+1. The temptation to follow the herd/trend/whatever can distract from the reason the camera is there in the first place. Many of the "bad" trends mentioned here can work, but only if done with intention of serving the story...but always hide the mic in the shot. Always.
@@MarkAfterDark I get that they're doing it to get the mic closer the their mouth but why not just attach a lav, hide it and put the transmitter in your pocket
Content makers on a budget making sensible use of what they have I guess. Holding an omni up close to the sound source allows you to gain stage on the recorder to reduce ambient noise. Smart, if not annoying to look at.
Hey I'm an aspiring filmmaker from India. I just wanted you to know that your tips and advice on this channel are invaluable. Its rare on TH-cam or anywhere on social media to consistently find content where the creator is really trying to help out others. Some people start with the aim of helping out others, and later on to feed the algorithm and to feed themselves, they start churning out videos which have very little value. You are one of the creators that's still doing it even now to help others out. Whenever you post a vid, i know i have to watch it because its that important to my filmmaking. Thank you so much for all the effort and honesty bro. I really really appreciate it ❤❤
I agree with all of your points. Regarding drone use, I use a drone like an old school crane for static elevated top-down shots or a gentle rise as the subject walks by. Done right, you don't even think "drone shot". I also agree with locking down the camera on a tripod wherever possible and using hand held only where needed for dramatic purposes.
As a beginner film and doc maker, thank you. It's easy to get sucked into the trends. And as someone who boxes, I always wondered why the lights were dim!
I'm in Asia right now shooting a personal project, and MAN, I feel guilty already. I tend to shoot shadow side just because that's what I've been told. And yeah, it DOES make sense because it helps translate a 3D image into 2D, but a couple of times that really wasn't the way to do it here.
Totally spot on Luc 😉 I'm quite shocked by how many big productions go for the last point around extreme b cam angle. Netflix's Tour de France interviews are jarring in my view, often with a sudden jump to extreme b cam side shot with subject looking out of frame. It feels so disjointed, like they do it because it's a trend.
Not a film maker here but I think you missed the sequence close up alarm - close up mug - close up coffee maker getting ready for the day all in asmr fashion.
My "trends I want to see die" is vloggers reviewing cameras banging on about the features that make vlogging about cameras easier. It’s a mirror circle. Arrrgghhhh!!
Video cameras are for making videos about cameras, and photo cameras are for making thumbnails for those videos. Haven't figured out where hybrid cameras fit in though.
The trend that bothers me the most is the constant movement. It's so annoying because it's so hard to comprehend what you just saw. It's cool and flashy and "grabs" your attention or whatever, but in terms of filmmaking and storytelling, it has no place.
@@hbp_ Sure but he was also the first big director that brought the Steadicam into almost a whole picture, almost half of The Shining is Garret Brown steadi job. He never came back fully to the regular hollywood crane. Steadi is the most well thought composition a filmmaker can think of, especially because the weight is in the body, it's very very hard to operate it and you can't just do it without making it worth. It's all about "well thought" but the composition can be decided fast.
I may be "old school", but I consider the viewer who is sitting in a fixed position wanting to be engaged in an interesting story. Just because we have the technology and "can do it", "it" may not be necessary if not purposeful in telling the story. Once again, I know why I keep coming back to your channel; Luc you cover the most useful information.
Hi Luc. At no point should I even attempt to be called a "film maker" or "documentarian". However, I have been gleaning gold from your channel for the last year as I step into making videos. So far, just personal stuff - but with a goal of always improving. Your first one on this video - having mics in the shot - so totally resonates with me!!! I find a DJI or Rode wireless transmitter completely annoying - and for what? Admittedly, I still have the capsule of my lav showing, but good grief! Thanks for producing this channel.
All these are things that clients love and specifically ask for, especially when hiring solo videographers. These things aren't just trendy, they're simple to execute and inexpensive. I dislike shooting work that looks the same as everyone else's, but I won't say no to an easy paycheck. What can you do?
The "mics in the shot" is one I've noticed lately as well. One use in particular is when a creator is just talking to their audience and they're holding their wireless transmitter in their hand. Often gesturing with their hands while they talk. To me its like, just clip it on your shirt! What is the point of holding it in their hand, unless they're trying to "look" spontaneous? In regards to stability, I am annoyed by floaty cameras. Handheld shots can add drama to a scene. But, overdone, especially in a narrative film, just reminds me I'm watching a movie. Which takes me OUT of the story. A fight scene is where handheld shots are most useful. The worst is on tv shows, where several people are sitting around and talking, and the camera is floating as if the camera was on a boat. The camera moves between people while the "floating on a boat" camera keeps moving. This is where it's overdone in my book. Yes. Unmotivated movement is especially annoying. Especially when it's accompanied by fast cutting. Michael Bay is especially annoying with his cuts that last half a second between shots. Great video. I think you nailed all of the trends I find annoying, or overdone, as well.
Loved this. To an older guy who doesn't pay as much attention to trends as I should, this is extremely informative. Some of these trends are "out" before I even knew they were a thing to begin with, so thanks.
In my work environment the visible mic became much more of a thing in 2020 and it's been hard to get people to put that genie back in the bottle. We shifted to smaller crews doing more shots and setups in less time and the patience of a lot of our subjects to give us time for better audio setups seems to have lessened. I work at a television station, mostly shooting and producing documentary and commercial content, and really in 2019 we would have relied on an overhead shotgun for almost everything unless a lav had to be used for logistic reasons. Now almost everything is on a visible lav and most of our subjects won't cooperate with us to properly hide them, to the point where most of our producers have stopped asking or pushing for other setups. I'd like to see this trend move backward but I think there's more at play than a simple lack of desire on the part of filmmakers to hide mics in many cases.
