vanuni - Open House Part 7

Videos
1

Final Episode for VanUni Muni Open House

It had to be good, for the finale, so I spent twice as long to get it right. I hope you can tell.

I’d point out 2 things I did differently with this series that I think worked. Not just for viewers, but for me, to make better videos in less time:

  1. TV style episodes - “previously on”, video, “to be continued”
    I built upon my “Making Of” series and was inspired by “Heros” TV show. Each video has a highlites from previous videos. Easy to do, and fun to watch.
  2. multiple sound tracks per video
    structurally, each video had a title, the video, and/or credits.
    this episode emphasizes credits but most have an intro/title. Each is an opportunity to use a different music track.

I really value your feedback:

You suggested more interaction between me, camera guy, and the riders, so I’ve done that; I personally hate to hear myself

You liked the footage of Kris pecking up the round log. I thought that would be boring for viewers, but even non-riders liked it, so I brought that in.

You suggested you hate Britney Spears and love Donny Osmond, but I ignored that :slight_smile: The song fit, and thats key. I tried many songs, and they are better, but not for this video.

You said you couldnt hear what was said, so I boosted the volume, avoided music in 3 parts of the video, and added subtitles. And still, I’d encourage you to use headphones and catch everything Kris says during the music.

Its your fault and/or credit. Thanks!
If you dont tell me what you hate, my videos wont get better.
If you dont tell me what you liked, I may stop doing it.
and if your not in it, well thats clearly your fault. You should have come…

2

Excellent last installment. Thanks so much for the 7 episode MUni adventure. Your video skills are brilliant and enjoyed watching all of them.

Likes: The music, settings, transitions between clips, difficulty of terrain, and for putting your camera equipment in jeopardy to get the footage.
Dislikes: More of other people riding. I could watch Kris ride all day long, but seeing as there was a group it would be nice to include more of the other riders.

Thanks for all the effort, I for one appreciate it :smiley:

3

Great riding by all of you. That is one wet course in this last video. I think I dislocated all of my knees at least twice just watching some of the bails.:smiley:

4

Bails are fun to watch… Kris is really skillful at bails. I’m like… “Wow that could have been bad”.

But Justin L wins the prize for me… he really is in danger! He’s new to muni and rides beyond his skill level, going fast, just barely in control, waving his arms around like a mad man, and having the most spectacular bails.
That long log he fell off twice is where I tore my MCL exactly a year ago.

In Revolution 1 (at Banff film fest), Kris says the sport has changed… theres a real danger of physical harm. And then shows some bails that will make you whince.
I mostly show them to give you a sense that something is hard/steep. Muni looks easier on film than it really is.

5

“Kris says the sport has changed… theres a real danger of physical harm”

I love that statement. Like riding a unicycle isn’t hazardous enough. Anyone seeing that film or watching Kris at any time is always wondering how he doesn’t kill himself more that once during any of his rides.

6

Must be so great riding with Kris; learning the tricks of the trade from the master himself! :smiley:

7

Wow, I’ve loved this Open House series so much!:smiley: I like the filming with how you get right up close and in there. It’s great to see Kris Holm, as well as all the other awesome riders. I’m kind of sad to see the series come to an end.:o

8

awesome. so wet too, so much more of a challenge riding wet wood.

9

Nice riding! The only thing i can complain about is the series ending.:frowning:

10

Awesome vid :)!

11

Thanks for the specific feedback.

setting (North Shore)/difficulty is so amazing. except the rain. Its supposed to snow this weekend… that can be fun.

transitions… I think we’ll get tired of them. I did. But I kept them for consistency thru the episodes. They’re easy to do in iMovie, and lucky for me, not so many people use iMovie, so they’re fairly unique.

camera jeopardy - filming in rain is one thing. But also I found early on that getting the camera right there in the action makes for a more exciting video. Get in the path, follow the wheel, move around the subject, especially when the rider is just getting ready to do something.

more people - I’m painfully aware of this issue. In some of my videos, its a strength, because we get good turnouts, with great people. Its easier for trials. Muni is a linear path. So I ride, not film, along with the others riders, until we get to something interesting/difficult. The best riders do it the most, fail the most spectactularily… and tend to film well, attacking the challenges with finesse.

music - Britney song is kinda hardcore, but of the episodes, with all the best highlites, I thought this was the time to use that song. I know some people don’t like it. I tried a few others, but this one just fit. And I spent one night just syncing up the clips to it.
But I like the second song, which is from the sound track for Final Destination 3. It takes it down a notch, perfect for rolling credits over, and technical.

