He also relies on no one coming along and doing it better and stealing his spot because he knows no one actually reads the source. Definitely open source.
As somebody who wasted money and time on a Media Arts degree, I have to say, you knocked like 3 classes out in 25mins. Could've saved me 6 months and a caffeine addiction
that's certainly a powerful thought, however, for those who want to see more, you can't. for viewers who wish to see less, they can skip though. it makes sense therefor to leave more in so people can choose (by scrubbing) what they want to see. - time stamps are also amazing for helping people see what they want (and in many cases how much of it)
@@joshhardin666 Well that's the beauty of UA-cam I guess... there are tons of channels that go into every minute detail with very long videos, and then there's channels that just show you the cool stuff.
I've learned you should set your aperture, THEN set your shutter speed to 1/(2X) where X is your framerate, THEN set ISO to lock in exposure. It minimizes motion blur. If you ever get anxious about releasing something because it might be wrong, feel free to come back to this comment. I made a 30-minute "how to do camera" video and didn't know what shutter speed did. No sarcasm, I have some great commenters.
8:35 I cant tell the difference between the shot with the 97cri and the 80cri they look identical to me. Even pausing them and even looking at it through multiple monitors. So no the difference is not obvious
This video worked, I honestly meant to watch for a little while while I was waiting for my shower to heat up and I ended up turning off the shower to watch the video intently. Nice job!
Great tips! Especially on the lighting! You mentioned macro extension tubes in passing on your coverage of macro photography, and I wanted to add that macro extension tubes are quite cheap ($30-40 for a set of 3), and since they contain no optics, produce extremely high quality images. I have had very positive experiences with macro extension tubes to get more use out of existing lenses. The main drawback of extension tubes is that they have extremely shallow depth of field, so for a given lens/tube combination, your camera needs to be positioned in a fairly exact position a few inches away from the subject. I set up a macro station in my workspace with a pedestal for an object and markings for exactly where I should place the camera, but finding that point for a given set of lenses/tubes the first time requires some hunting. A side effect of this is that since the camera needs to be so close, the camera itself may create shadows, and you may need a camera mounted ring light.
My macro lens is a bigass lens from a car foglight that i glue to my phone with double sided tape. It takes ok macros, but i like it most because the DOF is narrow so when i take pictures of small sub 1mm features it gives them alot of depth.
It's definitely stage dressing, AvE chooses specific clutter to include, and then to knock out of the way. It makes a more visually appealing shot, and a dynamic scene.
Heya Zach huge fan, Finally you're talking about somthing in my wheel house. I went to film school, own my own production company in detroit, and currently work as a creative Visualization artist for a super big company in detroit. Your thoughtfulness when it comes to these videos is amazing. The techniques and main concepts shown in this video I'd like to just say are spot on. You did a pretty good job of explaining the exposure triangle which I know is hard for alot of people to grasp at first. Going over 3 point and camera techniques is one thing but, CRI color accuracy is awesome. I can really tell you care about what you do and have been watching since the beginning of your boom on UA-cam. Also though the BMPCC series has entry level prices they are far from entry. My company owns two of them and we even shot a feature film on a 6k and anamorphic lenses they are full fledged cinema cameras as far as I'm concerned. They are no alexa mini but I would argue the curve of diminishing returns does not worth buying anything in that realm especially for what you are doing. If I would offer any advice. Experiment with different lighting scenarios. Look into negative fill and bounce lighting, or even harsher key lights. This can make the self shadowing more dynamic on the project and give it a bit more form and shape. Another thing you can do to help remedy the static problem is a little camera movement. A slider shot can go a long way. Thanks for being awesome Zack, love to see the process 👍
As a technology teacher: I can tell you it's possible, but not continuously. Creating content as streamlined as this can take tens or even hundreds of times as long to plan as to execute in person. During my first year teaching it was all I could do to keep up and convert content to my own style. After a year or so, once content is roughly optimized, this kind of thing is possible. Not for every day, but for a few. Plus, you definitely wouldn't want to keep up this pace for 90 minutes everyday. I don't think anyone has quite that much energy. I do love using videos when teaching for that reason though.
@Gabriel Quittemappreciation is far better than pity for teachers. Most teachers chose to teach for some reason, and it probably wasn't money. That said, the actual teaching is often overshadowed by planning, grading, management, administration, curriculum, etc.
Most teachers try their hardest to be as "correct" as posible, and that makes matters boring. The good teachers explain stuff just like a classmate would, without using the exact words but getting the message accross. He's one of those I have a teacher who takes half an hour to explain something and overcomplicates stuff with hard terms. When a classmate asks me to explain what he was explaining, thet get it instantly.
@@Slushee I see that as possibly coming from two places. The first is as you say, a wish to be as correct as possible, but the other might be from time. It's hard to remember what it's like to not know those things if you surround yourself with people who do. This is an issue grad students and professors seem to have the most trouble with. The more personable a teacher is, the more they seem to understand that flaw. They still do need to meet their language requirements though, so sometimes it might be intentional. Sorry to hear most of the teachers you've had haven't been too great at that...
This is incredibly insightful, but also tough to watch for a channel like mine. I have tried really hard to make the engineering and process the focus rather than just the results at the end. I definitely think my audience is in some ways different from yours, but keeping viewers' attention is certainly a struggle for me. think a ton of the filmmaking and B-roll tips you mentioned will be super valuable and I'll definitely borrow some of those strategies. Thank you for making this!
I don't think you need to dumb down the video - it's all about showing people what they want to see, at a pace and style that makes time seem to melt away. Try doing a video call with a friend, and watching their face while they watch the video. You'll instantly spot places where they start to perk up or lose interest.
My favorite way of setting up the camera - choose "Auto", point to where you want to shoot, half-press the button, remember the ISO/f/shutter speed values, then go to manual and set them. Done.
I just recently picked up a Lumix G95 camera and a condenser mic to start making project videos but I’ve been too nervous to start. This is exactly the kick in the ass I needed.
Nice video! That's a lot of information to digest in one block. Many thanks though, I may implement some of your suggestions in future videos as I am guilty of all of the aforementioned transgressions. Thank you for bringing to my attention just how crap my videos are. With the addition of your suggestions I just might, some day, earn one of those much coveted gold play buttons. Thanks for putting the video up!
