A Simple Video

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

of a portion of my layout. Trying to learn more about shooting, lighting, editing video and the first thing I learned is it ain’t as simple as shooting stills… [8-|]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLg2xeL5JAY

Jarrell

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Awesome video Jarrell! My only suggestion is to loosen the camera stand swivel thingy, for somewhat smoother panning. Otherwise, you have this video business nailed! Great job! [Y]

3

Very Nice Video Jarrell

4

Looks good. Nice work.

Other than the tripod loosening suggestion, I would suggest that you consider more camera angles in the beginning as the loco works through the turntable and the yard. It’s something you can experiment with. Keep re-running the same scene and take shots from varying angles (unless you have a dozen cameras like a high budget Hollywood production [swg]), then play around with them in post to see which works better. The goal is not to linger on one camera angle for too long. Just watch any typical 30 second commercial and you’d be surprised how many times they change camera angles.

5

Very nice video Jarrell, you did a great job with cutscenes and transitions.

Oh and nice layout too!!

6

I think the video is good and the trains are great. I’d try for a lower POV next time. Track-level, as if the cameraman is standing on the ground. Looking forward to more.

7

You’re right about that swivel thingy. [banghead]

I’ve got it as loose as it will go, next I’ll try a little WD-40! What you really need for this type photography is a ball type swivel.

Thanks,

Jarrell

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I appreciate you folks giving me suggestions and I totally agree with them. I got into this after I picked up my wife’s little Flip video camera and started playing around with it. Talk about simple, no frills, no nuttin’… well, it does have auto exposure, but there’s no way to focus the lens. The closest it’ll take pictures, with any degree of sharpness, is about 2 to 3 feet, but it’s a fun little camera and does a good job within it’s limitations.

Jarrell

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Now that you got us hooked, we will want more videos! Layout looks fine, but I all ready knew that from WPF

Ken

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I would guess that your tripod, like most, is designed for photography. The up/down handle that points towards you that you’re probably holding onto to pan is pretty short. If you ever look at a real video tripod, the handle is several feet long so that it takes a lot of hand movement to produce a little bit (but VERY smooth) of panning. It really helps eliminate hand shake and inconsistent panning speeds.

Try extending that short handle with zipties and a wooden dowel (2 feet long, if it fits in your aisles) and hold onto the dowel. That extra length will give you silky smooth pans. For proof of this concept, the first pan in this video I shot with a handle about a foot and a half long: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEqCO_vkaBY

11

That’s a good tip about the handle length, Ty. I’ll have to give it a try!

Thanks,

Jarrell