IanR Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Please accept this in the spirit in which its being given - as hopefully constructive criticism and not a rant. I've just watched the Extreme Wot 4 and Tony N's P51-B videos and - they're awful. The model jumping around, and off, the screen, in and out of focus, and no real appreciation of what the model is doing or how it is behaving. I've wittered about this before but, being an avid Youtube rc plane video watcher, I think I can say with some certainty that the best videos are those which use the zoom button minimally. The worst are those where the photographer is constantly battling to fill as much of the viewfinder as possible with the model. It just doesn't work and, what's more, it gives no feel for how the model is behaving. Its like watching the binocular view in a flight sim. You can see the model's orientation but not how its flying. The best view is the one which approiximates standing alongside the pilot, in reality. And if the model is 200 feet up, let it look as though its 200 feet up and not 20 feet up. Ask the pilot not to fly too far away so that the plane becomes a dot in the distance, but, if he does, then zoom in only sufficiently to be able to make out the model's shape in the distance. With the greatest respect for a great magazine and a great website and a great everything else you all do (but please keep off the zoom button!) Ian Edited By IanR on 27/09/2013 00:59:52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted December 20, 2013 Author Share Posted December 20, 2013 Well, I've just finished watching the latest RCM&E video of the Spirit V Evo and what can I say? Absolutely brilliant, marvellous! I could see exactly how the model was flying. Totally different from the previous Tony Nijhuis P51 video. Thank you to the camera person for not messing with the zoom button too much. Ian - Happy Bunny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avtur Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Taking a wider view of video footage I have to say I agree with OP that many examples of (ground to air) video posted on youtube are a very disappointing with over use of zoom, camera shake and 'mind of it's own' autofocus being the main problem areas. Here is (what I think to be) a superb example of video recording LINK Zoom is used in a very effective way allowing the model to be seen full frame but with wide shots to provide context, there are are couple of auto focus glitches (but that's being really pedantic). For me this is one of the best examples of model flying video I have seen. Edited By avtur on 21/12/2013 17:21:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 9 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I would love to see more Pete Lowe videos covering a few more trad building techniques Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ashby - Moderator Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Posted by IanR on 20/12/2013 16:21:39: Well, I've just finished watching the latest RCM&E video of the Spirit V Evo and what can I say? Absolutely brilliant, marvellous! I could see exactly how the model was flying. Totally different from the previous Tony Nijhuis P51 video. Thank you to the camera person for not messing with the zoom button too much. Ian - Happy Bunny. Thanks Ian....zoom? on an iPhone! Quality drops off so I told Graham not to touch it! I didn't get round to reply to your first post. You're absolutely right in some respect although I see plenty of Youtube videos too and while I think you're being a bit hard saying my modest efforts are awful, I apprecaite there are better out there. That said, high production values cost money and we work in the print and digital tablet medium. The tricky part if we invest in video production is getting said videos to pay for themselves or add value for subscribers especially given that there's so much free stuff around with folks prepared to make them for nothing. As I've said before, we occasionally point an iPhone or small HD cam at a model and, on the basis that a little video is better than none at all and readers might like to see a prominent model flying, we hit the record button. Tony's P-51 was a case in point, it doesn't fly much and Tony, bless him, turned up at the patch with just one battery so stills were the priority from the two flights he squeezed out of the pack. Although I like some of the stuff out there, Flite Test etc. I still think there's room for a better R/C flying show that encompasses a bit more than what the presenters happen to like or fly themselves. Edited By David Ashby - RCME on 08/01/2014 15:20:35 Edited By David Ashby - RCME on 08/01/2014 15:21:10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 David, I'm very sorry for my use of the word "awful" - please substitute any other word with a similar but less harsh meaning! And please keep making videos with iphones or small HD cams etc at every available opportunity. In my opinion there is absolutely no need to invest in high-end video production - the quality of the videos you are producing leaves very little, if anything, to be desired. My only gripe, for want of a better word, is over zealous use of the zoom button. That's all. Asking Graham not to touch the zoom button worked a treat, as far as I'm concerned. I apologise unreservedly if I've caused you even the slightest amount of concern. That really was not my intention. Sincerely, Ian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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