How can I get a better video?

[geeks]

Each year I record my Christmas Lightshow, for the last couple I was just pleased to have a video but this year I am a bit disappointed with how it is has turned out. I put a fair amount of effort into the show itself and this year I put some effort into syncing up the audio to an acceptable state but I feel like the video is letting me down a bit.



is said video in question

I film it from an iPhone 4k @60FPS I fix the exposure so it doesn't constantly try and change but it still looks a bit "fuzzy" for want of a better word. Anything I can do to improve it without spending many pounds? I would prefer to stay filming it from an iPhone if possible but I do have an EOS6D with a couple of different lenses I could try if the juice will be worth the squeeze?

[Russet Grange]

Looks great to me, I'd be really proud if I'd made that.

The fuzziness is probably compression artefacts, which Youtube can introduce. Does it look better on your PC than from Youtube? it certainly looks sharp.

Try putting it on Vimeo, that might be better.

Content wise I feel it is screaming out for a few close ups, and it's also very long. I'd aim for half that length. With you manning a second camera grab different/closer shots and cut them in to the wide shot.

Great job though, I think you're perhaps being a bit harsh on yourself.

[bcr5784]

I enjoyed watching the video. My take would be that the highlighs are over exposed and therefore look fuzzy. If your phone supports HDR (Dolby Vision) then I should use it - though on my Android phone I am limited to 4k 30p if I select HDR. I have not used HDR on my phone so I'm not sure how much more dynamic range it gives you. However I would expect it would give you more scope to reduce the exposure of the highlights in your video editor.

[Simpo Two]

Technically good. What it needs for more interest is more camera angles, close-ups, snap zooms/pull-focus and cutting to the music. Think pop video.

[David_M]

I would suggest that you try taking it again when it is not yet completely dark (and for simplicity maybe take three versions across the space of an hour or half an hour of twilight so that you can work out which one looks best in the end).

[geeks]

Thanks everyone for the assist. I will have another go and play around and see what I can do. the fuzziness is there on the unedited video straight from my phone, I kept the exposure wound down to try and reduce it but it didn't really seem to stop things.

Totally appreciate what people are saying about different angles and cut ins etc, you are of course correct but I am just not creative enough (I wish I was). I did want to get some other angles setup but its time as well as dipping in and out between the weather coupled with a complete lack of vision and talent

Weather looks ok for the next few evenings so if I can get out there for another go I will.

[Ed Boon II]

Nothing useful to add, but I wish you were my neighbour

[Digger]

Ed Boon II said:

Nothing useful to add, but I wish you were my neighbour

May I add a counter view?


Mind you I watched the whole video. Enjoyed it but yep it s a bit long.

May I ask what lighting & control hardware/software is required for such a setup?

[StevieBee]

Pro videographer here. Not that I'm needed as everyone else has made some good observations.

Fuzziness. My thinking is that this is an ISO issue. Assuming you left this to auto, it's got a lot of working out to do - very high iso for the dark bit but very low for the bright lights. What you have is a pretty good balance but the trade off is the fuzziness that you're seeing. Added to this is that as good as the iPhone sensor is, it's not capable of capturing the range of light that a crop or full frame sensor would. Instead, processing and Ai gubbins fill in the gaps and sometime it doesn't do this as well as it could.

Editing platforms like Final Cut, Davinci, etc, all have a function called 'Denoise' which can eliminate the fuzziness. But the best is an app called Topaz. This does cost but there may be a month's free trial so you can have a play with it. It is very, very good and has got me out of jail a few times!

4K... I'm not about to knock 4K but sometimes, a well exposed 60fps 1080 (HD) film can look better than 4K. This is because 4K is too good. If you have an issue like the above with iso, 4K has the effect of making that issue much more apparent whereas 1080 tends to lessen its visibility. And if you shoot HD on a 4K machine, there's much more processing headroom for it to figure things out. I've watched your film, full screen, on an 8k Mac Studio Display both in 4K and HD with a full-band fibre broadband connection and the difference is imperceptible. You may loose some of the vividness but this can be tweaked in the edit.

Creatively, I'd second the suggestion of alternate views. If you have a mate with a drone, that would be a nice addition but certainly a mix of angles, close ups, some hand-held stuff would be good. Throw in some shots from the other side of the road so you see silhouettes of people walking by, stopping to look. etc. Some clips of kids and adults looking, with the light beaming onto their faces as the smile would be a nice touch. Get a Santa outfit and occasionally walk into shot..... This though, assumes you have a reasonable level of editing proficiency.

Does it need to be 17 minutes long?

And next time, try setting up the camera during the day and shoot a time-lapse of you installing everything; start the video with that and then fade into the display.

What a display though!