Trying to get good video of miniatures for my YT channel.

[Caleb]

*Edit*

 

I took some of your suggestions and created a quick video about Legendary Encounters.

 

 

 

I have been trying to start up a miniature review thing on Youtube and I have had some positive feedback but mostly it's been tough getting feedback.

 

I now have a cheap setup with 2 lights and a HD camcorder.

 

If anyone has anything to say about the videos please let me know.

 

 

https://youtu.be/LpOPT2hm1XU

 

 

EDIT - I linked the same video twice.

 

https://youtu.be/2vpP1sZACuY

Edited March 28, 2016 by Caleb

[vegascat]

Nice videos, well lit and interesting. I just think you're having a hard time in a flooded subject.

[canuckotter]

I think only a small percentage of viewers normally comment on most videos even when the channel creator asks for comments. Heck, even Patreon campaigns that I've backed at a level where theoretically I get to provide extra feedback on stuff (voting on what topics to cover next, that sort of thing) I almost never remember to do so, and I know I'm far from unique in that regard.  

 

What kind of feedback are you looking for? In my experience, you're a lot more likely to get feedback if you ask specific questions - "Please let me know if the lighting is working for you as a viewer, or if you're finding shadows distracting" or "I tried using the green mat as a background this time instead of the normal grey one, please let me know if you found that made it easier or harder to see what was going on." That sort of thing. If you have specific things you want feedback on, make sure to ask fairly specific questions. If you just want general feedback, you might have a hard time getting anything out of most viewers.  

[Pegazus]

Looked (and subbed), and wow! You get comments?! Lucky!

 

Not sure there's much to add. Fairly well done.

[djizomdjinn]

I'd say get yourself a cheap plastic turntable, put some of your terrain on it, and slowly spin it with either a bit of string round the edge or by hand, so the viewer can get a smooth 360 view instead of either having it blocked by hands or set at some angles only.

 

Quite a nice lighting setup, everything looks great!

Edited March 3, 2016 by djizomdjinn

[Mr Melons]

A few ideas/comments:

 

You definitely need a better way to display the figures. You can use a spare/empty pill bottle and some sticky tack to keep your hands from being in the shot. Or you can use gentle jump cuts of each angle of the figure.

 

Your voice is good for VO and it's promising. However, there are moments where you seem scripted and moments where you use "Um" a lot. Take multiple takes (usually 3) of the same lines or sections so you can always get the best take, maybe?

 

Your thumbnails should be far more engaging. As they are, they appear to just be snippet images of the video. Maybe use fonts, photoshop, etc. There are probably a few good tutorials out there on how to make youtube thumbnails that can help you.

 

I'm also wondering if you should come out from behind the camera and talk to your audience. Maybe during your intro/outro talk to the camera instead of just VO.

 

 

These are just a few things I've seen other youtubers doing that help differentiate them amongst the herd. I follow quite a bit of them too. A lot of them recommend learning Adobe Premiere (not sure if you do).

 

 

 

You have great potential and just keep stepping forward with your content.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Mr Melons

[canuckotter]

I'm also wondering if you should come out from behind the camera and talk to your audience. Maybe during your intro/outro talk to the camera instead of just VO.

 

Sorry for snipping the rest... it's all good points but I wanted to add a comment to this in particular.

 

Some sort of intro / outro is a very good idea. A nice short one, probably, considering the length of your videos... Personally, I'd hold up DM Scotty's videos as a good example of taking the intro/outro too darn far. There's like 15-20 seconds of intro and about a minute (maybe more?) of outro on almost all vids... Considering that a bunch of them are like 5 minutes, losing 25% of the video to time-wasting blather is just annoying. The Wood Whisperer has one of the best intros I've come across yet - helped by the nature of what he's doing and the length and content of his videos, to be sure. And he's got maybe a couple seconds of outro on most videos, just enough to act as a bookend and let you know that yes, the video's done and it wasn't just cut off. Intro / outro doesn't have to actually be you in front of the camera but it does seem to be a good way of doing it, helps the audience relate to you as a human instead of just a voice.

[Pegazus]

And just to add to the intro, I actually do mine with PowerPoint. A couple simple animations and a music clip.

[Caleb]

 

I'd say get yourself a cheap plastic turntable, put some of your terrain on it, and slowly spin it with either a bit of string round the edge or by hand, so the viewer can get a smooth 360 view instead of either having it blocked by hands or set at some angles only.

 

That is a great idea.

 

 

Thanks for all feedback everybody!

 

I will definitely keep on working on videos. I have 5 days off work starting this weekend and I am going to try to release new videos.

 

 

It's funny because in the past I always had the issue of having videos come out too long.

 

Now with these sorts of videos I think some of them turned out really short even after shooting a lot of footage. But that is probably a good thing in the long run.

 

I might do a couple of vlog videos where I talk more in depth about stuff.

[Mr Melons]

The reason I mentioned intros/outro/thumbnails is because, as a ytcreator, you are basically building a brand. Brands tend to have catch phrases, logos, motoes, tag lines, etc because ppl genuinely need to hear things repeated to memorize them.

 

With that in mind, my favorite parts of your videos are the ending segment where you do a voice with a mini. I'm just spit balling, but maybe you could pick one specific mini (say Nethermaul) and make them a sidekick. Or have the Balor be another character that is the nemesis of the main character. Maybe even have them be a part of the production. Example scene:

 

You: "Here we have a Mimic miniature"

*Sidekick miniature next to the Mimic*

Sidekick: "Wow....that Mimic's got a lot of junk in it's trunk"

You: "Oh [sidekick's name]"

 

You also might wanna look into what the standard length of video others are doing in your specific genre. Some might average 15 mins, some might do 3 mins. From a monetization stand point, long form content is always more profitable than short form content (ad revenue, etc) as long as it is pertains to the content.

 

The thing with YT is that it's all about rhythm. Figuring out at what time intervals (daily, weekly, monthly) to put out content. Trying things and experimenting to see what fits you and those that watch you.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Mr Melons

[Caleb]

Hey I took some of your suggestions and made a quick video about Legendary Encounters.