Newbie looking for feedback - Hawaii footage

rlmv · Dec 5, 2018

I've had my drone for a few months now but don't have much time to fly it around. I just came back from vacationing on Maui and was able to get some footage around the island. Would like to get some feedback on this clip I put together. It was shot using a Mavic AIR with FS Lab filters, d-cinelike. I then did color grading (poorly) using Adobe Premiere and then did editing and audio in iMovie. I know it's not efficient, but I'm just not that comfortable with Adobe Premiere yet.

**edit** Updated video in post #8 below.

Thanks!

Porky · Dec 5, 2018

I liked your video, nice scenery

I can’t give you any tips or advice, still learning myself but I’m sure one of the pro’s will point you in the right direction.

Thanks for sharing

Kleiney · Dec 5, 2018

Porky said:
I liked your video, nice scenery I can’t give you any tips or advice, still learning myself but I’m sure one of the pro’s will point you in the right direction.

Thanks for sharing

rlmv said:
I've had my drone for a few months now but don't have much time to fly it around. I just came back from vacationing on Maui and was able to get some footage around the island. Would like to get some feedback on this clip I put together. It was shot using a Mavic AIR with FS Lab filters, d-cinelike. I then did color grading (poorly) using Adobe Premiere and then did editing and audio in iMovie. I know it's not efficient, but I'm just not that comfortable with Adobe Premiere yet.

Thanks!

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Very nice footage and cinemalike video technique. But the transitions in post are too harsh on my eyes - perhaps dissolves or no transitions. Nice place to fly.

Porky · Dec 5, 2018

Kleiney said:
Very nice footage and cinemalike video technique. But the transitions in post are too harsh on my eyes - perhaps dissolves or no transitions. Nice place to fly.

Welcome to the forum @Kleiney thanks for replying to @rlmv thread

FoxhallGH · Dec 5, 2018

Well done ... You are well on the way to getting good results from your editing. Just one small crit' - at 1:04 - you'd reversed the footage which made the waves appear to un-roll out to sea. That sort of grated with the reality of the rest of it.

Drone on · Dec 5, 2018

good first effort.
Color grading is subjective. I didn't see any garish grading. It looked real and not over saturated, which is the typical beginner's challenge. Some videographers de-saturate the footage for a more cinematic look. I can appreciate their efforts, but it doesn't appeal to me.
Music went well with the video,also. For the most part the changes in scenery matched the changes in the music; especially considering the music did not have a strong pulse. Some editors select/import the music first, then mark the timeline in the editor to aide in cutting the video to match the change in music. It's a very effective technique. A strong pulse helps, but is not necessary. You can use the volume meters as a guide.
I only saw one thing I would change, and it was so insignificant that it is not worth mentioning.
good first effort.

rlmv · Dec 5, 2018

Porky said:
I liked your video, nice scenery I can’t give you any tips or advice, still learning myself but I’m sure one of the pro’s will point you in the right direction.

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for looking anyways!

FoxhallGH said:
Well done ... You are well on the way to getting good results from your editing. Just one small crit' - at 1:04 - you'd reversed the footage which made the waves appear to un-roll out to sea. That sort of grated with the reality of the rest of it.

Ah...you noticed that

Kleiney said:
Very nice footage and cinemalike video technique. But the transitions in post are too harsh on my eyes - perhaps dissolves or no transitions. Nice place to fly.

Drone on said:
good first effort.
Color grading is subjective. I didn't see any garish grading. It looked real and not over saturated, which is the typical beginner's challenge. Some videographers de-saturate the footage for a more cinematic look. I can appreciate their efforts, but it doesn't appeal to me.
Music went well with the video,also. For the most part the changes in scenery matched the changes in the music; especially considering the music did not have a strong pulse. Some editors select/import the music first, then mark the timeline in the editor to aide in cutting the video to match the change in music. It's a very effective technique. A strong pulse helps, but is not necessary. You can use the volume meters as a guide.
I only saw one thing I would change, and it was so insignificant that it is not worth mentioning.
good first effort.

Thanks for all the feedback. There are a couple of areas I'd like some guidance on.

I used the free lut from here...says cinelike-D, but the mavic air says d-cinelike. Is it the same? I applied them in the Lumetri Color panel under the "Creative -> Look" section.

How long should segments be? Mine are around 5-6 secs...is there general guidance on this?
How long should entire clips be? I feel like 4-5 mins is too long.
Are there good transition techniques? I used "fade to black" for all, but should I mix in others?
I know all of these are very subjective, but looking for some rules of thumb.

Thanks!

rlmv · Dec 6, 2018

Ok I just republished an updated video here. Removed the fade to black transitions and used cross dissolve instead. Also extended some clips, so the overall feel should not be as choppy.

Porky · Dec 6, 2018

rlmv said:
Ok I just republished an updated video here. Removed the fade to black transitions and used cross dissolve instead. Also extended some clips, so the overall feel should not be as choppy.

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