2 Pro Say yah to da U.P., eh? (it's a Michigan thing)

[RadioFlyerMan]

EDIT: If you’re so inclined, I’d like opinions on the River segment, specifically the reflections. I’m thinking of pursuing a separate video on reflections covering a wider range of locations. Is it worth it?
Thanks.

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[Florida Drone Supply]

The waters and mountains are beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

 

[TerryToast]

Nice video RadioFlyer.

One thing to note, on average you’ll lose 30% of your viewers within the first 30 seconds, so if you have a slow intro that might increase. If you wish, log into YouTube Studio for each of your videos and you’ll find a graph showing this. Could be interesting reading.

 

[CaseyK]

Very, very enjoyable!

 

[Dale D]

EDIT: If you’re so inclined, I’d like opinions on the River segment, specifically the reflections. I’m thinking of pursuing a separate video on reflections covering a wider range of locations. Is it worth it?
Thanks.

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Radio Flyer Man:

I usually like your stuff.

Do you want to be praised, or do want to be critiqued? There is a lot to be said for this film- truly nice reflections, the scenes are beautiful, the music selection is correct, and the flying is smooth. The train was a nice addition. However, I found myself getting quickly bored with each passing clip. They are just too long. In addition, many of the clips are filled with trees in dark shadows. There was no effort to bring out the details in the shadows. They were just blocked up. I found the opening so slow that I was tempted to stop at that point. I would have put all of that at the back. The length, overall, is too long, and could have been shortened without any loss. Each clip could have been less DWELLING. The escarpment was a good example of a long duration shot of a rock face. I could go on. I stopped it at about 2 minutes.

Dale
Miami

 

[retiredNH]

Nice video RadioFlyer.

One thing to note, on average you’ll lose 30% of your viewers within the first 30 seconds, so if you have a slow intro that might increase. If you wish, log into YouTube Studio for each of your videos and you’ll find a graph showing this. Could be interesting reading.

Second this. Your intro was almost 30 seconds, half a minute. That's about 3x too long. Your internal titles were also waaaay too long.

The scenes themselves were very good viewing, though.

 

[TerryToast]

Radio Flyer Man:

I usually like your stuff.

Do you want to be praised, or do want to be critiqued? There is a lot to be said for this film- truly nice reflections, the scenes are beautiful, the music selection is correct, and the flying is smooth. The train was a nice addition. However, I found myself getting quickly bored with each passing clip. They are just too long. In addition, many of the clips are filled with trees in dark shadows. There was no effort to bring out the details in the shadows. They were just blocked up. I found the opening so slow that I was tempted to stop at that point. I would have put all of that at the back. The length, overall, is too long, and could have been shortened without any loss. Each clip could have been less DWELLING. The escarpment was a good example of a long duration shot of a rock face. I could go on. I stopped it at about 2 minutes.

Dale
Miami

Good write up Dale. I just watched it again, in particular to look at the length of each clip.

Most of the clips are 6-7 seconds, which generally isn’t too long. However some of the clips seem too long, as the scene is barely changing and so it’s essentially just a “photo”. Add a few of these together and essentially you have a slideshow which changes photos every 6-7 seconds, is slow and viewers can lose interest.

To use an example, these two clips are together and the same length:
- at 53 seconds the scene is an unchanging scene of water and sky. SLOW
- at 59 seconds the scene is a moving the train, which is moving and being revealed as it comes out of the forest. EXCELLENT

 

[Dale D]

Good write up Dale. I just watched it again, in particular to look at the length of each clip.

Most of the clips are 6-7 seconds, which generally isn’t too long. However some of the clips seem too long, as the scene is barely changing and so it’s essentially just a “photo”. Add a few of these together and essentially you have a slideshow which changes photos every 6-7 seconds, is slow and viewers can lose interest.

To use an example, these two clips are together and the same length:
- at 53 seconds the scene is an unchanging scene of water and sky. SLOW
- at 59 seconds the scene is a moving the train, which is moving and being revealed as it comes out of the forest. EXCELLENT

Yes- Terry we are agreed on all of what you said.Y ou put it very well- a series of slides, actually, and when I show slides, I try to make then no more than 3 seconds and usually my average for a slide is 2.5 seconds. Most of this film can be rescued by using the razor blade tool (I use Premiere) to cut the long clips down to 3-5 seconds.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

Hey, Thanks all for your critique. Excellent points were made.

Regarding the Reflections I specifically wanted to know if anyone finds them interesting before I spent a lot of miles trying to generate a more comprehensive video of such things. It could get boring unless I can find unique settings. Not sure I can. There’s only so many colored leaves and waves on a beach before drone videos all look the same. What can make them unique is location, cinematic style, color correction, sound track, etc.

I really appreciate your comments because I made this video as an experiment for myself… mainly to slow things down. I saw a video on this forum that impressed me how slow the scene was revealed. The pilot received a lot of good comments. I wanted to try it. But , yes, in many clips it was too slow.