I'm a fan of Roger Deakins: "If you need to move the camera, Don't!" so I too detest Speed Ramps, Hyperlapse, Slow Motion for no good reason and you're right: Drone Shots for absolutely no good reason! I've just returned from Taiwan where I worked with a local couple sporting a pair of caged FX3s on gimbals. They scoffed at my battered old hand held FS5 mated to a fast 12mm cinema prime so I quoted the Roger Deakins line and cautioned that they might end up looking like every other TH-camr out there but I'm afraid my words likely fell on deaf ears... As for interviews, I'll set up the B cam near the A cam but ask the interviewee to turn to that camera occasionally so that's the shot I usually cut in. I'm 'old school' so I mostly end up screaming for a Floor Manager cue when I see interviewees speaking 'off camera'.
Before watching the video, here are some annoying ones. During an interview, constantly dollying left-right-left-right. Crazy shaky handheld. Jump cutting into closeup during talking heads. Overused drones. A billion cuts-moves-transitions-digital zoom-ins per second. F&cking vertical videos. Wearing winter caps indoors. :D
Agreed on those bulky "box" clip-on mics. So many years of audio companies spending time and money in R&D trying to make the mics sound good in the smallest package possible to practically disappear on camera (Countryman B6, anyone?), and here we are showing the bulk! Might as well go back to those "Vienna Sausage" mics we saw on lanyards back in the 60's!
Such an important point about super dramatic b cam angles for interviews. What folks don’t understand is that it doesn’t always have to be a close-up. I very wide angle b cam shot also tells a story about the talent in their environment.
I have just watched a couple of your videos. I had dreams of becoming a filmmaker years ago, and have done a little video and studied filmmaking on my own. The stars (not Hollywood ones) never aligned. Anyway, I appreciate your approach and advice. But I feel impelled to say something off-topic, i.e., not documentaries, because of your topic on this one. One trend that never seems to disappear from TH-cam (at least the ones I see) is the jump cut. Like extreme WA lens use, it has become accepted. No, I have never made a YT video, and yes, I know enough about shooting and editing people to know why it's handy. But, voice in the wilderness that it may be, I say, out with it. Best wishes to you.
The hill I die on is the total mis-use of side profile cut-aways by so many youtubers; The subject is addressing direct to camera, and you want to change up the shot: the established editing and compositional grammar for this is to cut to the same shot zoomed in or out, or dollied in or out. Or hell, even creep-zoomed in or out, instead of a hard cut to the new framing. The presenter is still addressing the A camera in front, when these kids cut to the side profile for an extended time, as if that's the A camera now. It's dead wrong. Nobody in real life holds a person to person dialog while facing away from the other person, except while driving a car, maybe. What you want to do, if you're still addressing the lens as a single person audience, is to turn your head and body towards the new angle from the B camera: this is great for close-up asides or parentheticals, then you turn back to the A camera quickly, resuming the previous framing. If you park it on the profile shot, you are turning the viewpoint to third-person omniscient, but the talent is still talking to a first-person audience. This is just so wrong. That side shot is for a third person to get a backstage glimpse of a conversation they are not a party to.
Great analysis of why it’s wrong to rely on these profile shots. Even before I ever picked up a camera, I found them extremely jarring and wondered why on earth anyone would ever do them. Why would the director all of a sudden put me in the position of a disconnected observer??? What are they trying to tell me by doing that? :D
Man. When I first got a drone, all I did was fly that thing around and even though I was getting some really tasty shots, I had this feeling I was really overdoing it. I think the key lesson here is that everything has its place. It's when you overdo something that takes away from the magic of movie making. I'm guilty of most of these.
As someone who did this as a hobby for years. Your videos are what gave me the final push and motivation to do video work full time. Right now I’m a full time editor for a TH-cam channel but I’m constantly going out and doing freelance shoots now. Thank you so much for all the content you’ve put out. Your videos have changed my wife’s and my life.
All good points except number 3, I think, about shots being "too stabilized." Saying tripod shots are great but stable gimbal shots are not is illogical at best. That's like saying a drone shot is too stable. Subjectively you just prefer a little shake in your docs because that's how you film them which is fine. Would add constant jump cuts and hand over lens transitions. Or most unmotivated transitions.
7 REFERENCE CLIPS: The constant use of clips from tv shows and movies in youtube videos. For example 3:09 Simpsons, 5:17 A Clockwork Orange or 11:34 Yoda. I am guilty of working Monty Python references into normal everyday conversations with friends so I get it. But this has worked it's way into just about every video I see these days and often times it just interrupts the flow of what already had my interest. Have more confidence in your own work.
The visible mic trend is interesting but the actual "trend" I've seen of it is the subject holding the little mic while talking, like not even trying to attach it to someting and out of the way. Trying to be "organic" and not too "professional" - is the trend. I feel like it has the effect of someone in a dance club holding a beer in one hand so they can mask their inability to dance by "excusing" one hand away from having to do anything.
Oh my god thank you for talking about constant moment edits 😷 I’m so tired of these. I totally respect the work behind it, and the technical skill, but these edits are literally forgotten in the next 30 minutes.
100% As a guy that mainly shoots Muay Thai and MMA, I also think that lighting setup is so cliche and unoriginal! Zzzz.... I usually use the available light at the gym and a small lighting setup just to help with contrast maybe. But folks can be creative with what the gym lighting already has to offer.