12

Great vid!

I always enjoy watching your videos, thanks for putting such a great effort into making them.

I liked the bails, the riding and the filming, especially the last shot of the log ride were you moved the camera, that was a very cool shot!

I like how it has titles and the background to the quotes you put in. I liked the last song and I like it how at the begining of your other Open House videos you used some previous footage.

I didn’t like the first song though.

13

Great to hear voices to get some “personality” in the film. Awesome riding … like that it is all not Kris. Keeps it real.
My interest is in the riders as much as the riding. Love the occasional dog shot. Adds something…
Sometimes I wonder if all uni films need so much music … gets a wee “music video” in my opinion. I do it myself. Sometimes the sound of the ride and piney woods is just enough.
Terrific filming style.
I will miss this series.
Start another … now!
Shug

14

I loved the whole series too. And I think… this was the best. Have to look over them again. But I seconds Shugs statement. We want more.

/Martin

15

Like the clever editing that hardly anyone will notice where you show me riding down the log at the bottom of CBC. I stop before the crazy drop off it and then it switches angles and shows Kris doing the crazy part. I need to coordinate my wardrobe with Kris so no one can tell the difference :slight_smile: … or easier yet would be to make sure I wear yellow next time Ryan can make it :slight_smile:

16

…and what even fewer people will notice is that its a different drop :slight_smile:
But the one you’re thinking of is a bit crazy, and Kris said its the hardest on the whole ride. “Theres no good line; you just have to go for it”. He did it twice, but I think it was in episode 6.
Noone else did that one, hence the unfortunate amount of Kris footage, but at least I got a bit of James doing the log, which is scarey and difficult in itself.

17

very impressive how you guys can ride on this slippery (?) and wet terrain!

thanks for sharing. likes the music.

18

I think you mean the log starting at 1:28 which ends with Kris getting his wheel stuck?
I didn’t like the first part of that… I should have walked up the log would have been better.
But starting at 1:40 where I followed the wheel from the side looked neat.

Without the background I found the quotes hard to read.
The intro to each episode with “previously on” worked out well. But didnt make sense for the final one… it was better to save it for the end.
I knew some people wouldnt like Britney Spears, but it seemed to fit.

Some backstory on the second song, which starts @ 3:30.
After surviving the rain, I lost my camera last week. So I started researching whats a good camera. Youtube can do 1080p now, so that would be nice. I found this cool video filmed at night with only ambient light, on a new Canon 1D Mark IV.

I also liked the music, which was composed by “Jeff MacDonald”. Jeff’s company has done a lot of TV/movie work http://www.louderproductions.com/music.html, including Final Destination 3, which was filmed at Deerlake, near my old house.
I use this song as the credits roll, but edited so the song ends early so youre left with the sound of rain.

The overall structure of Episode 7 has 3 parts

  1. new footage
  2. highlites
  3. credits
    The title song is used for the first 2 parts, ending with a climax.
    Then the credits roll with the second song. If it were a movie, I’d expect you to walk away.
    I left 3 parts of the video without music so you could hear people/rain.
    It occurs to me now I should have ended it with “The End”.
19

I meant at 3:55. I think that was a very good ending and I liked the sound of the rain.

20

Ah yes… its not really a “log”, its the concrete barrier along side Mt Seymour Road.

I like the first part when Kris hops up (3:53) that there is waves of rain hitting the road.

Incredible balance… he just keeps going and going. He kept going after that… I just stopped filming for some reason. Its a nice touch that Brew walks with him.