In a music video, the audio is produced first, then the video (lip-syncing, dancing) is adapted to the audio. We’d get more artistic results (like American music videos???) if we approached the process this way. I often want to comment, “Nice riding, but your favorite band sucks!”
Getting good audio is an extremely hard task. Most cameras have mediocre (at most) microphones. There are often background noises (I can’t really make everyone stop talking when I am filming at an open gym). The video linked is by a professional videographer, he has more equipment, time and experience than most will ever have. As far as “shitty” goes, I’ll just say that taste differs, and a bit of tolerance never hurts. You can’t please everyone. Personally, a badly edited video with music I like annoys me a lot more than a well edited one with music I don’t like. The music I listen to and the music I put in a video doesn’t really overlap. Music for videos is less a question of taste, and more a question of which emotions you want to give people, and what matches the riding.
As far as editing software goes, I use Sony Vegas which I can recommend for “casual” editing, it makes basic cutting, matching with sound and colour correction very simple. More professional guys use premier pro, because it syncs well with other Adobe products like After Effects and Photoshop. Just watch some tutorials on youtube to learn the basics, and go. Avoid being to fancy, simple cuts are often better than fades or any of these 3d transition things.
Camera is a tough question, if money wasn’t an issue I would have 3 cameras for different purposes. A Gopro for action shots, a camcorder and a DSLR.
The Gopro is great because it’s indestructable and small, which allows interesting perspecives like POV shots, selfie riding, or being jumped over. The extreme wide angle can be annoying though, and it’s not very good in low light. A DSLR has great image quality, the option for microphones, low light capability, and the option to use different lenses which might bring the ability to play with focus. It’s expensive and not exactly robust though. A camcorder is inbetween the two, I can throw mine into a backpack and not worry too much, and I still get a good analogue zoom which allows a lot more freedom when it comes to framing the picture than a gopro (or phone) would.
The principle of good equipment helping but not making you good applies, as always. I have seen very good videos filmed and edited on iPhones, so you might not even need to buy anything new.
That’s not what I intended, i just wanted to turn this thread into a more interesting discussion. If your purpose is to show friends and colleagues what you do, it’s perfectly allright, but if you wanted to attract more viewers or something along those lines, it isn’t.
There has actually been an interesting discussion on facebook among the urban unicyclist, on whether you should keep good clips for “big” videos or not. Nowadays people tend to just show new tricks immediately on instagram, whereas back in the days when this forum was still full of trials, street and flat riders people kept their clips until they had enough for a full video.
Sorry for taking over your thread, Mike, but it is actually interesting to see what the “older” crowd thinks of unicycle videos. Videos to me have always had a special place for me, because when I started to ride trials, street and flat I had almost no source of inspiration or help other than videos and this forum. Making a video used to be the only way to get feedback on my riding (crucial for some tricks), and to actively participate in the “unicycle scene”. Ambitious as I am, making good videos that people enjoy became a goal for me too, and I like to think I have learned a few things over time.
I’ll also leave a video by Raphael Pöham here, one of the best videographers the unicycle scene has seen. With good sound, visuals, and riding.
When I go to your vimeo.com, I get redirected to something called VigLink Shopping. Can’t you post your vid on youtube?
VigLink is a way for this forum to make a bit of money, on the site you are redirected to you should find a “continue to Vimeo” button. Or copy the link and manually enter it into your browser.
No, not good, incredible! I had seen that one before, actually, but forgot. It should win some sort of Academy Award for best unicycle video, or at least a Golden Wheel nomination.
It seems like there must still be pretty good freedom of movement in Barcelona, or at least there was when Pöham made that video, but maybe he edited out all the times the Mossos d’Esquadra went after them. In NYC, most public spaces like that have been skateboard-proofed and/or have sentinels permanently watching over them. The space where the New York Unicycle Club has its meetings keeps getting made smaller and smaller by the guards.
The muni video you posted is also pretty good, but the sound of those massive drops you took would have been fun to hear. You’re right about the microphones on most cameras, though, and having someone to carry a boom mic around whenever you film would make everything a lot more complicated and expensive.
Thanks Mikefule- enjoyed watching that. I hope to have the same passion after as many years of riding!
You saying he’s old? 
Aren’t we all on this forum 
Just coming up to 55 in November.
A few months younger than me then. I love the fact that there are so many more “calendar experienced” people messing about on their unicycles. Makes me feel that much more comfortable when I tell people you’re never to old to do or try anything.
You don’t stop doing stuff when you die. You die when you stop doing stuff…
Well ok, 55 is more ancient than old 