One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Video

Colione

Colione

Active member
Hey Guys,

Here is my second project ever. Filmed in 4 hours on Saturday, and edited in 7 hours on Sunday.

This video I had an actor so I actually got to be a director and compose my shots. Rather than setting up the shot and then running into frame and acting...

... we still probably could of used another actor.

Here's the link

http://www.djcolione.com/Media/TF_FStopBlues.mov

I wonder how many people are going to mention copyright laws to me in this thread? My guess .... none.

EDIT: (for some reason I have a lot of interlaced lines show up. I tried compressing this video differently for 3 hours, and could not get rid of them. Anyone have any suggestions in FCP?)
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

good job, theres some good cinematography in there, the editing is lacking, but theres alot of potential there, and i thought you did a great job!
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

iamloser thanks. =) ... how is the editing sub par? I thought the editing for the scientist video was crap, but everyone seemed to like it. I thought this one was better ... ?? hhaha...oh well. Let me know why ... thanks!
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

I didn't have a problem with the editing. Nice little video that drew me into the song (good song too). My guess would be that Iamloser would have liked to see more cuts away and back to the singer instead of just staying on him as long as it did. Am I right, I.A.L.? :-*
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

the shots hung too long, way passed the point of feeling or issue that was being conveyed being apparent. with some tighter editing, and a bit less "poser" shots(shots where he is not supposed to be, but seems to be conscious of the camera, and acts, or behaves in an obviosly camera conscious manner which seems unnatural.. this can often just come from inexperienced acting) of the main guy in the vid. i think it would be pretty cool. of course this is all just imho. but i would try to speed up the pace of the cuts a little, and/or get some more movement into the shots if your going to hang on them longer to keep them interesting , and make it feel like it is continuing to flow along. the overall flow of the vid was good, it was just the pacing of the cuts, and imagery that needs to be tightened up. pretty much when your watching a shot, as soon as your eyes start to wander around the frame from the subject, the shot has been held too long. people usually see somthing, and subconciously go" ok whats going on now..ok, they are doing that.. ..ok so what else is going on " you really dont want them to get to the point where they ask .. ok so now what. or ok .. so whats next. you want to cut right when theres a feeling of completion and understanding to the shot. anyway. if the shot is constantly presenting new info(which is what camera movement eludes to doing..and keeps the viewers mind occupied with the subtle changing of the scene, and what they can see) you can hang almost as long as you want, but otherwise clip it, and snip it, and on to the next. :)
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

:) storyteller,
sounds like you go the jist of my issue.. not necessarily cutting back to anything in particular.. just not hanging on somthin much longer than is needed. :)
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

EXACTLY.
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Iamloser,

Yeah, that was one of my concerns when I was editing. I thought about how long I should hang onto one subject. For some reason I didn't want to cut him singing on any particuliar line. I had a belief that doing that was a no-no. I noticed though, when I did do it, it looked ok still. I thought I could use more cuts, but I didn't want to cut off the singing, because I thought you shouldn't do that.

I totally see your point. thanks for the tips. Haha..yeah acting is totally garbage hey? he's not an actor, he's a dancer, you know how some people just freeze when a camera gets pointed in their face.

Thanks for the tips though, I appreciate them. :)
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

the cuts when hes singing i thought were actually ok. it was the ones when hes just sitting there, or walking around i thought were a bit too long, but agin i thought it was good otherwise, and it can obviosly be re-edited any time. keep up the good work! :)
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

What I liked more were the shots where the dude wasnt in it but where you showed a piece of driftwood or something. Visually more interesting IMHO
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

iamloser,

Thanks for the clarification. =) I was thinking about switching things around making some shots a little shoter. I might also try to learn some post things, cause while I understand what color correction is supposed to do, I really have no idea how to do it.

John,
I agree as well. My favourite shot is right before the second chorus of the drift wood with the sun in the back ground. I think it matches the music perfectly, leads well into the transition of the song, and looks really cool! =)
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

First of all, I liked this video. Acoustic guitar is refreshing, especially when it is played simply and well.

I thought some of the cuts were clumsy. Why did you cut when you did? (This is a rhetorical question, I'm asking you to ask yourself.) Cross dissolves are the right kind of transition IMHO for this piece. It is a dreamy and contemplative song, so dissolves go along with the mood.

Also, this video could have benefited from steadycam-type shots, either moving into the actor, or moving away after a brief focus on him. Some extreme wide establishing shots might have been interesting too. I'm just throwing some of this out for you to consider in the future; your work is coming along nicely.

Look, I don't know much about editing, but there is a special 'language' to editing, and we all know it subconsciously. What are you trying to say with each shot?
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Nice shots. What beach is this?
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

I know I've posted this before, but it really helped me. Walter Murch's book 'In the Blink of an Eye' is great as far as giving some guidance on cuts in your editing. Although it is geared toward movie making, I'm sure it applies to music videos as well since you're basically telling the story of the song in your video. Great book. Really helped me see and understand (though I make no claims to having achieved) the nuances of really good editing. Also, it's cheap ($12 new) and relatively short.

Amazon link>
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...102-2021816-4302507?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

HTH,
Chico
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Speedbump,
Thanks for the compliment,
Why did you cut when you did?
Click to expand...

... I don't know. I was just cutting when my brain reasoned I should or when I felt I should. I know now my reasoning was off as I was paying too much attention not to cut off any words he was singing.
Steady cam type shots would have been a nice addition. I've noticed now that most of the shots I took that day were static. The most interesting shots in the piece were the ones I happened to be moving the camera.
When I was editing it as well I reaslised I could of used some nice wide shots ... something I did not have in the footage.
What are you trying to say with each shot?
Click to expand...
That's a good question. Thinking back I wasn't really thinking about this all all. :o I was more just putting things together. But it is going to be something I think about in the future for sure, thanks for bringing that up. It seems so stupid not to think about that, but sometimes your focus is deviated elsewhere you forget some of the staples for what you are doing.

Jumar,
It's a really ugly grotesque beach south of Vancouver called Garry Point. The beach on the whole is pretty ugly, but I suppose there are a few nice sections.  You can't swim in the water because it's polluted. The shots at the start on the log were not far from where I filmed the scientist.

Jaredalv,
Thanks for the tip. I was actually just at a book store looking for a good book on filmmaking to buy. I'll go pick this one up soon.  :)
 
Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

Re: One More Cast, One More Guitar, One Magical Vi

[quote author=speedbump link=board=Clips;num=1080024927;start=0#11 date=03/23/04 at 19:07:41]...there is a special 'language' to editing, and we all know it subconsciously.[/quote]

Well, it's there, but I think it's an ever-evolving thing, and some of it is subject to a popularity contest. Why do you think it's so hard to watch Turner Classic Movies? Thanks, MTV.

Nice work! Jack Johnson is some good music.

I agree with what others have said, it could be a little tighter, but I think it all comes down to what your story is and how you want to tell it. Unfortunately a lot of stories have to be told a certain way for people to 'get it,' or enjoy it.

One of my favorite music videos of all time was that Cold Play video for "Yellow," which is all one slow-motion shot of the lead singer walking down the beach, singing into the camera as the dawn breaks. The only editing in that is the fade up in the beginning and fade out at the end! ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top