Please Help Me Make These Videos Better!

Beatlesfan1225

Beatlesfan1225

Hey Everyone!

I'm going to throw this question in the newbie forum, because it emcompasses all aspects of shooting a video, so it didn't feel right putting it in one of the more direct sub-forums.

So, I'm going to put two of more recent Youtube music videos below. I'm having some trouble getting these to the quality I would like them to be at. Not in the music, but on the video side.

I shoot them on a Canon T3i, and the audio is synced up later from my sound equipment I'm using in the videos. This works stellar, and I've had no conflicts with this. It's the video quality I'm struggling with.

The first video's quality is a tad better than the second, I think in the second I didn't quite get the camera to focus on myself right, which degraded the quality a bit. But, the song was so damn long, and I was so damn happy with the rendition, I couldn't bring myself to reshoot it all ;)

So even in 1080, the videos seem a bit blurry and pixelated, which I'm struggling to understand, since I'm shooting them on a T3i and editing/exporting them in 1080.

I suspect the lighting in the videos plays a huge part in this, along with the difficulty I have focusing the camera on myself. You'll notice that I have a tendency to color correct the videos a tad, and in these two, I suppose I went a bit green. (Maybe it was the hat!) I correct them for two reasons: one, it makes it a tad more interesting to look at, and two, I think I instinctively do it to try to cover up the lack of decent lighting.

So, here's my question: Dissect these videos. Feel free to go look at more of mine (Not promoting, you'll notice they're all a tad different) Please let me know what you think I can do to get these looking nice and spiffy in their HD glory on Youtube. Please be constructive!

Thanks for all the help in advance!

Oh, and one thing - The problems with the quality in the videos are much more apparent in full screen, which you can't do on IT - I suggest clicking through

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VnOV-k9WkQ
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8VnOV-k9WkQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdJuTMKDnn0
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bdJuTMKDnn0
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sort by date Sort by votes
First off, man you got a great voice and some chops. Sound quality is FANTASTIC!

We first have to decide what you mean by quality.

To me a low quality video of a great musical performance is fine, but I need to see the performance... which I could not. Far as I can tell you lip synced the whole thing.. ;)

The pop-stopper obscures your entire face, so rather than be drawn into your singing, my eyes wander around the space.. the printer, the monitor, the guitar, then i start to notice other things.

Start with that. Move the camera up or down and around to the side so we can see your face. Dont block it at all! You could use a mic with a better internal windscreen. Unless your really hitting the plosives you might not need the pop stopper at all.

Next is production design. I see you went through the trouble to chose wardrobe etc, so take the same care in setting up what else is in the frame. A few items placed here and there, a few items removed could help a a lot.

Lighting is tough in that space.
First thing TURN OFF THE OVERHEAD LIGHT.
set up a big soft source. A home depot scoop light bounced off a white sheet off to one side.
You want to get some shadows on your face too... and we want the light to fall off and keep the background darker.

some thoughts for you, worth every penny you paid!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
That's about as good as 1080p resolution gets on youtube.

The super sharp vids are shot at 2k or 4k while uploaded and viewed at 1080p.

4k_comparison_s2.png


Next thing is make sure your export settings are in sync with how it was recorded.
Recorded in 24fps? Then export in 24fps.
Recorded in 30fps? Then export in 30fps.
Doesn't matter that they'll be displayed in 29.94fps on a computer.
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en

Then ensure the export video bitrate is set at 8,000 kbps.

Finally, make sure the NLE is using square pixels instead of rectangular pixels, via Pixel Aspect Ratio.

ppro-interpret2.jpg
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Definitely too green, I feel like this is taking place in the matrix.
Your clothes blend into the wall paint.

Not sure what else to say about making the videos better, your options are severely limited with a static camera and your hands full with the guitar.

Get a hot chick to dance in the background ?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hey guys -

Thanks so much for the replies, this has been extremely helpful. Let me sort of address each of you:

Firstly, thank you for the complement wheatgrinder! Very much appreciated! You have extremely valid points, and I agree with them all. The pop-stopper is certainly something I've always enjoyed using because I've always noticed an audible difference in vocal quality as a result of using it. However, I could put a windscreen style filter on the actual microphone which should have a very similar effect and not obscure my face. I can also move the camera more to the side in order to get myself into the frame more. I've always had difficulty with this because there's lots of stuff covering me up between the two mics and stands. Perhaps having the camera a bit higher than the performance and having it look a bit down on an angle?

As for the production design, I do indeed do the wardrobe, because this entire album and all of my current work is under the stage name of Rivers Rubin. So, in a Ziggy Stardust-esque fashion, I've adopted a look for Rivers Rubin. (The hat and jacket usually do it in these videos

You mention how some of the objects in the backdrop detract from the performance - The printer, monitors, etc. I'm not exactly sure how to tackle this, because I do need to be in my studio area in order to use the audio equipment to record. Thus, the clutter of my studio tends to infiltrate these videos. Now, I could start by focusing a bit more on what's in the frame - for example, getting rid of a tissue box and whatnot. However, it's difficult for me to get away from the studio.

