Feedback of my work.

[Redbagy]

I'm new to this forum, and started taking editing very serious about last october.

If you would please check my youtube channel. [LINK DELETED]
I'd like to know general feedback on my videos. : )


Thanks

[TimStannard]

If you would please check my youtube channel.

Please read the rules at the top of this section.

And to save you looking, here: http://www.videoforums.co.uk/user-vi...er-2008-a.html

[Redbagy]

oh sorry, as i said i 'm new to this forum thus i wasn't aware of this. Excuse me.
Well here is an example of a video i made Animal Farm : CNN News. - YouTube

[TimStannard]

It looked quite good. Not a bad effort at green screen - there's a serious amount of "glow" around the chromakeyed characters but at least not too much green reflection. It's very unusual for me, a 50 y/o git, to find any humour in something teenage boys think is funny and I'm afraid this was not one of those rare occasions.
But what made the video particularly unwatchable was the poor audio. You need to get your mic up close so we don't hear so much natural reverb from the room. It makes it very difficult to understand what is being said - especislly if you're doing in in silly voices.
The other thing to watch is if you are going to perform parodies, it is absolutely essential that you play the part straight. No smirks, no laughs, no grins, no giggles.

[Redbagy]

sure. thanks a lot for the advice and actually i used rotoscoping not a green screen. i'm gonna try and set up one though. and concerning the audio for now i think i'll dub it for since we're only teens(low budgets you know). All of these videos were shot from an iPhone4.

And as for the parodies , i'll send ur advice to my actors :P

[TimStannard]

and actually i used rotoscoping not a green screen.

Yikes. That's a helluva lot of work then!

[Gracywoods]

I agree with Tim,

However, it's a good jumping off point. I like the 3D elements at the beginning but I would say to add more flash to it...maybe some lens flares and some motion graphics in the background. I also would like to comment on the rotoscope...I think that is a really hellish way to approach this even though I commend you for it. It must have taken a long time to do. If you are doing this technique, try not to do so much wacky movement to prevent more work in the editing room. I would suggest to move to green screen and use After Effects to do this using the Keylight Plugin. You should be able to have more freedom to be more creative but as long as you continue rotoring, you have to limit your movement. One more thing to add...Today's effects and transitions are very quick and flashy, so I would make that transition of the PIP faster somewhere between 10-15 frames. It is my belief that all transitions should be limited to this unless it has a purpose to create a mood for a film (i.e. slow fade in/out). Hope my suggestion helps Keep going!

[Redbagy]

I didn't understand much the thing about transitions, what you actually meant.
But thanks a lot and yes , the rotoscoping surely wasn't the best way around it for it takes a lot and a lot of time and doesn't look as good as the greenscreen.
in fact i'm going to build one soon i hope.

[vidmanners]

I've tried green-screen but not Rotoscoping - but I think it's a frame-by frame effect....hence the "Lots of Work" comments.

Titles are very pro - Something amateur filmmakers used to do regularly (in Cine-days) have a pro start and then add their stuff...it makes you "expect more" - so I'd suggest shortening titles and using basic effects.

I'm sure that CNN is almost a "trademark" and I was worried from the start this could cause you trouble later, unless the dissociation is made clear. You could for example have newsprint showing through the large letters, then gradually replace it with holsteins. -OR- have their B&W patches drift past the cutout letters. A lower thirds message of Breaking News might help . . . also in UK, Cowes is a port on the Isle of Wight (Southern England), famous for sailing - if that would help another "Cow News" maybe filmed in Malta, with a union jack somewhere for effect. You might be lucky and find a Sailor willing to dress the part...

Audio: yes, agree earlier comments. The solo news reporter was much clearer, but I missed most of the words.

Plus, I thought the studio-newscasters were too small in the frame. The cow-background was too much. A desk-model(enlarged) and some milk-churns depicted as seats (Budget, Yikes!) would assist the association.



Transitions:
The move from one clip to another, often a simple "fade" will do, rather than a jump.
Most editors will create this - but avoid too many "fancy" ones, which can be a bit tiresome, IMHO.



It's a lot more ambitious than I was, at that age . . . . but we didn't have calculators even.
Good luck.

[Redbagy]

well actually the rotoscoping is a tool which i used from after effects cs5(the program animates it automatically) though still you need to guide this tool.

and as for transitions, i know what they are but i didn't use them for i didn't think they're much appropriate to use in a news report thus i animated the news reporter's video to full scale and after scaled down.