Discussion Looking for constructive criticism!

[switchum]

Hi all! If you could please read the whole OP before responding, it would be appreciated.

Last year, I released my first music video. It was a labour of love and I put a lot of myself into it. Now, I have my second song fully mixed, and it just needs a music video to go along with it.

The previous music video was filmed over three days, and we got some of my friends to appear in the video. It was a lot of fun but I’d like to amp up the quality for the next video.

So, I am requesting constructive feedback on my first music video. I really value the opinions of this community and I’d like to know where I can improve in my next project, as well as what you enjoyed about this one. A few things:

First, please note that I’m specifically seeking feedback on the VIDEO, not the song. As I mentioned, the music video for my next song isn’t filmed yet, so I’d like to incorporate some of your feedback into the filming and video editing process. If you have feedback regarding the song, feel free to say it, but keep in mind that the next song has already been mixed so I can’t make any further changes.

Second, please keep in mind that I’m a university student paying for these projects with my own money — in other words, I currently don’t have huge budgets to pour into these! If you have suggestions, please try to remember that they can’t be too financially straining given my life situation. This is still just a hobby, after all.

Third, please try to keep feedback constructive. I realize this is a risk I’m taking by posting this on the Internet, but I’d rather not be attacked or berated if I can avoid it. I don’t really have any doubts with this community, but I figure it’s worth mentioning anyway.

Well, that’s it. Here’s the video! I value feedback since that’s hugely important to growing as an artist, and I want to hear your thoughts. Thanks to anyone who has anything to share!

 

[chocolate_supra]

One thing that might help is a bit more variation in the angles of the shots. Almost all of the shots in your first video are medium shots from a relatively straight-on angle, and while that does mimic what Nintendo does in the Directs (which is obviously the theme on that one) I think the next video could benefit from more variation in not just camera distance but maybe higher and lower camera placement.

In the spoiler tag is an infographic of some examples, and pretty much all of these can be accomplished with a simple tripod (which I assume you're working with).

Spoiler

A lot of these are for dialogue scenes but it's just an example of the possible variations, and there are many more examples out there on the google. And it doesn't cost any more to do! You just have to play around with the camera placement and see what it does not just to the subject (you) but also the background contents and how it all frames out. Even the "bird's eye view," which'd typically use a crane (), can be cheated by having a camera operator go up onto a roof (assuming the building has a roof that can be safely walked upon). There are lots of ways to get goofy without special equipment and effects.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

 

[Party Sklar]

My main advice, if you want this to look better, would be to try working a bit on the lighting and/or color grading. Especially avoiding filming in the dark or when it's cloudy, and also try to have fun with the color grading parameters in your editing software (even if you don't really know how to use it, look up some tutorials, or just try to tweak them a bit until it looks better for you). But most importantly, don't try to make the perfect video, just have fun making it and we'll have fun watching it !

 

[switchum]

One thing that might help is a bit more variation in the angles of the shots. Almost all of the shots in your first video are medium shots from a relatively straight-on angle, and while that does mimic what Nintendo does in the Directs (which is obviously the theme on that one) I think the next video could benefit from more variation in not just camera distance but maybe higher and lower camera placement.

In the spoiler tag is an infographic of some examples, and pretty much all of these can be accomplished with a simple tripod (which I assume you're working with).

Spoiler

A lot of these are for dialogue scenes but it's just an example of the possible variations, and there are many more examples out there on the google. And it doesn't cost any more to do! You just have to play around with the camera placement and see what it does not just to the subject (you) but also the background contents and how it all frames out. Even the "bird's eye view," which'd typically use a crane (), can be cheated by having a camera operator go up onto a roof (assuming the building has a roof that can be safely walked upon). There are lots of ways to get goofy without special equipment and effects.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

My main advice, if you want this to look better, would be to try working a bit on the lighting and/or color grading. Especially avoiding filming in the dark or when it's cloudy, and also try to have fun with the color grading parameters in your editing software (even if you don't really know how to use it, look up some tutorials, or just try to tweak them a bit until it looks better for you). But most importantly, don't try to make the perfect video, just have fun making it and we'll have fun watching it !

A lot of great stuff to work with here, thank you both!