Hello Ian, Your videos are nowhere near crap, and i love following your adventure trough life since quite a while now. I hope you're doing well and post some new videos when you feel like it. I am 100% sure you'll get the coveted play button at some point, absolutely no doubts about that, it's just about _when_ . I wish you a wonderful day sir.
Okay this was ridiculously helpful, Zack! Thanks for making this one. I will definitely be coming back to it the next time I record a project, I don't think i've ever gotten much further than the camera knowledge! Pitching things at audiences is hard as hell lmao
I daydream about making my own videos and interesting projects and this is... amazing. Your engaging scripts kept me listening for the start, but when I see the actual video I get a sense for the effort put into them. Explaining it is smart.
This is seriously the best video on how to make any kind of content. You even covered a lot of topics used in literature, like Chekov's gun for example, and this video is gonna be really helpful to any content creator. Seriously, good job. In hindsight it seems so simple, but even Newton was called a genius when he explained that "things fall down when you drop them".
Hey Zack! I have an idea for a project. If not you, anyone else can pick this one up, cause I don't quite have the skills or the know how. *Objective:* Create a document camera for university lectures that doesn't suck! *Features:* 1) laser indicators that show on the surface /Exactly/ where is in the view of the camera and where is out of view. 2) physical button/dial/slider to control white balance/brightness/focus. many of my lecturers have dark skin and wear white shirts, or vice-versa. this constantly blows out the balance. the focus moves between their arm and the paper they are writing on. grr. *Bonus points:* ultra portable, minimal setup, ease of use for technophobe lecturers, plug and play, always, share the build on youtube/github, etc.
At 4:45 - I think it should state, "the lower" the number, the... F/1.8 has shallow depth of field and more light where as F/32 is almost a pinhole lens with nearly no light but everything is in focus (within reason).
Found your channel about 3 days after the singularitron vid went up and I’ve been bingeing your vids since. Definitely one of my new favorite maker content creators. Keep up the amazing work!
Shooting beyond f/11 is actually not recommended since the image gets softer due diffraction. Even though f/20 has more depth of field, f/11 looks better and sharper at 5:22.
you're not slick! cut at 0:39 "I haven't cut a single time since that title card" Although I guess this proves your point! Love the vids! Edit: Guess I'm not a millennial
I really like the things you said the viewers don't like, specifically watching people put things together and the little details that went into making things work :(
really good video, I think to what degree you follow some of these ideas determines what type of audience you will receive. This is the guide to the lowest common denominator, but I think there can be value is specializing too.
I gotta push back a bit, because this is definitely not how you make videos for the lowest common denominator. That would put basically zero focus on the project itself - the entire video would be using the project, especially on others. See Michael Reeves zapping people, Mark Rober fart-spraying strangers, Corridor Digital doing really anything, etc. I think there's this idea that some people are so erudite that they transcend the desire to be entertained, or that they have such intense mental strength that they can lock their attention on something drab through sheer force of will. I don't think either of these are very common, if they exist at all.
@@ZackFreedman I watch many "boring" engineering videos from research labs and creators alike, which are almost always basically just showing the project, talking through the steps and rarely showing their face. Maybe I am an unusual person, but I do believe there is a niche for in depth engineering content. Engineers like seeing the engineering of others, and although it may never reach as mainstream appeal as more story based content, there is still a place for it. It somewhat makes me sad when I see content where the details have been cut, I feel it removes me from an opportunity to learn something. Perhaps it is not worth catering to people like myself, but we do exist. There have been numerous successful channels based entirely on delivering niche content in extraordinary detail, "knyght errant" for example. I think more "content" focused videos can be good and successful, but they are often more likely to fall into obscurity as they don't have as captive of an audience. Don't take any of what I've said as an insult please, I really love your videos, just thought it could be interesting to give my perspective. Have a nice day :)
A good cheap macro lens could be getting an old manual focus wide angle lens like a 28mm… but you get something called a “reversing ring”. It is a ring that threads into the FRONT of the lens, and the other side has a bayonet mount on your camera… so it mounts the lens BACKWARDS on your camera. Ever look through a telescope backwards and everything gets tiny? It’s kind of like that but in reverse.
Naw fam, just use a Sony RX100 and skip a lot of that fiddling. I've literally used it for every UA-cam video I've made, and I've done pretty alright for myself 🙂 I think the idea that you need to have fancy equipment really stops a lot of people from even trying to make videos.
Zacks energy level before used to make me uncomfortable Zacks energy level now makes me want to watch more Thank you for these tips, I am attempting time lapse videos. They are very much appreciated, and your content is always entertaining. And it's because of that energy level.... It's over 9000!!!!
Shutter speed should always be double the frame rate: 24fps= 1/48th SS (cinematic looking footage) 30fps= 1/60th SS (television frame rate) 120fps= 1/240th SS (slow motion, and should down scale to 24fps) (Only for video, not necessary for photography) Always try and live by this, compensate with a cheap ND filter if you can’t achieve this ss without blowing out the image. Good video 👍🏻
Can I say that this Project thing happening and all is really nice to see people solder and "Fixing problems" showing the way and showing where it went wrong and how you went to fix those problems
I try to mix as many of the real-world frustrations into my videos as possible, but there's a limit. They can kill the momentum and give the video an unpleasant, two-steps-forward-one-step-back cadence that makes them frustrating and disheartening to listen to.
@@ZackFreedman tbh Its probably just me but I really enjoy those kind of videos like Colin from This Does not Compute really seeing the struggle and steps he had to take to get where he finally succeeded that makes the end product oh so sweeter / even when he wasnt able to fix it / build it's the Journey that was entertaining enough. But I'm probably just not like a normal viewer as I enjoye "My Mate Vince" videos where he repairs stuff whilst learning about it / not having been confronted with those things before and seeing him learn and get better even if it's for about an Hour and at the end the Laptop still doesnt wanna start is so satisfying and just amazing to put on
20:30 I 90% agree. But there's one hair. UA-cam is home to tons of gaming videos. Games are repetitive. But often they still want to show the journey, if they cut the activity then it breaks the story; it didn't happen. And cool edits are cool. For Rust, Welyn chops up the footage and matches a beat, "SOLO RAIDING AN ENRAGED GROUP - Rust" - 7:45. For LoL, Bausffs videos have a similar edit: "KOREANS DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT!" - 3:45. There's also a lot woodworking video that focus on the therapeutic side of making a project. But woodworking might be the exception, not the rule.
