My Web Series (Comments / Criticism / Suggestions)

[macbookairman]

Hello everyone. I just thought I would share the web series I've been working on for a while. It's called "Uncle Frank's" and its about Frank and his two nephews trying to run a computer repair shop. The only problem is they have no clue what they are doing.

I just filmed the third episode Saturday and put it online yesterday. I though maybe a couple people on here would find it funny. Basically these webisodes are just a fun thing my friends and I do in our free time, and I get a lot of practice with writing, directing, filming and editing (I do everything but act).


I'm always open to any suggestions or criticism from all of you.

Episode 3
Episode 2
Episode 1

 

[jayeskreezy]

Hi. Are you in high school? Honestly, the content doesn't seem very exciting. If you're in high school you definitely have a lot of potential.

My initial thoughts when clicking on them were:

• You NEED a tripod.
• They're WAYYYY too long. I honestly think they'd be more interesting if they were 2-3 minutes long. I'd say 4:30 max.
• You probably could've used some different transitions, but you can research when to use certain transitions (it's an easy fix).

Keep practicing and reading and shooting. You'll get better over time and definitely see if you can watch some lighting videos too. I liked your Red Badge of Courage trailer.

 

[macbookairman]

Yep I'm in high school. Thanks for all the suggestions. I actually do have a tripod, and I used it in some shots. But the "look" of the show is kind of supposed to be similar to The Office where its more of a hand held feel. It would be better if I had a steadicam like the Merlin so I could have that same feel but without the shakiness.


The bottom line is I love to edit but I don't have much to work. I do what I can with what I have. Perhaps a better example of some of the stuff I do is this video that a christian artist hired me to make: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZbGYiXLTOM

 

[spinnerlys]

Also think about getting an external microphone, must not be expensive, to connect to your camera (if possible), as the camera handling sounds (zoom, grip, ...) are distracting.

And I agree about shorter versions.

Btw, if you can hold the camera with two hands, it would make things smoother. I used to handheld DV cameras with both hands and using my belly as support and stabilising element, though the camera is shooting from quite below.

If you and/or your friends are good with tools, you could take a look at many of the DIY stabilising tutorials out there, the materials included can sometimes cost less than 50 USD.

 

[macbookairman]

I've looked at getting an external microphone, but my camera (Canon SX10 IS) doesn't have an input for one. It's definitely by biggest goal at the moment. I may be buying a new camera soon so we'll see...

I actually planned to purchase the "Poor Man's Stabilizier" this month as I saved up the money, but when I went to buy it I saw that it is now sold out. The DIY version is something I'm looking into but I'm not good with tools and neither are my friends...so the Steadicam Merlin is tempting because it will be better than a DIY one and it'll probably be better quality.

And shorter videos is definitely doable. The students at my school love these videos because they have a lot of funny inside jokes, which could be why they seem long to most people. A better balance of inside jokes and things everyone would understand plus shorter videos will be our goal.

 

[spinnerlys]

Yep, inside jokes can be sometimes a pain in the arse for outside viewers, we had the same problem with out yearly 90 minute show, which was full of these and we had outside viewers, who just sat there and didn't laugh, while the students and teachers knew what was joked about.

If you have a tripod, you can also use it to steady your moving shots, when you attach the camera to the tripod and either use the middle tube to carry it or attach the feet (one or two) to your belt as support. I often got good shots out of this, but the camera was heavier and meant for primary video shooting, which the IXUS is not.

I either used the Sony VX 2000, Sony FX 1 or Panasonic DVX 100 for these, but my university also gave me access to shoulder cameras using Beta SP as medium. That was all before HD went mainstream.

 

[macbookairman]

Yep, inside jokes can be sometimes a pain in the arse for outside viewers, we had the same problem with out yearly 90 minute show, which was full of these and we had outside viewers, who just sat there and didn't laugh, while the students and teachers knew what was joked about.

If you have a tripod, you can also use it to steady your moving shots, when you attach the camera to the tripod and either use the middle tube to carry it or attach the feet (one or two) to your belt as support. I often got good shots out of this, but the camera was heavier and meant for primary video shooting, which the IXUS is not.

I either used the Sony VX 2000, Sony FX 1 or Panasonic DVX 100 for these, but my university also gave me access to shoulder cameras using Beta SP as medium. That was all before HD went mainstream.

I actually used the tripod method you described for about 80% of the shots. There were a couple where I used the tripod in the traditional way too. But my tripod doesn't do too great of a job of making the shots much steadier.

Thanks for all the tips so far!

 

[spinnerlys]

I actually used the tripod method you described for about 80% of the shots. There were a couple where I used the tripod in the traditional way too. But my tripod doesn't do too great of a job of making the shots much steadier.

Thanks for all the tips so far!

Okay. It needs practice, and a heavier camera is always a plus. Anyway, keep on shooting and looking at films or videos you like the style of and experiment on how to re-create what you want.