Discussion: Instructional/recap O video: YOUR FEEDBACK!

I made an instructional/recap video of my run at a local orienteering meet. I would love feedback on how useful, understandable, and/or entertaining it is and how it could be better!

http://vimeo.com/35031141

Thanks!

Cool soundtrack. But, you posted one a few months ago that had narration, and I liked that one better (in terms of explaining what was going on).

(In fact, I liked that other one so much, I put a link to it on my Facebook page!)

Nice video. Great tips. Route choices passed a tad quickly for my eyes.
Bet that terrain looks a little different today!

Great tutorial for beginners, but you could elaborate a bit more on the route choices. I think that maybe showing alternate routes with pros and cons for the different routes. For example: "What would an experienced orienteer do vs an beginner aiming at minimizing large mistakes".

If you use gps when you run maybe this software could be something to add some extra dimension to your instructional videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEtLCQqadcU&list=FL...

There are loads of interesting material here if you are interested in headcam and improving your technical skills:
http://o-training.net/blog/?p=150
http://o-training.net/blog/?p=178
http://o-training.net/blog/?p=228

If I am not mistaken, Rebecca records these videos while running her courses competitively. She probably does not have time to describe all the route choices she does not choose.

Well done. I especially like the color commentary. :-)

For orienteering flavour, quite nice. For experts, interesting in the same way as a post-race discussion, ie touches on random occurrences as per the fortunes of the runner. For learners, useless.

GuyO - I guess the point is who is it being aimed at? Rebecca hints in her post it is instructional, in which case, the suggestion is she needs to take a bit more time to consider options that beginners can understand. To a certain extent the degree of interest for orienteers might depend on who it is who is doing the orienteering.

Some ideas
- camera's viewing angle could be wider
- image stabilization is never bad idea.
- map clips could be better, maybe something with somehow animated track line. it doesn't need to be gps based.
- timings, those map clips are visible far too short time. Think more carefully how long time you like to show each map clip/animation.
- maybe use two cameras? Show running sections with head cam and map / compass use with chest cam.
- design carefully a script, a description how you show each leg. Something like this: show leg for n seconds without route choices, then add choice alternatives and show them for n seconds, then pick just the on you choose to take with really short text description why, then zoom to map part to the first intermediate target, with arrows, text description how you will hit it. then some video footage, maybe with map clip in corner with current location as dot (clips from rgmapvideo video compiled with rgmapvideo could do here). When you hit the intermediate target, show map clip to next intermediate target the same way, then some video, repeat until you hit the control. Maybe second script for showing lesser leg with faster manner, sort of lighter version of the former. When you edit your video you choose the version you use for each leg.

Of course, its up to what you are after and what is your target audience and objective. I have no experience of video editing, I have never edited any videos. I have had plans to make video(s) similar to yours, but I thought I need raw footage with nice simple map overlay, so I did rgmapvideo tool for it, but soon noticed it could do better with second map and better map animations, gps/HR/barometric elevation/food pod speed data, image stabilization, it could be faster and support at least 720p HD and it the side project really got out of hands just as usual and I never ended up editing any videos, just posting those raw one take ones.

Nicely done! I enjoyed them. How do you do the video editing? The pan/zoom was really effective for directing my focus and showing progress. I missed it when you didn't use it. It was nice when you highlighted features while you talked about them, but sometimes I still couldn't identify them or digest them before they flashed off screen. It seems to help if the highlighting is pulsed on/off, or if the feature is centered on the screen. There were a couple moments when you were showing running video and map clips at the same time, and I thought that it would be great to show a position beacon moving on the map, so people could match them up. It might also be neat to break a leg down, just by drawing the route line in distinct chunks. Thanks again for sharing!

OK, I had only watched about half of the video when I posted my first comment. I just watched the whole thing, and I liked it more this time because you have more narration / commentary in the second half.

I wouldn't consider this video to be "instructional" for an absolute beginner, but it's definitely cool to watch as a race recap for anyone who understands how orienteering works.

Thanks for the feedback!

re: ROUTES/MAPS TOO FAST: my thinking was that I wanted to slow down and examine the interesting route choices and blitz by the uninteresting ones. If you really wanted to see where I went, even for the "boring" routes-- you could pause the video to check it out. If I slowed down for every single control, I would have a 20 minute video, not an 8 minute video (which is already pushing it).