You are by far my favorite content creator. There are others that I like, but, I must say, nobody does due diligence like you do. It reminds me of me. Well done.
More photog ed than tech school night class for a year. Nice. The 1 element a person can't just go buy is a charisma like yours... I'm smacking the like button by your 3rd joke. Plus, you and Brooke have a team charm that really makes it. Thanks, Zack!
Tbh as soon as I noticed the shirt around 35 seconds in, I couldn't stop thinking of how much more elegant of a design the letters could be on that really nicely colored and textured material (Imagine a diagonal 'D&D' instead of the whole words, with a hyper stylized and thinned down version of the font type that spans from rib to rib and shoulder to hip) to make it more appealing and subtle to where one could throw on a sport coat and it would look prestigious and refined. This isn't relevant at all, but it happened. That shirt is dope.
That is so f'n funny. During the section on clearing clutter you showed the soldering iron that distracted me earlier in the video. I clearly remember refocusing my attention to the tool, as it is similar to the iron I use (Hakko). I don't love your videos, and the hand gesture thing I somewhat off-putting, but your info is on target and your quirk draws me in. Hope to see more :thumbsup:
Hi Zack (or to anyone else who can help me), got a question that is out of context of this video. I'm a newbie to 3d printing and I need advice on what on the best filament would be for my project. Printer = CR-10 S5. My project = printing multiple shells that fit together to make a larger single object. Building a metal subframe for the shells to fit together on and then reinforcing and securing to subframe with common fiberglassing techniques on the inside of the shells. Then filling & sanding & painting on the outside of the now singular shell by normal auto techniques (bondo, auto paint, etc.). Will need to be able to withstand outside summertime heat & direct sunlight. Thanks Ted
Regarding "native iso" - use the lowest sensitivity that gives a clear image. The sensor signal is amplified always, there is no magic level where there is suddenly more noise. Lack of light causes noise, not ISO setting.
Wrong, especially for video. Basically the sensor when running at a native ISO doesn't have to do any signal damping or boosting of signal resulting in a better result. Check out some of Gerald Undone's videos for really good testing of native isos. You can actually graph the noise levels of a given image at different isos, and see why duel native ISO has been such a huge advance.
I once made an avatar-inspired floating mountain fountain thing with a levitation platform like this, some moss, small rocks and an ultrasonic fog maker. It was pretty cool but if anything bumped the puck or power fluctuated at all it would slam into the baseplate so violently it destroyed the setup and sprayed bits of plants and water everywhere.
Oh no! I didn't have any spontaneous crashes, but it's definitely delicate. I might replace the plastic top panel with a thick layer of neoprene to prevent accidents.
Quick couple of protips from a photographer: Buy used lenses. ESPECIALLY old, used manual focus lenses. Adapters between different mounts are dirt cheap, too. If you're doing this style of "talking head" video you don't need autofocus. In fact, autofocus can become a pain in the ass (cue AvE's catchphrase, "fffocus you fffu-") and can make a long take completely unusable. And here's a tip for those of you wanting good macro shots on the shoe-stringiest of budgets: detach your lens and flip it around so it's on backwards (ideally print or buy an adapter). Works especially well with zoom lenses!
Totally true about old lenses. I actually put this in the script, but cut it for brevity. Autofocus and optical image stabilization aren't necessary for project videos.
It’s like a commentary on the creator market while being a great tutorial. This is what creators should be talking about when they asked how to be a UA-camr
There will be a lot more electronics now that we're streaming. Before, laying out circuit boards and waiting for them to get delivered took too long to make weekly videos, but now the option is open.
I really like engaging content that reads like a well written paragraph. Subject, explosion, wrap-up. It's not hard to do but it is easy to mess up. Then leave me wanting more but don't leave me hungry.
I am going to sell something or other on OfferUp today and use all of the funds to support the channel. This content is so fantastic. The future is so rad sometimes. Thanks for what you do.
cheap lense trip. you can set your camera to auto with manual aperture mode and set the iso range and bam only shutterspeed change(for quick zooming shots). for macro you can flip your lense the other way and hold it in place. bam you have a incredibly closeup macro lense
Not complaining but didn't realize how long this one was. Going to have to circle back when I have more tome to watch it all start to finish. Youve done an awesome job so far covering all the points and not rushing through this dense subject matter while covering it concisely. So dont take this as a reason to try and compress your videos shorter.
Thanks for the excellent crash course on videography and film making. I bet you took a course or two. I'm new to your channel, and I curse Google for not recommending you to me sooner. You're a goldmine of smarts and puns.
This is the only channel where I not only watch the whole thing including the Patreons but I'm actually looking forward to that part. Cpt. Obvious: The Patreons
A t little tip for time-lapse of people moving: Experiment with the exposure time. A long exposure makes the time-lapse look way smoother, since stuff that's moving will get some motion blur. Try an exposure time of half the intervall, at which the camera takes photos.
Sponsorships, ads, and community support are more than enough, no reason to put the best stuff behind a paywall. I forgot to put the Patreon in the description! It's patreon.com/zackfreedman .
There really should be a word for people who get really upset when someone else insinuates that they have a normal human brain and react to normal human things. You know, every time someone posts an illusion or talks about people's attention span or some negative aspect of the human brain there's always someone who feels the need to pipe up and tell everyone that they are different.
Funny story, I used to sell branded knives. We had a giant novelty pocket knife just like the one in this vid, for display purposes. I was working a trade show and while standing around talking with some other reps, I was fiddling with that big knife. Suddenly, I DROPPED THE BLADE OF THAT KNIFE ON MY INDEX FINGER LIKE A GUILLOTINE. Then I passed out and went face first into a table covered with catalogs. When I came to, there were like 12 people looking down at me. The marketing company I worked for had a perfect 13 year safety record until this happened. This is my dads favorite story.
