Bird Photography Workshop Promo

Hey Guys, this is my first attempt at video. I shot this promo video for one of my 2011 bird photography workshops. The footage is a bit OOF at times, but I think it gets the message across. A friend of mine helped edit the movie. Some critique would be appreciated as I want to learn.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN5voUBv8cA[/youtube]

Alan,

As part of my day job I teach film making and video editing to high school students. With that in mind, here is my take.

The video is well edited and flows well. I like the combination of video and still images, especially how the slight zoom in is done right before the different stills. It is a visual effect that clearly gets the point across that this is the setup you use to create great (and I really do mean great) images.

The question I have is what exactly is the purpose of this video. At the start it appears to be to promote your workshops, but I don't actually learn anything about the workshops from the video. As it stands, it seems to be a video that lets people who are familiar with your photos say, "oh, that is how he sets it up."

My two suggestions would be to (1) shorten it a bit (3.5 minutes is a long time to hold their attention when there is no story in the video. Shortening it would also let you cut out the OOF segments) and (2) add some narration (maybe you talking) telling about the workshops. Narration will help to form a story component that will help to keep viewers watching all the way to the end, and hopefully get them to sign up.

You really did a great job for a first attempt at video. Let me know if you have any questions.

Chris, I really appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

The video was made to show workshop participants that sign up for a specific workshop location, what they were in for. Not a general workshop promotion.

Thanks again, Alan.

Alan,

That makes more sense with how it is currently put together. Good luck with your future projects.

Hi Alan,
I think the video works well for its intended purpose. Like Chris, I think the zoom-in to still image transition is very effective. The only thing you might change is the shutter speed in your video sequences. A general rule of thumb among filmmakers is that a good starting point for shutter speed is 1/2 the frame rate (an artifact of the mechanical 180-degree shutters in movie cameras). So you'd use about 1/60s for a 30fps video. Using a faster shutter speed (as it appears you've done) results in a choppy look to fast action sequences -- this can be used creatively to give a sense of intense violent action (e.g. in Saving Private Ryan) but for general purpose the longer shutter speeds look more "natural" to most audiences.
Good work! You're making me want to come on one of these workshops...

Hey Neil, thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm really interested in what you are saying, but am a little unclear as to what you mean. Are you reffering to the audio sound of the shutter being too fast? You mentipon a choppy looks which makes me believe you are talking about video and not audio?

Yeah, sorry... I'm not sure what you're shooting the video with, but *if* you have manual control over the video shutter speed (e.g. in current Canon DSLRs that shoot video), then you can adjust it to about 1/2 the frame rate (e.g. 1/60s for 30fps video). Notice how the movie looks nice and smooth in the overcast light, but in the sunny scenes (e.g. 0:40-0:50) the motion of the birds looks choppier? That's probably because the camera is automatically adjusting the shutter speed to compensate for the brighter light. Does that make more sense?

Neil Losin wrote:Yeah, sorry... I'm not sure what you're shooting the video with, but *if* you have manual control over the video shutter speed (e.g. in current Canon DSLRs that shoot video), then you can adjust it to about 1/2 the frame rate (probably 30fps). Notice how the movie looks nice and smooth in the overcast light, but in the sunny scenes (e.g. 0:40-0:50) the motion of the birds looks choppier? That's probably because the camera is automatically adjusting the shutter speed to compensate for the brighter light. Does that make more sense?

Ok Neil, now I understand. That does make sense. Thanks for that feedback. I appreciate it.

It does make me want to take a workshop! I think I would like to see you setting up perches in focus. The OOF bothers me a bit.

I do appreciate reading the comments from Chris and Neil. It is difficult for those who are used to trying to get the highest shutter speed possible to try to slow down to a shutter speed of 1/60. Calling 1/60, 1/2 30fps doesn't seem right to me. I call that double the fps. Just goes to show how video is different from stills.

ebkw wrote:Calling 1/60, 1/2 30fps doesn't seem right to me. I call that double the fps. Just goes to show how video is different from stills.

If I remember correctly, the 1/2 thing has to do with the type of shutter that is used in old film motion picture cameras. It is called a 180 degree shutter. 1/60 is 1/2 of that. As Neil alluded to, using a shutter speed records motion images in a way that most closely reflects how our eye sees motion. Going slower blurs the motion and going faster causes it to stutter (kind of a strobe effect because each image is too sharp). As you said, the switch from stills to video requires some conceptual shifts.

Hi Alan,
I just noticed your video, albeit a couple of months late. At first I didn't like your zoom and click technique, but after a while I realized that it was quite effective. After all, it mimics what the photographer actually does.
The abrupt transition is a bit jarring, however, after repeated viewing. You might think about fading in the photo over 0.5 to 1 second to make it a bit easier on the eyes. Also, the leaning support on the feeder is distracting. Even if it is naturally tilted, adjust the clip so it looks straight.
I look forward to seeing what else can be done with the video potential of DSLRs.

Steve Siegel
Raven On The Mountain Video Productions

Hi Alan, I had people e-mailing me about the video within 24 hours of you posting it saying, "holy cow, can you believe all the birds he gets there? Looks like it would be an insane and fun workshop!". I'd say clearly the video did what you wanted it to.