My RPX 25 Video- Is It Really That Bad?

[4season]

Former broadcast television guy here: No, it's not bad, and I can see where you took some pains to light yourself and find a sort of background (am a bit ambivalent about said background though as it's only partial, and totally unrelated to photography)

Opening animation is mercifully brief as it should be: Many people go overboard with theirs, but it quickly becomes tedious to the viewer after watching a few episodes.

Got CG (character generator): If so, use it. Don't just say what the topic of the video will be, reinforce it with CG.

Where I get antsy is that for more than two minutes, it's a single stationary camera fixed on you, and you're not really taking advantage of what the medium can offer: Don't just say it, show it! For instance:

At around 00:35, you hold up a box of RPX25 which is great, but I'd then want to immediately cut to product shots of said film, as you are describing it.

01:20 you start to describe lack of mid-tones, wish you would cut away to an example photo(s) which shows this. But don't reveal too much about your feelings yet: Give viewers a reason to stick around to the conclusion.

When you finally do cut away to your photos, the pacing is alright, but it's okay to go on talking if there's some qualities you'd like to point out to your viewers.

At 4:23 it's back to you for the conclusion, and this the part most viewers have been waiting for. Not really the best place to drop in asides about 35 mm vs 120 or the state of your scanner. What people really want to know is whether you consider it a "thumbs up", "thumbs down" or something else.

 

[braxus]

My rolls have been developed and are drying. I'll scan them up soon, and then work on the video portion to see what I can come up with.

 

[braxus]

The original link to the video is now dead. I deleted the old video. Here is the new one. Its not 100 percent perfect according to your recommendations, but I can work on it next time for the next video when it comes.

As for the background, its the best thing I have to shoot against. Everything else is just cluttery. You could say vinyl is also analog like film photography, so its all old school.

Braxus Photography Fun: Rollei RPX 25 Film - YouTube

 

[MattKing]

The original link to the video is now dead. I deleted the old video. Here is the new one. Its not 100 percent perfect according to your recommendations, but I can work on it next time for the next video when it comes.

As for the background, its the best thing I have to shoot against. Everything else is just cluttery. You could say vinyl is also analog like film photography, so its all old school.

Braxus Photography Fun: Rollei RPX 25 Film - YouTube

FWIW, the deletion of the old version of the video makes this thread a bit awkward. Would you like the first post edited to delete the earlier link, and reference the post with the new link?

 

[braxus]

FWIW, the deletion of the old version of the video makes this thread a bit awkward. Would you like the first post edited to delete the earlier link, and reference the post with the new link?

Yes please Matt. It's not a good idea to have two identical videos on YouTube, so fixing this thread would help.

 

[MattKing]

First post edited, and old link removed.
And from what little I've seen so far of the new version, it was worth making the changes - particularly to the music!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Andrew- No music for the picture section?

Can anyone comment on the pictures used? Commenter said the ones used were lousy. I dont think they are that bad, but I find the point moot as this isn't a photo contest, but just to show what the film looks like.

Yes, sorry I left that bit out. Music is nice for the pics, too. Subtle and soft so not too take away from them.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I watched the new version. Well done! Love the intro, and the music for the images is perfect. I liked and subscribed.

 

[braxus]

I watched the new version. Well done! Love the intro, and the music for the images is perfect. I liked and subscribed.

Thanks Andrew. I was in video production back in my college days, but so much has changed since then. We used to edit on two tape machines and a controller back then. Now it's all computer done. I have some more film ideas for videos. Just need to get to it.

 

[4season]

Yes I think you’re on the right track with breaking up the monotony by cutting away to other video, and you’re no longer competing with the music. Music can work, but maybe it should match your style as a presenter, and it may take awhile before you figure out what that is.

 

[DMJ]

Much better presentation! I just subscribed to your channel.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Thanks Andrew. I was in video production back in my college days, but so much has changed since then. We used to edit on two tape machines and a controller back then. Now it's all computer done. I have some more film ideas for videos. Just need to get to it.

I taught film and TV for years. Stopped doing it a few years ago so that I could teach the photography program. Well versed in editing software such as Final Cut, Premiere, and After Effects. Glad I got out of it, as things were constantly changing, and had to keep learning to stay one step ahead of the students.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

The videos I enjoy most of people's black and white pictures is when they sit at a desk or coffee table and leaf through real prints, the interviewer picks one up shows to the photographer and asks them about it (or photgrapher picks it up to share what they feel about it). A video I recently saw that I love is the one of Andreas Feininger where he shows the fake beach setup with sand and shells. Then he picks up a shell to show it and then the photo of that shell.

not to hijack this thread, but I’ve recently started recording my Monday evening darkroom sessions in my laundry room if anybody is interested in watching how a print gets made: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoBI2evz7vzgegu7xsKuDyg/videos

speaking of which, it’s Monday evening, I really should get to it before it gets too late.

