Video Breakdown: We're Done With You

Hello Everyone!

      Wow! Its been a VERY long time! I apologize for the long wait for a new video, and I don't even have an excuse for it. It was really just a product of my writer's block. If you haven't seen my new video "We're Done With You- An Original Breakup Song", then I suggest you watch it here before you read the rest of this Video Breakdown.

      Okay, lets start with the beginning. I wanted to make this video seem as though it was un-professional, almost as if it was an e-card. This is why the video has only one continuous shot. I chose not to follow general music video format, because it gave the video (sort of) a hidden meaning. It also makes it look more like Reg and I are actually together. If a video was ameteaur, why would someone work on an effect like that? Well, that's exactly what I wanted it to look like. It makes it seem more real.

      Second, how did I actually accomplish the shot? In Premiere Pro CS5.5, I used a 16 point garbage mask to cut the video in half. When I shot the video, I made sure to never cross a certain point. This made my editing easier. I didn't have to use a green screen because I cut the entire image in half.

     The song itself was a product of an idea that I got at 3 in the morning! I woke up in the middle of the night and created a rough outline on my iPod. Then I used a special piano that plugs into my computer to record the piano track. I recorded the voice tracks a while later and shot the video just after that. I hope you guys all enjoyed the video as well as the song!!

      If you haven't seen the video yet, please watch it here. Please also check out my Facebook Page and my Twitter as well! Thanks everyone for your support! Please share any of my videos to a friend if you enjoyed them!! Have a wonderful day!

Professional Style Videos

Hi Everyone!

     The 2 month wait is over! I finally put up a new video, which you can watch by clicking here or by watching it down at the bottom of this post.
   
     Today's video breakdown is mostly about what makes your videos look professional. Why is this important? You want people to be able to look at your videos and take them seriously (even if they are comedy). You want people to look at you and say "Wow, he/she is really serious about this stuff. It obviously looks like he/she puts the time and effort needed into his/her work." And making people think that is a lot easier than you think.

     First, have a good establishing shot. Take a look at the beginning of my current video. Notice the pan that occurs? Its extremely simple to accomplish and really makes people want to watch the rest. It's like having a hook sentence in an essay or story. It makes people keep watching until the end.

     Second, I like having a nice simple intro and outro. It makes the video part of your "brand" or "company", so to speak. And if you are putting music to it, make the music your own! Don't take a song that somebody else wrote. If you can't sing, I'm pretty sure you have a friend that does. And it can be simple, just a few seconds. The video of the intro doesn't have to be elaborate either.

     Third, get a bunch of people to work on your videos with you. The more hands in the pot, the quicker and better the project gets done. However, make sure that one person is the dedicated leader (if there is a director, that would be him). Then, when you're editing, put all of the stars of your video in the beginning. This is done a bunch in feature films and gives credit to all of the people who worked with you. Also, if you have more people that helped with your video, put them in the credits at the end! But don't forget to include your stars in the end as well! :) When you have a bunch of people that work with you, there are more people who can tell more friends, who then tell their friends, and then your view count increases exponentially.

     It is ideal to work on professional editing techniques. Now, this is optional, because I understand that most people don't have editing software. However, any computer nowadays comes with some type of video editing software, whether it be Widows Movie Maker or iMovie. You can still experiment with some professional editing techniques using those programs. Now, by professional editing techniques, I mean things like conversations. This is hard to explain without showing you, but good examples can be found here. Notice how when conversations happen, the camera cuts back and forth between the two (or more) characters talking? This is a great thing to do, and its really very simple to do, but for some reason it makes people think that your videos are professional. It also just looks very good.

    Okay, the last and most important point: BE ORIGINAL! Don't do spinoffs of other people's videos! If you have a channel in which the goal is very similar to that of famous YouTubers, (i.e. My channel is pretty similar to Shane Dawson in that we both do the same type of comedy) then be sure to make your individual content very different! Don't try and do a parody of the same song he did a parody to a week after he did it! Just think of your own things, find places and things that inspire you, and get to work!

   If you read this whole thing, then thank you. I hope you took some valuable information from it. Tune in for the next blog post in a few weeks! Here is the newest video that I've posted. Thank you everyone!

Video Breakdown: The Grossest Ever (New YouTube Video)

Hi everyone! I uploaded a new video last night, which you can watch by clicking here. Basically, what I wanted to accomplish through this video was the amazing dolly shot provided by my parents. I also wanted to incorporate that flying shot you saw closer to the end.

For the dolly: My dad's car has a hatch. Basically, if you have a minivan, you have one of these. Its in place of the trunk and it is connected to the car. So my dad drove around while my mom sat in the hatch holding the camera. Thats dedication!

For the flying shot: All I had to do was get my friend Lauren to jump in the air. I also had to get a shot at the same angle without her in it. Then, its all up to clever masking, layering, timing, and color correction in After Effects. A great tutorial for this can be found here!

Anyway, here is my newly released video! Other than that, please be sure to check out my Facebook, Twitter, and other YouTube videos!

Have a wonderful day!
-LaurenceBenjamin

Welcome to my blog!

Well, here I am. This is my new, and first ever blog. I will try to post little things every week or so, and hopefully, as my followers increase, so will my posts. Basically, I hope to be showing little tips and tricks that involve film making. I also might just post about something that I find to be interesting or cool.

Have fun guys! And be sure to leave a comment!

Be sure to check out my YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter!!

-LaurenceBenjamin