Would using a star filter for cinematography be too weird?

[Brian Drysdale]

Feature films have been shot on a cell phone. In this case use it as a B camera, you're making a video for free for use on the internet, so I wouldn't get up tight about using a cell phone.

Get a GoPro if it makes you feel any better.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, actually the gopros seem to have more barrel distortion than cellphones. So I guess I will stick with a cellphone then as B camera.

[Brian Drysdale]

You should be able to use your NLE to remove barrel distortion. I gather the latest Go Pro has alternative options for angle of view.

[Ryan Elder]

Well if I do that in the NLE though, then I have to zoom into the picture, which means I will have to shoot further back and loose more pixels then that way. I haven't tried the latest gopro.

[John Nantz]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

... I just feel that since it's there project, they should put in for it ... But is that the wrong attitude?

Maybe. You're both getting something out of this, so it depends. More on this later.

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

... especially since I don't think someone trying to be professional like me, should shoot on a cellphone. And I am already buying other equipment anyway for other things. But is that the wrong attitude?

There is value in you doing this promotional video which can, in turn, help make for future paying gigs. Not only that, but you’re getting valuable training here from successful professionals have made a living doing this and that’s worth something to you. At least it would be to me.

Speaking of being professional, my older iPhone 6 (a hand-me-down from my wife who gets the newer stuff) does 60fps and your cam does 30fps, so wouldn’t the 60fps be useful in a shot? One of the martial arts potential clients viewing this promo video will never know how the video was shot so “looking professional” in the end product doesn’t matter at all, it will be the “story” you told that matters. And how well the story was told. How professional you look to the martial arts video clients probably doesn’t matter at this point, either, but how creative you can be to come up with work-arounds will.

As an example of storytelling, this video story by Iohan Gueorguiev is really good. He is no professional videographer (as can be seen) or a director, but, his storytelling is great. And, it was made using his smart phone. “I want to see the world: The North (1 of 2)” A documentary of a bike ride from the shore of the Arctic Ocean (Tuktoyaktuk, near the MacKenzie river delta, Northwest Territories) to British Columbia. Almost 1.7 MILLION views

I want to see the world: The North (1 of 2) - YouTube

There are a lot of good ideas in this video.
Every so often we read about a prospective client who looks for what gear the tog is using order to decide if they will be hired or not but I don’t think we’re there yet.

Brian mentioned about using a light stand but since you don’t have one but that would be nice to have in the kit anyway. Every videographer has kit they don’t use all the time but may be helpful at some point so you never can tell when the time will come. If you remember Paul R Johnson’s closet picture in Post #299, his closet is pretty full of gear, and even as a hobbyist I’ve got a lot of kit in my closet and scattered around the house ('cuz the closet is full).

Personally, I think a handheld phone shot of the important fast moving detail that’s needed will be not only just fine but necessary to tell the story properly. Because what is being videoed is moving fast the hand-held part won’t even be noticed. The viewer will be fixed on what is being shown and not if the “cam” is handheld. This is a martial arts story, not Hollywood.

Question: Where do people in Saskatoon advertise their stuff for sale on-line? Locally we have Craigs list but it doesn’t seem to be used there.

[Ryan Elder]

Some stuff is on Craigslist once in a while. There is some once in a while on kijiji as well. I can look around. And maybe the video will still turn out well hopefully.

[Brian Drysdale]

Originally Posted by Ryan Elder

Well if I do that in the NLE though, then I have to zoom into the picture, which means I will have to shoot further back and loose more pixels then that way. I haven't tried the latest gopro.

I was talking about removing barrel distortion, which won't change your image size. However, I suspect you're using this term for the wide view, which is different.

If you wish to do this a 4k camera can be zoomed in to create an acceptable HD image from the original size.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay I wasn't thinking 4K, just HD. In my NLE, it removes barrel distortion by stretching out the image more, which means it has to zoom in therefore. But is that the wrong way of doing it?

[Brian Drysdale]

I expect there's some changes. it's personal taste if it's objectionable.

[John Nantz]

This is a story … plus a promotion AND a sales pitch, all-in-one!

All good stories start out with an introduction, the opening lines, to get the reader hooked. Authors study openings and opening lines for a good reason.
The YouTube video starts out with the title: “I want to see the world: The North”, which is already a bit of a hook. Good title. The viewer clicks on the arrow to watch it and the opening shows our hero, a guy on a bike riding in a snowstorm yelling with someone who asks “What’s your name?” We learn the rider's (and author's) name. "Where are you going? We learn where the rider is going and all in a matter of seconds. What a great opening! Followed by another good clip (after the advertisements).

The big question is, what’s the opening of the martial arts video going to do that will get the viewer hooked?

