Videos

[johnsalomon]

Hi,

just to kick off some discussion, I'm sure this has been talked over before, so what's one more go?

One of the things I like about this forum is the encouragement given to high quality photography (as opposed to rusty light switches snapped with a cameraphone or the overtonemapped clown vomit you see on a lot of other sites.) It's helped me and others learn a shit-ton about technique, style, and tools, and has inspired me to get better at what it is I do both when shooting and in post. Just recently I learned a really awesome (if banal) trick from someone I met through here. That is awesome.

I see a lot of good video content out there as well - and a lot of really mediocre crap. What do people feel about a videos-only forum?

To illustrate my point, look at this recent submission by a new member. He took a lackluster site and did something (IMHO) pretty damn cool with it. Or, of course the granddaddy of awesome derpvideo, Patryk Kizny's "The Chapel" (timelapse/HDR).

It may not be your cup of rusty debris-filled yewllowish colored muddy pigeon shit, nor is it really mine, but it's an interesting medium and there are some guys on here who I know are capable of phenomenal work. In my view, video is just another interesting means of presenting the atmosphere of places we go, sometimes in ways that static photos can't convey.

There's already a "Photo & Video" forum, but as I see it, given how video is generally frowned upon here, and how that forum focuses really mostly on gear & technique, I think it could stand to be a separate thing with the other exploring forums.

It'd have to be subject to strict rules, e.g.

- no entry info
- no crap
-...?

Thoughts?

-John

 

[Ric]

As you mention, Video's arnt my thing nor many people here, i don't disagree the videos from that particular member are good, they are.. unlike usual derp videos with Shaky jake behind the camera.

Maybe it's the time involved to watch them all im not sure.

I thought it was harsh however to move his post to the play pen where nobody can see the posts except the purple people for just been a video (why not move the other posts with 10 images of a fucked shed instead?)

Maybe some rules would be good for a video section, however given the amount of people that don't view the FAQ's i think it would just be ignored.

 

[m9]

Don't know. Video is hard to present well, much harder than photography as unlike a photograph the footage cant speak for itself, it needs direction. Just splicing together loads of 650d clips from your favourite hospital with some spooky music in the background doesn't really cut it and takes ages to consume from the viewers point of view. Unfortunately, its this sort of this that tends to dominate as its easy to make. Proper films take so much effort to construct, that they end up being few and far between, meaning they stand out whenever they're posted up here.

 

[Ojay]

I do like time lapse videos

 

[m9]

Having said that, little films to go along with reports can make a massive difference and really drive home the atmosphere of a place. This, I think, should be encouraged.

 

[johnsalomon]

Fishbrain's point is really important - quality control.

One of the awesomest parts of 28dl is the bucket of shame. There's no reason why harsh criteria shouldn't also be applied to video. Ric's "usual derp videos with Shaky jake behind the camera" should be consigned to the slop pit with extreme prejudice. That said, sometimes when you get a bunch of idiots together in a cool place, the results can be pretty hilarious and I'm not even going to show the infamous fire extinguisher rocket cart video because you'll all hate me.

Personally I've always wanted to try playing around with a dolly (NO, OTHER KIND OF DOLLY, STFU) but I suck at DSLR video and time lapses.

 

[Ojay]

We binned the pit mate, excuse the pun

We now have a new members Q&A section designed to critique, encourage people rather than flame them, this has had a far more positive impact on the follow up output of people's photographic adventures

I'm all for change on here any ideas are welcomed

 

[johnsalomon]

Aw man I liked the pit. I even self-pitted occasionally. But whatever works best.

As mentioned, I'd like to see a dedicated video forum in the exploring section, with very clear rules on quality (unless of course it's awesome Maginot line mini train cart action) and content. That's it.

 

[Ojay]

Well we are currently reviewing a number of things, it would like you said have to be done properly, it would also need someone maybe a couple of people to moderate it, preferably someone with experience