One thing I hate and I've seen a few TH-camrs do, is when they're doing a piece to camera and cut to another camera off to the side. I feel like they're talking to me, then all of a sudden they're talking to someone else. It's one thing when it's an interview, you know they're talking to the interviewer no matter what the angle. Any other time, it's just really off putting.
Very well said! I agree with your list. There is one more I wished that would go away as well. It's not a documentary thing, I am so over it. I hate to say it, I even seen it in your video as well, not as bad, but it's there. It's the clipping a few frames from the video, giving a stutter, jump cut feel. To me a cut needs to be from a wide to tight, tight to wide, to B-roll, etc. Unless you are using this jump cut to make the audience feel apprehensive about the scene. I see so many TH-camrs use this " style " so much, that I can't even watch their video. In traditional editing a cut should never be seen, unless it's used to move the story. I hate to say it, I don't see any of these from your list, or the one I added going away. I see the next fad, will be a twist on whats already being done. This is just my opinion. My opinion, and 3 dollars will buy you a cup of cheap gas station coffee. Thank you for sharing your video.
Absolutely!! Information may be helpful but watching the abrupt shifts is always annoying. I can only assume it's done to upload content ASAP with minimum editing effort and especially done on YT. I appreciate creators who help others in the industry with gear reviews, and topics to improve their skills, however this "trend" is a distraction.Just my opinion as well. Likewise, good video.
Love it well explained point of view, and opinions I agree with most and I am very new but I’m older so I see perspective differently. Very helpful I will subscribe
6:13 Personally, I really like these shots that look like a picture at first and only after about a second do you notice that it is, for example, a push in
Yeah, subtle movement can be amazing. Also hard to do on a technical side! But sadly today’s media environment doesn’t appreciate subtlety for the most part...
Hey Luc what vest are you using for those handheld shots like at 9:29? I use a thick neck strap for mine but this vest looks like it would connect to the camera/cage, is that correct?
You're one of the few filmmakers I see on TH-cam who is actually being honest rather than desperately trying to play algorithms by piggy backing off every other TH-camr as fast as possible. I laughed out loud at the boxing gym tube light sequence. Also the sock thing was on every news website here in the UK and even being discussed on the radio, pathetic. Let us be free to wear whatever socks we want. I wish the world hadn't gone down this rabbit hole of everyone just trying to seem relevant by talking about the latest trending topics even when it means NOTHING.
@@LouisLuzuka I think it’s a plug-in or a filter but it gives the illusion of an old 8mm camera. The left side of the frame has a little square frame. You’ve seen a million times.
shit! I did the mic thing just a month ago. but the budget wasn't there and the director was okay with it and our previous experience with the lav mic were not good. used it for the 2 interview shots and the we just used a shotgun mic for the other interviews with the locals. I also did the 2 camera thing that you mentioned. I personally hate it but I got yelled at because the 2nd looked like it looked like i just cropped in the 1nd angle according to my senior.
The B cam thing has been making me crazy lately. I’ve seen it on YT and it’s also creeping into interviews outside of YT. Intentionality is the key phrase here - a dramatic, dark side of the face shot should only be there if the intention is to add an ominous overtone.
Nothing to add today just two thumbs up. Ok I'll add one thing. I have seen too many documentaries that have abandoned the simplicity of old school story telling for the newest gadget or camera angle. Very often the lack of story will prove out the that all the tricks and effects in the world won't make your lack of story any more Story -er (ya I made up a word). Thanks Luc!
How about an overstabilized drone profile in the dark with a B cam on a comp run track shot on steroids? Ok, that was my last setup and I threw it out :)
Love this - I have a few clients that see my real estate stuff and ask me to shoot their client content in a similar fashion. It's tough to get them to understand why it wouldn't work out because of intention, but it's worth it when the final product looks fantastic and they thank you for talking them out of it.
I never thought much about how the more profile you go with the b cam could make it feel that much different. I’ve been shooting two camera interviews the same for a while, that’s an interesting alternative angle
A trend that definitely needs to die is all those b-roll shots shot from weird angles, especially when the b-cam shows the subject alternately from the front and from profile. Its very unnatural.
Lol I shoot boxing for a living, I agree. It’s usually because gyms are an easy location to secure, most will let you shoot if you let them share a video.
So true! And I'm definitely guilty of most of those, haha. Although I think it worked well in my reel (would love your opinion on it btw, it's on my channel). But that second crew thing! That is the worst! We've had people ruin shots for music videos because they were filming behind the scenes for a reality show and didn't give two hoots about staying out of our shots.
Because of the Bayer pattern sensors lose resolution from the stated value because there are more green pixels than red or blue in the Bayer pattern. If you have a "true 4k" deliverable you have to shoot at a higher resolution and downsample in post. To get equivalent sensor resolution through the Bayer/debayer process multiply by 0.7, so 4k really becomes 2.8k, and 6k is really 4.2k.
Great points. Thanks. By the way movie clip inserts are getting a little tired and distracting from the actual content. No offence I’ve been enjoying all your videos tremendously thank you
I absolutely agree, and even more so, probably because I started film school this year, I understand. On that topic, I am so glad I did. Last year I changed careers in my late 30s from 12 years in aviation to photography/video and realised after a short time that I don't want to be another "videographer" and how cliche and boring 90% of material online nowadays is. 4 out of 5 videos have this crazy camera movement, 9 out of 10 have the same song, whichever is popular at the moment. So, I am with you there, sir, and I hope more people see this video.
