Punchbag boy

[rhys]

Hey,
I got bored on september 11, so i made a random movie. I tried to have good angles, but i dunno if thats what u meant.
Its not going to be used for anything, but i put it here for something to talk about.
Anyway, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP_S10JRPVM
(I dunno how to do the post with the video in it).

[OutcastJiob]

I watched it without sound so I can't comment on that.

Anyway, your videos have greatly improved. The angles were quite for the most part, and you changed the angle often enough to make an admittedly uninteresting subject (someone walking through a house) watchable for the most part. One thing I'd say is that you should have had more quick cuts and closeups when you were hitting the punching bag. Something that really bothered me was the overexposed window + darkness inside the house. I know it's tough to fix that, but still--put some more lights on inside the house at the very least! Also, in some of the shots, it's quite obvious that you were using auto exposure. Try to stay away from that; it only takes a little bit longer to set the exposure up yourself and you don't get footage that changes exposure on you mid-scene.

Shot by shot critique because I'm bored:
-Opening shot of the shoes: too long

-Next shot is overexposed, quite irritatingly. Walking through the camera worked alright.

-Hallway shot; again, auto exposure screws this shot up

-Walking down the hallway: not needed; the walk into the hallway and the shot that follows this one would have worked quite well

-Your walking speed suddenly slows down when you do the closeup of your feet as you're walking

-Hallway shot is not needed again; just go straight to yourself walking into the kitchen

-Window in the kitchen/dining room (whichever it was) is overexposed and the rest of the scene is really underexposed. Irritating. Might work better if you just exposed the window properly and had the interior of the room be shadows/sillohuettes; it sort of looks like that's what you were going for, but didn't quite get there.

-Cut out the shot of you going down the stairs from the back; show feet and then the shot from the front. The rear shot adds nothing and it also causes an inconsistency because you're further down the stairs at the end of that shot than you are at the beginning of the next.

-Door opening is too prolonged; just open the door and walk through!

-Door handle closeup is nice, but I'd make that cut a bit longer; show you start to open the door, and then the next shot starts with the door open partway and you opening it the rest of the way. Just seems like it would flow better that way to me.

-You closing the door looks odd. Can't put my finger on it exactly but it just looks strange.

-As mentioned above, the entire punching bag sequence should be faster-paced; more frenetic. The use of black and white looks a bit off at first but I think it works. One of the shots in here, it looks like dust flies off the punching bag, and it looks freaking cool.

It suffers from you putting the camera on a tripod and filming yoursellf--I'd say you should remake the video with someone else as the actor and you just concentrate on running the camera.

So, for a quick bit of practice it wasn't bad at all, and it's markedly better than what you've posted in the past!

Also note: all my little criticisms here are just based on my personal artistic taste, except for things like exposure problems. So take it with a grain of salt; after all, not everyone is going to like sequences that I like.

[rhys]

Holy god, thankyou. (I actually read it all).
Ill try and look for the exposure setting thing on my camera. (I havent seen it on there before).
Thanks again, thats pretty helpful.
I didnt notice the dirt, but it would have been real, cos i didnt use any effects exept from the de-saturation and overcontrast, and also the fades into each other.

[ctbullet]

i haven't got time to read outcast's post so i'll add my own comments

i liked it, although it did take you a long time to get out of the house.....maybe too many shots

i would have liked to have seen a few different hits on the old punching bad, crosses and jabs get boring, but other than that you're getting better

[Ornsack]

Ill try and look for the exposure setting thing on my camera. (I havent seen it on there before).

I used to make loads of exposure mistakes (see the Naughty Soldiers trailer for example) but I use it all the time now. For setting moods and stuff it's great.

I usually set the exposure one setting below what I want it to be, so I can raise it afterwards (its easier to raise than to lower in post)

[Djokicko]

That was good nice shots, the only funny think is when you start to punch the bag it looks funny and you make a funny face and at last end you missed to elbow it ,but everything else is really good you thought everything out so this is a good one.
Watch this kid he is really just found him on youtube when i was watching your clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C60Larj ... ed&search=

[Jperson]

Yay! Much better than the other stuff of yours, it didn't do much, but who am I to say that , so yeah I liked it and obviously it was really only a practise / waster of time and fun film so yeah it was good... Hmm, yeah the exposure was a bit annoying, but otherwise, keep going, I believe you could produce some great film yet...

[rhys]

Watch this kid he is really just found him on youtube when i was watching your clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C60Larj ... ed&search=

That was lame, he had no flow or speed. His training with his bag at the end wasnt bad though. It got boring so quickly.
I put the walking throught the house going for so long cos thats all i was gonna do i think, and just go outside, but then i still had nothin to do so i filmed the punchbag too.

[rhys]

Yeah, im not sure how to use the exposure setting with my camcorder. Its a 'sharp viewcam z', and im not sure where to find the exposure setting. I dont even really know what exposure is, u mind telling me?

[SgtPadrino]

An over exposed picture is when there's way too much 'light pollution.' - the sky is bright that it bleeds, skin tones look unnaturally pale, all around crappy and amateurish picture. Lowering the exposure setting corrects that and sets the appropriate mood.

[Grant]

Rhys, I think you have to put some more power into it You are hitting the bag, not through it

[rhys]

Rhys, I think you have to put some more power into it You are hitting the bag, not through it

What? Is that even supposed to make sence?

[Grant]

you should aim through the target, not at it Then again you are still young and your body is fragile.

[DEDFX]

It's like golf, if you try to hit just the ball it won't go far, you need to follow through.

[ctbullet]

you need to follow through.

lmao!

i might make a short martial arts video to show you kiddies how to do some good on-screen choreography, i did kickboxing for 4 years so know how to strike

[iCEbLuEORbitZ]

do it. i wanna see something good.

[Grant]

yes CT and is better be good CHOREOGRAPHY, not just striking

[Firestorm]

Good job on the angles, yes. A lot of improvement, doesn't look like home videos or anything... you seemed to walk faster/slower sometimes but didn't actually have defined slow motion, a couple shots were unnecessary (I didn't like the closeup on the shoes for some reason). I liked the B&W + increased contrast for the action part. You might have wanted some busier shots during the action part. A closeup or two of the hands hitting the bag would have been good. I guess panning shots weren't an option. And yes, coreographing a few kicks and stuff wouldn't hurt.