Originally Posted by
KC8QVO
All,
I know there are riders here that have made videos of their trips so I am hoping to gain some insight from you.
I am also hoping this thread might be a general "tips and tricks" thread for those of us that are doing some video production of our trips - to what ever level.
My question at the moment is on helmet cams and footage. I took about a 10 minute video segment and have been playing with playback speed. Because the camera is mounted on the helmet and my head doesn't stay still the footage floats all over the place. No matter what playback speed I use - the footage moving around all over, to me, looks like viewers would have an awfully hard time watching it.
My goal isn't to use the whole 10 minute or so segment, I am only using it as a sample to work with until I can form a process that comes out OK.
At the moment - the only way I can think of to stop the "motion problem" is just that - stop the video and use still frames, then stretch the frame time out to like 10 seconds or so.
What say all? Thoughts? Tips? Tricks?
Since this is my first attempt at an actual "video" on a trip it is somewhat an experiment. To that point - after-the-fact, as I am going through the footage, one idea I do have is to mount the camera on a mast. I am sure the shaking of the ride would still show up in the camera (I don't have one that has very good image stabilization at the moment - maybe in the future), however the mast idea would curb the issue of the footage floating around every which way I move my head. So that may be a "start" in the right direction.
If you want to produce an interesting video, helmet mounted one perspective shooting is not the best idea. The problem is you only get one angle to work with and can only fast forward, slow down or chop up the images. That gets boring fast for anyone other than cycling nerds like us.
Most people who shoot video either have a couple of cameras or use a flexible mount like a mono pod, gorilla grip tripod or bar clamp to capture a variety of angles. Then they edit those clips together.
Another tip is to shoot short clips of various angles rather than one long run on clip. It is more interesting and way easier to work with in the editing software. Loading a ten minute 4K clip takes a lot of processor, a much longer clip usually bogs the program down.
Also, what ever mount or location you use, learn what that looks like on the video so you can direct the camera in the right way. A head mount, obviously, follows the head, so you have to move your head in a way to capture what you want. A lot of mtb'rs use a chest mount instead as it's a bit more stable and catches a bar forward look rather than a head down distorted look.
There is a stabilizing feature for some cameras/editing software that reduces wobble but that usually comes at the cost of reduced clarity/definition as well.
Currently, this is the mount I use. It can act as a monopod, wrap around the handle bar and can stand free or be wrapped around a railing or pole:
https://www.amazon.ca/GorillaPod-Fle...73434140&psc=1