Analyzing the One Take Rant (Getting Comfortable on Camera Step Two)

What a relief!

The one-take-rant went SO much more smoothly than the “Getting Back on the Horse” video. So much so that I'm actually looking forward to shooting the next challenge! Woohoo! :)

I didn't do everything I said I was going to do in the last analysis, but I also did a few things I didn't say I would do. So that balances out right?

Have you done your one-take-rant yet? Give it a try. It's quite fun. :)

If you missed the video post, this is what I'll be analyzing today: https://youtu.be/Hl__5WWzoC0

This video was a breeze to edit since it was all in one take. I'm not sure about using just one take going forward—I'll have to experiment. I'll have to weigh the time-consuming task of editing against the time-consuming task of preparing my content well enough to get it all done in one take. We'll see...

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I added a cheesy title screen that I rather enjoy. The next step is to put music over that slide. Maybe even under the whole video. I need to look into royalty-free music. Baby steps.

Observations on content and timing:
I'm noticing my videos are averaging at 5 minutes. That's too long, especially since my views drop off around halfway through.

As expected, given the nature of the content, this video was a bit rambly. Also, I can see how the explanation of what equipment I'm using might be distracting from the core exercise. It takes too long for me to get to the thing the video is about.

Adjustments:
If I do choose to keep doing one take wonders, I will need to focus a lot more. I'll need to have a strong, succinct message and takeaway, and a MUCH shorter intro. I'm going to see if I can make my next video under 3 minutes. Get straight to the point, no more introductory rambling. This will be my primary objective.

Observations on lighting and framing:
The lighting and background were WAAAY better in my opinion. Although I still had to keep the frame quite tight to avoid getting the couch behind me in the shot. 

I managed to get myself halfway between the camera and the wall, so the wall wasn't brightly lit enough to steal focus. Autofocus behaved pretty well, I didn't go blurry nearly as much as before. I did also bump up the recording quality, so I'm not sure if that had something to do with it. 

My arms are lit more than my face though. I didn't get the angle of the lights high enough. No stand-in. :(

I was worried about the light too because I was right next to a window, and I heard somewhere you're not supposed to mix natural and studio light because the colours go weird. It was a cloudy day and I closed the curtains as much as I could. It didn't seem to matter.

There's a bit of shadow on my face. I think it's within acceptable limits. I don't want to wash out. 

My hair is in danger of coming across my face, but again within acceptable limits given the direct address angle.

My face is a bit shiny, especially since I took the diffusing paper off the lights. I didn't put powder on for this shoot. Going powderless is obviously not an option.

Adjustments:
Ideally I'd like to set up a permanent shooting space in the living room to allow for a wider shot and minimal fussing with lighting angles. That may take some rearranging of things. 

In the meantime I may ask my partner to stand in for me while I'm setting up lighting. He's not the same height as me, but he's not THAT much taller. I should be able to make it work.

I'm going to experiment with some softer light bulbs. Perhaps three lights instead of two.

And I'll never not use powder again.

Observations on sound:
Using the mic on the camera fixed the volume issue, but there is still the hum from my preamp, even without using the plug-in mic.

Adjustments:
I'm going to try the lapel mic again for the next shoot and ask my videographer to isolate the frequency so I can cancel out the preamp hum.

Observations on delivery:
I bounce a bit too much at the beginning. It's distracting given the close framing. I must watch for that.

I'm still pretty nervous, but my natural self is starting to come out. What's interesting is that my accent keeps switching.

My voice is very much in my facial mask with the rant, which makes sense, but it's also a nervous thing left over from learning Canadian English in high school. Can you hear all the up-speak? What a teenager!

My thoughts in the rant all link together and are hard to digest, which is expected because I'm ranting, but even so. The energy was good and I actually don't think I was talking too fast. But that's me and I'm used to talking fast. What is your opinion on the pacing? Too fast or not?

Adjustments:
Having a wider shot and being more aware of my framing should help with the distracting movements. This will take practice.

I've decided not to care about the accent and to keep the inconsistencies. I think it's more of a real representation of my personality. I'm a pretty fragmented person.

I need to separate my ideas better and feel less like I'm talking AT my audience. I'm not going to worry about the vocal tone too much right now, though. I want to see what happens as I get more comfortable. Instead I'm going to focus on getting in my body before recording and breathing more deeply while I'm speaking. The danger is that might slow me down too much, but we'll see if I can get it right.