If you want a cheaper fixed aperture lens - go vintage! You don't get any electronics but for video that doesn't matter, pretty much every old lens can be adapted to mirrorless and m4/3, and many can be adapted to DSLRs as well.
Absolutely true. I actually had this in the script, but cut it for brevity. You don't need optical image stabilization and autofocus to shoot stationary objects from a tripod, so don't pay for 'em!
Great advice on the visual side, how about the sound? I skip a clip if narration is poor, I might speed up the playback if too slow, but sound quality is a deal breaker for me. If I might not care if I see a talking head on screen etc, I skip if my ears are tortured.
I love your videos but I honestly thought id just watch this one for a minute and move on.. but here I am at the end and thinking just how good you really are.
The point about click bait is so relevant to me right now. I know you know that and that's why you said it but seriously: I just started watching a bunch of art channels while I learn to draw. Without naming the channel one popular one that I watched for a while started leaning more toward clickbait. It honestly made me sick of watching their content because I don't care how many times they make up bull titles and thumbnails if I don't know what is actually in the video. I'm not gona watch a 15 minute video if I don't know what the hell is actually in it. I'm not clicking a bunch of links just to see what I could have seen in the title and thumbnail.
Don't forget you can use audio as well as video for the shot. A lot of people only listen to UA-cam and don't really watch. Adding audio feedback will also help those with accessibility issues. One other thought: I pay a lot more attention to you building things and explaining the concepts than you showing me what they do. That's why I watch your channel instead of gizmo review channels. I don't know if I represent your average viewer or the outliers.
oh em gee, my new favorite youtube channel. thanks for speaking the truth. thanks for knowing common sense. i especially like scanning the background for inside jokes and listening for sexual innuendos. rock on! good luck with the live stream!!!
As a professional media contractor, you are spot on for what you say about shots and making something interesting. My question to you is when are you going to change your damn channel name to "Voidstar Lab", learn from Steve over at "The Coding Train". Having your name different then your intro screws with the algorithm. Saying this is Voidstar lab, on a channel named Zack with no voids star even in the title is probably holding you back a great deal on reach.
Thanks for the feedback. I actually tag my videos with both Voidstar Lab and Zack Freedman, and I find that the overwhelming search traffic is for my name. I haven't considered any algorithmic effects, though - it might be time to formally change the channel's name.
22:00 ish I think Adam Regasua or something did a video covering the similar misconception that a viewer will stick around for a mystery rather than just wanting a solid answer
That bit was influenced by Adam's video. I don't know why that ridiculous idea is still around - or why people are so mercenary that they'd tease their viewers.
I have to disagree with you discounting using a phone for shots. I can use my 4.5 year-old iPhone 7 to get a quick macro shot from 4 inches away. If I wanted to pull focus there are apps for that. But more importantly, this video really starts at 12:52. I totally agree with a lot of these points. What's important is a story and a build on its own is not a story.
@@ZackFreedman I'm a French dude from Montréal, what is "b&"? I did a search and got "Justin Bieber".. Gee, I hope it was a typo! Again, nice work. Your high energy high content density is not a bad thing at all. You seem to have a winning formula so far.
* tells you how to do his job *
yep, this guy loves open-source.
He also relies on no one coming along and doing it better and stealing his spot because he knows no one actually reads the source.
Definitely open source.
Yeah but now we need a tutorial on how to do 'clever puns' and 'wicked burns'
@@whatdoiknow7836 Defiantly scripted with the wearable on his face. But most impressive non the less!
As somebody who wasted money and time on a Media Arts degree, I have to say, you knocked like 3 classes out in 25mins. Could've saved me 6 months and a caffeine addiction
Only came out addicted to caffeine? Hell, sounds like you came out an absolute winner, that or are omitting *some* details for UA-cam guidelines 😂
I can neither confirm, nor deny having any knowledge regarding what you are referring to
The caffeine addiction would come anyway, so be glad you go it out of the way. :)
Same 😂
"The viewer is trusting you to show them what they want to see"
Damn.
that's certainly a powerful thought, however, for those who want to see more, you can't. for viewers who wish to see less, they can skip though. it makes sense therefor to leave more in so people can choose (by scrubbing) what they want to see. - time stamps are also amazing for helping people see what they want (and in many cases how much of it)
*even if they don't know they want to see it yet
@@joshhardin666 Well that's the beauty of UA-cam I guess... there are tons of channels that go into every minute detail with very long videos, and then there's channels that just show you the cool stuff.
I've learned you should set your aperture, THEN set your shutter speed to 1/(2X) where X is your framerate, THEN set ISO to lock in exposure. It minimizes motion blur.
If you ever get anxious about releasing something because it might be wrong, feel free to come back to this comment. I made a 30-minute "how to do camera" video and didn't know what shutter speed did.
No sarcasm, I have some great commenters.
Did you manage to get around to shutter angle?
"It's the shots you take and the story you tell." ... You hear that, Liver, its go time!
Oh no what have I done
@@ZackFreedman Nothing he wasn't already looking for an excuse to do.
So many meta jokes, it's like I'm watching Community
Community: The Movie soon, bröthër.
Cool. Cool cool cool.
I'm literally watching Community
@@christopherwiley5859 You're dual-wielding videos? Can I learn this power?
@@ZackFreedman Are we all in the movie right now?
The best part of this video is that you broke all your own rules to prove the point, yet kept me engaged through the whole thing.
8:35 I cant tell the difference between the shot with the 97cri and the 80cri they look identical to me. Even pausing them and even looking at it through multiple monitors. So no the difference is not obvious
This video worked, I honestly meant to watch for a little while while I was waiting for my shower to heat up and I ended up turning off the shower to watch the video intently. Nice job!
install a tv behind sheet of glass in your shower wall and somehow make it voice activated so you can change video hands free.
Me, a Canadian, Listening to the closing credits while working on my own project.
"The Quebec separatist movement"
I had to stop for a second 😂
Me, a guy from Montréal, Québec, trying to find Dinkel's e-mail for recruitment.
