i wasn't sure whether to post this or not. a few years back i just started to get interested in bike videos and started a thread on another forum. i got all these really good suggestions and started compiling them along with stuff i was learning.
not all of this would suit vlogging, but just thought there could be some food for thought in all of this. personally i'd be keen to hear on tips from the guys who've been filming for years.
ZOOM IN ON THE BIKE
wide angle lenses are cool but you need to get very close to get a good shot when filming someone else although the tailgating involved can get a bit dicey.
MINIMISE CAMERA SHAKE
helmet cam seems to be the smoothest, can be made a bit smoother again by absorbing impacts with the legs more if you are riding offroad. when riding on road, try not to make fast movements with your head where possible. for hand held camera work, triangulate -hold the video camera with two hands and tuck your elbows into your body... your arms and body form triangles that anchor the camera firmly to reduce shaking.
BE VICIOUS WHEN EDITING
professional videographers always seem to say in most cases you need to cut all excess video footage down to just your best bits if making the vid public. obviously less important for vlogging although i see quite a few of the really popular vloggers cut their footage up like this.
AVOID LONG TAKES
works in with the previous tip... most tv shows and movies only have takes of about two to four seconds before they change camera angle and usually a bike vid is similar - watch a red bull vid for an example. again, less relevance for vlogging but worth thinking about.
SLOW MOTION?
easy to overdo this, but a few bits here and there can work a treat. a cool little combo is speeding the bike up toward the corner, then slow motion through the corner, then speed up again on the exit.
AVOID LONG BORING INTROS.... YAWN
apparently most youtubers have the attention span of a goldfish... the video pros say get their attention in five seconds or they've gone. try to get into riding footage immediately, or just have a short catchy intro sequence and a good title that grabs the attention.
INTERESTING ANGLES
a vid that is 100% helmet cam footage can get boring unless the story telling is superb. jump off the bike and hand film here and there. or if you can be bothered, get some different mounts and go crazy... film from the swingarm, under the bike, a swivel mount stuck on top of your helmet.
DON'T WANT HEAPS OF RAW FOOTAGE TO EDIT?
if you don't like sifting through terrabytes of raw vid footage, instead of just leaving your camera on for the whole ride just turn it on for 10 seconds at a time when you think the footage should be worth it. the bugger is you can miss stacks and surprises this way, but the editing is much quicker after the ride.
TELL A STORY
everyone hates the sound of their own voice, but if you are game talk while doing any hand filming. or when riding, you can get really good voice audio if using the proshot chinbar mount and the skeleton door with your gopro case. this can be a budget alternative to the mikes used by many vloggers, which are the ideal of course.
professional videographers always say you should tell a basic story to make a vid really interesting... just like writing a story - an intro, body and conclusion. if you really don't want to talk, most video editing software lets you put text in across the screen which can work well.
VIDEO LENGTH
professional youtubers reckon two minutes is the maximum for the average goldfish viewers out there, up to four minutes if you already have a dedicated audience. obviously this changes with a vlog especially once you have followers, but staying short and to the point may help get subscribers in when starting?
CHOICE OF MUSIC & AUDIO ISSUES
a small percentage of viewers hate music of any kind in a dirt bike. the majority don't mind or actually like it if it's well selected and kept fairly low key... almost everyone wants to be able to hear the bikes clearly. this usually means fairly bland music that has a broad appeal.
lots of free music out there, some very good threads on this forum already. youtube has this free library but very occasionally the artists withdraw their song, then suddenly youtube slap ads on your vids because the copyright rules apply. google 'creative commons music', heaps and heaps of good free stuff.
wind can play havoc with audio if you are hand filming. a bit of foam over the mike will stop that 'roar' caused by wind. there are good threads on this forum about mikes and wind noise etc.
YOUTUBE ADS?
most youtubers report getting $1 to $2 per thousand views of their vids. unless you are wildly popular it's not worth it. i'd suggest not bothering until your numbers are really doing well.
QUALITY OF THE CAMERAS?
heaps of cheap chinese ones around that do a basic job. if you are really getting into videography though, i'd suggest getting the best camera you can, especially if you want your vids to look good in years to come. i look back just a few years to footage taken with the gopro 2 and it looks like shit! a good camera really shines in low light conditions, or high contrast such as patchy sun and shadows on the trail.
GOPRO SETTINGS
everyone has their preferred settings, mine is 1080p and 30 frames per second as it keeps the files small. then i bump it up to 120 frames per second for any slow mo bits. unless you want small file sizes, i'd suggest 1080p resolution for the best detail and it will still look good in a few years time when the resolution goes even higher. if you delete your
footage after editing, it can make more sense to just film at 60 frames per second all the time as it gives you the option of going slo mo on any favourite bits.
i've done a video version of all these tips here that endeavours to put it all into practice as an example.
so keen to learn more from anyone who really knows what they are doing with video cameras, or just any tips or things you've discovered. i'm aware this post crosses a few topics that would be better off under the camera setups section, hope that's okay mods?
not all of this would suit vlogging, but just thought there could be some food for thought in all of this. personally i'd be keen to hear on tips from the guys who've been filming for years.
