14 Bit Magic Lantern HDR RAW Video: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

[Basilius]

This is my latest project completely shot in RAW Video.

Gear:
5D Mark II
Canon 50mm 1.4
Tokina 16-28mm 2.8
Glidecam HD 2000

Man... I love Magic Lantern, a big 'thank you' to every developer!

Basilius

[Basilius]

...what a pity, no reply? 

[naturalsound]

Hi Brasilius,

having read your comment I wanted to figure out why nobody replied, so I watched the video rather critical.
I am very sorry to write some negative feedback. Take it as suggestions. I can not do better or want to bash you. It is yust what came to my mind:

The soundtrack makes massive use of phasing / chorus effects. In the beginning the width of the sound stage jumps from a narrow phasing to a huge chapel with loads of bass when the acoustic guitar plays. This irritated my ears so I had to stop the video.
This might be because i use KEF LS50 in near field configuration which are very phase accurate. But there is high risk that this effect may be similar on other loudspeakers.
I checked with headphones. Here the effect is much more subtle because each ear gets it's dedicated signal.
Later when the bass drum comes in it is easier to listen because it defines some constant sound stage.

The footage is of good quality!
Unfortunately the music does not support all your / cuts. I also have the feeling your video lacks a "red line" or story for the viewer to follow.
Maybe you could introduce one or two main characters in the beginning. They could then practice hard (with all the others of course) to have a fight in the end. After that they shake hands and show they are friends. (just a very simple suggestion).
Maybe you intended to introduce the guy that sits in the train, but somehow I loose him during the clip.

My suggestions are now open for discussion. Maybe somebody else has different opinions?

[Basilius]

I am very sorry to write some negative feedback. Take it as suggestions. I can not do better or want to bash you. It is yust what came to my mind:

That's exactly what I need! There is no other/better way to improve than getting honest and useful feedback!

The soundtrack makes massive use of phasing / chorus effects. In the beginning the width of the sound stage jumps from a narrow phasing to a huge chapel with loads of bass when the acoustic guitar plays. This irritated my ears so I had to stop the video.
This might be because i use KEF LS50 in near field configuration which are very phase accurate. But there is high risk that this effect may be similar on other loudspeakers.
I checked with headphones. Here the effect is much more subtle because each ear gets it's dedicated signal.
Later when the bass drum comes in it is easier to listen because it defines some constant sound stage.

Especially with this project I had a hard time finding the "right" soundtrack. While editing/choosing the soundtrack I always wear headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro) and I didn't give these mastering issues so much weight as you obviously did. But nevertheless you are right, this massive phasing can be very problematic in some setups. Always nice to get such a qualified feedback, I will focus sound more in future projects, thanks!

The footage is of good quality!

Thank you! 

Unfortunately the music does not support all your / cuts.

Hm, can you give a specific example?

I also have the feeling your video lacks a "red line" or story for the viewer to follow.
Maybe you could introduce one or two main characters in the beginning. They could then practice hard (with all the others of course) to have a fight in the end. After that they shake hands and show they are friends. (just a very simple suggestion).
Maybe you intended to introduce the guy that sits in the train, but somehow I loose him during the clip.

That's a very good point, thanks! Yeah, I tried building a story with the guy in train, but during filming the training a I lost this focus. Maybe because I felt uncomfortable of just filming him with all the guys around, who also wanted to be part of the video...
I definitely need to spend more time for preproduction (Storyline, general concept) in the future.

My suggestions are now open for discussion. Maybe somebody else has different opinions?

Again, thanks for your qualified and helpful feedback. I would love to hear them.

[naturalsound]

Hm, can you give a specific example?

I realize the cuts are in sync (although they are not always on the same beat)
It is the action that does not match the beat.

1:17 could be an opportunity to sync the jumping and the beat?

Maybe you sometimes (when they hold each other on the ground?) could slow down the music to add some tension?
I'm not very experienced in this topic of films.
Have a look at some Kung-Fu or Boxing films and concentrate on how the music syncs to the fight and the sound effects add tension / thrill.
Depending on the message you want to transport real sounds or Foley can also be useful (pain? action? The sound of the hands in the end?) If there are specific sounds, the viewer will search for  their origin and concentrate on this element. On the other hand your soundtrack is already rather dense, so there is not much room left without thinning it out. So I have no real advice here.

[5D3shooter]

Music killed my ears in the beginning too.  I still watched it, but had to almost mute the speakers.  Also, I think that song is way over used and you gotta watch out for that.  Might wanna try to create some original music or find other sources for music.

good effort

[Basilius]

I realize the cuts are in sync (although they are...

It is the action that does not match the beat.
1:17 could be an opportunity to sync the jumping and the beat?

Right! That's exactly the part (1:17-1:22) I'm not happy with. In the scene before I managed to sync the jumping with be beat in this scene I didn't, thanks!

Maybe you sometimes (when they hold each other on the ground?) could slow down the music to add some tension?
I'm not very experienced in this topic of films.

Normally to slow down the music isn't a good idea because it's often distracting and it disturbs the "flow" of the viewing experience. This could be useful in some cases, but I don't think it would work here. But perhaps a heavy low pass audio filter, similar to an underwater effect, could support the feeling of being hold on the ground, but in this case the camera perspective should be POV otherwise it wouldn't work out.

Have a look at some Kung-Fu or Boxing films and concentrate on how the music syncs to the fight and the sound effects add tension / thrill.
Depending on the message you want to transport real sounds or Foley can also be useful (pain? action? The sound of the hands in the end?) If there are specific sounds, the viewer will search for  their origin and concentrate on this element. On the other hand your soundtrack is already rather dense, so there is not much room left without thinning it out. So I have no real advice here.

That's a great tip! Yeah, sound effects would be awesome! I will use them in my next project, with a less dense soundtrack!   
Again Thank you!
Basilius

[Basilius]

Might wanna try to create some original music or find other sources for music.

good effort

Thanks. To create my own music for my videos would be my dream, perhaps one day...