Great tips! Especially on the lighting! You mentioned macro extension tubes in passing on your coverage of macro photography, and I wanted to add that macro extension tubes are quite cheap ($30-40 for a set of 3), and since they contain no optics, produce extremely high quality images. I have had very positive experiences with macro extension tubes to get more use out of existing lenses.
The main drawback of extension tubes is that they have extremely shallow depth of field, so for a given lens/tube combination, your camera needs to be positioned in a fairly exact position a few inches away from the subject. I set up a macro station in my workspace with a pedestal for an object and markings for exactly where I should place the camera, but finding that point for a given set of lenses/tubes the first time requires some hunting. A side effect of this is that since the camera needs to be so close, the camera itself may create shadows, and you may need a camera mounted ring light.
My macro lens is a bigass lens from a car foglight that i glue to my phone with double sided tape.
It takes ok macros, but i like it most because the DOF is narrow so when i take pictures of small sub 1mm features it gives them alot of depth.
That part about cleaning up cables... You know your audience well
"Clean your workspace before filming!!"
*laughs in AvE*
He takes the inverse strategy of blanketing his mess with metal chips and sawdust so no one can see it
It's definitely stage dressing, AvE chooses specific clutter to include, and then to knock out of the way. It makes a more visually appealing shot, and a dynamic scene.
biggest impediment to content creation for me is having to tidy up
1:44 "you don't even realized that I swapped these Polaroids halfway through the shot"
But I did...
Honestly I hoped it was part of the project.
Don't act like we didn't see the Dancing Bear
Here is a cookie for you 🍪
@@lezorn Thanks, but I don't accept cookies
I was trying to rationalize how they could have changed before he explained.
Heya Zach huge fan, Finally you're talking about somthing in my wheel house.
I went to film school, own my own production company in detroit, and currently work as a creative Visualization artist for a super big company in detroit.
Your thoughtfulness when it comes to these videos is amazing. The techniques and main concepts shown in this video I'd like to just say are spot on. You did a pretty good job of explaining the exposure triangle which I know is hard for alot of people to grasp at first. Going over 3 point and camera techniques is one thing but, CRI color accuracy is awesome. I can really tell you care about what you do and have been watching since the beginning of your boom on UA-cam.
Also though the BMPCC series has entry level prices they are far from entry. My company owns two of them and we even shot a feature film on a 6k and anamorphic lenses they are full fledged cinema cameras as far as I'm concerned. They are no alexa mini but I would argue the curve of diminishing returns does not worth buying anything in that realm especially for what you are doing.
If I would offer any advice. Experiment with different lighting scenarios. Look into negative fill and bounce lighting, or even harsher key lights. This can make the self shadowing more dynamic on the project and give it a bit more form and shape. Another thing you can do to help remedy the static problem is a little camera movement. A slider shot can go a long way.
Thanks for being awesome Zack, love to see the process 👍
1:45. I literally have diagnosed inattentive type ADHD and I noticed the Polaroid swap.
I also have ADHD-PI, and I did not. 😅
i have ADS and i also noticed
I have STD and nobody noticed it.
I didn't notice it, but I also did not get board just watching the colors spin. Wasn't even looking at the photos.
Same
Dude. You called it, I’m blown away by your Jedi mind tricks
If he's my teacher, I would never skip class.
It's the passion. I never had passionate teachers in school outside of elective classes.
As a technology teacher: I can tell you it's possible, but not continuously. Creating content as streamlined as this can take tens or even hundreds of times as long to plan as to execute in person. During my first year teaching it was all I could do to keep up and convert content to my own style. After a year or so, once content is roughly optimized, this kind of thing is possible. Not for every day, but for a few. Plus, you definitely wouldn't want to keep up this pace for 90 minutes everyday. I don't think anyone has quite that much energy. I do love using videos when teaching for that reason though.
@Gabriel Quittemappreciation is far better than pity for teachers. Most teachers chose to teach for some reason, and it probably wasn't money. That said, the actual teaching is often overshadowed by planning, grading, management, administration, curriculum, etc.
Most teachers try their hardest to be as "correct" as posible, and that makes matters boring.
The good teachers explain stuff just like a classmate would, without using the exact words but getting the message accross. He's one of those
I have a teacher who takes half an hour to explain something and overcomplicates stuff with hard terms.
When a classmate asks me to explain what he was explaining, thet get it instantly.
@@Slushee I see that as possibly coming from two places. The first is as you say, a wish to be as correct as possible, but the other might be from time. It's hard to remember what it's like to not know those things if you surround yourself with people who do.
This is an issue grad students and professors seem to have the most trouble with. The more personable a teacher is, the more they seem to understand that flaw.
They still do need to meet their language requirements though, so sometimes it might be intentional. Sorry to hear most of the teachers you've had haven't been too great at that...
This is incredibly insightful, but also tough to watch for a channel like mine. I have tried really hard to make the engineering and process the focus rather than just the results at the end. I definitely think my audience is in some ways different from yours, but keeping viewers' attention is certainly a struggle for me. think a ton of the filmmaking and B-roll tips you mentioned will be super valuable and I'll definitely borrow some of those strategies. Thank you for making this!
I don't think you need to dumb down the video - it's all about showing people what they want to see, at a pace and style that makes time seem to melt away. Try doing a video call with a friend, and watching their face while they watch the video. You'll instantly spot places where they start to perk up or lose interest.
Currently, the creator I am most excited to see a video notfication from. Thanks for the great work!
im so glad i found this channel i haven't been able to stop watching this content.
My favorite way of setting up the camera - choose "Auto", point to where you want to shoot, half-press the button, remember the ISO/f/shutter speed values, then go to manual and set them. Done.
I just recently picked up a Lumix G95 camera and a condenser mic to start making project videos but I’ve been too nervous to start. This is exactly the kick in the ass I needed.
Nice video! That's a lot of information to digest in one block. Many thanks though, I may implement some of your suggestions in future videos as I am guilty of all of the aforementioned transgressions. Thank you for bringing to my attention just how crap my videos are. With the addition of your suggestions I just might, some day, earn one of those much coveted gold play buttons. Thanks for putting the video up!
Looking forward to your new videos!
Hello Ian,
Your videos are nowhere near crap, and i love following your adventure trough life since quite a while now.