ZOOM IN ON THE BIKE
wide angle lenses are cool but you need to get very close to get a good shot when filming someone else although the tailgating involved can get a bit dicey.
MINIMISE CAMERA SHAKE
helmet cam seems to be the smoothest, can be made a bit smoother again by absorbing impacts with the legs more if you are riding offroad. when riding on road, try not to make fast movements with your head where possible. for hand held camera work, triangulate -hold the video camera with two hands and tuck your elbows into your body... your arms and body form triangles that anchor the camera firmly to reduce shaking.
BE VICIOUS WHEN EDITING
professional videographers always seem to say in most cases you need to cut all excess video footage down to just your best bits if making the vid public. obviously less important for vlogging although i see quite a few of the really popular vloggers cut their footage up like this.
AVOID LONG TAKES
works in with the previous tip... most tv shows and movies only have takes of about two to four seconds before they change camera angle and usually a bike vid is similar - watch a red bull vid for an example. again, less relevance for vlogging but worth thinking about.
SLOW MOTION?
easy to overdo this, but a few bits here and there can work a treat. a cool little combo is speeding the bike up toward the corner, then slow motion through the corner, then speed up again on the exit.
AVOID LONG BORING INTROS.... YAWN
apparently most youtubers have the attention span of a goldfish... the video pros say get their attention in five seconds or they've gone. try to get into riding footage immediately, or just have a short catchy intro sequence and a good title that grabs the attention.
INTERESTING ANGLES
a vid that is 100% helmet cam footage can get boring unless the story telling is superb. jump off the bike and hand film here and there. or if you can be bothered, get some different mounts and go crazy... film from the swingarm, under the bike, a swivel mount stuck on top of your helmet.
DON'T WANT HEAPS OF RAW FOOTAGE TO EDIT?
if you don't like sifting through terrabytes of raw vid footage, instead of just leaving your camera on for the whole ride just turn it on for 10 seconds at a time when you think the footage should be worth it. the bugger is you can miss stacks and surprises this way, but the editing is much quicker after the ride.
TELL A STORY
everyone hates the sound of their own voice, but if you are game talk while doing any hand filming. or when riding, you can get really good voice audio if using the proshot chinbar mount and the skeleton door with your gopro case. this can be a budget alternative to the mikes used by many vloggers, which are the ideal of course.
professional videographers always say you should tell a basic story to make a vid really interesting... just like writing a story - an intro, body and conclusion. if you really don't want to talk, most video editing software lets you put text in across the screen which can work well.
VIDEO LENGTH
professional youtubers reckon two minutes is the maximum for the average goldfish viewers out there, up to four minutes if you already have a dedicated audience. obviously this changes with a vlog especially once you have followers, but staying short and to the point may help get subscribers in when starting?
CHOICE OF MUSIC & AUDIO ISSUES
a small percentage of viewers hate music of any kind in a dirt bike. the majority don't mind or actually like it if it's well selected and kept fairly low key... almost everyone wants to be able to hear the bikes clearly. this usually means fairly bland music that has a broad appeal.
lots of free music out there, some very good threads on this forum already. youtube has this free library but very occasionally the artists withdraw their song, then suddenly youtube slap ads on your vids because the copyright rules apply. google 'creative commons music', heaps and heaps of good free stuff.
wind can play havoc with audio if you are hand filming. a bit of foam over the mike will stop that 'roar' caused by wind. there are good threads on this forum about mikes and wind noise etc.
YOUTUBE ADS?
most youtubers report getting $1 to $2 per thousand views of their vids. unless you are wildly popular it's not worth it. i'd suggest not bothering until your numbers are really doing well.
QUALITY OF THE CAMERAS?
heaps of cheap chinese ones around that do a basic job. if you are really getting into videography though, i'd suggest getting the best camera you can, especially if you want your vids to look good in years to come. i look back just a few years to footage taken with the gopro 2 and it looks like shit! a good camera really shines in low light conditions, or high contrast such as patchy sun and shadows on the trail.
GOPRO SETTINGS
everyone has their preferred settings, mine is 1080p and 30 frames per second as it keeps the files small. then i bump it up to 120 frames per second for any slow mo bits. unless you want small file sizes, i'd suggest 1080p resolution for the best detail and it will still look good in a few years time when the resolution goes even higher. if you delete your
footage after editing, it can make more sense to just film at 60 frames per second all the time as it gives you the option of going slo mo on any favourite bits.
i've done a video version of all these tips here that endeavours to put it all into practice as an example.
so keen to learn more from anyone who really knows what they are doing with video cameras, or just any tips or things you've discovered. i'm aware this post crosses a few topics that would be better off under the camera setups section, hope that's okay mods?
