February 25, 2019
In my last post, I promised a bit of a look-see at what the result of all this new equipment and knowledge does, and I did have a fun time making this video, but in my haste, I was a bit too much in a rush when I finally found the time to put it all together and say that I must stop being a bit lazy about preparations. Bad prep can results in bad videos, but I exported this video anyway and worked on it irrespective of the fact that it was far from my best effort to date with several things left not completely ready. The next one is definitely going to be better!
But this video is not all about the bad… it’s my first real attempt at a couple of new things:
- Using the Panasonic GH5S camera
- Trying out the 4;3 anamorphic format
- Doing green screen at full body dimensions (finally!)
- Using more advanced post processing techniques
- Trying to tell a bit of a visual story along with the music video
- Doing a multi-track video (the audio is 6 tracks, the video is 2 tracks)
… and there were many good lessons learned here too:
- Practice a little more, and make better quality music for the videos
- Prep time… spend more time making sure everything is set up properly, starting with more even lighting on the green screen. This is a HUGELY important step in getting good results!
- Do it during a time that I have more available free time because rushing lowers quality. I started late on the weekend and ran out of time, causing me to need to spend near 5 days of the little free time I have after coming home from work to complete it.
- Controlling 2 cameras via wireless remote, a USB audio interface, a laptop was not as difficult as it seems… but its far from easy.
… plus there are some things that I would want to change in the future:
- Do something about the white platform… I need something on top of the green screen that will protect it from tearing (maybe a green screen painted board?)
- I must fix the wiring in my foot pedal for the BK-7m. As it is now, it is highly unreliable and the connections break way too easily thanks to the thick/stiff wiring.
- Did I mention that green screen even lighting preparation is a huge thing to make sure it is done right?
- I discovered that I need a different chair, something more comfortable and better suited to my needs. I think something that is about 22-24 inches tall sounds about right.
- The most important thing… interaction. I had the chance to “interact” with myself on this video, but did not. If I ever do a “duo” with myself again, you can bet that I will do better there. A little acting can go a long way!
So, did I have fun? Yes, tons, because I was playing the accordion and had the chance to made a pretty fun video, but the small challenges like broken connectors on foot pedals and way too much time wasted in post processing are a real pain in the backside. Getting a perfect green screen is not easy with my setup, but I will work on improving it before the next video
So, you might be wondering how did the video came out? It came out like this:
Enjoy!