I agree with the all the useful comments and only have one little thing to add. A few times during your stand up you had some verbal stumbles. You could have cut those out and covered them with B-roll. Looked like a fun event and your wine looks great.
Best,
Bernie
 
I loaded it into a great little app called Movie Nottaker. It lets you type notes with time references to the video.

So here they are.

________________________________________
movie: Critique on Audio Needed for Salem So Sweet event-style video.mp4
size: 1280 X 720
length: 00:02:24:04
overall notes:
________________________________________


movietime: 00:00:00:00 -

movietime: 00:00:00:13 - What is this of? A very short shot of you sitting?

movietime: 00:00:02:14 - Nice shot but?? What does it have to do with the story?

movietime: 00:00:05:07 - In this shot your talking but we have voice over. If your going to have a shot like this don't talk. If I see a close face talking I want to hear the voice.

movietime: 00:00:08:10 - Again a shot of you talking to the camera but VO. In this case I would have stuck with the hives shot.

movietime: 00:00:12:16 - this is the sync that needs fixing


movietime: 00:00:21:11 - Jump cut I would maybe cut to building sooner?


movietime: 00:00:27:09 - Where are you looking?


movietime: 00:00:38:07 - Too many back and forths. Start with you and then stick with what you are talking about. Also at this point you are blinking and searching for words. It's OK I'm no great shakes in front of a camera either, so do another take.

And here is a marketing thing. Your talking about how people liked the wine but you don't get the line out cleanly so it comes off like it was a mixed reception but your painting a positive picture. Now probably that is not the case and even if it was that is NOT the message you want to put out there. So do another take where you can get it all out with some confidence. You had a great! reception. People were killing each other to get a taste. The cops had to come! OK that's over the top, but sell it. If it take 10-15 takes that's OK. It will get easier and better as you do more shows.

I would go look at some of the Better Brewing video podcasts. It's not really the same format but I think it's the kind of vibe your looking for.





movietime: 00:00:49:08 - Is this really the biggest crowd shot you had? This looks like they are setting up before people really arrived.


movietime: 00:00:55:10 - The cut to you isn't bad but it would have been better if it was you at the event. As it is it's a kind of distractingly short cut that seems a bit out of place.


movietime: 00:01:05:16 - I understand that this is probably their pamphlet but I want to see that Tort!


movietime: 00:01:09:15 - That fantastic twice line seems like a bad cut, I wouldn't repeat.

movietime: 00:01:14:12 - Are those the trart? if so it is even more important to cut to them when you mention them because a tart implise something the size of a pie.

movietime: 00:01:29:13 - This shot would have been better over your trying to remember all the chocolate you ate. Especially because the shot of you is another one where you don't keep eye contact with the camera. Think of it as someone you are talking to. If I'm talking to you I maintain eye contact, unless I'm lieing or embarased about what I'm saying. When you talk to the camera you are having a one on one converstion with your audience. You need to maintain eye contact.

movietime: 00:01:37:09 - Script note. The decorations were not "from" the floweres. I can tell your vamping and that is fine but you have to relax if your going to do that and it isn't easy. Another reason to watch some Basic Brewing. Another thing to look at is Wine Library TV. Gary is way over the top but the show is un cut so if your going to vamp you need to be able to roll with it like he does. Or clean it up a bunch in post.


movietime: 00:01:38:08 - AND your looking down and bliking a lot here.

movietime: 00:01:43:06 - That's the crowd shot that should be earlier. Lose the empty "failed event" hall and put in more of this full "big sucsess" hall.


movietime: 00:01:52:11 - This is a better "catch" while vamping. You catch your slip laugh at your self and correct. Much better, but you have to keep that eye contact.

movietime: 00:02:11:06 - Now look at this guy. He talked to the camera (actually you behind the camera - but that's what you have to fake) he looks off for a second at the start, a very common "i'm thinking" involuntary reflex, and then rolls it all out streight to me. We had a "conversation".

movietime: 00:02:15:05 - Akward cut back. Really need the word before "great, great". It was probably something like "We all had a" great, great time...

So those are my notes. I didn't note all the sync issues but they seemed to only be on you out side and it looked off the whole time so I would sync and lock the sound to the master clips before you start editing, because after the edit it's going to be a pain.

onward and upward.
 
