Be brutal

[TerryToast]

Did you chop off the music in the transition between the surfers and the yacht mariner in the first part of the film?

No. That’s simply the song tempo changing.

 

[Bilby1]

I'll be brutal Terry - I enjoyed it! It's a bit of a love letter to to those parts of Sydney and while I'm from down south, I found lots to enjoy. My only comment would be that is longer than the attention span of much of the YouTube audience so many of them probably switched off.

I don't have the technical expertise to make comment on exposure / lighting etc as many previous contributors have, I focused more on the variety of filming techniques you used. I liked the different ways you portrayed a particular scene or activity. Keep posting - I for one will keep watching!

 

[TerryToast]

I'll be brutal Terry - I enjoyed it! It's a bit of a love letter to to those parts of Sydney and while I'm from down south, I found lots to enjoy. My only comment would be that is longer than the attention span of much of the YouTube audience so many of them probably switched off.

I don't have the technical expertise to make comment on exposure / lighting etc as many previous contributors have, I focused more on the variety of filming techniques you used. I liked the different ways you portrayed a particular scene or activity. Keep posting - I for one will keep watching!

Thank you Bilby.

You’re right re the length. YouTube studio tells me that only 30% of viewers reach the end of the film (see pic in earlier post), so I need to either make the next film shorter or more interesting (to hold their attention).

I don’t have much expertise on exposure or colour grading either. I just use LUTs, the histogram, my eye (which isn’t very good) and try my best.

 

[haligan125]

I see these as an amalgamation of stock footage clips. In that sense, I think they are good. Useable. Saleable.
As a video, long. I lost interest.

 

[patcarty2]

Intro was too long for me, and from too high. So I never watched past there.
So maybe I missed the best bit.
P.

 

[GrandDad48]

Terry, I'll preface my comments that I am not an expert on videos. And, I am 74 years old, so weigh my comments with that understanding.
1. Change the audio! I had to mute it after about 15 seconds. Being upbeat is one thing to put a positive spin on the clips, but that's certainly not going to endear many folks over 40, in my opinion.
2. The rapid 90 degree yaw over the yacht basin looking at the sun felt amateurish and more like an editing error. Either make that a smooth transition or cut it out.
3. As alluded to above, the clips in and of themselves aren't bad, but it jumps all over the place which again feels like you lacked a storyline or intended purpose.
4. I question the length of the video. I suspect that many folks will see the 5:15 and not bother to watch it. The attention span of many viewers today seems to only last maybe 3 minutes and then it becomes repetitive.
5. It was unclear to me if I was watching the same locations from a slightly different angle or it was a new location. A beach looks like a beach, buildings look like buildings. I'd recommend linking similar scenes and locations together with some small text crawl as to what the viewer is seeing.
Hope this helps.

 

[wombat]

Can I please get some brutally honest feedback on my latest video? This video has done very poorly on YouTube compared to my prior videos, which are very similar.

I understand that YouTube views is a poor gauge of quality, but if there is something wrong (or less engaging) about this particular video, I’d love to understand that mistake so I don’t repeat it.

Are you aware that night flying in Australia is no allowed.
The shot of the whales is too close, distance should be min 500 mts radious and 500 mtr high, suggest you remove those two segments and repost on YouTube before CASA see’s your video
The 500 mtr limit is from Marine Biology

 

[Galeforce1]

Are you aware that night flying in Australia is no allowed.
The shot of the whales is too close, distance should be min 500 mts radious and 500 mtr high, suggest you remove those two segments and repost on YouTube before CASA see’s your video
The 500 mtr limit is from Marine Biology

Nor is flying over people, regardless of altitude. I think much of the video was in areas not permitted for drone flight by CASA, as most of Sydney Harbour is in a restricted zone.

 

[wombat]

Hi TerryToast, 59s into the video, is that taken from Rose Bay area ? what app do you use to see if it is safe to fly ?

Galeforce1, flying over people is a grey area, CASA say no flying over populous areas, that can be taken to mean a large crowd of people such as a football match, having said that I always try to stay away for flying over people just in case my RPA falls out of the sky.

 

[TerryToast]

I see these as an amalgamation of stock footage clips. In that sense, I think they are good. Useable. Saleable.
As a video, long. I lost interest.

Thanks Haligan. I have certainly received a lot of similar feedback about losing interest, both from MavicPilot members and YouTube viewer analytics.

I have been giving this a LOT of thought … how can I get the interest of the viewer, hold it, even wow them! The same question every film director in the world is trying to solve. The art and joys of filmmaking.

 

[TerryToast]

Intro was too long for me, and from too high. So I never watched past there.
So maybe I missed the best bit.
P.

Are you sure you watched the right video Pat? The intro of the video (first 20 seconds) was taken at a height of 5-10 metres. That is much lower than the average drone video.

Unless you mean to say “It is not an FPV drone video”? That is certainly true.