Idea:
After the opening title (whatever) have a max 2 or 3 seconds showing the attacker getting knocked down by the victim.
Screen goes black or short transition to black?

Question: How did this happen?

Answer (explanation video) by the martial arts guru:
Now comes all the video you’ve been working on that shows how this was done or how to do the martial arts stuff. This is the sell part.
Every story has an ending. “Don’t be the victim! Learn how to defend yourself at …… Studio!
Ending by asking for the sale: Sign up and Start Today!

One problem: What, the same big guy who was knocked to the ground explains this martial art services??? Probably not a good idea. Need another actor here because we don’t want the Attacker selling his services to explain how he got K.O.ed. Maybe have the attacker wearing a black jacket but a white shirt when doing the explanation. Anyway, some kind of change there to make it look realistic.

Brainstorm by Casting Director: Heck, with the cam on wide then the videographer could act as the attacker!!!
The Attacker hits the Red Button (roll cam!) then runs to attack his victim.

Excellent. The more I think about this the more I like this idea.
Nothing against Ryan, this is called Creative Casting!
And it isn't the first time an actor played two parts; however, its probably the first time the videographer/director played a part.
We’re not only short on gear, we’re short on actors! Think creatively!

Edit, Sequel: Ooops! Sorry to say but there was a mis-communication in the opening-acting scenario and we now have an opening for a videographer and a director.
Edit #2: Another intro option, have the person doing the assaulting K.O. the victim then go to black with "Don't become a victim" or "How to not become a victim" (something like that) then move on to the regular promo demonstration video.

[Ryan Elder]

Okay thank you for the advice.

Well I tried doing voice over, over the video, and my fear turned out to be correct, that it take him longer to explain how do to the moves, compared to him pausing to talk while explaining them in camera. So now I have to slow down the moves to make them long enough so he can explain them. But do I use twixtor for that? Also would the slow motion appear forced, since I am only doing it to give him enough time to explain the moves? What do you think?

[Paul R Johnson]

The slow motion you ruled out earlier? Sigh.

Are you in charge or not Ryan.

A voice over that is longer than the real action is simply too long - so cut it down. You are letting these two idiots tell you how to do everything. They are just no good at story telling. Everything they do is random, unreleased and uncontrolled. You are their lap dog trying to recover a decent product from a poorly planned and managed idea that seems to flow badly.

We've told you over and over again to stop this. Training videos when well done are formulaic. Usually show, then explain, then show again. Slow motion can be good for things that cannot be seen in normal speed. I did a magicians one years ago, where they were making things appear and disappear, and we used slomo to show how the magician put five thimbles on his fingers in a very quick movement. In real time it was not seen at all. In yours, you have a full body to watch, so if something cannot be seen, it's probably shot from the wrong angle. Does slomo help, or hinder? You NEVER use slomo in this way because the voice over is too long. If the words are critical so you cannot fir the movement, then video the voice over, so it's a talking head that then cuts to the movement and back to the talking head. First semester stuff!

Take control, or give up - you really are at this decision point.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, we never learned to do a martial arts training video and then explain the moves, semester wise.

I think for the rest of the video I am going to have to do everything in one take, and no cutting cause every time I try to do a cut, it doesn't match. So I think it all has be done in one take.

I will do the talking interview head, explaining it, then cut back but I hope his words match up enough to what was shot though. I guess it's just hard for me to take control of something, where I don't even know what they want or what it's about. It's their field so if I take control and try to script the whole thing myself, I think they will disagree with it though.

[Brian Drysdale]

It's a matter of first principles, there are loads of subjects that you won't have been taught, so you need to work them out in the real world. There appears to be quite a few martial arts videos online, so you can use them to work out the best methods.

If matching action is an issue without multi cameras, don't try, make it very obvious that you're not trying. Get the guys to repeat the key part of action again (slowly if need be), so the viewers can see it (I assume they would do this in a class).. This is an instructional video, not a kung fu movie

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay thanks. Well a lot of the martial arts videos online appear to be handheld which makes for a lot more movement without being restricted. A lot of them are done in one take too. Should I perhaps just go handheld then with one take only for the editing? As for matching, I don't have multiple cameras, just the one still, so I can't match the different takes, cause they do them too differently each time.

It seems like the more I cut, the more mismatches there will be. So I think for the rest of them they have to be shot in one take. One video I saw will do crash zooms from close to wide, to wide to close, etc. But how does one know when to do the crash zooms, unless those videos, the martial artists were able to rehearse the same moves down to the T, unlike mine?

But I think after this, this will be the last non-scripted project I do. I think I am just better off doing scripted projects, with actors, who do not mind doing a lot more takes in comparison, and who are use to hitting marks better, and don't mind redoing the same blocking over and over again, if that makes sense. I think this is going to be my last non-fictional project.