On the opposite wall that isn't visible I have three guitars hanging on a wall in a downward progression; they're cool looking and the way they are hung is neat. I could rearrange the studio to have THAT be the back drop.

Now, you mention some ideas for lighting the content, and it's certainly something I need to do. Are you talking about those Home Depot halogen lights? I can certainly work with those, and I know they're affordable. I will remember to keep the overhead light off. Does anyone have any suggested threads or sources I can look at as to how to do this better?


Now to Rayw - Thanks so much for the technical info. I will check this afternoon how my export settings are set. Right now, I'm exporting them as MP4 files with the default "Youtube HD 1080" setting built into Premiere. Thoughts on using their preprogrammed render settings?

Foster - You're right, it is too green. I think I tried to manipulate some colors to hide the lack of decent lighting, which in hindsight, probably detracted more than it benefited the performances.


Do you guys think that my focus is another issue? It seems like I'm never quite in focus, especially in the second video, as a result of shooting it myself and having some trouble focusing.

Thanks again for the help, if anyone else has ideas/thoughts they're much appreciated.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I'll second the complement. You're voice is like an on-key version of Dylan. Dig it. You got any original stuff or is it just covers right now?

Color wise it's definitely got the yellow/green thing going on. But the main problem is that it's very one-note. Pretty much everything is that yellow/green. You want to bring some contrast in there color-wise.

The other main thing that would improve the videos is the mise en scene. So you're stuck in this room. Ok, we'll work with that. My philosophy when creating sets and filming is sort of inspired by being a little kid and playing in the mud: Who cares if you get absolutely filthy? You can always wash it off.

So my advice when filming these things is to not be afraid to make a mess, move shit around. All that matters is what's in the frame, right? So it's cool if everything out of frame is a disaster. You can put it all back after.

Definitely show your face more. If you know the songs well enough then do multiple angles and sync it up to either the best take or the one where we see your mouth the most, as that's where more of the differences in performance will be. If you want to stick with one angle, make it an interesting one. You've got a t3i so let's get some nice shallow DOF in there. Use a tennis ball on a mic stand where your face will be to get the focus correct. Highlight the shallow DOF with christmas lights hanging in the BG. Grab some clamp lights from home depot, some 150watt bulbs and some cheap gels from party city. Pick complementary colors so yellow/blue or red/green. Light the background and yourself with these, though you're probably going to want to keep the light on your skin un-gelled.

Play around with it until it looks cool. And when it does, hit record.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If you flag the side of the overhead light that is away from the camera, you'll darken you background and you will pop out of the image more. You can use aluminum foil to make that work if you like. It'll still shoot forward and bounce off the walls in front of you back at you to light your face this way as well. It'll add some depth to your shot. Not sure the type of ceiling fixture you have, or the type of bulb, but wooden cloths pins from Walmart or some duck tape should work just fine in most cases. Start with a longish drape 8" of the foil at the back of the light (or from the ceiling behind it) and form the bottom edge until the light just hits the back wall under the bottom of the camera frame. If it were a wider shot, I'd use the floor/wall line to place the edge of the light.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Another option for cheap/quick lighting is a china ball with a household bulb in it,it can be a bit tricky to flag off the walls at first but it is really quick way to make soft source. You can always hang some sort of cloth for the background or just rearrange the clutter and shoot low F-stop to blurr eveything out
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Dready, much better. You still have a problem with that picture directly behind him.

The color is closer to right.

As someone else mentioned, I'd also suggest to the OP that lighting may be some of the issues you're having (or lack of lighting). A little pepper light in the back corner to bring up the detail would have been well worth it.

What wheat also said was golden. The background is too cluttered and misplaced within the frame.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
China balls are a good suggestion - a better alternative for your type of set up might be these floor lamps from ikea:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80213597/

They're cheap and produce a nice soft light, and since they have their own stands they're easy to set up and move around. The height creates a light that's really flattering because it can wrap around more than a smaller ball. Because they're so diffuse the light falls off quickly, so if you place them close to you they should leave the background pretty dark.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Something to consider: if you have some solid color bed sheets or some appropriate designed fabric, hanging it corner to corner from the ceiling (or in some fashion) and illuminating it from behind (not between you and the fabric but behind the fabric pointing at it) can produce a nice simple uniform backdrop that covers up the visual clutter. Then a simple source of warm light on you (China ball as others have mentioned) maybe one on the floor and another hanging would really improve the look. Just make sure the backlight isn't so hot or close to the fabric and you should be fine. Really just a matter of collecting a bunch of household lights and experimenting with different watt lightbulbs and color temps. Try to use regular old incandescent if you can.

I'm a big fan of planting a soft box on the floor angled up in front of the subject. It casts a nice glow and has that campfire feel to it, even though it's not flickering.

You have the sound and music part nailed! :yes:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Wow, again, thank you so much guys for all the wonderful responses - super helpful. I'll address each of your ideas in order sort of how I did in the last post -

Firstly, thank you Dreadylocks! I actually get that exact compliment a lot, because I play a lot of Dylan, and so many people are opposed to his voice but love his songs, hah!

