Please help critique this clip

Hi Mike,

Now I am not going to be nice just because you have been nice to me;)

No seriously. I do not see anything else you could have done under the circumstances and with one camera. The only way you could have improved on what you did was to obviously have a second camera in my opinion.

If I was going to be really picky...i mean really picky and this is not necessarily right or wrong, i saw one instance where you zoomed out and someones head came in the frame bottom left hand corner and then you zoomed in again to cut him out. This took my attention away from the subject for a split second....hey maybe i'm talking nonsense, just what happened for me at that time.

BTW I really enjoyed (if i can use this word!) the tension in your other sample with your brothers muscles cramping) That would make me buy the video if this was my interest. You cleverly put that together I thought and left the audience wanting more, sorry for two critiques in one:D

One more thing. Whatever that man in the video says I will agree with:eek:

I'm not being nice! I'm telling the truth. If I didn't like something you did, I'd tell you! :)

Thanks for both your critiques! (Two-in-one are better than none, right?) I agree with your pickiness! The head bothered me too. Maybe next time I should shoot from the balcony to avoid that.

As for the second camera...bodybuilders don't like having a two camera shoot of their routines, and I tend to agree with them. I am of the opinion that any theatrical presentation, like a dance recital, a play or a posing routine such as this, was designed to be appreciated by the audience in the theater a certain way. Suddenly cutting to a side view introduces me, the video editor, into the artistry of the performance. The number and placement of the cuts can affect how the performance is perceived, as you well know. That is ESPECIALLY true with a bodybuilding routine, in which the athlete turns his/herself to the audience to present a certain pose. Cutting to a SIDE view of a FRONT pose would be as if I ran up on stage and shoved the athlete another 45 degrees around in the middle of his routine!

Your thoughts on this?

Fantastic insight on when not to use a second camera. Since you put it that way, yes I agree, and who would know this better than yourself being in that enviroment.

In that case 9/10...you lose one point for the head shot;)

Flame.

Oh, it's not MY insight originally! The bodybuilders themselves told me not to do that after I shot my first contest!! When guys that big tell you to do something...you listen!! :eek: Like you, I listen to my customers and try to give them what they want.

Hi MIke - You asked for critique of your weakest link and it's back to the old chestnut of tripods again for me. I know you used one and it's getting heaps better than it ever was. But . . . despite the black background, the waviness and wobbles on any slight camera movement is IMO very distracting.
That's how I see it and though some may look beyond this to the content, it's the 1st thing I notice. Try getting either a sturdier tripod or a better quality head.
This apart, keep up the good work.

Hi Branny! You've always been very helpful to me.

Yes the bodybuilders are praising me for the content, the subject is going to be the next Mr. Olympia most likely, but of course we here on this forum are looking at the clip a bit differently.

Could you elaborate on the black background? Why didn't you like it and what could I have done to bring out details? I was not in charge of the lighting and I adjusted my aperture and speed so that the subject was not washed out. Washing out the details of the physique is a BIG no-no in bodybuilding vids!

I think I have a pretty good tripod and head. It's a Manfrotto and cost over $400. Do I need to spend more? I'm sure my technique needs work. Later in the day I loosened the drag on the head a bit more and that seemed to help. Part of the problem was that I was forced to position myself in the back of the auditorium. In a situation like that, where one is zoomed so far in that any slight movement is amplified, what can we do to keep movement smooth? It is just practice and experience or should I insist on being closer next time?

Hi Mike - nothing wrong with the black background or your exposure, which is perfect and the black does help mask some movements, but that's all.
I know even the slightest breath is a jolt when on extreme zoom and apart from getting in a lot closer, which may not be possible at these events, try borrowing a Vinten vision head and legs and see the difference these make.
Treat your pan handle like a lady . . . a feather touch will always be appreciated.

:) Nice analogy and good advice. Can't wait to give it another go in a month or so at my next contest!!

Hi Mike -If you're going to be serious about the video coverage, stick another zero on the head and legs price! - I too have tried most of the Manfrotto range and Miller, but it wasn't until I tried the Vinten Vision range that I realised how good it could get.
Making sure the camera is truly balanced is what everyone seems to forget. I had an operator with 20 years experience film for us and he produced many jerky shots, despite having a reasonable head. Why?
He had never mastered how to balance the head. He simply slid it on and locked it, somewhere near the middle. . . . Every time he came to a stop, he had to lock off. Other wise the cam tilted under it's own weight, or he had to hang on for grim death and tremored when on zoom.
Hope these little tips help.

Yep, agree with that Branny...I learnt that a few years ago...THE HARD WAY!

Flame.

$4000!!?? Yikes! I had no idea! I may have to wait unitl I get a few more paying gigs before I can spring for that! In the meantime I'll work on technique and framing.

Yes, all of this is helping greatly. Thank you.