Video on a Jewelry shop shot mostly with the D600

Looks great. Perhaps the shots of the workshop could have been re-white balanced. But really, very nice :)! And good sound too!
 
There is some bad moire and false color on the edges of the jewelry displays at the 32 second mark. Some more very noticeable moire at the 2:00 mark too.

I wonder if he could have gotten by with using a smaller aperture?
 
LanceOregon said:
There is some bad moire and false color on the edges of the jewelry displays at the 32 second mark. Some more very noticeable moire at the 2:00 mark too.

I wonder if he could have gotten by with using a smaller aperture?
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Spot on!
I am so concerned about color and dynamic range that I did not even notice those!
 
pretty watchable overall. and i like the vibe as a whole.
but this video is a really great example of something that's almost right but suffers a lot of fundamental oversights - and im guessing based simply on lack of experience.

going through in order:
(and not mentioning things others have already pointed out)

• 0:10-0:16 there is a lot wrong with this. 1. there is no value ending. it starts on the M, COOL! but then doesnt land anywhere of interest. im guessing thats because the shooter appeared in the reflection. i realize they were going for a "faux jib" thing. but it doesnt work. the move is too "swimmy" and if you cant finish the move - change the camera position. it would have worked much better with the camera off to the left of the door and lower to the ground and just done a simple tilt from the M to the door. not as dramatic. but it would give a complete shot.

• 0:16-:0:20 (im nit-picking on this one) too bouncy. if youre going for a hand held look, thats cool. but this just looks like an unsteady jib

• 0:20-0:24 jerky zoom-out. im guessing this was done "hands-on-lens" or maybe the result of a cheap or poorly set up follow focus.

• 0:29-0:34 this move is a mess. starts out jerky. then gets to the end and bounces and changes direction. i generally find pans (whether on a tripod, handheld or jibbed) work best in either a straight line, arc or in very specific circumstances a justified path from one object of interest to another. there was no contextual justification for the bounce and direction change at the end of this shot

• 0:41 static shot has a jerk at the end. sometimes this can be a good tool to transition into another motion shot. but this just looks like a sloppy edit

• 0:45-0:47 shot is too short and both too wide and too tight to add any value to the production

• 0:50-0:52 shot is again short, but it works in context with the following rapid-fire snapshots. THE KILLER on this one (and i have clients that would wring my neck for this one) was the random piece of string/fuzz on the armature. sometimes this kind of oversight can squeak by. but in the context of high end jewelry. id consider it a huge no-no. id imagine this was a one man or very small crew and this is one of the things thats very, VERY easy to not see when youre busy and have too few eyes on a set

• 1:37 the pan of the piece stops at the end of the dissolve. this isnt a problem if it stops at a major point of interest. but it looks like it just stops at the edge of the photo. would have looked nicer if the piece was still moving through the dissolve (im nit-picking here too)

• 2:18 & 2:34 again, odd direction changes in the motion path of the still images

• 2:45 weird bounce when the camera starts to tilt down. probably the result of a cheap tripod head. i wonder ifthis shot wouldnt have been better as a very slow tilt from start to finsih?

• 2:54 i dont understand this shot. its too wide and too soft to support whats being said.

• 3:17 i would have made the table edge level with the frame. again, like the fuzz mentioned above, not a deal-breaker. but its the kind of thing clients WILL notice.

• also at 3:17 the "thank you" is clearly pasted in (or she was speaking to someone leaving the store - gotta appreciate customer service!) i would have either cut that audio or used it with video at the end of the whole video.

• 3:21 another camera jerk in what looks like a locked off shot

• 3:27 more camera jerk in the rack focusing. if your lens breathes or you cant smoothly operate focus. better to do it in post with a still shot. again, i'm nit-picking here but when its a money shot and the LAST shot, you need to go out clean.

overall its a very watchable and reasonably admirable effort. my goal here is to point out lessons ive learned (many, the hard way) over the years.
 
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Very nice! Looks like Nikon is becoming a serious vid contender. You did a great job lighting, scripting and editing too !
 
I didn't feel a connection with the main character, Michele. I think the piece could have emphasized on what she is trying to say a bit more. For instance when she said she fell in-love with jewellery design and metal snipping, your story telling should have made a better connection with that point. Make the subject dig deeper into what she is trying to say which in turn will allow you to represent her better in the story.
 
interesting how the most recent three comments show wildly different expectations and perceptions of quality...
 
A bit overwhelming reading everything. Anyway, when I meant a video from a friend of mine, I meant the main creator of the video, although I did help a little bit. Perhaps I'll get him to comment. I'm not sure yet since I'd be throwing him to the hounds so to speek. He'd have to give himself an account.
 