I hope you're doing well and post some new videos when you feel like it.
I am 100% sure you'll get the coveted play button at some point, absolutely no doubts about that, it's just about _when_ .
I wish you a wonderful day sir.
0:04 that's a remix of my Hovering cup / planter! Yay! Thanks Zack for making my day :)
Okay this was ridiculously helpful, Zack! Thanks for making this one. I will definitely be coming back to it the next time I record a project, I don't think i've ever gotten much further than the camera knowledge! Pitching things at audiences is hard as hell lmao
Awesome! I hope something in here helps you take your next video to the next level.
I daydream about making my own videos and interesting projects and this is... amazing. Your engaging scripts kept me listening for the start, but when I see the actual video I get a sense for the effort put into them. Explaining it is smart.
This is seriously the best video on how to make any kind of content. You even covered a lot of topics used in literature, like Chekov's gun for example, and this video is gonna be really helpful to any content creator.
Seriously, good job. In hindsight it seems so simple, but even Newton was called a genius when he explained that "things fall down when you drop them".
I love how this channel has grown in quality! loving the content
Hey Zack! I have an idea for a project. If not you, anyone else can pick this one up, cause I don't quite have the skills or the know how.
*Objective:* Create a document camera for university lectures that doesn't suck!
*Features:*
1) laser indicators that show on the surface /Exactly/ where is in the view of the camera and where is out of view.
2) physical button/dial/slider to control white balance/brightness/focus. many of my lecturers have dark skin and wear white shirts, or vice-versa. this constantly blows out the balance. the focus moves between their arm and the paper they are writing on. grr.
*Bonus points:* ultra portable, minimal setup, ease of use for technophobe lecturers, plug and play, always, share the build on youtube/github, etc.
At 4:45 - I think it should state, "the lower" the number, the... F/1.8 has shallow depth of field and more light where as F/32 is almost a pinhole lens with nearly no light but everything is in focus (within reason).
Found your channel about 3 days after the singularitron vid went up and I’ve been bingeing your vids since. Definitely one of my new favorite maker content creators. Keep up the amazing work!
Shooting beyond f/11 is actually not recommended since the image gets softer due diffraction. Even though f/20 has more depth of field, f/11 looks better and sharper at 5:22.
Wow, I don't think anyone's explained hobby/engineering film making like this ever before! Thanks!
you're not slick! cut at 0:39 "I haven't cut a single time since that title card" Although I guess this proves your point! Love the vids!
Edit: Guess I'm not a millennial
I really like the things you said the viewers don't like, specifically watching people put things together and the little details that went into making things work :(
really good video, I think to what degree you follow some of these ideas determines what type of audience you will receive. This is the guide to the lowest common denominator, but I think there can be value is specializing too.
I gotta push back a bit, because this is definitely not how you make videos for the lowest common denominator. That would put basically zero focus on the project itself - the entire video would be using the project, especially on others. See Michael Reeves zapping people, Mark Rober fart-spraying strangers, Corridor Digital doing really anything, etc.
I think there's this idea that some people are so erudite that they transcend the desire to be entertained, or that they have such intense mental strength that they can lock their attention on something drab through sheer force of will. I don't think either of these are very common, if they exist at all.
@@ZackFreedman I watch many "boring" engineering videos from research labs and creators alike, which are almost always basically just showing the project, talking through the steps and rarely showing their face. Maybe I am an unusual person, but I do believe there is a niche for in depth engineering content. Engineers like seeing the engineering of others, and although it may never reach as mainstream appeal as more story based content, there is still a place for it. It somewhat makes me sad when I see content where the details have been cut, I feel it removes me from an opportunity to learn something.
Perhaps it is not worth catering to people like myself, but we do exist. There have been numerous successful channels based entirely on delivering niche content in extraordinary detail, "knyght errant" for example. I think more "content" focused videos can be good and successful, but they are often more likely to fall into obscurity as they don't have as captive of an audience. Don't take any of what I've said as an insult please, I really love your videos, just thought it could be interesting to give my perspective.
Have a nice day :)
A good cheap macro lens could be getting an old manual focus wide angle lens like a 28mm… but you get something called a “reversing ring”. It is a ring that threads into the FRONT of the lens, and the other side has a bayonet mount on your camera… so it mounts the lens BACKWARDS on your camera. Ever look through a telescope backwards and everything gets tiny? It’s kind of like that but in reverse.
Naw fam, just use a Sony RX100 and skip a lot of that fiddling. I've literally used it for every UA-cam video I've made, and I've done pretty alright for myself 🙂 I think the idea that you need to have fancy equipment really stops a lot of people from even trying to make videos.
why is there no link in the describtion for the discord server?
Now I have to use a picture to text converter because I'm way to lazy to type it.
It's down there
@@ZackFreedman Oh. I haven't seen it because it wasn't blue as the other links
Zacks energy level before used to make me uncomfortable
Zacks energy level now makes me want to watch more
Thank you for these tips, I am attempting time lapse videos. They are very much appreciated, and your content is always entertaining. And it's because of that energy level.... It's over 9000!!!!
Shutter speed should always be double the frame rate:
24fps= 1/48th SS (cinematic looking footage)
30fps= 1/60th SS (television frame rate)
120fps= 1/240th SS (slow motion, and should down scale to 24fps)
(Only for video, not necessary for photography)
Always try and live by this, compensate with a cheap ND filter if you can’t achieve this ss without blowing out the image.
Good video 👍🏻
Can I say that this Project thing happening and all is really nice to see people solder and "Fixing problems" showing the way and showing where it went wrong and how you went to fix those problems
I try to mix as many of the real-world frustrations into my videos as possible, but there's a limit. They can kill the momentum and give the video an unpleasant, two-steps-forward-one-step-back cadence that makes them frustrating and disheartening to listen to.
