- Brant_Recon
- |
- Noble Member
A few things:
The camera work is hard to withstand. Panning endlessly got tiring, and still shots just were obvious and hard to look at. Never--and I mean never--do still shots. They can ruin a viewer's attention as soon as they see it, especially if there is an action to suggest the still shot is supposed to be, well, not still, like having dialogue.
The dialogue in these videos could've been a lot better if more effort was put into the voice acting. It's surprising, really, how a few words can have two totally different impacts on the listener if one is just saying the words in different accents, and one is actually applying the character, behavior, and emotion where needed. Along with this, there is a huge problem with breathing into the mic. Unless your purposefully wanting to talk into the listener's ear (which you never want to do, mind you), it just doesn't sound natural. My suggestions: Consider getting a new studio microphone to record with, or try not talking directly or so close into your current microphone.
- Side note: I did not even realize this was supposed to be a comedy. I was under the impression during the viewing of the videos that it was supposed to have a serious tone with odd plot twists. Only after reading comments here did I notice.
Next, the video quality. Yea, I know, a good capture card is expensive, so I don't want to drive that point too hard. However, it seems you are using more than one capture method for your videos. At times I see images are somewhat clearer than other, and then your still shots are just blurry. I'm not for sure what capture method you use, but the video method is the obvious superior method. Along with this, don't use that video editor software you're using, which seems like it's Window Movie Maker. It's terrible, and superior software is not that expensive to obtain. Sony Vegas is only $70 from what I understand, however I use Adobe Premier CS5.
Lastly, music. If there's one thing I can't stand about what people do with music in videos, it's either 1) cutting a song in the middle to replace it with a completely different song, or 2) Using songs from various bands at different times during the song just as filler, especially if the music doesn't fit the aesthetics of the scene. Consistantly, you totally wrecked any mood you may have been wanting to set with a scene by just adding some song that you probably enjoy hearing from your iTunes, or Window Media Player, or whatever, but never the less, it absolutely wrecked the scene more often than not. It got old just to see Spartans and Elites firing at each other for 3 minutes while some random song played in the background.
Take note that most of those songs you used is technically infringing upon copyright, in which if any recording company stumbled upon your video and notice that you used their music without their permission (lets be honest, who ever gets permission?), then they have every right to claim copyright on your video, and ultimately get it removed. All of your effort, would be for absolutely nothing.
Oh wait, I lied, this is the last thing. The acting, or as the term used for acting in a Machinima would be "puppeteering", is basically nonexistent with the exception of firing a weapon, strafing, occasionally dying, and occasionally driving a vehicle. Nothing exactly stunning. It kind of goes without saying that it'd be more interesting to watch if the Spartans and Elites did more.
Here's a quick list of things that can be done to help even further, but don't require much explanation:
* Don't clutter scenes with vehicles or weapons just because you may use them at some point. It makes sets look odd when an Elite runs away because he is outnumbered...when two tanks are just sitting there on his way out.
* You may have had a character explain it, but seeing that Elephant flying through the air minutes after it exploded just didn't seem right.
* Don't drag on scenes with slow-mo. It loses its dramatic effect after about 5 to 10 seconds.
* Don't have a scene be dictated by the length of a song unless you actually have content to fill that scene with other than just looping 3 to 4 shots over and over again. Remember, it is okay to fade out the music if you need to, just don't cut it abruptly unless it fits
* Get more voice actors. I'm sure some of your friends want to help. If they don't, use audio editing software (like Audacity, which is free) to manipulate your voice to not sound like your own.
Really, I don't think that you're not trying, otherwise I would have not put so much effort into typing this up. You certainly seem like you want to do this, which is really the first and most important thing any director needs: a passion. Now you just need to add some more effort into it. Remember, your video doesn't have to be 10 minutes long to be good. Trim off the fat, make combat scenes shorter and to the point, turn off the constant slow-mo, and don't just loop scenes if you don't have to. Your videos would probably be much more enjoyable if they were on average half as long as they are.
If you want to look into getting new hardware, I'd like to point out what I use to create the Machinimas that I am involved in.
For video recording purposes, I use the Happauge HD PVR external capture device, which works on both Mac and PC, and allows 1080i component capture. It works wonderfully for quality, and even records in a native h.264 format; one of the best formats to upload to Youtube and use on video software applications. This capture card runs at around $200 on Amazon though, so it requires some savings and dedication.
For audio, I use the Blue Yeti studio mic. It allows bidirectional recording, which means two voices from two sides of the mic can be recorded and played back on the proper left or right of the speaker spectrum. On top of this, it has a different options for different situations, from close range speech to long range stereo instrument recording. Though I never use the instrument part, vocals sound quite fantastic and clear. I got this pic for $150 during an Amazon sale, but it appears to be running for $230 currently on Amazon. Still though, if you feel like going the extra mile...
If you want to see this gear in action, here's the latest Machinima I am involved in, Boundless. It's the second episode, and the first we use the Yeti in. The footage looks fantastic in 1080i.
Anyways, I hope you take at least some of this advice into consideration, and I bid you good luck!
[Edited on 07.25.2011 10:56 AM PDT]