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nice job, love the close-up footage of the Jewelry.
this forum seem to accent the negitve, some comments valid but it looks like some guys have too much time on their hands...
Great spot and I'm sure the next one will be even better.
 
this forum seem to accent the negitve,
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if you just want to hear how great your stuff is, show it to your grandmother.
want to learn from professionals (who've sometimes learned the hard way) how to make your next project better? this is the place!
 
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He's a bit busy to be commenting at this time but all I can say is that he read everything and will be evaluating anything he can change to make the piece better.
 
Overall, I liked the video. I thought it set pace well and captured the correct ambiance. The music was good - pleasant, calming, almost invisible in a good way. I felt for the store owner - she sounded confident but looked terribly nervous.

On the critique by wgzn, I find that style of detailed analysis incredibly helpful. I'd like to see more constructive criticism of that nature, including comments on good features as well as bad. Shows me what I should be looking for.

wgzn said:
pretty watchable overall. and i like the vibe as a whole.
but this video is a really great example of something that's almost right but suffers a lot of fundamental oversights - and im guessing based simply on lack of experience.

going through in order:
(and not mentioning things others have already pointed out)

• 0:10-0:16 there is a lot wrong with this. 1. there is no value ending. it starts on the M, COOL! but then doesnt land anywhere of interest. im guessing thats because the shooter appeared in the reflection. i realize they were going for a "faux jib" thing. but it doesnt work. the move is too "swimmy" and if you cant finish the move - change the camera position. it would have worked much better with the camera off to the left of the door and lower to the ground and just done a simple tilt from the M to the door. not as dramatic. but it would give a complete shot.

• 0:16-:0:20 (im nit-picking on this one) too bouncy. if youre going for a hand held look, thats cool. but this just looks like an unsteady jib

• 0:20-0:24 jerky zoom-out. im guessing this was done "hands-on-lens" or maybe the result of a cheap or poorly set up follow focus.

• 0:29-0:34 this move is a mess. starts out jerky. then gets to the end and bounces and changes direction. i generally find pans (whether on a tripod, handheld or jibbed) work best in either a straight line, arc or in very specific circumstances a justified path from one object of interest to another. there was no contextual justification for the bounce and direction change at the end of this shot

• 0:41 static shot has a jerk at the end. sometimes this can be a good tool to transition into another motion shot. but this just looks like a sloppy edit

• 0:45-0:47 shot is too short and both too wide and too tight to add any value to the production

• 0:50-0:52 shot is again short, but it works in context with the following rapid-fire snapshots. THE KILLER on this one (and i have clients that would wring my neck for this one) was the random piece of string/fuzz on the armature. sometimes this kind of oversight can squeak by. but in the context of high end jewelry. id consider it a huge no-no. id imagine this was a one man or very small crew and this is one of the things thats very, VERY easy to not see when youre busy and have too few eyes on a set

• 1:37 the pan of the piece stops at the end of the dissolve. this isnt a problem if it stops at a major point of interest. but it looks like it just stops at the edge of the photo. would have looked nicer if the piece was still moving through the dissolve (im nit-picking here too)

• 2:18 & 2:34 again, odd direction changes in the motion path of the still images

• 2:45 weird bounce when the camera starts to tilt down. probably the result of a cheap tripod head. i wonder ifthis shot wouldnt have been better as a very slow tilt from start to finsih?

• 2:54 i dont understand this shot. its too wide and too soft to support whats being said.

• 3:17 i would have made the table edge level with the frame. again, like the fuzz mentioned above, not a deal-breaker. but its the kind of thing clients WILL notice.

• also at 3:17 the "thank you" is clearly pasted in (or she was speaking to someone leaving the store - gotta appreciate customer service!) i would have either cut that audio or used it with video at the end of the whole video.

• 3:21 another camera jerk in what looks like a locked off shot

• 3:27 more camera jerk in the rack focusing. if your lens breathes or you cant smoothly operate focus. better to do it in post with a still shot. again, i'm nit-picking here but when its a money shot and the LAST shot, you need to go out clean.

overall its a very watchable and reasonably admirable effort. my goal here is to point out lessons ive learned (many, the hard way) over the years.
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tazza said:
nice job, love the close-up footage of the Jewelry.
this forum seem to accent the negitve, some comments valid but it looks like some guys have too much time on their hands...
Great spot and I'm sure the next one will be even better.
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I think wgzn contribution to this thread is invaluable. When someone spends that much time looking at a piece of work and gives a detailed response w/ accurate timecode, that person should be applauded, IMHO.
 
thanks guys. im glad that some folks took my critique in the spirit it was offered.

one of the biggest pieces of advice i can give anyone (as seen in my critique) is you need to "shoot like an editor" - give a shot room on either end. that means start rolling/moving before and keep doing so beyond the key point of interest (or error) or just sit perfectly still for a couple beats at the end. a lot of inexperienced shooters will nail their shot and immediately stop which often results in a shake or bounce or other editing unpleasantry. you never know when youre going to need an extra second here or there to accommodate a VO or graphic or whatever. and if you get in the habit of executing your shots with this in mind, you'll often have it.
 