 

[4season]

I got to thinking about my television days, and the time a bright-eyed new guy started in some grunt position: Even as a nobody he had a certain polish about him, and he told me that he'd wanted to be a sports anchor for as long as he could remember. Although his demo tape for a possible program went nowhere, he became a solid go-to guy when we needed a voice-over, because although young, he had been practicing his delivery since he was a kid. Long story short: He ultimately landed a gig as a very young sports anchor in a major market, and seems to have thrived in the decades since.

Guys like him aren't necessarily born presenters, but they've spent a lot of time reviewing their delivery and finding ways to improve it. They make it look natural, but in fact it's skill.

Wouldn't say I miss those days but it had it's moments, such as the first time we laid eyes on Avid non-linear editing. But the bulk of the work was still done via a combo of Grass Valley switchers and a whole lotta Sony 1", Betacam and D2 decks.

 

[braxus]

I need to write down notes or have some way of reminding me of what to say. I've been doing all these videos off the hip from memory, and I've stumbled at times trying to remember what to say. You can catch some moments like that in my videos. Even the "ums and ahhhs" seem repetative. Im trying not to do jump cuts in my videos, but it seems inevitable that it will happen.

Braxus Photography Fun: My First Video- Film Freezer - YouTube

This was my first video I did on Jan 1, 2020. I several months later added the intro and re uploaded it. I think I've made a little progress since that first video.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

I need to write down notes or have some way of reminding me of what to say. I've been doing all these videos off the hip from memory, and I've stumbled at times trying to remember what to say. You can catch some moments like that in my videos. Even the "ums and ahhhs" seem repetative. Im trying not to do jump cuts in my videos, but it seems inevitable that it will happen.

Braxus Photography Fun: My First Video- Film Freezer - YouTube

This was my first video I did on Jan 1, 2020. I several months later added the intro and re uploaded it. I think I've made a little progress since that first video.

back in the podcasting days (I produced and hosted several now defunct shows back in the early-mid 2000s when podcasting was just starting to take off), I’d actually write a script for each episode. Literally. Back then, it was just audio, so before I hit record, I’d get my script together, rehearse it a couple times, then hit record and do the whole thing in one take. Several hundred episodes later, I can say it’s definitely a learned skill. These days, for stuff I’m not doing off the cuff, I still would at least write a basic outline in 5 paragraph essay form and rehearse it a few times before recording. Knowing what you’re going to say and having rehearsed it out loud (or actually going through it and recording it multiple times) and having the notes/script right there on a tablet or computer screen for reference helps immensely and lets you concentrate on delivery. It will also help to get a format down. For each emulsion that you want to talk about, have a common list of items to talk about. Then, it’s only hard to do the first couple of emulsions. After that, you already know what you’re going to look at and talk about, so it’s a lot easier and faster to prep for the recording.

 

[DMJ]

I forgot to mention something that really bothers me...please don't start your videos saying: "Hi guys"
.

Cheers.

 

[braxus]

Now that sounds like a nitpick.

 

[DMJ]

Now that sounds like a nitpick.

Not at all. It's a small thing that will make your video much better that other videos on YT. Sorry if it sounded like a nitpick, it wasn't my intention.

 

[Bill Burk]

So

Another word that starts a conversation from scratch that I hate. As in “So I had this enlarger I wasn’t using and decided I had better use it or give it away”.

Definitely want to have crisp interesting starts.

Of course I don’t have any bright ideas but it’s true, the first few seconds are important.

I also hate saying or writing I too much, but surely am guilty

 

[mshchem]

Good video! You could open with "Good Morning Vietnam!" I suppose that's been done already . I like it the way it is

 

[MattKing]

Not at all. It's a small thing that will make your video much better that other videos on YT. Sorry if it sounded like a nitpick, it wasn't my intention.

This is actually more a comment on YouTube than it is a comment on braxus' video .
But I agree - a strong "lede" is an important element of a strong video.
Now you get to look up "lede" and realize that you had been spelling it wrong all these years .

 

[gone]

"Lousy photography and lousy music and boring camera work on the video. Something tells me the film isn't the problem."

That's great! I'd be very happy if someone said something like that about my work. It goes w/ the territory is all I can say. After his performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Elvis was told to give it up and go back to driving a truck.

My good friend in Hawaii recently donated one of his sculptures to a park in Hilo, and the locals pretty much said what your critic said. In short, they hated it, and wanted it gone. So Henry took it back, went through the proper channels w/ the county government, and now they love it, and are grateful that an internationally known sculpture (who has had a big statue in a Hilo public park downtown in Hilo for maybe 30 years) wanted to donate such a beautiful and valuable statue to the park. Mind you, this is exactly the same statue.

So if someone loves something you did, or if they hate what you did, it doesn't mean much. As long as someone's talking about it, you're good.

 

[Bill Burk]

I noticed you have some APX-25 in the fridge…

 

[braxus]

I noticed you have some APX-25 in the fridge…

I do yeah. And some Panatomic X in all 3 sizes. Gold 100. Efke 25. And so on. My freezer is jammed with film. I should be set for life at the rate I use it now.