Please Critique

[jim sitton]

I'm a full time "news and special projects" photog/editor.
My wife (Producer) and I do some freelance work on the side. We're wanting to step up our game from NEWS quality to
PRODUCTION Quality.

This is our latest project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU765aHy1AA

Please advise on ways to improve the production value of our work.

Also, what would you charge for such a video.
I Lit, Shot, Ran Sound, Field Produced, Edited, and created all Gfx. My wife Wrote, Produced and got permission for the music.

We appreciate any critique you have in any of these areas.
Let's not get into a discussion of the content.

Thanks,

Jim

[A Step Above Productions]

Jim – it looked great the only part I really didn’t like at all was towards he end you a several shoots of TV screens it seemed to come out from no where. Now I am just nit picking – other than that I really think it looked great and the style works for the target audience… teens.

[bluffton]

i thought it was right in line with most commercial stuff. But let's be straight. The TV's were not created by you, just used by you. I thought the total edit was fine. The shooting was fine. i would rather see this in Quicktime to see a decent quality overall.

As for the message, it seemed to be delivered as if it were written out. I don't think (just me) kids are going to buy it. The people talking may have been real, but the words felt like they were read.

If you want to reach kids through a media campaign, you better get with the term
"be yourself." You should fall back on your knowledge of journalism when creating propaganda. Sure, it's not news. but you can certainly direct their answer, feed them words, but the answer or statement really has to come from them.

Delivery and technique of message B
Editing A
Shooting A
Overall production quality and value A-

Great job. Isn't is fun to get out there and do something you're interested in and have a passion. You and your wife will go far, as long as you don't lose your vision.

[jim sitton]

I worked really hard on this.
We shot in 5 different locations and only had 1 green teen helping me with scrims/reflectors, mics and lights.

So, how much would you have charged?

[jim sitton]

But let's be straight. The TV's were not created by you, just used by you. True. I used LIVETYPE. GFX is not my strong suit as you can see.
As for the message, it seemed to be delivered as if it were written out. I don't think (just me) kids are going to buy it. The people talking may have been real, but the words felt like they were read.

If you want to reach kids through a media campaign, you better get with the term
"be yourself." You should fall back on your knowledge of journalism when creating propaganda. Sure, it's not news. but you can certainly direct their answer, feed them words, but the answer or statement really has to come from them.

This is the first one that we scripted. The others have all been different styles.
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http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=686851

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=649019
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Delivery and technique of message B
Editing A
Shooting A
Overall production quality and value A-

Great job. Isn't is fun to get out there and do something you're interested in and have a passion. You and your wife will go far, as long as you don't lose your vision.

Thank you. Yes, it's great to not have a daily deadline but Wow, it's hard to try to do video right!

[bluffton]

Really that's for you to decide what you time, energy, expertise are all worth. It's your product unless someone pays. If no one pays, you charge nothing. You are sort of asking how much I earn in a year, and frankly, I don't tell that to people.

Now if you would like to hire my company, we would be more than willing to give you an itemized list of what the investment will be to implement the project for your preferred delivery platform. Oh yea, do you need 10,000 copies on Blue Ray or just one streaming version for the web?

[Canonman]

Jim – it looked great the only part I really didn’t like at all was towards he end you a several shoots of TV screens it seemed to come out from no where.

Yeah those are from LiveType. I've used them too on a different project. They work better on a more 'technical' type video. That's the only part of it I would change. In LT, try the 'Itchy' with a text size around 160. In timing, have it loop for as long as you need it to stay on screen.

cm

[Jonathan]

I thought it was great. Really keeps your attention by using shallow depth of field, beautiful lighting, and snappy editing. My critiques would be to hide the lapels next time or use a boom mike when possible.It sounds better and you don't see it. Also I would cut some of the different people repeating each others statements. Finally cut out the dead space at the beginning and start it at :10. I would charge at least 5-10k for a video of this caliber for a non-profit. Great job!

[A Step Above Productions]

No less than 5 grand for this video - You have to figure in how many shoot days... How many hours of editing, how many hours od writing, and pre-production.

[jim sitton]

My critiques would be to hide the lapels next time or use a boom mike when possible.It sounds better and you don't see it.
yeah, good point but at the time I didn't have a boom or anyone to hold one. I'll try that next time. Will my seineiser shotgun mic on a pole work or do i need one of those fuzzy cats?
Also I would cut some of the different people repeating each others statements.
That was the style that was decided on by the client and producer.
Finally cut out the dead space at the beginning and start it at :10.
This was shown on 2 big screens at a fundraiser with an audience of 1,000. They also played it at various churches. I've learned that at a live event if you don't pad the front to give people time to settle in, most will miss the first 10-15 secs of the video.
I would charge at least 5-10k for a video of this caliber for a non-profit. Great job!

Thanks again for your comments. I know i'll need a bigger crew
but I'm wondering how to get some movement into the shots. Any suggestions or tips on low cost dollies or anything like that?
Sorry about all the qts but i'm just a nose-pickin' News guy trying to learn some new skills...

[F4 Fan]

Jim,

I thought the quality of the shooting and editing was excellent – especially since it appears you did this pretty much all on your own. I’m sure that there was a limited budget to work with.

The comments do sound very scripted, although I’d guess that this was all based on what the client wanted. The piece could have also used more comments from young men. There were a few guys, but a few more would have been better. Again, this was more than likely the client’s call.

My only beef was with the graphics. The SEX and LIES graphics looked cheesy to me. Same with the “bouncing” credits at the end of the piece, I’m not sure if that was based on a whim or was supposed to be some sort of effect. Anyway sometimes simple is better.

As to what to charge – I shot a project a few years back for the local school district. Two 8-minute pieces on the magnet schools in the district. I think the total budget was in the 20K range, with the photographer (me) and my assistant getting 15% of the budget. I agree with the other comments that you could have easily charged at least 5K for that project. Don’t let the non-profits; school districts and church groups low-ball you. They do notice the difference between good, well shot, well edited and well written projects as opposed to “some guy with a camera” stuff.

You do quality work. Keep it up.

P.S. As for movement in the shots - that is something you don't want to overdo. Maybe a jib. Really depends on the size of your camera and budget.

[jim sitton]

My only beef was with the graphics. The SEX and LIES graphics looked cheesy to me. Same with the “bouncing” credits at the end of the piece, I’m not sure if that was based on a whim or was supposed to be some sort of effect. Anyway sometimes simple is better.

Yes, I agree. The end gfx were tacked on after the fact to promote
their "Walk." I kinda just made it up as I went. Guess it shows huh?