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Author Topic: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)  (Read 1110 times)

Meph

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Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« on: October 14, 2014, 11:13:23 am »

What the title says.

I'm doing videos now. Usually its just pictures and text, but now... I cant believe it... I'll be the person in front of the camera. I'll do a video diary or video blog for my next tour, a trip to Japan and back. The videos were initially not my idea, but I get tons of free stuff if I do them, so hey, why not.

The problem is that I'm rather picky when it comes to quality. My tour planning is excellent. My equipment very fancy. I like to think that I'm an ok photographer. You all know my mod, and you know how MasterworkDF has turned out. But its my first time making videos, so naturally I'm a bit sceptical.

So, go wild. First video I ever made, criticise away. :D 10/10 would follow to Japan. 0/10 would see burn in hell after being turned into a popsycle in Siberia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEHLt3gAq2U&feature=youtu.be
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::: ☼Meph Tileset☼☼Map Tileset☼- 32x graphic sets with TWBT :::
::: ☼MASTERWORK DF☼ - A comprehensive mod pack now on Patreon - 250.000+ downloads and counting :::
::: WorldBicyclist.com - Follow my bike tours around the world - 148 countries visited :::

WillowLuman

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2014, 01:46:35 pm »

Nice beard! Was not expecting video logs, but looking forward to following your journey online.
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Timeless Bob

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2014, 05:58:32 pm »

I think the nervous thumbs up at the end was unnecessary, and while the map is contextually relevant, it would be contextually more relevant with the countries you've already cycled either covered in colored paper or somehow also otherwise showing which ones remain.  (Those who follow your video blog series may live in or have family/friends who live in those countries, and fame-by-proxy is popular enough to get your video blog passed around quite a bit more than it normally would.)  Perhaps filming yourself astride your bike in full kit rather than uncomfortably next to a wall with some gear behind you would be more feasible - it's the body-language that "sets the stage" and frames the context of your words, even if you're not currently indoors and not pedaling it. They're the "props and costume" like for a stage play.

Good call on the GoPro - that's a good piece of equipment.

I'd say 7-8/10 depending on how nervous you remain speaking to us via your camera.  The more natural you are at just speaking to us in that medium, the greater the interest will become.  It's important to feel that you're sharing moments of your life rather than making a formal presentation.  Show your passion and disappointment and that's the magic.
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Meph

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2014, 07:03:53 pm »

I'll cut the front and end of the video, that thumbs up is not going to be part of it. ;)

The map actually has my previous routes on it, but I just used it, because its there. Most of the videos will be shot in the tent or in a hostel, but for the first ones that I can actually do at home, I wanted to show my equipment room (yes, I have an entire room full of stuff). The map was already there, so I used it to divide the picture. If photographie taught me one thing, its not to have the object of the picture dead center. Thats boring.

I dont have the bike yet, hopefully get it later this week, but certainly the next week. A video just with the gear, and one showing the bike is planned. After all, the bike is sponsored, and the videos are for one of my sponsors youtube channels. :D

I hope to get another GoPro, a Hero4 Black, sponsored. Otherwise I go with what I have, which is a sony cybershot and the hero3 white.

Its not necessarily that I'm nervous... you put me in a large group, or even on a podium and have me speak to people? No problem. But standing alone in a room talking to a camera feels decivifely odd. Its literally staged, and I am not comfortable with staging things... will be awesome on the tour. Imagine me cycling uphill, just to stop, get tripod and camera out, setting it up to record, cycle downhill again, just to cycle uphill again into the camera frame, then stopping to pack the camera back into my bags. Thats madness, its so fake. I've already been up that hill, people that watch the video must realize that I'm just "doing it again for the camera".

I guess the only (and best) way to get used to it, is simply to make more videos. And what you said about showing your passion and disappointment: NO WAY!  :P An offhanded "yes, that was ok." is practically the highest praise I give. After someone asked me how crossing the Sahara was (I had 3300km of headwind and there was mostly nothingness all around) my answer was "It was a bit boring." If I start with "that was the most epic thing ever, so amazingly fucking awesome you wont believe your eyes, the best ever", I couldnt live with myself. ^^
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::: ☼Meph Tileset☼☼Map Tileset☼- 32x graphic sets with TWBT :::
::: ☼MASTERWORK DF☼ - A comprehensive mod pack now on Patreon - 250.000+ downloads and counting :::
::: WorldBicyclist.com - Follow my bike tours around the world - 148 countries visited :::

Timeless Bob

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2014, 07:15:04 pm »

Actually, the only thing your audience will ever know is what you show them.  Unless they're there to see you film something, they will only ever see what you post.  As to the passion/disappointment thing: you don't need to be false to also be seen as authentic, but to make a visceral connection, you've got to show the "viscera".  I mean, do you cycle around the world because ho-hum you're so bored?  Your passion is in the "why" of taking on this major project.  I mean, do you think everyone will suddenly "get" why you're going out of your way to make this massive, years long effort without any information from you about what's going on in your head?  They won't unless you give them some breadcrumbs to follow.

