Posted on Hubski a few months ago and appreciated the feedback folks gave me. I've gone back to the drawing board and am trying to figure out how to tackle this issue. Was thinking I would chat to a philosopher next time, and do some antics with Semitics. Let me know what you think. Thanks!
On my phone, so I've got to be brief - audio, audio, audio. It's the first thing I usually notice. Drop a few quid on a lav mic. They're about 30USD(or more) and will elevate your production value. In the scenes with the expert, we can barely hear your exchange of dialog. You will not regret this purchase.
The funny thing is I had the right equipment, just didn't know how to use it properly. First mistake was I forgot to check the levels before, so completely missed the fact I was only recorded on one channel. Secondly, the mic was directional, and I stupidly placed it right next to Rizwaan, but on the chair below the table. So inexperience to blame mostly. Audio is my biggest problem, and from what I've learned, seems to be the most common. Thanks for the feedback Steve, much appreciated!
I agree with steve's critique, the audio could be vastly improved. I enjoyed some of the edits and the narrative you are constructing. I actually feel weird watching this because I'm one of those "diet coke" brown people and I'm sitting in an airport. I bet the person sitting next to me thinks I'm up to no good if they saw my computer screen while I'm watching this. One thing I noticed: you spend a lot of time intro-ing this video. I bet that if you tried, you could cut that in half and still maintain the same integrity of the video. I enjoyed the time speaking with the "expert." The edits that you have during his bit are kind of abrupt and occur while the camera is still on him. That's a big odd, right? Normally these edits occur when he's not on camera, right? I'm not an expert in editing, but it's kind of jarring. At 6:20, what is the benefit of showing you sitting down and typing? What you are doing is cool. I'm glad you are sharing it here and I look forward to seeing more. Good luck sleepydustking!
Thanks thenewgreen - I've added your feedback to my list for the next one. The point you made about the length of the intro is exactly what one of the senior reporters told me. One of the hardest parts of scripting is cutting stuff down, which is even harder as you become closer to the story, as smaller details seem more important to the story then they actually are. I feel your pain bro, I'm also one of those "diet coke" brown guys, and am always stopped at airports. Part of me likes to think its because I'm really cool and the immigration guys just wanna hang out with me. More likely just people being "careful" - it sucks but racial profiling does exist. Btw, is there anything is particular I you think I ought to cover in the next episodes?