My first video Help?!

[TimmyT]

This is my first post on this forum and all i got to say is I love my DVX. Hello everyone i am so thankful for a community of amazing film makers that love to help each other.
So i just got my dvx about 3 weeks ago and also have the dvx book n love it. Please comment on how i can improve my shooting with my dvx. Also i been editing with vegas for about 3years. If u have any input on the editing or anything let me know please. I have seen alot of videos on this forum and i m so inspired. Also any comments good or bad let me know.

Clubfr Drift video
I have not seen any car videos and this forum and hope that there are some car people that will enjoy this video and other from me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYEheVeUbLs

 

[jpcoombs]

The Good then constructive criticism.

Good eye in some of the stuff. I like the angled cameras, inversing the direction of the car, etc. I also like your dolly shots (looks like done from a car). Effective.

Couple things to possibly think about. I know its just a video about cars. And the content itself is fun and interesting to watch. But when i film something, anything, I try to tell a story. Right now this is just a lot cars drifiting cut together. So what story do you tell here? Hell, we don't need a dialogue, but where is this? Who is driving the cars? Showing some of the guys screwing around, setting up. Those shots can also help break up some of the cars. Shot after shot after shot of cars can get repetitive. Its always really good to find someone at these events whose really cocky and love to talk to the camera, or someone who likes to play prank, etc.

The music is good, but not great. I would try and maybe play with something completely inappropriate here - YoYo Ma or a French harpsichord. Too often amateurs (I'm guilty myself) pick music that seems right for the subject - metallica for a fight video or sublime for a video with guys smoking, etc. Tarantino is fantastic and picking music that really has no place in a scene and making it not only work, but become and integral part of his art. He doesn't pick some hardcore fight song for Kill Bill - he goes with some obscure 70's song that he and 8 other people heard. Right now its just music playing to the the video. You want it to add another element to the video.

For inspiration when it comes to street level, documentary type shoots I always look to Spike Jonze. Take a look at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cPWCaRWe0w

Ignoring the invisible skateboards, he is doing basically the same thing your doing here - just shooting guys doing stuff. However there is something kinetic about his work. Try and emulate (steal) that. Nothing wrong with "borrowing" from the greats. It will help you develop your own style.