Classical Cruisers: An Artistic View on the JC Whitney Spring Auto Show at DVinfo.net

Will Mahoney · May 23rd, 2008, 08:36 AM

Here is some footage I shot at the JC Whitney Spring Auto Show. I chose a classical music version of a heavy metal song, "Welcome Home" by Metallica.

Any feedback is appreciated:

Cam: Canon XH-A1 w/ WD-H72 wide-angle lense. PANALOOK preset.

Software: Adobe Premier Elements

http://exposureroom.com/members/Will...c7e8facb38793/

Thanks!

Travis Cossel · May 23rd, 2008, 12:24 PM

Video won't play for me. It says I need Flash but I already have Flash installed. I always have this problem at ER. Any chance you want to upload the file somewhere else, like Vimeo?

Will Mahoney · May 23rd, 2008, 02:19 PM

It's uploading to Vimeo right now. I transitioned away from Vimeo because I can't get videos to play smoothly there. I shoot mostly in 30F and for some reason Vimeo has a problem with this.

Plus, I'm editing on Premier Elements and I have a hell of a time outputting a good H.264 video. My best option is to encode as WMV, which Vimeo has a problem with.

It's loading right now, but here's the link: http://www.vimeo.com/1057230

Travis Cossel · May 23rd, 2008, 03:13 PM

That worked fine for me with only a stutter in 2 or 3 places.

Pretty good job with the editing. Your handheld shots had some great moves; just work on the smoothness. It just might be a style preference but I think you used too many zooms. I'd suggest using them more sparingly. Lastly, the flag shot at the beginning could have used more contrast and saturation I think to fit with the rest of the footage.

Hope all of that helps!

Brad Vaughan · May 23rd, 2008, 11:55 PM

Very cool! Very nice angles!!!

Nice version of Welcome Home too!

So did you use any stabilizers or was it handheld walking?

How about the panning timelapse? Motorized tripod?

Doug Davis · May 24th, 2008, 05:23 PM

That looked great... Great camera moves too...

Matthew Ebenezer · May 24th, 2008, 08:50 PM

Hey Will,

Yeah, it stuttered only in a couple of places for me as well.

I really liked the energy of the video towards the end - from when the burnouts started to the end - it matched the pace of the music quite well.

Prior to that it felt a bit disconnected because the music was quite frenetic but the footage didn't match the pace.

I felt like I wanted to see some more wider shots of the cars - you had lots of close ups but only a few wider shots that took in the whole car.

The less zooming the better I say. If you check out the awesome work of guys like Steven Dempsey and Philip Bloom you'll see they very rarely (if ever) use zooms. The human eye doesn't zoom so it feels a bit un-natural when we watch a video that does.

Having said that, in this sort of piece with that music, some whip pans and fast zooms could work quite well.

You've got some great handheld moving shots in there - well done! And I really like the timelapse pan - very cool.

Keep it up!

Cheers,

Matthew.

Will Mahoney · May 25th, 2008, 06:29 AM

No, no stabilizers. Just handheld, but with an arm attached to the bottom to help control the camera.

The time-lapse bit was something I picked up from one of the guys at Exposureroom.

It's a 1080 video file in a 720 timeline. I sped up the footage and just slide the video across the screen. No motors.

Will Mahoney · May 25th, 2008, 06:33 AM

Yeah, I've got some notes for myself for my next shoot.

Get more still shots of cars.

Get more shots of the whole car.

Yes, the flag is desaturated and doesn't quite match the rest. I had a hell of a time with color-correction. If you check my profile at Exposureroom I've got a few good blog posts (which are almost mini tutorials) about my process for figuring out color correction and what I did.

Thanks!

Pete Bauer · May 25th, 2008, 09:32 AM

I have the same problem with the exposureroom web site saying I don't have Flash installed.

Cross-posted thread from XH Sample Clips forum merged into this one. Please don't cross-post.

Jim Stern · May 29th, 2008, 09:56 AM

Hey are you from that area? Im somewhat close. Also noticed you did the cleveland show, I had my chopper in that too!

