Evaluations

In this post I will be creating evaluations for my different YouTube videos.

Documentary Video

This was my first video I created for the FMP, of which was a YouTube inspired documentary. The documentary focused on a small subject, in which this case, was memories. Small subjects like this work for YouTube styled documentaries, because you can just go over the basics of the subject, and then change to explain how to subject impacts you as an individual. I think that overall this video was pretty decent, seeing as I did a lot of pre-production work on it, such as writing a script, carrying out assessments, as well as creating animations, all in which made this video the longest to make out of all of them. For this video I split it into 4 different segments, the first being a VHS inspired montage of my old memories, to showcase video editing and altering footage to look old. The next segment was an explanation for the documentary, which used b-roll footage in the background and a calm song in the background to briefly go over the basics of what memories are, including descriptions on what they are made of, and how they form. I think this segment works well in the scheme of things, but I could have improved the b-roll, by possibly linking it to the script more so, as well as applying overlays of some sort, such as definitions, as well as keywords. The next segment was me directly talking to the camera about some of my memories. I think this section worked really well, including sticking to the script, the time, as well as entertainment. One thing that could have been improved was the microphone, of which was obscured by the win, due to me forgetting the wind sock to put over the mic, as well as the creativeness of the shots being average. The third section was a simple animation explaining how the brain reacts to memories, as well as how to keep memories and store them. This was all done through illustrator as well as after effects, and it is similar to my documentary last year, in terms of style and look. The animation does its' job, which is to educate the audience, as well as provide a different aesthetic, and to showcase my animation skills. This is one part of the documentary which could have looked a lot better. The animation and character designs are very basic and cartoony, but I did say in my last animation that I did want to improve on my style, but I stuck to what I knew for this animation, which meant it could have looked a lot better. The final segment is a short and sweet conclusion to memories, containing b-roll footage as well as last years b-roll footage, where I tried to re-enact last years video. I think the ending works very well, and I think it suits the documentary. Overall I was happy with the finished project, but b-roll shot/cinematic shot range would definitely be worked on for next time, as well as audio and animation style.

Crossbar Challenge Video

This was the second video I created, and I aimed to take inspiration from other YouTube videos based around crossbar challenges and other football videos. This included formats, content, editing styles and length. In terms of the video itself, the intro is pretty good, and it explains the video in decent length, and then during the main video there are definitely things I can improve on and some things that I did to a good standard. First of all, the shot types and range were very basic, as my gopro decided to die on the recording day, meaning we only have 1 perspective. The 1 perspective we did have was framed well, and mixed in with editing it makes it entertaining, although shot range is something that in my next video I will have to improve upon, such as having multiple camera angles, as well as the gopro. I can also intertwine a free-moving camera next time, which perhaps mixes the content up a bit, so perhaps in between shots, the free-moving camera interviews players, or captures conversations. The editing style included text on the screen when something funny or iconic is said, as well as the camera zooming in and out of funny moments. Also sound effects are added when necessary. I think that the editing was pretty spot on, and it one of my strong suits in these videos, as I think they fit in nicely in the YouTube landscape. The audio is good considering I don't have lavalier mics for everyone, and the mic I put on the camera does a good job, until the wind picks up, or the people in the video stray too far away from the mic. The pace of the video is good, although I could perhaps still trim it up so the audience doesn't get bored, and the length of the video is a traditional YouTube 10 minutes. I think as far as football YouTube videos go this video wrestles its' place against the other videos, and I am very happy with how it came out.

Gaming Commentary Video

This video was created from a League of Legends tournament me and my friends entered, in which I started editing the video, and cut it to just the first game, as the video reached around 12 minutes. This is a good length for a YouTube gaming video, as anything past 15 minutes is often not watched until the end. The first complaint about this video is the loud and excessive clicking coming from my microphone, of which I didn't know came out so dominant from my mic, so this problem is already fixed, and the next gaming video I recorded wouldn't have this problem. I will also need to manage the audio levels next time, as I had to do this inside of premier pro, as I was too loud compared to my teammates. The use of memes, sound effects and text are spread out and not too excessive, and at times the content is quite funny. For some reason every time I placed text on the screen, the video's brightness would increase a tiny bit, and i am still not sure why this is happening, so I will have to get to the bottom of that. As far as a YouTube gaming video goes, I am happy with it, but out of all the videos, this is definitely one I can improve upon the most, especially because this is the most contested type of video on YouTube, in which only the best make it to the top.

Cooking Challenge Video

This was my last video I created for my FMP, and I aimed to mimic a YouTube style of cooking video. The idea was to create cookies in a comedic fashion, and apply a funny twist to the recipe. Overall, I think the video is average, although I can see it doing alright in the YouTube landscape if I had a following. This camera shots were rather dull and limited, including not being able to see my face for the majority of the video. The audio is alright throughout, as well as the memes, sound effects and text popping up at the correct times, making the content comedic. The intro could have been recorded with more enthusiasm, as well as potentially having some animated pop-ups involved. The setting of the video is a bit dark, so perhaps for next time, a brighter location should be filmed at. I think that the sections within the video are good, such as the intro, transitioning to the creating of the cookies, to baking them, to trying them. I think that this video would be drastically improved with better camera angles again, as well as different perspectives. More footage of the food being created, as well as better coverage of the food getting cooked and crafted. The tasting of the cookies could have also happened in a better location, as well as the camera facing a different angle. Although many things could be changed for this video, I wouldn't know they needed to be changed unless I created this video, so it is an important learning curve, as well as the fact that I enjoy the videos I have created.