@@ZackFreedman tbh Its probably just me but I really enjoy those kind of videos like Colin from This Does not Compute really seeing the struggle and steps he had to take to get where he finally succeeded that makes the end product oh so sweeter / even when he wasnt able to fix it / build it's the Journey that was entertaining enough. But I'm probably just not like a normal viewer as I enjoye "My Mate Vince" videos where he repairs stuff whilst learning about it / not having been confronted with those things before and seeing him learn and get better even if it's for about an Hour and at the end the Laptop still doesnt wanna start is so satisfying and just amazing to put on
20:30 I 90% agree. But there's one hair. UA-cam is home to tons of gaming videos. Games are repetitive. But often they still want to show the journey, if they cut the activity then it breaks the story; it didn't happen. And cool edits are cool. For Rust, Welyn chops up the footage and matches a beat, "SOLO RAIDING AN ENRAGED GROUP - Rust" - 7:45. For LoL, Bausffs videos have a similar edit: "KOREANS DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT!" - 3:45.
There's also a lot woodworking video that focus on the therapeutic side of making a project. But woodworking might be the exception, not the rule.
You are by far my favorite content creator. There are others that I like, but, I must say, nobody does due diligence like you do. It reminds me of me. Well done.
"they just want to see the shiny thing shine" words every project youtube should live by
More photog ed than tech school night class for a year. Nice. The 1 element a person can't just go buy is a charisma like yours... I'm smacking the like button by your 3rd joke. Plus, you and Brooke have a team charm that really makes it. Thanks, Zack!
Tbh as soon as I noticed the shirt around 35 seconds in, I couldn't stop thinking of how much more elegant of a design the letters could be on that really nicely colored and textured material (Imagine a diagonal 'D&D' instead of the whole words, with a hyper stylized and thinned down version of the font type that spans from rib to rib and shoulder to hip) to make it more appealing and subtle to where one could throw on a sport coat and it would look prestigious and refined. This isn't relevant at all, but it happened. That shirt is dope.
That is so f'n funny. During the section on clearing clutter you showed the soldering iron that distracted me earlier in the video. I clearly remember refocusing my attention to the tool, as it is similar to the iron I use (Hakko).
I don't love your videos, and the hand gesture thing I somewhat off-putting, but your info is on target and your quirk draws me in. Hope to see more :thumbsup:
Hi Zack (or to anyone else who can help me), got a question that is out of context of this video. I'm a newbie to 3d printing and I need advice on what on the best filament would be for my project. Printer = CR-10 S5. My project = printing multiple shells that fit together to make a larger single object. Building a metal subframe for the shells to fit together on and then reinforcing and securing to subframe with common fiberglassing techniques on the inside of the shells. Then filling & sanding & painting on the outside of the now singular shell by normal auto techniques (bondo, auto paint, etc.). Will need to be able to withstand outside summertime heat & direct sunlight. Thanks Ted
Regarding "native iso" - use the lowest sensitivity that gives a clear image. The sensor signal is amplified always, there is no magic level where there is suddenly more noise.
Lack of light causes noise, not ISO setting.
Wrong, especially for video. Basically the sensor when running at a native ISO doesn't have to do any signal damping or boosting of signal resulting in a better result. Check out some of Gerald Undone's videos for really good testing of native isos.
You can actually graph the noise levels of a given image at different isos, and see why duel native ISO has been such a huge advance.
Zach you are the best. Its like you read our minds and then post a video about it.
I once made an avatar-inspired floating mountain fountain thing with a levitation platform like this, some moss, small rocks and an ultrasonic fog maker. It was pretty cool but if anything bumped the puck or power fluctuated at all it would slam into the baseplate so violently it destroyed the setup and sprayed bits of plants and water everywhere.
Oh no! I didn't have any spontaneous crashes, but it's definitely delicate. I might replace the plastic top panel with a thick layer of neoprene to prevent accidents.
Quick couple of protips from a photographer:
Buy used lenses. ESPECIALLY old, used manual focus lenses. Adapters between different mounts are dirt cheap, too. If you're doing this style of "talking head" video you don't need autofocus. In fact, autofocus can become a pain in the ass (cue AvE's catchphrase, "fffocus you fffu-") and can make a long take completely unusable.
And here's a tip for those of you wanting good macro shots on the shoe-stringiest of budgets: detach your lens and flip it around so it's on backwards (ideally print or buy an adapter). Works especially well with zoom lenses!
Totally true about old lenses. I actually put this in the script, but cut it for brevity. Autofocus and optical image stabilization aren't necessary for project videos.
It’s like a commentary on the creator market while being a great tutorial. This is what creators should be talking about when they asked how to be a UA-camr
I found this just in time before I started editing that home studio makeover making-of. Now I see what I need to do to make that interesting!
Great video! I would love some in depth electronics design projects in the future
There will be a lot more electronics now that we're streaming. Before, laying out circuit boards and waiting for them to get delivered took too long to make weekly videos, but now the option is open.
@@ZackFreedman Cool, very excited!
As a photographer I approve of most everything in this video. Nice info.
Was there anything you didn't approve of
0:43 idk about that man, that spiny thing in the background is the only thing I was paying attention to.
This is exactly what I’ve wanted for soooooo long
I really like engaging content that reads like a well written paragraph. Subject, explosion, wrap-up. It's not hard to do but it is easy to mess up. Then leave me wanting more but don't leave me hungry.
I am going to sell something or other on OfferUp today and use all of the funds to support the channel. This content is so fantastic.
The future is so rad sometimes. Thanks for what you do.
cheap lense trip. you can set your camera to auto with manual aperture mode and set the iso range and bam only shutterspeed change(for quick zooming shots). for macro you can flip your lense the other way and hold it in place. bam you have a incredibly closeup macro lense
Not complaining but didn't realize how long this one was. Going to have to circle back when I have more tome to watch it all start to finish. Youve done an awesome job so far covering all the points and not rushing through this dense subject matter while covering it concisely. So dont take this as a reason to try and compress your videos shorter.
Thanks for the excellent crash course on videography and film making.
I bet you took a course or two.
I'm new to your channel, and I curse Google for not recommending you to me sooner.
You're a goldmine of smarts and puns.
This is the only channel where I not only watch the whole thing including the Patreons but I'm actually looking forward to that part.
Cpt. Obvious: The Patreons
Holy crap! This meta video is one of the best videos ever! Informative AF! Thank you!
Man you're great, love people sharing like this
This whole time I just thought your autofocus was broken and was really annoyed that things came into focus so slowly.