As far as drone shots, you forget about the FPV side of things. I agree that nearly anyone could fly and get a shot with a standard camera drone. However, flying cinelifters and getting that extra cinematic shot that only full manual flight could achieve takes a great amount of skill and hundreds of hours of piloting practice.
Agreed about the boxing gym (or other athletic film) trend. However I will add, I’ve shot at 60fps or 120fps handheld for boxing to add some speed and tension (almost like the Saving Private Ryan battle scenes)
I do the odd interview and am still finding the right angle for the b-cam for my style. I do prefer to see their expressions clearly. And the mic thing drives me nuts. Even a clip on can be reasonably subtle. I’m a fan of the lavalliere mic.
You want to know what this is opposite to the video, but but one trend that I think we need back is more dutch angles in films.I'm so sick of having the horizon Straight, where are my dutch off angles to make me feel queasy and uneasy
Personally I'd like to see an end to those face-palm click bait thumbnails some youtubers do... it just looks ridiculous. So what the update feature you wanted didn't happen, so what the lens was a little heavy, so what Blackmagic did something/anything/everything, who cares whether you're changing camera systems!!!! It's not the end of the world, stop behaving like it's some sort of traumatic event that you have to sink your face into your hands.
I’m sure all those creators would agree with you that it’s not the end of the world, they simply exaggerate beyond reason as a clickbait. But I totally agree, it really annoys me too because I care about whether someone actually has something to say and I think a well crafted title and thumbnail can already communicate that.
Yeah and preferably done with one of the cheaper drones with image quality and 8 bit color grading that doesn't match the regular footage of the rest of the film.
Going along with the dramatic 2nd angle the trend that annoys me is when you have a single presenter talking to you or someone responding to a question without the actual interviewer being shown and it suddenly cuts to a side shot. Especially with the single presenter (example of a single presenter, Mr. Forsyth in this video) you, as a viewer will first experience someone talking to you specifically and then it cuts to side shot and then it's who the hell are they talking to now?
![[Gegagedigedagedago] NEW Help Gegagedigedagedago Nugget escape from Nikocado Avocado Challenge](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hJWnwRC2Fz8/mqdefault.jpg)
"If it's not intentional it's not doing anything for your story."
-Luc Forsyth
A great piece of advice for us beginner filmmakers!
+1. The temptation to follow the herd/trend/whatever can distract from the reason the camera is there in the first place. Many of the "bad" trends mentioned here can work, but only if done with intention of serving the story...but always hide the mic in the shot. Always.
Yup. But he’s not the first one to say that exact same thing… I’m pretty sure I heard Martin Scorsese say it over 30 years ago.
Not a documentary thing but I'm so tired of TH-camrs hand holding and talking into a wireless mic transmitter
It's like, why did you by a clip on mic and then hand hold it?
@@MarkAfterDark I get that they're doing it to get the mic closer the their mouth but why not just attach a lav, hide it and put the transmitter in your pocket
Theres stick mics, the ones you hold. I dunno why they dont just USE THOSE.
Content makers on a budget making sensible use of what they have I guess. Holding an omni up close to the sound source allows you to gain stage on the recorder to reduce ambient noise. Smart, if not annoying to look at.
I just replaced by wireless transfer mic hahaha
"How to make your video look cinematic" where they shoot wide open and slap a teal & orange LUT on top
Yes, so you want your video to look 'cinematic'? Simple, hire Arthur Max as your Production Designer. That'll do it.
Oh man that’s so 2017
with a bunch of slow mo irrelevant shots too.
C I N E M A T I C
Bruuuh you nailed it so hard with this! Everybody is using word cinematic and have no ideea what bit rate they're shooting 😅
Hey
I'm an aspiring filmmaker from India. I just wanted you to know that your tips and advice on this channel are invaluable. Its rare on TH-cam or anywhere on social media to consistently find content where the creator is really trying to help out others. Some people start with the aim of helping out others, and later on to feed the algorithm and to feed themselves, they start churning out videos which have very little value. You are one of the creators that's still doing it even now to help others out. Whenever you post a vid, i know i have to watch it because its that important to my filmmaking. Thank you so much for all the effort and honesty bro. I really really appreciate it ❤❤
I agree with all of your points. Regarding drone use, I use a drone like an old school crane for static elevated top-down shots or a gentle rise as the subject walks by. Done right, you don't even think "drone shot". I also agree with locking down the camera on a tripod wherever possible and using hand held only where needed for dramatic purposes.
Overly shaky cameras (Blair Witch Project) literally make ne nauseated.
As a beginner film and doc maker, thank you. It's easy to get sucked into the trends. And as someone who boxes, I always wondered why the lights were dim!
I'm in Asia right now shooting a personal project, and MAN, I feel guilty already. I tend to shoot shadow side just because that's what I've been told. And yeah, it DOES make sense because it helps translate a 3D image into 2D, but a couple of times that really wasn't the way to do it here.
You can add as a number 7, blurry background just for blurry backgrounds sake. Unnecessary bokeh drives me nuts.
Nothing beats f2.8/f4 on fullframe or its equivalent on mft
You mean TONEH !!
More bokeh is more bettererrrr
I got a fullframe and a bunch of 1.4 primes, gotta make sure everybody knows it!
@@rickbiessman6084 Hahaha
Do yourself a favour and avoid the movie, "Army of The Dead."
I am also an old camera guy and I agree with these 100%.