May 23rd, 2008, 08:36 AM	#1
Will Mahoney Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 259	Classical Cruisers: An Artistic View on the JC Whitney Spring Auto Show Here is some footage I shot at the JC Whitney Spring Auto Show. I chose a classical music version of a heavy metal song, "Welcome Home" by Metallica. Any feedback is appreciated: Cam: Canon XH-A1 w/ WD-H72 wide-angle lense. PANALOOK preset. Software: Adobe Premier Elements http://exposureroom.com/members/Will...c7e8facb38793/ Thanks! __________________ http://exposureroom.com/members/WillMahoney.aspx/ www.youtube.com/truckaccessories

May 23rd, 2008, 12:24 PM	#2
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Video won't play for me. It says I need Flash but I already have Flash installed. I always have this problem at ER. Any chance you want to upload the file somewhere else, like Vimeo? __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

May 23rd, 2008, 02:19 PM	#3
Will Mahoney Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 259	It's uploading to Vimeo right now. I transitioned away from Vimeo because I can't get videos to play smoothly there. I shoot mostly in 30F and for some reason Vimeo has a problem with this. Plus, I'm editing on Premier Elements and I have a hell of a time outputting a good H.264 video. My best option is to encode as WMV, which Vimeo has a problem with. It's loading right now, but here's the link: http://www.vimeo.com/1057230 __________________ http://exposureroom.com/members/WillMahoney.aspx/ www.youtube.com/truckaccessories

May 23rd, 2008, 03:13 PM	#4
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	That worked fine for me with only a stutter in 2 or 3 places. Pretty good job with the editing. Your handheld shots had some great moves; just work on the smoothness. It just might be a style preference but I think you used too many zooms. I'd suggest using them more sparingly. Lastly, the flag shot at the beginning could have used more contrast and saturation I think to fit with the rest of the footage. Hope all of that helps! __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

May 24th, 2008, 05:23 PM	#6
Doug Davis Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Birmingham Alabama Posts: 259	That looked great... Great camera moves too... __________________ "The only thing the camera sees is light..." http://www.GoWildOlive.com

May 23rd, 2008, 11:55 PM	#5
Brad Vaughan Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Va Beach, Va Posts: 241	Very cool! Very nice angles!!! Nice version of Welcome Home too! So did you use any stabilizers or was it handheld walking? How about the panning timelapse? Motorized tripod?

May 24th, 2008, 08:50 PM	#7
Matthew Ebenezer Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Toowoomba, Australia Posts: 370	Hey Will, Yeah, it stuttered only in a couple of places for me as well. I really liked the energy of the video towards the end - from when the burnouts started to the end - it matched the pace of the music quite well. Prior to that it felt a bit disconnected because the music was quite frenetic but the footage didn't match the pace. I felt like I wanted to see some more wider shots of the cars - you had lots of close ups but only a few wider shots that took in the whole car. The less zooming the better I say. If you check out the awesome work of guys like Steven Dempsey and Philip Bloom you'll see they very rarely (if ever) use zooms. The human eye doesn't zoom so it feels a bit un-natural when we watch a video that does. Having said that, in this sort of piece with that music, some whip pans and fast zooms could work quite well. You've got some great handheld moving shots in there - well done! And I really like the timelapse pan - very cool. Keep it up! Cheers, Matthew.

May 25th, 2008, 06:29 AM	#8
Will Mahoney Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 259	No, no stabilizers. Just handheld, but with an arm attached to the bottom to help control the camera. The time-lapse bit was something I picked up from one of the guys at Exposureroom. It's a 1080 video file in a 720 timeline. I sped up the footage and just slide the video across the screen. No motors. __________________ http://exposureroom.com/members/WillMahoney.aspx/ www.youtube.com/truckaccessories

May 25th, 2008, 06:33 AM	#9
Will Mahoney Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 259	Yeah, I've got some notes for myself for my next shoot. Get more still shots of cars. Get more shots of the whole car. Yes, the flag is desaturated and doesn't quite match the rest. I had a hell of a time with color-correction. If you check my profile at Exposureroom I've got a few good blog posts (which are almost mini tutorials) about my process for figuring out color correction and what I did. Thanks! __________________ http://exposureroom.com/members/WillMahoney.aspx/ www.youtube.com/truckaccessories

May 25th, 2008, 09:32 AM	#10
Pete Bauer Wrangler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Eagle River, AK Posts: 4,100	I have the same problem with the exposureroom web site saying I don't have Flash installed. Cross-posted thread from XH Sample Clips forum merged into this one. Please don't cross-post. __________________ Pete Bauer The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. Albert Einstein Trying to solve a DV mystery? You may find the answer behind the SEARCH function ... or be able to join a discussion already in progress!

May 29th, 2008, 09:56 AM	#11
Jim Stern New Boot Join Date: May 2008 Location: Newburg, KY Posts: 7	Hey are you from that area? Im somewhat close. Also noticed you did the cleveland show, I had my chopper in that too!