Making A Uni Video

Off-topic
1

I am thinking of making my first uni video, now that i can do a few tricks.

Does anyone out there with experience have any tips on making a unicycling video?

All comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

:wink:

2

radvid
windows movie maker

two free programs that will put you on your way :slight_smile:

other than that, make the tricks look solid, do them quickly, and umm have fun, its not about the video, its about you unicycling

don’t make it long either, as your skill levle progresses so will the length of the videos you create

3

Thanks for the suggestion but i already have ulead video studio for editing.

I was wanting more advice on camera angles and number of different tricks etc.

Thanks

:smiley:

4

Low camera angles, it will make everything you do look bigger.

Make sure you show what the uni is doing more than the person. Show where they are taking off, capture how large or technical a line is, and catch where they land.

5

Thanks for that, i’ll bear it in mind when i’m filming

6

Film scenes rather than tricks. Each shot in a good video comprises of several different tricks rather than just one. Watch defect or U2, most shots show a number of different things happening, this gives a more cohesive feel.

7

That’s another good point to remember. Thanks

:slight_smile:

8

always throw a couple of your falls in that happen while making the movie, it makes it better:)

9

A few filming techniques:

  1. When doing some tricks, try to do them in front of something sorta colorful. If you have a lot tricks in front of some boring concrete wall building, or bush, try to get an angle with some nice scenery behind you or a colorful strange sculpture.

  2. While filming a trick, try to get two or more tricks in a row, with a minimum number of hops. Sometimes this might be frustrating to get a good shot, but it’s well worth it in the end. I’ve spent 45 minutes one time trying to land a trick smoothly.

  3. Try to find a friend to film you with some clips. Make sure he can hold the camera as still as possible, usually best done with arms held straight out, reducing shaking in their arms. I guess they could also hold the camera against their body, if they stand still while filming.

  4. Keep in mind what the trick is, and film what you think would be best for the audience to see. For example, a person doing a crankflip is best filmed with the tire being the main focus point for the picture, filling most of the screen. Doing light trials is best filmed with the camera close to the tire, showing an up-close motion of where the tire is landing. Doing trials with large gaps are best filmed farther away, this way the audience can see the size of the gap and the motion of the rider’s body.

  5. Fisheye lenses are really nice to use to for most shots, if you can get your hands on one. I got one for my Sony camera on eBay for like $44.

There are aways many different ways to get a trick on film, so just use your best intuition for what would be the best angle. Don’t follow what I said strictly, but keep some of these tips in mind.

10

That’s a lot of good advice. Thanks

Can you post a link to one of your videos… they sound really good.

:smiley:

11

Actually I’ve only recently become interested in creating videos, so I currently have no videos out yet. Shaun Johanneson is making a full length film including a little bit of me and Kaori Matsuzawa. My short section wasn’t filmed very well because it’s difficult trying to film yourself sometimes, and I have a few errors while filming Kaori’s section because it’s the first unicycling video I’ve ever filmed. I did learn a lot from it though, and I’m going to film Kaori more, so hopefully my camera techniques will be much better next time, as you will also learn after you make your first video. I also have a few more recommendations…

  1. Get some natural shots, either of the scenery where you’re riding, you getting prepared for riding, or after you’re done riding when you’re out of breath.

  2. Lighting is one of the most important things. Try your hardest to get the sun more or less behind the camera. Sometimes a shot with the sun in front of the camera though could give you a nice shot too, following what I said earlier about a shot with a nice scenery, but don’t do this excessively.

  3. I guess this can go with lighting, but watch out for shadows. I got my shadow in what would have been a perfect shot of Kaori, but the shadow almost ruined it. It’s not so bad I guess, but the shot does seem to lose some quality.

  4. Somebody mentioned this before, but watch what other people have done, and see what you liked and disliked about their film. I hope you own something done by Dan Heaton, he’s undoubtedly one of the best.

  5. Hmmm, I want a tenth rule/suggestion but I can’t think of a good one right now… haha

12

Thanks again, that’s some more great advice… i look forward to seeing one of your vids.

:slight_smile:

13

My movie looks copy/pasted(to my brother). :stuck_out_tongue: I was killing myself trying to get some good music to cover up some pointless talking. Yeah, it doesn’t look that great, the best freestyle trick ever, and passerby in front of the camera…you’ll see.

You’ve filmed Kaori?! First things first, are we talking about the same Kaori here? I’m thinking Kaori Matsuzawa…(that’s a mouthful!) I’m almost done with my video! YES! :smiley:

14

I’m not really sure how many unicyclists out there are named Kaori, but yes, Kaori Matsuzawa it is. I filmed her for Shaun’s video that should be out in less than a week I think. Actually her first name is harder to say than her last; a lot of people get it wrong. It’s actually not Kay-OH-ree, but rather KAH-oh-ree.

15

At the same time, don’t go overboard with fisheye lenses. I’m okay with seeing one or two tricks through the fisheye, but anything more than that and I’ll shut off the video… it’s too much to handle; it makes me feel like my eyes are bulging out of my head.

The same goes for scene transitions. Terrybigwheel appears to have learned this lesson (thank goodness!) as he started out using every transition in the book… now he only uses one or two. His videos are 1000x more watch-able since he’s reduced his transition usage. I couldn’t even make it all the way through some of his first videos.

I’d say shoot all tricks (if possible) with and without the fisheye, but in the editing room, scrap all fisheye shots except for the best one or two.

16

There’s also a technique with using a fisheye lense. if you are all the way zoomed out, then you can see the black corners in the picture. If you zoom in just past this point, then you will get a good picture without that particular annoyance, but still with an extreme fisheye effect.

If you go a little bit farther than that, then you will still get a great picture, better than what you would expect if you didn’t have the lense. It’s also not obvious at all that a fisheye is being used, unless you look carefully at the corners of the image and notice the strange bending that’s going on.

On the section that I filmed, I used the fisheye lense quite a bit, and the first day I didn’t realize that I wasn’t zoomed far enough in, resulting in the obnoxious corners. This was however my first try at filming, so I was a little inexperienced. Also, you might notice in Defect that a fisheye lense is quite extensively, however it’s used correctly.

But definitely get shots without the lense. Variety in videos is the most important thing, and this is yet another way to get some variety.