A t little tip for time-lapse of people moving:
Experiment with the exposure time.
A long exposure makes the time-lapse look way smoother, since stuff that's moving will get some motion blur.
Try an exposure time of half the intervall, at which the camera takes photos.
That's a good tip. Next time lapse, I'll set the exposure to something really long for some nice blurriness.
This is the first time that I have found the patreons before the video even ended... way to proud of myself
This is invaluable info! You should charge for this kind of wisdom! Also, where is your Patreon link?
Sponsorships, ads, and community support are more than enough, no reason to put the best stuff behind a paywall. I forgot to put the Patreon in the description! It's patreon.com/zackfreedman .
"if I'm doing something wrong, comment and I'll ignore it" LMAO Zack you're so witty and smart
There really should be a word for people who get really upset when someone else insinuates that they have a normal human brain and react to normal human things. You know, every time someone posts an illusion or talks about people's attention span or some negative aspect of the human brain there's always someone who feels the need to pipe up and tell everyone that they are different.
Nuh uh, I don’t!
Thank you for all the effort you put into these videos
Funny story, I used to sell branded knives. We had a giant novelty pocket knife just like the one in this vid, for display purposes. I was working a trade show and while standing around talking with some other reps, I was fiddling with that big knife. Suddenly, I DROPPED THE BLADE OF THAT KNIFE ON MY INDEX FINGER LIKE A GUILLOTINE. Then I passed out and went face first into a table covered with catalogs. When I came to, there were like 12 people looking down at me. The marketing company I worked for had a perfect 13 year safety record until this happened. This is my dads favorite story.
If you want a cheaper fixed aperture lens - go vintage!
You don't get any electronics but for video that doesn't matter, pretty much every old lens can be adapted to mirrorless and m4/3, and many can be adapted to DSLRs as well.
Absolutely true. I actually had this in the script, but cut it for brevity. You don't need optical image stabilization and autofocus to shoot stationary objects from a tripod, so don't pay for 'em!
Great advice on the visual side, how about the sound? I skip a clip if narration is poor, I might speed up the playback if too slow, but sound quality is a deal breaker for me. If I might not care if I see a talking head on screen etc, I skip if my ears are tortured.
I love your videos but I honestly thought id just watch this one for a minute and move on.. but here I am at the end and thinking just how good you really are.
Preach... I hate 90% of the garbage backgrounds on most shots.
Yup dynamically planning content is a must
idk if this is intentional, but at 15:48, after showing off the flashy light thing, the sign has a funneh written on it.
5:06 The timing and sound of that crash was just hilarious 😂😂😂
20:58 Geeeet oooout of myyyy houuuuuse! (It's stinky in here 💩)
You are awesome Zack !
Your lines are pure gold, puns and all
The point about click bait is so relevant to me right now.
I know you know that and that's why you said it but seriously:
I just started watching a bunch of art channels while I learn to draw. Without naming the channel one popular one that I watched for a while started leaning more toward clickbait. It honestly made me sick of watching their content because I don't care how many times they make up bull titles and thumbnails if I don't know what is actually in the video. I'm not gona watch a 15 minute video if I don't know what the hell is actually in it. I'm not clicking a bunch of links just to see what I could have seen in the title and thumbnail.
Don't forget you can use audio as well as video for the shot. A lot of people only listen to UA-cam and don't really watch. Adding audio feedback will also help those with accessibility issues.
One other thought: I pay a lot more attention to you building things and explaining the concepts than you showing me what they do. That's why I watch your channel instead of gizmo review channels. I don't know if I represent your average viewer or the outliers.
oh em gee, my new favorite youtube channel. thanks for speaking the truth. thanks for knowing common sense. i especially like scanning the background for inside jokes and listening for sexual innuendos. rock on! good luck with the live stream!!!
As a professional media contractor, you are spot on for what you say about shots and making something interesting.
My question to you is when are you going to change your damn channel name to "Voidstar Lab", learn from Steve over at "The Coding Train". Having your name different then your intro screws with the algorithm. Saying this is Voidstar lab, on a channel named Zack with no voids star even in the title is probably holding you back a great deal on reach.
Thanks for the feedback. I actually tag my videos with both Voidstar Lab and Zack Freedman, and I find that the overwhelming search traffic is for my name. I haven't considered any algorithmic effects, though - it might be time to formally change the channel's name.
@@ZackFreedman well no matter what you do, I'll be a fan. Keep up the good work
Like I learnt in film school, "when you're operating the camera you must act like a pervert"
22:00 ish
I think Adam Regasua or something did a video covering the similar misconception that a viewer will stick around for a mystery rather than just wanting a solid answer
That bit was influenced by Adam's video. I don't know why that ridiculous idea is still around - or why people are so mercenary that they'd tease their viewers.
Thank you for considering so much, I really do enjoy it.
You're the best and all of your content is very worthy of our watch time
I have to disagree with you discounting using a phone for shots. I can use my 4.5 year-old iPhone 7 to get a quick macro shot from 4 inches away. If I wanted to pull focus there are apps for that.
But more importantly, this video really starts at 12:52. I totally agree with a lot of these points. What's important is a story and a build on its own is not a story.
fine. I'll add you to my graveyard of forgotten discord channels
great video Zack!! 💡📸
how did you make the scrolling LED display??
Another way to cheap out on a macro lens is to mount your lens BACKWARDS.
You can get an adapter mount that screws into your filter ring.
I don't even like project content but I'm still watching you
I play most of the UA-cam video at 2x speed...
And Zack's ones at 0.75
And still have to rewind few times!
Hi Alexandre Valiquette, it's Alexandre Valiquette, your second account!
@@alexandrevaliquette3883 Crazy Alex!
Did you just doublethumbsuped Zack's video and all your own comments?!!!
@@alexandrevaliquette1941 You betcha!
Oh noooo you're gonna get me b&
@@ZackFreedman I'm a French dude from Montréal, what is "b&"?
I did a search and got "Justin Bieber".. Gee, I hope it was a typo!
Again, nice work. Your high energy high content density is not a bad thing at all. You seem to have a winning formula so far.
This was really enjoyable and your lighting setups are awesome.