D3100 short - Please critique!

O

Oaken

Active member
So I picked up a D3100 last week and wanted to do something with it. I used a slider, my green screen (as it was late at night and didn't have any black fabric), and I edited with CS4.

This is my first time doing any movie anything with a DSLR and honestly my first time editing anything, and using After Effects. My wife usually does all of that ;)

There was some issues created with the chroma keying on edges and whatnot but I think for the most part the image is okay, but you be the judge. Go easy on me but be honest. If it sucks it sucks, I can take it ;)

http://www.vimeo.com/19650359
 
Nobody likes me :( lol

Should I put this in another section, not sure what the protocol is on that.
 
Nice. I like the device, you've a lovely eye for a shot, and the editing is well-judged. The film doesn't overstay its welcome, which is surprisingly rare for this sort of 'I've got a DSLR, now what do I shoot with it' film!

Two criticisms:

First, check your shutter settings. Looks a bit fast to me; the motion is a little staccato rather than the conventional smooth blur of 1/48th or 1/50th sec. There also look to be a couple of moments where the camera is changing exposure during a shot - lock it off if you can.

Second: slower moves. Partly because of the shutter issue but also because they're just a little too quick. It's astonishing how slow pans and tracks need to be. This is one reason so many sliders are only two feet long - if you're moving the camera at a smooth and steady pace, the shot still lasts long enough. If I'm not mistaken, one or two of the moves have been slowed down in editing, which is a sure sign that they were too quick to begin with!


It doesn't suck, though. Far from it. I particularly like the movement and framing in the last shot, putting the guitar back on its stand after playing. Very nicely done.
 
Good points, you're right I slowed down one of those clips. It's amazing I thought I was going too slow at the time. And I just today figured out the exposure lock on the D3100, the manual sucks. And thank you for the shutter comment, I'm definately gonna check that, I kinda noticed that jittery image too, but I didn't know what I was doing to cause it. Thanks so much, very helpful!
 
The key thing, I think, is that you've done a good job of the hard bits (shot composition, moving the camera appropriately, cutting the sequence). It's only camera handling that's letting you down a little, and that's the easy bit!

If that's really the first thing you've cut, it's rather frightening, actually. :-)
 
Frightening bad? I'm hoping good. My wife said she was kinda surprised, so I was hoping I alright. Thanks for the comments, anything else you think I should work on please donn't be shy, it's how I learn.
 
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