New to video

[Sundancr260]

I have been diving for quite some time now but last month, was my first attempt at underwater videography. Check this out an let me know what improvements I can make.

Thanks,

YouTube - Scuba Diving Cozumel with Rec Diving

 

[robint]

I have been diving for quite some time now but last month, was my first attempt at underwater videography. Check this out an let me know what improvements I can make.

Thanks,

YouTube - Scuba Diving Cozumel with Rec Diving

Very nice for a first attempt! You did a good job with editing although the overall video is a bit long. Nine minutes of video really needs more excitement or huge dramatic moments, a WOW factor, to hold the viewers attention. I would trim it down and make a couple of 3 minute videos out of it maybe. Slow down in your pan shots, too. That first one was waaaaay too quick. Some of the fish shots are too far back, try to get closer if you can. The turtle eating was awesome catch, great job!

The color looks off in most of the shots, are you using a camcorder or did you shoot this video with a still camera in video function?

Overall I say you did a great job and keep going with it. The more you do it, the better you will get. Nice mix of fish shots, diver shots, reef shots... you definitely are on the right track.

robin

 

[Sundancr260]

Thanks, I have reloaded it back into FCP and am knocking the saturation levels back. It was shot on a Sony HC-9 HDV camera with a red filter. My white balance cards did not get to me in time to take.

 

[robint]

Thanks, I have reloaded it back into FCP and am knocking the saturation levels back. It was shot on a Sony HC-9 HDV camera with a red filter. My white balance cards did not get to me in time to take.

FCP? Is that Final Cut Pro? I don't know much about it but I am sure there is a White Balance setting/adjustment in it. I use Pinnacle Studio and can add back in red, or decrease blue or green by individual clips. I bet you can too. That is what I would do. Which housing do you have? BTW, you don't need white balance cards if you have white sand from what I am told - others here on the board who do manual white balance can tell you what they do.

also - I think you should update your SB profile page (it is currently blank), add in your signature line which camcorder, housing you are using, etc. It makes it easier for others to help you when they can find that info.

robin

 

[Sundancr260]

Yes that would be Final Cut Pro. I have the file open now adjusting the color, saturation and contrast curves. The problem I ran across with using the sand as white balance is you have to be right on top of it. Otherwise, the colors shift dramatically if you are to far from the sand. Next time I am going to manual white balance as the depth changes in increments of 10 to 15 feet. Also going to add some lights.

Rob

 

[diversteve]

fwiw, we have an embed tag for YouTube video.
Everything after the v= in your YouTube url goes betwen the tags.

So this:
[yt]GvL5R2UylEU[/yt]

yields this:

 

[robint]

Yes that would be Final Cut Pro. I have the file open now adjusting the color, saturation and contrast curves. The problem I ran across with using the sand as white balance is you have to be right on top of it. Otherwise, the colors shift dramatically if you are to far from the sand. Next time I am going to manual white balance as the depth changes in increments of 10 to 15 feet. Also going to add some lights.

Rob

Just remember about lights, they only work when you are very close up! And remember to take off the red filter when you turn the lights on.

 

[Sundancr260]

I was actually going to use some light blue gels on the lights and not change the white balance. I do this when I shoot production work on land. Not the blue filters but ones that match the existing lighting as fill.

 

[robint]

I was actually going to use some light blue gels on the lights and not change the white balance. I do this when I shoot production work on land. Not the blue filters but ones that match the existing lighting as fill.

I think that is actually counter productive. When you take the red filter off and turn on the lights as is, the colors pop! They are as they should be, adding a red filter on the filming camcorder and blue filters on the lights to balance out won't give you the same color.

 

[HiDefPics]

If you're using lights with a lower color temperature, then you are right on to add a 1/4 blue or something along those lines to bump up the effective color temp. However, I think robin is right that the red filter on the cam + high color temp artificial light will yield bad results. I think you would find the reds would be oversaturated.

What lights are you looking at?

I was actually going to use some light blue gels on the lights and not change the white balance. I do this when I shoot production work on land. Not the blue filters but ones that match the existing lighting as fill.