Totally spot on Luc 😉 I'm quite shocked by how many big productions go for the last point around extreme b cam angle. Netflix's Tour de France interviews are jarring in my view, often with a sudden jump to extreme b cam side shot with subject looking out of frame. It feels so disjointed, like they do it because it's a trend.
cargo pants are far too functional for me to ever get rid of them!
I second this.
Napoleon, gimme some of your TOTS 😂
It's in the name😂😂 CARGO!! So I feel you on that. If it works why stop
Cargo shorts also
Wait a minute... cargoes were out of fashion?! Hmm.
The last example of interview B cam was such an eye opener. You are so on point. Thank you!!
Not a film maker here but I think you missed the sequence close up alarm - close up mug - close up coffee maker getting ready for the day all in asmr fashion.
My beef is with content creators and their Alvin and the Chipmunks helium audio tracks.
Hure a sound guy. We're well worth the money.
Good audio isn't good enough.
My "trends I want to see die" is vloggers reviewing cameras banging on about the features that make vlogging about cameras easier. It’s a mirror circle. Arrrgghhhh!!
Video cameras are for making videos about cameras, and photo cameras are for making thumbnails for those videos. Haven't figured out where hybrid cameras fit in though.
All things in moderation is good advice for any area in life. Even filmmaking.
The trend that bothers me the most is the constant movement. It's so annoying because it's so hard to comprehend what you just saw. It's cool and flashy and "grabs" your attention or whatever, but in terms of filmmaking and storytelling, it has no place.
@@zongmuas tell that to Kubrick and Scorsese 😂😂
Didn't Kubrick use static camera and well thought composition like most of the time?
@@hbp_ Sure but he was also the first big director that brought the Steadicam into almost a whole picture, almost half of The Shining is Garret Brown steadi job. He never came back fully to the regular hollywood crane. Steadi is the most well thought composition a filmmaker can think of, especially because the weight is in the body, it's very very hard to operate it and you can't just do it without making it worth. It's all about "well thought" but the composition can be decided fast.
@@danielaragaoneither implemented constant, nonstop movement throughout an entire film
@@Eyeofkamau just follow Terrance Mallick paradigms and you'll be fine. As long you don't forget that handheld and steadicam is a must always.
I may be "old school", but I consider the viewer who is sitting in a fixed position wanting to be engaged in an interesting story. Just because we have the technology and "can do it", "it" may not be necessary if not purposeful in telling the story. Once again, I know why I keep coming back to your channel; Luc you cover the most useful information.
I’m tired of social media telling me what to do and how to be. Aren’t you?
I wish TH-camrs would stop adding clips from TV shows and movies to emphasize a point, especially overusing grandpa Simpson clips.
I like grandpa Simpson. Hilarious.
Totally agree with you!
LOL I totally agree with this!
I'm way over the "I'm so clever" inserted clip.
@@itsROMPERS...oh the dude thats pointing to his head? Yea that one is everywhere😂
All great. Those mics really bother me when someone is sitting there talking to camera and they could’ve put a boom mic up right out of frame.
Yet a visible lav using an alligator clip can eliminate clothing rustle, which will ruin audio even more than a barking dog using a leaf blower.
Hi Luc. At no point should I even attempt to be called a "film maker" or "documentarian". However, I have been gleaning gold from your channel for the last year as I step into making videos. So far, just personal stuff - but with a goal of always improving.
Your first one on this video - having mics in the shot - so totally resonates with me!!! I find a DJI or Rode wireless transmitter completely annoying - and for what? Admittedly, I still have the capsule of my lav showing, but good grief!
Thanks for producing this channel.
I agree. Hiding a lav under clothes is a more involved process, but running a lav cable down one’s shirt really isn’t too much to ask IMO.
That's why a good old STEADICAM will never fail to impress. It's no exactly about stability, it's about flowing in an organic way.
All these are things that clients love and specifically ask for, especially when hiring solo videographers. These things aren't just trendy, they're simple to execute and inexpensive. I dislike shooting work that looks the same as everyone else's, but I won't say no to an easy paycheck. What can you do?
Try to convince them the trend they want is dead
The "mics in the shot" is one I've noticed lately as well. One use in particular is when a creator is just talking to their audience and they're holding their wireless transmitter in their hand. Often gesturing with their hands while they talk. To me its like, just clip it on your shirt! What is the point of holding it in their hand, unless they're trying to "look" spontaneous?
In regards to stability, I am annoyed by floaty cameras. Handheld shots can add drama to a scene. But, overdone, especially in a narrative film, just reminds me I'm watching a movie. Which takes me OUT of the story. A fight scene is where handheld shots are most useful. The worst is on tv shows, where several people are sitting around and talking, and the camera is floating as if the camera was on a boat. The camera moves between people while the "floating on a boat" camera keeps moving. This is where it's overdone in my book.
Yes. Unmotivated movement is especially annoying. Especially when it's accompanied by fast cutting. Michael Bay is especially annoying with his cuts that last half a second between shots.
Great video. I think you nailed all of the trends I find annoying, or overdone, as well.
Brilliant i hate the black box on the collar trend. Its so ugly and distracting. It will severely date everything
Loved this. To an older guy who doesn't pay as much attention to trends as I should, this is extremely informative. Some of these trends are "out" before I even knew they were a thing to begin with, so thanks.
In my work environment the visible mic became much more of a thing in 2020 and it's been hard to get people to put that genie back in the bottle. We shifted to smaller crews doing more shots and setups in less time and the patience of a lot of our subjects to give us time for better audio setups seems to have lessened. I work at a television station, mostly shooting and producing documentary and commercial content, and really in 2019 we would have relied on an overhead shotgun for almost everything unless a lav had to be used for logistic reasons. Now almost everything is on a visible lav and most of our subjects won't cooperate with us to properly hide them, to the point where most of our producers have stopped asking or pushing for other setups. I'd like to see this trend move backward but I think there's more at play than a simple lack of desire on the part of filmmakers to hide mics in many cases.