But eh, this is your thing, I'm just giving you my opinion.  Kudos man.
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Meph

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2014, 07:36:05 pm »

I like challenges, thats why I do it. Most people that do travel blogs etc want to tell a story. I dont. I'd love to teach people how to travel and give them good information about gear and routes and bikes, e.g. the technical details. Useful for people that want to travel, but need to figure out how.

At least thats what I'd be doing, if I'd be doing a blog. Which is not the case. ^^

What these videos are about is this: The sponsors PR guy said: Hey, last time you did reports and pictures, would be nice if you would make videos this time. My response: Yeah, no problem, its interesting for me to learn making videos too. (Tada, 5000€ of gear magically appear out of nowhere)

So the sponsor wants semi-regular video diaries. Probably showing the bike a lot. :P
I want to learn the techniques behind good filmography.

I dont necessarily need to be the subject for that. ^^ I'd rather tell the story about the tour, not "my story". Obviously most viewers are more interested in the personal parts, about "me". So... I'm currently undecided on what exactly to do. My current plan is to do a short video blog, regularily, that shows me and me talking about what happened the last week. "Hey guys, I'm in Samarakand now, the last 600km were hilly, you know, Pamir Highway and stuff, and visa regulations suck, but the people are friendly. Its been quite cold, but next week I should make it down into Iran. Wish me luck, cu next week, bye.", while at the same time filming a lot of outdoor shots, biking, camping, etc... a couple of hundret hours of materials, which I can later use to make a proper short film (or send to an editor to have him make a proper short film.)

On the other hand it wouldnt be my downfall if I wouldnt make videos... I told the PR guy straight that I cant promise anything (especially when it comes to uploading 150mb from central asia, lol. That takes a couple of days.), and if my GoPro stops working/lost/stolen, I dont think they would crucify me. The videos are not the only thing I'm doing for them. Its strange enough that they accepted me doing them in English (all the rest of the PR stuff is in German, since its a German company).
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::: ☼Meph Tileset☼☼Map Tileset☼- 32x graphic sets with TWBT :::
::: ☼MASTERWORK DF☼ - A comprehensive mod pack now on Patreon - 250.000+ downloads and counting :::
::: WorldBicyclist.com - Follow my bike tours around the world - 148 countries visited :::

flame99

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2014, 10:21:52 pm »

This looks interesting. I don't really have any comments on the video, but I'll certainly watch this.

I'd love to do something like this myself (When I'm older, of course; globetrotting is not a thing you do as a teenager), though of course financial problems would be a very real and very hard to remove obstacle.
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Meph

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #7 on: October 15, 2014, 11:08:02 pm »

If I'd trying to be a smartass that is technically correct (the best kind of correct), I'd say that I have been doing these tours as a teenager. My first trip, a one-year round the world tour, was started when I was nineteen.

If you ever need help planning a tour like this, bike or not, let me know. I'm always happy to help new travellers. It's also much cheaper than you might think. I saw blogs of people building a touring setup and bike for about 50$, or a couple that travelled a year from England to India that spend 5$ a day on average. (PS: I'm being super hypocritical here, because my touring setups costs way too much)

A colleague of mine has a project called adventure1000, see here: http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/adventure1000/. It's about getting ordinary non-adventurer non-rich people out there and try their hands at awesome tours. Maybe worth a read.

Edit: Yeah, I'll get a free GoPro Hero4 Black Edition with some accessories. :D Slow-Motion shots, here we go!
« Last Edit: October 16, 2014, 03:07:08 pm by Meph »
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::: ☼Meph Tileset☼☼Map Tileset☼- 32x graphic sets with TWBT :::
::: ☼MASTERWORK DF☼ - A comprehensive mod pack now on Patreon - 250.000+ downloads and counting :::
::: WorldBicyclist.com - Follow my bike tours around the world - 148 countries visited :::

flame99

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #8 on: October 16, 2014, 06:09:07 pm »

Really? I kind of thought that it would be *way* more expensive than that. Of course, financial difficulties will still likely be an issue, since I want to go into independent game development.
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Meph

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Re: Ahhhhh OMG - Meph in front of a camera (videoblog test)
« Reply #9 on: October 16, 2014, 06:19:01 pm »

I was quoting the lower end of the spectrum. I also met people spending 100$ a day, but I'm super comfortable with 20$ a day.

You can ask rmblr (well, he actually hasnt logged in here for a while), but he is an independant linux programmer, traveller and DF player. And blogger now, kinda. He stayed in my place when he came through Germany, he should be somewhere in the caucasus atm (?)
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::: ☼Meph Tileset☼☼Map Tileset☼- 32x graphic sets with TWBT :::
::: ☼MASTERWORK DF☼ - A comprehensive mod pack now on Patreon - 250.000+ downloads and counting :::
::: WorldBicyclist.com - Follow my bike tours around the world - 148 countries visited :::