My tribute video to the melt shop is finished and you can see it on YouTube. I recommend you stream it in HD if you can -- it's an HD hybrid video.
[video=youtube;BUOMmQIfnJA]
Alright well I have to sound in a little differently here. While I agree that your photographs invite the desire to linger on each one for more than a retinal flash-- and we have been treated with seeing you post them on these forums-- I could not only see what you were trying to accomplish in this video but FEEL it.
Your video overall was timed pretty well with the music. You drew the viewer in through your video clips and stills.. building through each musical/visual verse.. until you hit the chorus and then the imagery flashed and it was much like one's memory might recall things.. No one's memory plays out like a movie (ie: "my life flashed before my eyes"), it's instead comprised of glimpses that have impacted the mind enough for the brain to retain the information. Your photos do have that kind of visual impact and while the photos themselves were collected more recently, the flood of images does give the impression of a decades passing due to the volume of them shared in the video. Further, the distortion between image or video changes did two things, firstly adding to the feel of memory recall and secondly adding to that an instability like.. 'this can only last so long'.. which is what ultimately came to pass, it all ended. Often, but not always, these 'distortions' synced with the wavering of the music. Finishing off with the men and at the very end a tease of their voices added that final human element. A book is for stills and your photos do merit that but I think this is definitely your best video yet and while I can't fully know your mind during the process of making it, it would seem that you accomplished, IMHO, what you set out to. Might be a little touching up to be done yet on timing but otherwise---- Well done John.
ADDED reviewing it again:
1. Intro you show the cables or whatever they are-- the crash into the music should be more of a fade into, a faster paced fade because you don't want to lose the edginess but at the moment the two parts, being the cables and then the rest of the video, seem to be sitting in the same room but not holding hands. At the very least if you do want the crash, make it immediate, as soon as you flicker off the cable segment, crash, and use a brighter (maybe one of your flaming hot) photos for that first shot. I used to mix music and this part feels just a bit off. (ex: 17-19 seconds)
2. At the beginning it seems like you are trying to hold a photo for each line of verse but then sometimes you cram two photos in and it loses visual rhythm.. you could, if you are inclined, pace that a little better. Pacing helps to guide the viewer through the journey assuring they are pulled onto the ride you want to give them rather than standing off on the side not sure when to step on. I was pulled in but I am more prone to dive in, you want to pull in the people that are prone to stand back. (ex: 30-36 seconds)
3. Sometimes you have the distortion of images, where one image merges into the next, on the echo of the singers voice or the tremble of the music and sometimes you don't and I think there would, again, be better rhythm if you kept that type of fade synced with the music. It's a really great touch when her voice echoes or trembles to make the video do the same.. almost breathtaking. (ex: 39-41 seconds)
4. The chorus,
lay it down lay it down... and the flickering of images is great. When her voice slows
lay it down at His feet lay your burden down, your images turned to a video, slowing, again a nice touch. Not consistent throughout the entire movie but a good layout idea. (ex: 54-1:00 & 1:01-1:04)
5. Nice that you got your name on the door in that one video clip
(1:23- 1:25)
4. I like when the guitar whines and you do the (not sure of the name) zoom in-zoom out fade-- keep that up as the song allows
5. Nice visual pause in the chorus when you flicker and then give one extra pause on the chair (+1:50 --2:01) and then again shortly after the mossy gear.
6. Distortion of music and voice + your image distortion at 2:11-- Nice. And I like the shuddering of the video as her voice trembles-- you carry that nicely through several images to the end of the steel being mixed(?) and that final vibration of sound
7. Moving from solely machinery to men towards the end of the film, good integration, and from stills to movie, nice.
8. Musical fade to voices-- well done.
9. Goodbye written on the wall still, well done.
10. Fade to black and then your quirky entropic remnants visual signature, again nice. It would be nice as an end for all your videos.
So THAT is my more formal critique and I will repeat that this IS
the BEST video I've seen from you so far, not that the others were bad, but this carries the viewer more emotionally. I see a musical documentary video, not photos set to music. Kudos.. verrry nice. And please if you feel my critique is too strong, remember I am not trying to insult you,
I think this video is awesome. I just think you need to tweak to bring awesome to perfect is all and I know you are quite capable.