One comment on another forum was to take the common landscape video to the next level by adding narrative. It then tells a story beyond just pretty views. It’s a thought.

Anyway, I’ve learned a lot from you guys. Thanks!

 

[Dale D]

Hey, Thanks all for your critique. Excellent points were made.

Regarding the Reflections I specifically wanted to know if anyone finds them interesting before I spent a lot of miles trying to generate a more comprehensive video of such things. It could get boring unless I can find unique settings. Not sure I can. There’s only so many colored leaves and waves on a beach before drone videos all look the same. What can make them unique is location, cinematic style, color correction, sound track, etc.

I really appreciate your comments because I made this video as an experiment for myself… mainly to slow things down. I saw a video on this forum that impressed me how slow the scene was revealed. The pilot received a lot of good comments. I wanted to try it. But , yes, in many clips it was too slow.

One comment on another forum was to take the common landscape video to the next level by adding narrative. It then tells a story beyond just pretty views. It’s a thought.

Anyway, I’ve learned a lot from you guys. Thanks!

RFM:

Not to beat a dead horse..... but
Unless you have a known good radio voice (most of us do not), I would avoid voice overs. They can really degrade the quality of an otherwise good video. If you had a voice like Darth Vader, James Jones, or Jeremy Irons (famous movie narrators), it gets to sound like Uncle Bob. (no offense Uncle Bob!). The comments sound pedantic, or sophomoric. Some of the good You Tubers ("51 Drones") are good, but most of us are not endowed with great deep voices.

Let your video stand on its own photographic and videographic merits without helping it along with comments. I do think that quick titles or labels are helpful but I quickly fade them in and out during the slide or clip. About once a week we are treated to really great landscape videos from some of the masters of Cornwall or Sicily. I think you know who I mean. But these videographers are masters in flying, point of interest, editing, color grading, etc. Watch those you like and try to emulate them, as I do myself.

Enough said.

Dale

 

[TerryToast]

Hey, Thanks all for your critique. Excellent points were made.

Dale and RadioFlyerMan, can you guys do me a favour and critique my video as well? I just dropped it into the “Critique” area.

 

[Dale D]

Dale and RadioFlyerMan, can you guys do me a favour and critique my video as well? I just dropped it into the “Critique” area.

I cannot find the critique area. Just send it to me by personal message

 

[TerryToast]

I cannot find the critique area. Just send it to me by personal message

Video Critiques

Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.

 

[Dale D]

Video Critiques

Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.

I just spent some time watching it. I have only good thoughts about it. Your flying, scene length, compositions, editing, color grading, music track, and interesting subjects were all building blocks of what I think we all strive for when we go out to film. I've been to Sydney and your harbor view of the skyline and opera house were fine. The recordings of the surfers paddling out, meeting the waves, and scenes of the beaches and surf from above were perfect. And you were really fortunate to capture that whale mom and pup! That would have really made my day! Your Point of Interest circle of the lighthouse was as good as anyone's.

I think the film was sometimes repetitive with the surfers and swimmers but it could easily be shortened.

I think some of the criticisms were uncalled for, and one was just plain mean-spirited.

I have never aspired to be a You Tube star, or to make a penny from You Tube, or have the highest viewership. Your goals might be different. I have stopped submitting to You Tube several years ago because I think the audience is not sophisticated enough, like the forum guys are. I now only submit to Vimeo. I film for my own hobby and pleasure, and to create mementos for myself and my family and friends. I am please when I get good commentary and I know, above all, if the product is good or not without being told by others.

Just ignore some of these critiques and keep working on your skills, flying moves, and technique. Don't fret and worry about these "film critics...they certainly are no John Houstons or De Milles.

Dale

 

[TerryToast]

I just spent some time watching it. I have only good thoughts about it. Your flying, scene length, compositions, editing, color grading, music track, and interesting subjects were all building blocks of what I think we all strive for when we go out to film. I've been to Sydney and your harbor view of the skyline and opera house were fine. The recordings of the surfers paddling out, meeting the waves, and scenes of the beaches and surf from above were perfect. And you were really fortunate to capture that whale mom and pup! That would have really made my day! Your Point of Interest circle of the lighthouse was as good as anyone's.

I think the film was sometimes repetitive with the surfers and swimmers but it could easily be shortened.

I think some of the criticisms were uncalled for, and one was just plain mean-spirited.

I have never aspired to be a You Tube star, or to make a penny from You Tube, or have the highest viewership. Your goals might be different. I have stopped submitting to You Tube several years ago because I think the audience is not sophisticated enough, like the forum guys are. I now only submit to Vimeo. I film for my own hobby and pleasure, and to create mementos for myself and my family and friends. I am please when I get good commentary and I know, above all, if the product is good or not without being told by others.