I didn't notice in any of Camera Expert's posts that he was asking for itemized criticism.
And if the criticism came from a true professional he might take into consideration the filmmakers level of experience and skill.
Some of the posts here are somewhat heavy handed with no justifcation other then trying to sound knowledgeable.
"Critics criticize because they can't create"
 
I didn't notice in any of Camera Expert's posts that he was asking for itemized criticism.
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well, i guess you have to interpret intent sometimes... or simply hope that your input will help more people than it will offend.

if someone posts something for review i'd only HOPE that they'd appreciate feedback of more depth than "hey, nice job dude!" especially when its full of technical oversights.


And if the criticism came from a true professional he might take into consideration the filmmakers level of experience and skill.
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that's PRECISELY what i considered. and that's why i posted a list of things i've learned over the years that this person likely has not - both from the standpoints of mechanical storytelling as well as typical client feedback.

ive posted things over the years and had them shot full of holes. and much of the feedback was right on. i tried to learn from the feedback and hopefully didnt repeat the mistake. if it was just a matter of difference in creative taste, then you take that with a grain of salt and move forward...

i have to wonder why someone would take offense at my effort to help the guy, other than the fact that my position contradicted their generic, superficial, candy-coated endorsement of the effort.

"Critics criticize because they can't create"
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thats one of the oldest and emptiest responses out there. kind of on par with "uh... well, if youre so good, lets see what you can do."
i guess some people just like to offer tangible feedback. rather than just sprinkling fairy dust and starlight...


- facepalm
 
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I'm on wgzn's side here. He took a good chunk of his personal time to make a detailed, annotated breakdown of the film and its shortcomings as he saw them. Note that he did put some sugar on the 'pill' too - something I always try to include in critiques, because there's *always* something positive one can say about someone's work, even if only very little.

If I were the OP (and/or his shooter friend) I'd be re-watching the clip as I followed wgzn's play-by-play with great respect and attention. I bet I'd find important problems he's put his finger on, even if I disagreed with much of it (or not!). Mostly I'd be looking for what I can *learn* from his generous expenditure of time on my behalf.

For that, I would be very thankful...
 
more on the subject of picking-nits...

i used to have this agency client for whom i shot a lot at a large regional furniture store. for the first few months i would get feedback from the agency CD like "that camera move is great. but those two pillows are crooked" or "i can see the tag under that ottoman" or "there is an extension cord in the background". and at first, my thoughts were "f-you, lady! the composition and lighting is awesome. who cares about that tiny little tag?!?!?"

over the course of about 3 years, she eventually beat into me a much higher attention to detail (if for no better reason than just shutting her up) but since then, that heightened awareness has served me well on numerous occasions. and though i still may not agree with her creative decisions, i appreciate what her neurosis did for my shooting process.
 
wgzn said:
more on the subject of picking-nits...

i used to have this agency client for whom i shot a lot at a large regional furniture store. for the first few months i would get feedback from the agency CD like "that camera move is great. but those two pillows are crooked" or "i can see the tag under that ottoman" or "there is an extension cord in the background". and at first, my thoughts were "f-you, lady! the composition and lighting is awesome. who cares about that tiny little tag?!?!?"

over the course of about 3 years, she eventually beat into me a much higher attention to detail (if for no better reason than just shutting her up) but since then, that heightened awareness has served me well on numerous occasions. and though i still may not agree with her creative decisions, i appreciate what her neurosis did for my shooting process.
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Great job WGZN and agree with all of your points.

Now the most important thing you need to realize is we all agree that the piece is watchable and was actually pretty good. the technical oversights though can easily be remedied and a solid production can be had for the next turn.

I use to edit projects by myself, once I started working for record labels and with directors they noticed so much things I never even thought about.... Truth is, it made me better and now when I shoot and edit I remember all those years they tore my footage apart. Heck they still do, but it's less and Iim actually doing pretty good now because of everything I learned.

One thing that must be noted is the horrible moire this camera is producing, something must be done to try and work around that better.
 
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