Anyway, I absolutely agree the videos need to be cleaned up, in the backdrop. My plan is to reorganize the room so you see the opposite wall where I have lots of neat guitars hung, I can play in front of that and there won't be anything besides the guitars, which are all sorts of designs and really visually appealing. This should help solve that part.

The tennis ball on the stand for my face is a great idea, and I plan on doing that as well to get a better focus in. My plan is to play around with angles to ultimately show as much of me as possible, and as little of the recording equipment. I've been working the other way 'round, and viewers are seeing too much of the bulky equipment, which you guys have pointed out.

I love the ideas you guys have to use Christmas lights or interesting cloths in the backdrop, I am certainly going to start searching for this sort of thing.

Knightly - that seems like a great idea to use the ceiling fixture as a beneficial factor. I'm going to try that, too.

Another question has arisen for me - I'm a newbie to the functions of my T3i. You guys are talking about using the F-stop to blur content out, similar to Dready's Photoshop (which was very good, by the way). How exactly do I do this on the camera? Perhaps I could blur out the hanging guitars in my new backdrop a bit to focus in on me a bit more but still leave something interesting in the backdrop.


Okay, so another question regarding the lights - I think those lights that ItDonnedOnMe suggested are really suburb - I really like that they have their own stands, are easily maneuverable, and even if they are shown in the shot a bit, they look classy. Say I decide to use these - Where exactly am I placing them, and how many would I place? More So, once they are placed, do I still need extra lighting?


Thanks guys!
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Beatlesfan1225 said:
My plan is to play around with angles to ultimately show as much of me as possible, and as little of the recording equipment. I've been working the other way 'round, and viewers are seeing too much of the bulky equipment, which you guys have pointed out.
Click to expand...

I think the recording equipment makes it look cool. Just not when it's blocking your face ;)

Another question has arisen for me - I'm a newbie to the functions of my T3i. You guys are talking about using the F-stop to blur content out, similar to Dready's Photoshop (which was very good, by the way). How exactly do I do this on the camera? Perhaps I could blur out the hanging guitars in my new backdrop a bit to focus in on me a bit more but still leave something interesting in the backdrop.
!
Click to expand...

I'm not a camera expert so I'm sure someone will chime in with better and more detailed advice, but the general idea is to use a longer focal length and open the aperture up wide. 50mm lenses are great for this, though you may need more space between you and the camera if you want a lot in the frame.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Dreadylocks said:
I'll second the complement. You're voice is like an on-key version of Dylan. Dig it. You got any original stuff or is it just covers right now?
Click to expand...

Oh and I forgot to respond to this! I actually have a wealth of original stuff, I just released my eighth studio album last month. I'm currently promoting it really heavily, and it was a massive endeavor. One of the reasons I want to perfect the look of these videos is so I can add some consistency to my Youtube channel and start throwing in stripped down unplugged versions of my original stuff in with the covers - try to generate some new fans
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I'd suggest one or two of those ikea lights.

One, placed a couple feet in front of you (just off camera) at a 45 degree angle will look good and give you some contrast with shadows on the other side. If you add a second one I'd put it off to the opposite side at 5-6 feet away to fill in the shadows of the first - this will reduce the contrast but not make the lighting too flat (because of the greater distance). You could also try lower wattage bulbs in the second one, but moving it away is probably a little easier.

You might also want to grab some small lights to accent the background; sticking with ikea try something like this:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80169636/

A couple of those could create some interesting pools of light on things like the guitar in the background, etc. Or, if you want the option of shifting into more of a disco genre try this:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50192365/

Those can be shifted to different colors as desired.

For the blurred background you basically need to open up the aperture on your lens as wide as it will go - this depends on the lens you're using, but probably is in the f/2.8 range. Depth of field is also affected by the distance of the camera from the subject and the focal length of the lens, so you may want to play around with camera placement also to change how much is in focus.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thank you ItDonnedOnMe and Dready! So I'm thinking I'm going to try that two Ikea light set up you suggest, I really love that idea and thanks for explaining it further as to how to set it up.

So far you've all helped me narrow the fixes down to this -

- I'll be improving the backdrop by only showing a wall behind me with interesting guitars hung on it.

- I'll be improving the lighting through use of some of those soft Ikea lights and some smaller light accents. ItDonnedOnMe, you linked that booklight type light as something to accent the backdrop with. Someone else earlier mentioned Christmas lights as a possibility for a similar effect. What if I put some soft Christmas lights dispersed behind the guitars hung on the wall in the back drop?

- I'm going to play around with the angles much more, to try to get as much of myself into view as possible. Along with using a tennis ball on a stand to focus it better.

- I'm also going to play with the f-stop to try to blur the back drops a bit, as per a couple suggestions here. Perhaps once the back drop contains some hanging guitars and some dispersed Christmas lights, they would look interesting a bit blurred out, honing the focus in on me. I do have a 50mm lens, as Dready mentioned may be useful for this.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Oh, and another question -

After I've adequately lit the situation far better, and all of the above fixes have been applied, will I need to do much touch up to the video in post? Will I need to do any color correction further?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top