 

[TerryToast]

Terry, I'll preface my comments that I am not an expert on videos. And, I am 74 years old, so weigh my comments with that understanding.
1. Change the audio! I had to mute it after about 15 seconds. Being upbeat is one thing to put a positive spin on the clips, but that's certainly not going to endear many folks over 40, in my opinion.
2. The rapid 90 degree yaw over the yacht basin looking at the sun felt amateurish and more like an editing error. Either make that a smooth transition or cut it out.
3. As alluded to above, the clips in and of themselves aren't bad, but it jumps all over the place which again feels like you lacked a storyline or intended purpose.
4. I question the length of the video. I suspect that many folks will see the 5:15 and not bother to watch it. The attention span of many viewers today seems to only last maybe 3 minutes and then it becomes repetitive.
5. It was unclear to me if I was watching the same locations from a slightly different angle or it was a new location. A beach looks like a beach, buildings look like buildings. I'd recommend linking similar scenes and locations together with some small text crawl as to what the viewer is seeing.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for feedback! It all helps. I have responded to each point you raised, below.

#1. I’m sorry you didn’t like the song, but to be fair, you are the first person who has mentioned it. I believe that song choice is subjective, difficult to get right and regardless of what song I choose, there will always be some viewers who don’t like it. Very little I can do about this one.

#2. Lol!! I actually love that transition! I’m really surprised you didn’t enjoy it.

#3 and #5. The video showcases the Eastern Suburbs and each of the locations/beaches show (in segments) are all different. People who have visited Sydney picked up on this, but others didn’t, which means I did a poor job in this area. It is certainly something I need to improve upon.

#4. Some films are boring after 2 minutes, while other films hold the audience spellbound for hours. Similarly with books, a reader can be bored within 2 pages or read 1000 pages and be begging for more. My point is, it’s not the length of my film that is the problem, the real problem is that it fails to have sufficient “magic” to keep the viewer interested to the end. It’s something I need to work on and improve.

 

[TerryToast]

Are you aware that night flying in Australia is no allowed.
The shot of the whales is too close, distance should be min 500 mts radious and 500 mtr high, suggest you remove those two segments and repost on YouTube before CASA see’s your video
The 500 mtr limit is from Marine Biology

The YouTube description states that only some of the footage was taken on a Mavic Air 2S. The night flying, whale footage and Sydney Harbour footage was taken by other drone pilot(s), I simply published that footage, which is not breaking any laws. If you have any proof otherwise, please share it with the group.

Furthermore, while I appreciate some drone pilots love to talk about drone laws, personally I find it an extremely boring subject. The undisputed truth is that there are literally thousands of drones videos of flights all over Australia, particularly in towns and cities where the “30 metres from people” rule is clearly being broken, yet CASA isn’t contacting those thousands of drone pilots, but instead only focusing on the footage showing pilots flying dangerously and where they can prove who the pilot was. If you have any doubts, send CASA the thousands of videos, including your own and see what they say.

 

[TerryToast]

Hi TerryToast, 59s into the video, is that taken from Rose Bay area ? what app do you use to see if it is safe to fly ?

Galeforce1, flying over people is a grey area, CASA say no flying over populous areas, that can be taken to mean a large crowd of people such as a football match, having said that I always try to stay away for flying over people just in case my RPA falls out of the sky.

That is from CASA’s website. It doesn’t look very “grey” to me Wombat.

Every time you fly your drone over any town or city in Australia, you almost certainly breaking the law on every such flight. Because you are flying over people - unless of course you’ve cleared those towns and cities of ALL people below your flight path first. Is that what you do Wombat, or do you just claim it’s a “grey area”?

“People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”

 

[haligan125]

Terry, you said be brutal, now you're not happy with brutal. Did you really want brutal?

 

[wombat]

I think you have the wrong end of the stick, it was not I that brought up the subject of flying over people it was Galeforce 1.
I apologize if you thought I was throwing stones that was not my intention.

I note you did not answer my question in regards to Rose Bay and what app you use.

 

[TerryToast]

Terry, you said be brutal, now you're not happy with brutal. Did you really want brutal?

Please read my Post. I requested brutal feedback relating to why my latest film has done poorly on YouTube compared to my other films.

I didn’t request advice on drone laws. If people want such advice, there is an area with MavicPilots for such advice to be sought and given.

 

[TerryToast]

I think you have the wrong end of the stick, it was not I that brought up the subject of flying over people it was Galeforce 1.
I apologize if you thought I was throwing stones that was not my intention.

I note you did not answer my question in regards to Rose Bay and what app you use.

Wombat, i’m sorry but I have no interest in discussing drone laws within this Post/Thread, or anything relating to them.

There is an area of MavicPilots dedicated to drone laws and regulations. In anyone would like to have a conversation about my film in that forum, please feel free. I guarantee you that I will never even know, as I don’t visit that area.

 

[aerovikings]

I don't know how it works down under, but in the states "Suburban" means boring, pedestrian, white bread, and milquetoast. I wouldn't even have clicked the thumbnail. The title, to anyone in the US, is a snoozer. Hope that helps.

 

[TerryToast]

I don't know how it works down under, but in the states "Suburban" means boring, pedestrian, white bread, and milquetoast. I wouldn't even have clicked the thumbnail. The title, to anyone in the US, is a snoozer. Hope that helps.

Thanks Aero, it certainly helps. The YouTube picture and title are arguably the two most important parts of any video to get YouTube views. If people don’t click on the video, it doesn’t matter how good it is.