Completely agree. I have clients who INSIST on holding or showing off the mic because it's 'trendy'.
I'm a fan of Roger Deakins: "If you need to move the camera, Don't!" so I too detest Speed Ramps, Hyperlapse, Slow Motion for no good reason and you're right: Drone Shots for absolutely no good reason! I've just returned from Taiwan where I worked with a local couple sporting a pair of caged FX3s on gimbals. They scoffed at my battered old hand held FS5 mated to a fast 12mm cinema prime so I quoted the Roger Deakins line and cautioned that they might end up looking like every other TH-camr out there but I'm afraid my words likely fell on deaf ears... As for interviews, I'll set up the B cam near the A cam but ask the interviewee to turn to that camera occasionally so that's the shot I usually cut in. I'm 'old school' so I mostly end up screaming for a Floor Manager cue when I see interviewees speaking 'off camera'.
Before watching the video, here are some annoying ones. During an interview, constantly dollying left-right-left-right. Crazy shaky handheld. Jump cutting into closeup during talking heads. Overused drones. A billion cuts-moves-transitions-digital zoom-ins per second. F&cking vertical videos. Wearing winter caps indoors. :D
Got a few. :D And agreed with the brick microphones, so ridiculous when it pulls down the t-shirt like 2 inches.
Agreed on those bulky "box" clip-on mics. So many years of audio companies spending time and money in R&D trying to make the mics sound good in the smallest package possible to practically disappear on camera (Countryman B6, anyone?), and here we are showing the bulk! Might as well go back to those "Vienna Sausage" mics we saw on lanyards back in the 60's!
Such an important point about super dramatic b cam angles for interviews. What folks don’t understand is that it doesn’t always have to be a close-up. I very wide angle b cam shot also tells a story about the talent in their environment.
Я бы добавил в этот список №7 - короткие вставки в свой ролик кадров из общеизвестных голивудских фильмов
I thought I was the only one complaining about that! 👍
How do you feel about lavaliers clipped on to collars? Like not the dji unit but like a sanken or sennheiser with the pack hidden?
I have just watched a couple of your videos. I had dreams of becoming a filmmaker years ago, and have done a little video and studied filmmaking on my own. The stars (not Hollywood ones) never aligned. Anyway, I appreciate your approach and advice. But I feel impelled to say something off-topic, i.e., not documentaries, because of your topic on this one. One trend that never seems to disappear from TH-cam (at least the ones I see) is the jump cut. Like extreme WA lens use, it has become accepted. No, I have never made a YT video, and yes, I know enough about shooting and editing people to know why it's handy. But, voice in the wilderness that it may be, I say, out with it. Best wishes to you.
Avoid social media and just enjoy living your own life. Trends are poison.
The hill I die on is the total mis-use of side profile cut-aways by so many youtubers; The subject is addressing direct to camera, and you want to change up the shot: the established editing and compositional grammar for this is to cut to the same shot zoomed in or out, or dollied in or out. Or hell, even creep-zoomed in or out, instead of a hard cut to the new framing. The presenter is still addressing the A camera in front, when these kids cut to the side profile for an extended time, as if that's the A camera now. It's dead wrong. Nobody in real life holds a person to person dialog while facing away from the other person, except while driving a car, maybe. What you want to do, if you're still addressing the lens as a single person audience, is to turn your head and body towards the new angle from the B camera: this is great for close-up asides or parentheticals, then you turn back to the A camera quickly, resuming the previous framing.
If you park it on the profile shot, you are turning the viewpoint to third-person omniscient, but the talent is still talking to a first-person audience. This is just so wrong. That side shot is for a third person to get a backstage glimpse of a conversation they are not a party to.
Great analysis of why it’s wrong to rely on these profile shots. Even before I ever picked up a camera, I found them extremely jarring and wondered why on earth anyone would ever do them. Why would the director all of a sudden put me in the position of a disconnected observer??? What are they trying to tell me by doing that? :D
Man. When I first got a drone, all I did was fly that thing around and even though I was getting some really tasty shots, I had this feeling I was really overdoing it.
I think the key lesson here is that everything has its place. It's when you overdo something that takes away from the magic of movie making. I'm guilty of most of these.
100% agree with your points. Seldom seen a TH-cam clip like yours that’s obviously made by a storyteller.
As someone who did this as a hobby for years. Your videos are what gave me the final push and motivation to do video work full time. Right now I’m a full time editor for a TH-cam channel but I’m constantly going out and doing freelance shoots now. Thank you so much for all the content you’ve put out. Your videos have changed my wife’s and my life.
Spot on, man! Love the video and completely agree with everything you said
All good points except number 3, I think, about shots being "too stabilized." Saying tripod shots are great but stable gimbal shots are not is illogical at best. That's like saying a drone shot is too stable. Subjectively you just prefer a little shake in your docs because that's how you film them which is fine.
Would add constant jump cuts and hand over lens transitions. Or most unmotivated transitions.
7 REFERENCE CLIPS: The constant use of clips from tv shows and movies in youtube videos. For example 3:09 Simpsons, 5:17 A Clockwork Orange or 11:34 Yoda. I am guilty of working Monty Python references into normal everyday conversations with friends so I get it. But this has worked it's way into just about every video I see these days and often times it just interrupts the flow of what already had my interest. Have more confidence in your own work.