That said, I could at least add another second or two to the maps. I think that after looking at the same maps for hours, I can look at them and process them faster than a fresh viewer.

re: USE GPS/ANIMATE THE MAP: I agree, this would be ideal, but unfortunately, I do not have a GPS or animation software. I am currently winging it by editing photos in Photoshop.. so including still photos is all I can really do at the moment.

re: INSTRUCTIONAL vs RECAP: these are really race recaps of my actual 'competitive' runs, and I try to sprinkle in some educational retrospective after the fact. They are created for those already acquainted with orienteering...

...@gruver: (who says that for learning, they are "useless"), these videos are rated for Beginner-Intermediates-- for people already acquainted with orienteering. I also have videos rated for true Novices, for "learning":

For example, this video on CONTROLS: http://vimeo.com/35046263

Which is included in the context of an "introduction to orienteering" page: http://www.runbosco.com/p/how-to.html

@ Jagge:

"- camera's viewing angle could be wider"

If I made the camera angle wider, it would also shorten the view from top to bottom-- but I could mess with this.

"- image stabilization is never bad idea."

I thought it was stabilized, but I can double-check. I mean.. I am RUNNING, ya'know. ;)

"- map clips could be better, maybe something with somehow animated track line. it doesn't need to be gps based."

I agree that this would be ideal, but I don't currently have any animation software or experience, but hope to someday! Right now, I'm just Photoshopping photos..

"- timings, those map clips are visible far too short time. Think more carefully how long time you like to show each map clip/animation."

See previous comment "re: ROUTES/MAPS TOO FAST."

"- maybe use two cameras? Show running sections with head cam and map / compass use with chest cam."

Head cam is uncomfortable..the chest cam lets me remain competitive and comfortable.

"- design carefully a script...."

Interesting idea, but I don't think every leg deserves this much attention. It would turn into a 30 minute video!

@blegg:

Nicely done! I enjoyed them.
--thanks!

How do you do the video editing?
--it's just iMovie.

The pan/zoom was really effective for directing my focus and showing progress.
--Good to know! It's the first time I've tried that in a video.

I missed it when you didn't use it. It was nice when you highlighted features while you talked about them, but sometimes I still couldn't identify them or digest them before they flashed off screen.
--This seems to be the main feedback I'm getting.. I could slow it down a second or two, but I still like to think that if people are really interested in what I think are the "boring" legs, that they'd simply pause the video. I'm trying to keep minutes 8 minutes or less.

It seems to help if the highlighting is pulsed on/off, or if the feature is centered on the screen.
--I like the pulsing idea. I can't really animate, but I can use two Photoshopped photos to sorta create this effect.

There were a couple moments when you were showing running video and map clips at the same time, and I thought that it would be great to show a position beacon moving on the map, so people could match them up.
--I wish! I simply don't have the animation software/experience at this time. Anyone have any tips??

It might also be neat to break a leg down, just by drawing the route line in distinct chunks. Thanks again for sharing!

---Thanks!!

@bbrooke:

"OK, I had only watched about half of the video when I posted my first comment. I just watched the whole thing, and I liked it more this time because you have more narration / commentary in the second half. "

---It's interesting to know that voice narration is preferred over text. I did it half one way, half the other way sort of as an experiment. Also, the text comments are more general tips and the narration is more specific to the routes. I may continue exploring both..

"I wouldn't consider this video to be "instructional" for an absolute beginner, but it's definitely cool to watch as a race recap for anyone who understands how orienteering works."

--So I guess people really took the "instructional" in my "instructional/recap video" description. Really I'm aiming for a hybrid. It's a recap video.. but might as well throw in some instructional morsels along the way. Again, definitely not targeted toward novices! For novices, I've made videos like these: http://vimeo.com/35046263

Thanks all for your feedback!!

Hmm.. upon further pondering, I could use the "fast forward in black/white" feature to blow past uninteresting controls, then pause and take a bit more time with the interesting ones.

I'll try that!

Thanks! Your comments have certainly helped!