Making my first video, could use some tips

Yo-Yo Videos
1

Hey guys I have been challenged(told actually) by a few people to make a video but I have no experience with it and was wondering if some of the experienced people around here could give me some good pointers.
Thanks everyone

2

I though there was a guide here somewhere, but I can find it.
Here is what I found out while messing around with my camera. Please note I am not a pro so I could be wrong.

  1. Wear dark clothing. Wearing dark clothing helps the visibility with the string. Black would work great.

  2. Film in non-white backround. I noticed when I was filming the white wall really messed up the visibility of the yoyo and string. I’ve seen people put black trash bags or blankets on there wall to help this.

  3. Dont use a lot of weird effects. You can if you want, but making weird effects is really distracts people from the play.

  4. Keep the camera steady. This is obvious, but sometimes people move around a lot which makes it hard to see the yoyoer.

  5. HAVE FUN! Remember this is your video, do what you want. Spice it up a bit.

Thats all I have to say.
Sorry if this wasn’t all that helpful.

3

Change that to challenged, cuz its a battle!
Here are my tips,
1: Get ready, cuz you have no idea what stuff Imma pull.
2:MAke a new trick.
3:dON’T TAKE ANYTHING IN THIS POST SERIOUSLY
4:Good luck

4

haha alright. gonna have to bust a move lol

5

And it’s really cheesy.

And cheap.

And cliche.

And makes you look like a kid screwing around with the effects tool.

6

Boost the mids.
:stuck_out_tongue:
Only a select few would get this.

Overall, Don’t wear a white shirt.
It just doesn’t work.

7

I’m a Martial Arts Choreographer who went to school for vid-production and Computer Art. I have a lot of experience dealing with fast movement and action based filming and editing.

Yo-yo and Martial Arts are so similar in action that I consider them the same thing.

  1. Avoid effects, the Yo is it’s own special effect and it’s just not needed.

  2. Work the same trick from 3 or 4 different angles and edit to follow the “Action”. If your trick has any points that shoot out, or flip tight, or just look cool- use a flattering camera angle in your edit. I recommend you start with a wide shot as your straight on, a “tight” left and right (so you only see your hands and maybe your torso), and a shot under the yo-yo looking up. (Don’t over-use this one but it can make for a really cool cut once in a while- no one ever sees yo-yo from this angle!)

  3. Then just cut (edit) to the motion, or the “action points” of the trick.

An even easier way to start is to cut to the “beat” of any music you may be using. It’s simpler that deciding when to cut the trick it’s self and it gives a “music video” feel. Works well with anything with a strong beat. Though I’m not a fan- hardcore/gangsta hip-hop is great for action work. So is Speed Metal and Death Metal. I listen to country personally but I know what works for action cinema.

Tip: when action cutting, the best way to keep timing accurate don’t try to match frames exactly. Find the frame you want to cut from, and the exact time point on the other camera- and cut to the frame AFTER that. For REALLY fast stuff go TWO frames after the point. That will ensure the speed of the action isn’t interrupted.

Best of luck to you! I can’t wait to see what you do! I will be posting my vids as soon as I get new equipment (mine done broke :-[).

For angle inspiration check out some Old-school Hong Kong cinema (i.e. kung-fu [gongfu] films) and any of Sam Raimi’s early work (i.e. the Evil Dead Series).

Let me know if you have any questions!

Sensei Dave

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