The visible mic trend is interesting but the actual "trend" I've seen of it is the subject holding the little mic while talking, like not even trying to attach it to someting and out of the way. Trying to be "organic" and not too "professional" - is the trend. I feel like it has the effect of someone in a dance club holding a beer in one hand so they can mask their inability to dance by "excusing" one hand away from having to do anything.
Funny comparison. Would have to think about whether I fully agree, but I kinda see what you mean. :D
Oh my god thank you for talking about constant moment edits 😷 I’m so tired of these. I totally respect the work behind it, and the technical skill, but these edits are literally forgotten in the next 30 minutes.
You are so real!! That’s why I like so much your channel 😁
100% As a guy that mainly shoots Muay Thai and MMA, I also think that lighting setup is so cliche and unoriginal! Zzzz....
I usually use the available light at the gym and a small lighting setup just to help with contrast maybe. But folks can be creative with what the gym lighting already has to offer.
I agree with the mic. It works for Sam's and other videos like that. But in general, they've got to go.
Wooohhooo. I don't do any of these. And I am so glad you mentioned the second camera angle. I've thought that for a while. Thanks for all you do Luc
"Stabilty for stability's sake" brother I am with you on that one. Ditching the gimbal is so liberating. Ill die on that hill.
One thing I hate and I've seen a few TH-camrs do, is when they're doing a piece to camera and cut to another camera off to the side. I feel like they're talking to me, then all of a sudden they're talking to someone else. It's one thing when it's an interview, you know they're talking to the interviewer no matter what the angle. Any other time, it's just really off putting.
Even in traditional interviews I find it jarring though.
Very well said! I agree with your list. There is one more I wished that would go away as well. It's not a documentary thing, I am so over it. I hate to say it, I even seen it in your video as well, not as bad, but it's there. It's the clipping a few frames from the video, giving a stutter, jump cut feel. To me a cut needs to be from a wide to tight, tight to wide, to B-roll, etc. Unless you are using this jump cut to make the audience feel apprehensive about the scene. I see so many TH-camrs use this " style " so much, that I can't even watch their video. In traditional editing a cut should never be seen, unless it's used to move the story. I hate to say it, I don't see any of these from your list, or the one I added going away. I see the next fad, will be a twist on whats already being done. This is just my opinion. My opinion, and 3 dollars will buy you a cup of cheap gas station coffee. Thank you for sharing your video.
Absolutely!! Information may be helpful but watching the abrupt shifts is always annoying. I can only assume it's done to upload content ASAP with minimum editing effort and especially done on YT. I appreciate creators who help others in the industry with gear reviews, and topics to improve their skills, however this "trend" is a distraction.Just my opinion as well. Likewise, good video.
Love it well explained point of view, and opinions I agree with most and I am very new but I’m older so I see perspective differently. Very helpful I will subscribe
All of this can be summed up with "just because you own a camera and shoot reels for IG does not qualify you as a #filmmaker."
6:13 Personally, I really like these shots that look like a picture at first and only after about a second do you notice that it is, for example, a push in
Yeah, subtle movement can be amazing. Also hard to do on a technical side! But sadly today’s media environment doesn’t appreciate subtlety for the most part...
Hey Luc what vest are you using for those handheld shots like at 9:29? I use a thick neck strap for mine but this vest looks like it would connect to the camera/cage, is that correct?
Agree with these however I need to add another one.
7: cutting in movie clips into your video. Done to death.
You're one of the few filmmakers I see on TH-cam who is actually being honest rather than desperately trying to play algorithms by piggy backing off every other TH-camr as fast as possible. I laughed out loud at the boxing gym tube light sequence. Also the sock thing was on every news website here in the UK and even being discussed on the radio, pathetic. Let us be free to wear whatever socks we want. I wish the world hadn't gone down this rabbit hole of everyone just trying to seem relevant by talking about the latest trending topics even when it means NOTHING.
Got bored of drone shots a long time ago! Never used mine. Sold it. Hyperlapse? Ramping up? Sound and fury signifying nothing.
FPV real estate and 'haze' (atmosphere) spray in every scene, regardless of the setting, are my two pet peeves.
Loved these points!!!!
One trend I'm over is the 8mm/16mm rounded corner shot. I see it a lot in fashion videos.
What u mean 😮
@@LouisLuzuka I think it’s a plug-in or a filter but it gives the illusion of an old 8mm camera. The left side of the frame has a little square frame. You’ve seen a million times.
@@StephenMcFadden ooo first time I’ve heard thanks
@@LouisLuzuka th-cam.com/video/Ikb1olMv494/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6a5p8wRPNmi-bcx7
shit! I did the mic thing just a month ago. but the budget wasn't there and the director was okay with it and our previous experience with the lav mic were not good. used it for the 2 interview shots and the we just used a shotgun mic for the other interviews with the locals. I also did the 2 camera thing that you mentioned. I personally hate it but I got yelled at because the 2nd looked like it looked like i just cropped in the 1nd angle according to my senior.
The B cam thing has been making me crazy lately. I’ve seen it on YT and it’s also creeping into interviews outside of YT. Intentionality is the key phrase here - a dramatic, dark side of the face shot should only be there if the intention is to add an ominous overtone.
Great video! Now, I'm going to go back through all my videos and see what trends I got sucked into 😂
Nothing to add today just two thumbs up. Ok I'll add one thing. I have seen too many documentaries that have abandoned the simplicity of old school story telling for the newest gadget or camera angle. Very often the lack of story will prove out the that all the tricks and effects in the world won't make your lack of story any more Story -er (ya I made up a word). Thanks Luc!
