Editing technique, seeking comments

[tck444]

Unfortunately, no drone videos here. However, I am seeking comments on the style of presentation. The typical comment that I receive regarding my editing is that the still photos should be of a shorter duration. So, I wanted to add some other interest to the video without changing the overall pace. I hope to use some variation of this color fade technique in future videos.

All comments are welcome!

 

[Gagey52]

Some great shots in there Tim. Your use of the colour fading was good. Thanks for sharing.

 

[DougMcC]

I enjoyed the video. I found myself reacting to the long BW market place with lots of short jerky pans which is a technical choice. It became interesting but frenetic. The stills were good but after all that early motion I would have expected gentle Ken Burns zooms and pans for emphasis. Just one viewer’s opinion. Thank you for sharing

 

[GFields]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

 

[vindibona1]

I hope you don't mind my critique but as you asked for comments...

This presentation has a lot of potential. While I generally don't like vocals over these types of presentations I think the one you selected is nice as it isn't overbearing, and being in Chinese doesn't draw any attention of us English speakers. However I think there are a few things that you could do to improve it further.

1) As noted, the quick movement at the open as @DougMcC is as he stated "frentic". There really isn't a focal point of interest that lingers anywhere. I suggest you put it in slo-mo to some extent and limit it.

2) Thought the transition from b/w to color was clever, but one thing I learned early on; "When you overdo a special effect it is no longer special". IMO too much of that.

3) Opposite of the frentic movement of the open you have a lot of still shot. On some I suggest you introduce some movement with either subtle zoom or un-zoom. Also many of the still clips don't have to linger as long.

4) I didn't feel that, in general, your still images had enough "crispness" to them. Two techniques that you might experiment with is USM 10/100/0, or alternately sharpening via hi pass filter, which is a bit more complex but adds both sharpness and contrast but is done on a separate layer so you can control the amount with opacity of that layer.

5) If you can, I think you've pushed the boundaries of time and viewer interest into the 5 minute range. I would advise to cut it down by a minute or more if possible. Perhaps there are images that you aren't thrilled with that can end up on the cutting room floor that you can do without to make it a bit shorter?

That's all I got for now.

 

[tck444]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!

 

[FlyingFilmmaker]

Interesting video!!! I probably wouldn't use the black and white shaky, wandering, handheld camera style unless I specifically wanted to give the effect of being old footage or something similar. If that's what you're going for though, you did a good job. As far as the color fade, I would probably only use it once in a video, for example, start out black and white, looking like old footage, then in one clip, or over several clips fade into color to show a switch from long ago to current. Anyway, fun, creative ideas!!!

 

[tck444]

Thanks for the comments!

I tried to add an overlay to simulate old film at the opening but it was not really successful. And, I was trying to create a video to match the length of the music. so I stayed too long on some themes.

It was at least a learning experience in editing and hope to incorporate the more successful aspects in future videos.

 

[MS Coast]

I'm in agreement with the comments from @vindibona1.

I find it awkward having the view field change - from full frame to cropped horizontally to cropped vertically to full frame...

Regarding the color fade, it might be effective to begin with monochrome images and do the fade on a particularly strong image and then use only color afterward.

In the opening sequence, I like the idea of seeing things from the viewpoint of a person walking down the street. I'd suggest slowing down the motion and especially the panning to more closely match how you'd be looking around as you walked. Again in the opening, I was frustrated at the small video. You might consider making the video full frame and overlay the title or open with the title only and go to the video.

The music was very good.

Don't be disheartened by the critiques here. There's a lot to applaud in your work, too. I'll look forward to seeing what you post next.

 

[tck444]

I'm in agreement with the comments from @vindibona1.

I find it awkward having the view field change - from full frame to cropped horizontally to cropped vertically to full frame...

Regarding the color fade, it might be effective to begin with monochrome images and do the fade on a particularly strong image and then use only color afterward.

In the opening sequence, I like the idea of seeing things from the viewpoint of a person walking down the street. I'd suggest slowing down the motion and especially the panning to more closely match how you'd be looking around as you walked. Again in the opening, I was frustrated at the small video. You might consider making the video full frame and overlay the title or open with the title only and go to the video.

The music was very good.

Don't be disheartened by the critiques here. There's a lot to applaud in your work, too. I'll look forward to seeing what you post next.

Thanks, much appreciated. Many of my creations are first-time attempts or learning exercises. After watching the video, I would have changed several things myself in a second attempt. In the process, am hoping to gain more experience and incrementally improve the results.