Noiz2 said:
I loaded it into a great little app called Movie Nottaker.
Click to expand...

Downloaded. Great find!

EDIT: Okay, so on the downside it doesn't read TC from the movie like QT Player does. All videos I've loaded start at 00:00:00;00, even though they all actually start at the 1-hour mark. It allows manual editing of TC marks, but that's kind of a cheap workaround. Oh, well... what do you expect for freeware, eh?
 
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Big improvement from the first try!

Sync is off, as you're by now well aware, but thats an easy fix. Audio quality is much better overall, the bg noise on a few of the clips (the ones in the hall) could be faded in a little from the previous shot so its a little less obvious that the bg noise is coming up. I'm not anything remotely resembling an editor, so I'll let the others give notes on that.
 
Ok, I asked for it right! I am glad others are contributing to my learning here. (and there is much of that going on)

1. C2V and others who commented on content. I need to focus during the event on not just shooting video, but on selling my wine and offering it for the free tastings, I did have a helper, but in all honesty, I could have gotten away more than I did. I needed far more b-roll and will try and sneak away more at the next event, and make sure I get enough footage of the actual 'reason' we were there. WINE AND CHOCOLATE. silly I know, but it is what it is....

2. Noiz2 - Thank you for all of the detailed feedback with timestamps. I need to spend an afternoon going through this and ensuring I get better footage that matches my audio. Not looking away from the camera to 'think up' the right words. Also, making sure my b-roll makes sense with my audio, and have 'better' b-roll to edit in. Also, very excited I might have a reference to look at in the Better Brewing Podcasts. I will CERTAINLY check them out.

3. Noiz2 - I have not heard of this term 'vamping' before. WineTV with Gary does this as you mention, but does this mean when he screws up, he makes a joke about himself and moves on? Or is it just the 'over the top' style that he has that is 'vamping'.

4. C2V and Noiz2 - I agree there are too many back-n-forths in the VO and the B-Roll shots, and I should have not been afraid to just show the b-roll and let it ride for a WHILE as you suggested.

5. "I would try to work off the rule that if you have to cut between two shots of the same person, don't. Use the audio over some B roll. Jump cuts look bad and they imply a mistake, especially if it's the host that is getting jump cut." - Good advice here from Noiz2, thank you for this concept I will use in future editing.

6. (although this is more of a video point from C2V) I should have switched lenses and done some rack-focus shots of the food. Not just the pans and static stuff I did. Next time, when spending 20 or more minutes capturing B-roll I will focus on this lens change and get the close-up shots that are required for this type of event.

Thanks to all who are commenting, the audio seems to have been a lot 'better' this time around, and people who are 'playing the video' (according to vimeo stats) are reaching the end, hopefully this means I am on the right track, and improving audio has improved the video and people are now watching it longer before jumping away or cutting it off before the end. Also this video is a lot shorter too. So that b-roll and VO style is better for getting right to the meat of the footage for this type of event-style shoot.

Also, thank you for noting the improvement, and some say the 'big improvement'. Glad I am doing something right this time around.
 
"vamping" may not be the best word. What I meant was basically making it up as you go. I could be wrong but it feels like you don't have a real script your following but more of a outline, maybe nothing? When people just talk off the cuff (another way to put it) they tend to make slips and mistakes. So you have to correct them (or edit them out). It can be really hard to edit them out unless you have a lot of takes to choose from so it's often better, and more fun, to just roll with it. But you have to make the correction in away that is fun rather than "oh I'm so embarrassed" or just ignoring it. Both the show I mentioned are good at making fun of the mistakes and it makes the hosts more "real people" and gives the shows a more relaxed feel. Most TV magazine shows go the other route and everything comes off very polished, but a bit sterile.

Your show feels like it wants to be more in the former category.
 
some "remarques" I have:

- some bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sound when you talk about "honey" and see the bees could be fun

- there' some lipsync isue.... the sound is a little to early.. so move sound 2/3 frames to the left (Yes I know it's already been told 46460486464 times :-p)

- positioning of lavs. Well the positioning was good, but...I can see the cable, and the lav was facing to the left (screen right)

- around 1:38 some noise I hear... that's from the event ?

Anyway it sounds a lot better then your previous video.
 
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