I just watched the movie “ Ambulance “ and the excessive use of drones was getting nauseating. Well over played.
How about an overstabilized drone profile in the dark with a B cam on a comp run track shot on steroids? Ok, that was my last setup and I threw it out :)
6:40 remember if its a reel or tiktok video . Viewers want something quick . People attention spam is so much smaller now
Love this - I have a few clients that see my real estate stuff and ask me to shoot their client content in a similar fashion. It's tough to get them to understand why it wouldn't work out because of intention, but it's worth it when the final product looks fantastic and they thank you for talking them out of it.
love the vid!
My biggest pet peeve is people holding wireless (rode/DJI lav) mics!
I never thought much about how the more profile you go with the b cam could make it feel that much different. I’ve been shooting two camera interviews the same for a while, that’s an interesting alternative angle
You will be happy to know that I purchased a pair of dedicated lavs for my wireless mic kit.... I promise they aren't in any of my shots anymore!
I appreciate the REAL information and tips/
I'm a licensed drone pilot too and I'm totally exhausted seeing fpv ugh 😫
Thanks! I work with video everyday, and it is nice to get reminded of the basics!
A trend that definitely needs to die is all those b-roll shots shot from weird angles, especially when the b-cam shows the subject alternately from the front and from profile. Its very unnatural.
If you always see the same things, you should consider switching your bubble.
Lol I shoot boxing for a living, I agree. It’s usually because gyms are an easy location to secure, most will let you shoot if you let them share a video.
So true! And I'm definitely guilty of most of those, haha. Although I think it worked well in my reel (would love your opinion on it btw, it's on my channel). But that second crew thing! That is the worst! We've had people ruin shots for music videos because they were filming behind the scenes for a reality show and didn't give two hoots about staying out of our shots.
5:48 holy shit I cant stand those movements. LOL
Ankle socks forever - unless you're in the snow! Can't imagine running in longer socks.
informative video 6K is a popular trend Thanks Luc.
Because of the Bayer pattern sensors lose resolution from the stated value because there are more green pixels than red or blue in the Bayer pattern. If you have a "true 4k" deliverable you have to shoot at a higher resolution and downsample in post. To get equivalent sensor resolution through the Bayer/debayer process multiply by 0.7, so 4k really becomes 2.8k, and 6k is really 4.2k.
Great points. Thanks. By the way movie clip inserts are getting a little tired and distracting from the actual content. No offence I’ve been enjoying all your videos tremendously thank you
Thanks for always shining a light 💡 on it
Watching this while editing a drone only video 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Feeling guilty already? 🤣 Just kidding.
I absolutely agree, and even more so, probably because I started film school this year, I understand. On that topic, I am so glad I did. Last year I changed careers in my late 30s from 12 years in aviation to photography/video and realised after a short time that I don't want to be another "videographer" and how cliche and boring 90% of material online nowadays is. 4 out of 5 videos have this crazy camera movement, 9 out of 10 have the same song, whichever is popular at the moment. So, I am with you there, sir, and I hope more people see this video.
shots fired, love it
As far as drone shots, you forget about the FPV side of things. I agree that nearly anyone could fly and get a shot with a standard camera drone. However, flying cinelifters and getting that extra cinematic shot that only full manual flight could achieve takes a great amount of skill and hundreds of hours of piloting practice.
Love the thoughts on drone footage! Completely agree.
What about VR180 filming?
Agreed about the boxing gym (or other athletic film) trend. However I will add, I’ve shot at 60fps or 120fps handheld for boxing to add some speed and tension (almost like the Saving Private Ryan battle scenes)
I do the odd interview and am still finding the right angle for the b-cam for my style. I do prefer to see their expressions clearly.
And the mic thing drives me nuts. Even a clip on can be reasonably subtle. I’m a fan of the lavalliere mic.
I don’t like filming videos at all. But I really enjoy learning how it’s done. 👍🏻
Couldn't agree more.
You want to know what this is opposite to the video, but but one trend that I think we need back is more dutch angles in films.I'm so sick of having the horizon Straight, where are my dutch off angles to make me feel queasy and uneasy
Personally I'd like to see an end to those face-palm click bait thumbnails some youtubers do... it just looks ridiculous. So what the update feature you wanted didn't happen, so what the lens was a little heavy, so what Blackmagic did something/anything/everything, who cares whether you're changing camera systems!!!! It's not the end of the world, stop behaving like it's some sort of traumatic event that you have to sink your face into your hands.
I’m sure all those creators would agree with you that it’s not the end of the world, they simply exaggerate beyond reason as a clickbait. But I totally agree, it really annoys me too because I care about whether someone actually has something to say and I think a well crafted title and thumbnail can already communicate that.
If you want me to not watch your film....just open with an establishing drone shot.
Yeah and preferably done with one of the cheaper drones with image quality and 8 bit color grading that doesn't match the regular footage of the rest of the film.
What I call the hand push transition is also something that seems a bit overdone at times. However it does suit some people stylus more than others
Going along with the dramatic 2nd angle the trend that annoys me is when you have a single presenter talking to you or someone responding to a question without the actual interviewer being shown and it suddenly cuts to a side shot. Especially with the single presenter (example of a single presenter, Mr. Forsyth in this video) you, as a viewer will first experience someone talking to you specifically and then it cuts to side shot and then it's who the hell are they talking to now?