Just ignore some of these critiques and keep working on your skills, flying moves, and technique. Don't fret and worry about these "film critics...they certainly are no John Houstons or De Milles.

Dale

Thanks Dale.

I did ask for brutal feedback and I’m fine with all of the critiques. I’d much rather people let rip then hold back (and miss sending all their feedback) due to concern that they’ll hurt my feelings. They won’t (no chance).

I agree the YouTube audience is not very sophisticated and I’m fine that I will never make any money out of YouTube. My goal on YouTube is to learn the skill of creating content that is liked by the average person, which YouTube viewers roughly represent. If my video flops, it’s not the viewers fault, it simply means that I have failed to deliver my chosen content in a manner which the average person enjoys. So I’ll learn from that, improve and try again.

Great feedback that the film is sometimes repetitive, particularly with the surfers and swimmers. I’m a surfer and I could watch surfing all day, so I certainly wouldn’t have picked that up on my own. The whales are very popular, I know that too, so I should have included more whales and less surfers. Live and learn!

You’re right that it could be shortened too. I ended up trying to fit each of the locations to the music tempo, so when the music tempo changes the scene also changes. The downside is that each of the seven locations then takes about 5 clips each. It resulted in a film that about 2 mins longer than my first two films.

 

[Dale D]

Thanks Dale.

I did ask for brutal feedback and I’m fine with all of the critiques. I’d much rather people let rip then hold back (and miss sending all their feedback) due to concern that they’ll hurt my feelings. They won’t (no chance).

I agree the YouTube audience is not very sophisticated and I’m fine that I will never make any money out of YouTube. My goal on YouTube is to learn the skill of creating content that is liked by the average person, which YouTube viewers roughly represent. If my video flops, it’s not the viewers fault, it simply means that I have failed to deliver my chosen content in a manner which the average person enjoys. So I’ll learn from that, improve and try again.

Great feedback that the film is sometimes repetitive, particularly with the surfers and swimmers. I’m a surfer and I could watch surfing all day, so I certainly wouldn’t have picked that up on my own. The whales are very popular, I know that too, so I should have included more whales and less surfers. Live and learn!

You’re right that it could be shortened too. I ended up trying to fit each of the locations to the music tempo, so when the music tempo changes the scene also changes. The downside is that each of the seven locations then takes about 5 clips each. It resulted in a film that about 2 mins longer than my first two films.

You've got it all right now! To bed for me here in Miami at 10PM.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

RFM:

Not to beat a dead horse..... but
Unless you have a known good radio voice (most of us do not), I would avoid voice overs. They can really degrade the quality of an otherwise good video. If you had a voice like Darth Vader, James Jones, or Jeremy Irons (famous movie narrators), it gets to sound like Uncle Bob. (no offense Uncle Bob!). The comments sound pedantic, or sophomoric. Some of the good You Tubers ("51 Drones") are good, but most of us are not endowed with great deep voices.

Let your video stand on its own photographic and videographic merits without helping it along with comments. I do think that quick titles or labels are helpful but I quickly fade them in and out during the slide or clip. About once a week we are treated to really great landscape videos from some of the masters of Cornwall or Sicily. I think you know who I mean. But these videographers are masters in flying, point of interest, editing, color grading, etc. Watch those you like and try to emulate them, as I do myself.

Enough said.

RFM:

Not to beat a dead horse..... but
Unless you have a known good radio voice (most of us do not), I would avoid voice overs. They can really degrade the quality of an otherwise good video. If you had a voice like Darth Vader, James Jones, or Jeremy Irons (famous movie narrators), it gets to sound like Uncle Bob. (no offense Uncle Bob!). The comments sound pedantic, or sophomoric. Some of the good You Tubers ("51 Drones") are good, but most of us are not endowed with great deep voices.

Let your video stand on its own photographic and videographic merits without helping it along with comments. I do think that quick titles or labels are helpful but I quickly fade them in and out during the slide or clip. About once a week we are treated to really great landscape videos from some of the masters of Cornwall or Sicily. I think you know who I mean. But these videographers are masters in flying, point of interest, editing, color grading, etc. Watch those you like and try to emulate them, as I do myself.

Enough said.

Dale

Agreed. I am definitely no Peter Coyote or Morgan Freeman. If I were, I'd be making money at it.

I've only done it once and posted it on this forum. Many people, including me, do not like to hear their own recorded voice. But I decided to put myself out there and try it. I never got any direct feed back on my voice, from here or anywhere else. I don't think you viewed the video. If your are so inclined, tell me what you think...

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[Dale D]

Agreed. I am definitely no Peter Coyote or Morgan Freeman. If I were, I'd be making money at it.

I've only done it once and posted it on this forum. Many people, including me, do not like to hear their own recorded voice. But I decided to put myself out there and try it. I never got any direct feed back on my voice, from here or anywhere else. I don't think you viewed the video. If your are so inclined, tell me what you think...

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I did watch the entire Odyssey II