3rd project with FCP X. Feedback much appreciated...

[mike0775]

So this is my third project, and the third time I have posted it up here to get advice on improvements.

The first one was pretty ropey, and got constructively savaged by forum readers. Second was, I thought, a better effort, but probably a bit high concept for what it was trying to do...

For the third one we have tried something slightly different. I have become a fan of DigitalRev on youtube. I think they prove that longer format product videos can work. The company I work for does product videos (see link below) but they don't get many hits on youtube, pretty low impact stuff... I wanted to try something leaning a little bit more to the long format video's that DigitalRev do so well. Basically try and make product videos more interesting...

The brief was to:

1. Make product videos interesting

2. Get the outdoor activities, that my part of the business sells, some visibility in the video. Demonstrate "multichannel retailing" on video...

So this, I guess, is our pilot to test the concept. I appreciate some of the editing is a bit ropey, (the music just sort of abruptly disappearing after the intro, to name but a few school boy errors) But I would be very interested to know if you think if this has been successful or not: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2WHUX1DKqU


Also comparison here is one of the videos they do at the moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7M2FCcMd_0

 

[fa8362]

I stopped watching after 25 seconds. Too boring. You're trying to make points that I couldn't care less about.

 

[mike0775]

fa8362
Thanks... err... Very constructive...

 

[mBox]

I actually sat through the whole review only thinking about the product.
The first few seconds I had it in the back my mind that less off the reviewer and more of the product in action was required but as the pacing and the antics moved along, I only cared about the product in review

Good job!

 

[diamond3]

Why no intro music for your logo?

Not a fan of the elevator music while your talking in the beginning. You're showing hiking gear, not suit jackets. I think it could be a little more upbeat.

The intro (first minute or so) is slow, maybe as you talk about all the brands and materials you cut to a shot of the different brands (either pictures of the Jackets, retail price of the jackets, pictures of goretex etc or something else to break it up.

The cut in music around :55 is noticeable.

Also, I think you could get your point across much quicker for the intro like others have mentioned to keep the viewers attention. Talk faster and get to the point. Consider writing out some script notes before hand. The other thing you have to remember is when you are working with video, you don't have to say everything in words. Some can be implied visually with added clips. Think about what you can say generally at the beginning (all these brands...show quick clips of brand names jackets etc) instead of listing them off one by one.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Not bad. Narration was good.

I too was a bit jarred by the sudden ending of the music at .55 seconds. I'd suggest fading the music down before the next scene.

Also there are some strange cuts. Like the one where you are your co-hort are trying to store the hood. The cuts happen so fast you "magically" appear in the scene and then disappear. This is great for effect in some scenes but here it kind of wrecks the continuity.

Loved the retiming of you coming up the hill and ending up gassed. That was kind of funny.

Video quality looked good. I'd tame some of rocky hand held shots from the beginning so that it doesn't stand out in stark contrast to the second shot which looks like it is on a tripod.

 

[WRP]

Audio mix is horrendous.
No need for your logo twice at the beginning and twice at the end. I would start with the splatter logo over broll at the beginning and close with your full screen logo.
The rucksack section makes no sense in the cut. He mentions the twitter question, walks off camera says to keep them entertained, the other guy messes with the map and boom the host is back in the middle of a sentence. If he needs to do that it would be better to cut wit him remaining on the screen, maybe even a dissolve (which I hate to use). I don't know the footage you have to work with but why don't you have the audio of the twitter question while the video of him walking on screen with the rucksack plays and then when the audio is done he is there and explaining.
Just not a very tight edit. It looks like you are mashing clips together instead of editing a cohesive story and layering things.

I could go on but I have editing to do.