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On a Roll
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« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2007, 01:16:40 AM » |
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Actually, as Hank said, I'm really surprised at the quality you got out of YouTube for this. Not bad at all in that respect.
As far as my critique, the biggest complaint I have is the song you used. It's a great song, but I don't know if it "matches" the demo, if that makes any sense.
Other than that, I liked a lot of your shots. Your framing of the parents at :45 was awesome. I really liked the front on kiss at 1:10 too. All in all, there are a lot of great shots.
I will be brutally honest though, and say that there are a few things I would change. Now, I'm going to list a lot of stuff, but I want you to know that I'm just being nit-picky, and overall, I really like this demo. Don't worry, I'm sure that shortly here I'll post a link to my short form demo, and you can definitely pick it to pieces too :-)
First thing, as much as I always tell people to avoid those special transitions and effects, I actually seriously loved the transition effect you used to bring in your text. It was awesome. However, the text itself caught my eye. For some reason, it just reminds me of Disney World. It would probably be a good idea to pick a font that doesn't look so similar to a popular company's font. You want people to think "MatFam Productions" and not "Disney" when they see your videos.
The next thing I had a suggestion for was the opening shot. If you've got a shot that's tight on a person's face and their lips are moving, you need to know what that person is communicating. If it were something easy to lip-read, like "I love you" it wouldn't be so bad, but when all I hear is music, and there's a whole 5 seconds of a talking head I can't hear, my brain is telling me something isn't right.
Also, in that shot, You have the bride (I assume) too far to the left in your frame. The rule of thirds is an invaluable rule, and if you're not familiar with it, I highly suggest you learn it and get very comfortable using it. If I had been framing the shot, I would have had the top and side of her head slightly clipped, so her eyes were right at the top right intersection of the "thirds", and given her plenty of room in front of her (which the direction she's sitting, would be on the left hand of the frame) to lead the viewer, a camera term called, aptly enough, leading.
On the next clip (the wedding dress), again, I like it, but it could have been done slightly differently. We like to stage our "dress shot" a little more. Get the bridesmaids dresses out of the way, adjust the dress so you can see the best side of it, and shoot it close, from an ultra low, or at least a low, angle. Shoting from low angles is interesting, not just because it's a view that we 5'10" (on average) humans see all the time, but also because it makes your subject look larger than life, giving them a majestic presence. Next time you watch tv, look for low angle shots, and you'll see that they're actually used a lot when something (good or evil) is meant to be overstated, above it's actual influence.
That's a good general comment I'll make. Try shooting things from different angles sometime. Sure, the vantage point of a 5-9 human is comfortable to shoot from, but some of the best shots of my whole career have been taken lying on my back, or bending in some awkward position that probably looked ridiculous at the time.
At :20, you have a neat clip where the bride is being prepped. I love the mask to blur out her surroundings, I think it's a neat trick for occasional usage. However, I feel like the clip didn't get a full effort on the producer's part. The blur mask is basically a big round area, and to really make the effect work, shaping it to the bride would have been beter. It's unfair that the poor girl on the far left of the frame is blurred, while the gals somewhat closer to the bride get to be in focus. If the point is to draw the focus onto the bride, go all the way, and put a proper matte up that only leaves the bride in focus.
On the clip at :26, again, leading them a little more would have been nice. When people are moving, as a practice method, try to keep their back just touching the side of the frame. It makes the shot look all that much better. On the bright side, your next several clips do lead beautifully, and are very nicely composed, to boot.
Small detail, but I am not a huge fan of the quick camera movement that was going on at :47 in the clip. I often make the mistake myself of going to fast in pans and zooms, and I always regret it later. Smooth motion is law number one in camera movement, though law number two, gradual movements, is a close second, at least in my book. Of course, you can do a quick zoom in for effect, but you should really use a tripod for that sort of thing. It makes the effect all the more better.
I love the candle at 1:20, but it would have been an even neater clip if you had shallowed your depth of field a bit. To get that to happen, open your aperture as wide as you can, and get a few feet away from the candel, so you have to zoom to get that really tight shot. This focuses more light on the CCD's and makes it easier to get that nice shallow DoF.
Anyway, I know I was brutal there, and I'm really sorry!!! Hopefully you'll see this for what it is, an honest critique to help you become the very best, and you won't come slash my tires or anything! :lol: :shock:
Seriously, and I really mean this, it's a great little clip. I like it, and I hope to be able to see more of your stuff soon! :-)
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