Film to review - a ski trip to Champoluc, Italy

This video is about a ski trip to Champoluc, Italy, winter 2012, whit approximately 28 minutes whit all the best shots from our stay (the 18. of February to the 25.).

The film was shot whit two GoPro Hero 2 and one Canon Legria HF200, edited whit FCPX.

I have tryed to find a midelway whit use of effects and transitions.



I would appreciate any feedback - but you need to have some good speakers and I hope you like the music

(the text is Norwegian)

Anyone?

Ok buddy, tell you what, it needs more cutting. Lots of that footage may be meaningful for you & your friends, so that's the director's cut for them. However, for public consumption, it's way too long. Give us a teaser of the helicopter skiing up front, or something to pique our interest, the roadtrip doesn't do much for me. Way too much shaky cam stuff too. Stabilize, man, stabilize. FCPX can help.

The mountains are breathtaking, the experience wonderful, but by the time we get there... you've probably lost most of your audience.

The whole thing should be about 4 minutes. Leave them wanting more.
Not the opposite.

TrixTrax9000 wrote: The whole thing should be about 4 minutes. Leave them wanting more.
Not the opposite.

Agreed. Half an hour is too long to watch someone else's holiday footage.

Make an absolute highlights video less than 5 minutes to get people clicking. Or consider chopping it into smaller 'episodes' - make the sure the first episode is the best one though.

On another recent thread it was mentioned that watching other peoples holiday videos (or other peoples holiday photos) is one of the 7 levels of hell. But it doesn't have to be that way.

In that thread I also embedded a video of a 'perfect' holiday video. I am going to link it here, have a look at it (note the pacing and how damn short it is): vimeo.com/47767166

So yeah, as Trix says, make the big 30 minute one for friends and family, and make a short and sweet cut for everyone else. Its damn good editing practice too!

Hi, and thanks for the replay and feedback! I am one hundred present agree whit you about viewing holyday videos for other – and I know that if you shall make it interesting for other it has to be short and fast clipping. I have one version for “everybody” and it’s hopefully more you’re way.

- vimeo.com/38671671

For this video a wanted feedback on, I wanted feedback on how I have put the footage together, not if you like it or not as a holyday movie. It’s not made for everybody – but as a memory for the people on the trip. Here is stabilisation one god comment, and I will read the other forum post.
I asked a feedback because I trying to learn from one project to another, and from watching others project on Vimeo and so on, and from comments from the people that can this better then me . Any comment here at FCP.CO is there for a very good way to learn more.

First of all, Klausre, you have a great attitude. I like that.

So, your project is improving, this latest edition is certainly more lively with the upbeat music, choppy editing, split screens etc. However, you can still work on developing your eye for content. What is truly interesting?

Because no matter how much vintage grain, light leaks & frame jitter you add, watching people packing luggage or the backs of heads on busses or planes, is never interesting. Sorry.

Now we're coming in at just over 4 minutes, still seems longer, why is that? Because of interest levels. We've probably got less than 30 seconds of skiing in all that time. Or extended periods of the packed ski's POV. Does that really grab you cinema-wise? I know you must have thought the ski bag having it's own POV was really clever, well, it's not. Sorry. The lengthy scene of the bar & extended shots of people picking up drinks or texting on their iPhones is dull.

Here's why it's not interesting; because it's the same thing going on in every bar on earth. What have you got that others don't? You've got the helicopter, the pristine powder, the amazing slopes, alpine vistas, those are million dollar shots, so where are they? Add value to your production by showcasing those high value shots. Scrap the low value shots they degrade your film. If you want to show people enjoying themselves with a drink, fine, 10, 20 seconds tops. Filming someone texting is the absolute death of interest, no matter how many drinks are in the foreground. If the scene isn't strong enough to hold HIS interest there, how on earth is it supposed to hold ours?

Would have loved to have seen that chopper coming in with slow motion rotors visible. The steep diagonal traverse on the mountain face from the earlier longer version you posted. Some nice shots up a mountain as a skier flies over our frame, add some slomo then, or even a sun lens flare. Some shots are still running a bit long, we hold on the empty crisscrossed mountain for too long. In that whole bar section each shot ends with a violent camera shake. Cut the scene before you move the camera. I like the slow pan of everyone sunbathing outside the chalet, but it's still missing something, maybe it's a bit too long, or as we pan come into a sun flare flash transition to next scene.

Work on your content ratios. Travel to event is a dull beginning, I'd rather begin with a guy on a couch head back imagining his dream, we use an effect to see that chopper coming in on the snowy mountain top, slomo it's still a dream, BOOM he packs & is gone in seconds, maybe 10. Lose the bus heads & plane heads. See Guy Richie's Snatch to see how only a few seconds are needed to convey plane travel.

Then show me a low tracking shot of the 4 men from the back up at them as they're silhouetted against the massive looming mountain. Then pan of the friends faces, looking up at the mountain, medium closeup we sweep by the faces, the emotions... anticipation, adventure, worry?

Then kick up your music, we're flying in. Where's your airborne footage? Then lots of skiing, powder spraying, jumps, thrills, spills, danger, plenty of action.

Finally we have our little party & relaxation time. End on a happy laughing cheering toast where the 4 friends clink their glasses, maybe fade to our man, back on the couch looks across the room sees the skis against the wall dripping, smiles... fade to black.

So your ratios could be something like; Setup & travel 30 seconds. Anticipation 5-10 seconds. Action 2 minutes or less (depending on how much high value footage you have). Relaxation transitioning into party 20-30 seconds. Epilogue 5-10 seconds.

Then you have a sweet little package that really sizzles.

Thank you - strait on - thats the way. Here was some good pointers, and I will read this post two times more.

The big "problems" when you are one of the persons skiing, is that you often have to little time to film, and the shots is often bad.

I'll start on some new project soon, and I'll try to focus one clip quality and story. You will here from me in this fora agin (and I hope you can guide me further)

Thanks for you're time!

Even if it's just a holiday video, if you can first try to imagine things before you leave, ideas that you would like to show, so you can make a kind of shot list. Secondly, if you have your camera at the ready, batteries & SD cards, or whatever you use, then you can quickly capture those moments when they arise.

I was thinking after I wrote, being packed into a helicopter with bulky jackets & ski gear, then suddenly realizing, "Man, where's the camera? I'm missing some amazing aerial shots."

The old boy scouts motto was "Be Prepared." Sometimes circumstances dictate otherwise, but if you have some idea of what you'd like to capture, you have a better chance of doing so.

Looks like you had a great time up there.