OK. I'm not normally a fan of negative threads. Nor do I usually approve of negativity towards fellow hobbyists, but I think a little friendly criticism can be beneficial here...
I want feedback. My RC videos can always use improvement. So I was thinking if I could avoid some of the same traps that other video makers have fallen into I could end up with a better finished product that I and the people I force them on could actually enjoy.
Flite Test has spoiled me. Before Flite Test, even the "professionals" were putting out crummy videos. Now the online hobby store videos have started adding fancy intros, creative camera angles, putting hosts together that have the same first name, even using an old tv in the opening scenes in an effort to try to capture whatever extra quality that seems to come so naturally to the Flite Test team.
Ok, so we can't compare to them, but maybe I can learn something. Either by trying to do the things that seem to work in the Flite Test videos, or by recognizing what I don't like in other videos, and making sure I don't make the same mistakes.
Oh... if you voice a complaint, try to present a solution. For example. The video maker could do more editing and cut out the dead parts where there's no action going on.
One of my pet peeves in RC videos is the long unedited flights that look like the cameraman tried to overdose on expressos while drinking Red Bull shooters trying to follow a little dot through the sky.
My suggestions... Break up the scenes. Edit out the boring or repetitive parts. Fly the plane closer to the camera. Use a tripod to steady the shots, or build a rig to hold the camera more comfortably.
My other frustration is a lack of story. While I don't expect every video to look like it was a Flite Test production, I would prefer there to be some sort of meaning to it. The videos that look like someone realized they not only owned a camera, but they had an RC plane, might as well just hit record then post the results on youtube can not hold my interest.
My suggestions here, think about why you wanted to film the plane flying, and express that to me through the video scenes, your narration (either during the flight, or dubbed in during the edit.) Try to make sure there's a beginning a middle and an end.
One of my new favorite videos was done by someone who posted a written history of the ghost town he flew to, and around. He picked an interesting subject, the ghost town. He described everything from the first home owner to the last resident to leave. It was an interesting story that I kept watching to learn what happened next.
To be fair, I'll post a video I shot and edited yesterday. It's far from perfect. I see lots of flaws in it. I rushed to post it, and tried to edit it while I was half asleep, I filmed the beginning after my first flight almost as an afterthought. (Is that enough excuses, or should I continue?) What I tried to do right, was film from some different angles, edit out some of the repetitive flight scenes and the parts too shaky to be watchable.
I want feedback. My RC videos can always use improvement. So I was thinking if I could avoid some of the same traps that other video makers have fallen into I could end up with a better finished product that I and the people I force them on could actually enjoy.
Flite Test has spoiled me. Before Flite Test, even the "professionals" were putting out crummy videos. Now the online hobby store videos have started adding fancy intros, creative camera angles, putting hosts together that have the same first name, even using an old tv in the opening scenes in an effort to try to capture whatever extra quality that seems to come so naturally to the Flite Test team.
Ok, so we can't compare to them, but maybe I can learn something. Either by trying to do the things that seem to work in the Flite Test videos, or by recognizing what I don't like in other videos, and making sure I don't make the same mistakes.
Oh... if you voice a complaint, try to present a solution. For example. The video maker could do more editing and cut out the dead parts where there's no action going on.
One of my pet peeves in RC videos is the long unedited flights that look like the cameraman tried to overdose on expressos while drinking Red Bull shooters trying to follow a little dot through the sky.
My suggestions... Break up the scenes. Edit out the boring or repetitive parts. Fly the plane closer to the camera. Use a tripod to steady the shots, or build a rig to hold the camera more comfortably.
My other frustration is a lack of story. While I don't expect every video to look like it was a Flite Test production, I would prefer there to be some sort of meaning to it. The videos that look like someone realized they not only owned a camera, but they had an RC plane, might as well just hit record then post the results on youtube can not hold my interest.
My suggestions here, think about why you wanted to film the plane flying, and express that to me through the video scenes, your narration (either during the flight, or dubbed in during the edit.) Try to make sure there's a beginning a middle and an end.
One of my new favorite videos was done by someone who posted a written history of the ghost town he flew to, and around. He picked an interesting subject, the ghost town. He described everything from the first home owner to the last resident to leave. It was an interesting story that I kept watching to learn what happened next.
To be fair, I'll post a video I shot and edited yesterday. It's far from perfect. I see lots of flaws in it. I rushed to post it, and tried to edit it while I was half asleep, I filmed the beginning after my first flight almost as an afterthought. (Is that enough excuses, or should I continue?) What I tried to do right, was film from some different angles, edit out some of the repetitive flight scenes and the parts too shaky to be watchable.