Philo 2013 Promo Video

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drummingpariah
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Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by drummingpariah »

After capturing some video footage at Ascutney and reviewing that, I think I can put together something pretty decent at Philo next month. It's a much more involved process than hanging out on a corner and swinging a camera around, and there's a financial commitment that would need to be met to make it happen. I would need to plan out some interviews ahead of time to tie individuals together with a 'story' as well. I'd need 3 volunteer drivers to be the subjects of this video, and you'd need to be ok with the idea of being 'out on the interwebs' somewhere (release forms would have to be signed). If you aren't terrified yet, read on.

Video
It became immediately obvious that one high-quality camera is NOT the way to film a race event. I ended up with a bunch of short clips of cars whizzing by 2 or 3 corners, and not much else. Ideally, I'd like to have a camera on each corner, but looking at Philo's course map, I think I could get away with one mounted on each of the following locations:
  • START
  • Turn 3
  • Turn 5
  • Turn 8
  • Turn 10
  • Turn 12
  • Turn 14
  • Turn 16
  • Turn 17
  • Finish
  • Interior driver-facing (x3 cars)
  • Bumper (x3 cars)
  • Fender (x3 cars)
That's a total of 19 GoPro cameras, which is quite a lot @ $18 each - http://www.borrowlenses.com/product/gop ... ro_HDHERO2

I already have one Nikon camera for interview footage, but being able to get two shots would be really helpful and generate a lot more interest.
http://www.borrowlenses.com/product/nik ... ikon_d5100 - $28 for the weekend

I already have around $5k invested in photo/video gear, but it's still not really enough to shoot an event like this properly.
Total - $370 to be well equipped for 3 cars

Audio
For fun video, GoPros typically need to be mounted on the outside of a car, but that limits audio to almost nothing but wind noise. I would rent a Zoom H4N audio recording devices (they have convenient, decent-quality mics built-in) for each car.
http://www.borrowlenses.com/product/aud ... oom_4track - $26/each

That's really it, since these can be used for a number of different types of recordings and I already have around the same investment in mics as I do in photography gear. These could certainly run multiple duties over the course of the event.
Total - $78 to film 3 cars

Accessories
This is where costs start to pile up quickly.

Storage
We would need at least 1 per camera and 1 per audio device. Fully outfitted, we'd have 23 devices, so that's (at least) 23 small (16gb) SD cards @ $6/each. $138 total

Batteries
I'll naively assume we can charge all these batteries at the same time during lunch and overnight. In theory, we could squeeze by without needing spare batteries. We'd need a pile of AA's for the Zoom h4n recorders though.

Projector
There seems to be a lot of interest in a projector AT the event, and I think that's a fantastic idea. However, the one projector BorrowLenses offers is pretty crappy (http://www.borrowlenses.com/product/pro ... _projector). I think we should seek an alternative plan if we're going to do something like that. We have a few HDMI-capable 1080p projectors at work, and I might be able to borrow one from there to use for the weekend.

Shipping & Insurance
Brace for impact, this ride is about to get rough. The shipping quote I received was $187.26 (round trip, though). Insurance for the spare camera body and audio recorders (unavailable for the GoPros) was $38.

The grand total to shoot this event right, after all is said and done and assuming I have my gear (and nothing else) available is:
$837.27 and would end up with something along the lines of this quality:
https://vimeo.com/62442366

As you may have noticed already, I'm excited about doing this. I can't quite afford to throw the full amount at it right this moment, and I'll try contacting BorrowLenses to see if they're interested in sponsoring a promo video like that. This sport is cool as hell, and I'd love to see it get a little (not too much!) attention.

Here's what I need right now:
  • 3 Drivers who aren't afraid to talk in front of a camera
  • Just enough cash to make this happen. I don't mind putting up a good portion of the cost, but I can't really afford/justify directing, editing, AND producing something like this myself. It'd be great to turn this into a collaborative effort.
  • GoPros. Lots of them.
  • SD cards (MUST be at least 16gb though)
If you happen to be interested, either post here or shoot me a PM. If I can get everything except gear lined up (meaning people willing to be subjects and a basic shot list) this week, I'll contact BorrowLenses (and a few other companies) to see what I can do to get sponsorships from them or semi-sponsorships from them.

-Jesse
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Rabbit Farmer
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by Rabbit Farmer »

Great idea, no doubt. Still trying digest the above.
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drummingpariah
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by drummingpariah »

Rabbit Farmer wrote:Great idea, no doubt. Still trying digest the above.
There's a lot there to digest and im still hashing out the finer details. That was essentially just an idea I felt obligated to share, I'm not even certain that promoting hillclimbs would be a good idea. We have limited venues and there's a lot to learn to be safe (its like autocross but instead of cones there are cliffs and trees and boulders). How many novices is too many at a given time?

I'll just leave that as an open topic. I lack the experience to be able to weigh in on it. I just know there's potential for an awesome video here.
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by Rabbit Farmer »

Something to consider....

This entire video was done with a TOTAL of two video cameras. Think repetition/multiple runs.... one camera on the car and one moving around the checkpoints. Additionally, given the same (or close) weather on both days, that further expands your options.



Steve
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by sdwarf36 »

You lokking to do something like this?

Translating road racing to hillclimbing:
Proper tire selection== nothing hooks up on moss or wet leaves.
Staying on the racing line==anything paved is considered good.
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

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Steve, a LOT can be done with two cameras (as you've shown), but it requires paying attention to those cameras and having access to them.

That Okemo2 video is very close to what I'm interested in putting together, yes. I'd like to have a little more of a storytelling element to it though, which is where the documentary-style interviews come in. Also, audio quality matters. A lot. Recording good racecar audio is very difficult, but I think it's possible with some quality equipment.
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by Rabbit Farmer »

I agree that the car audio component is lacking.... essentially, the best picture is at the front of the car while the best sound is at the back.
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by hammer »

Also, while some music can set a particular mood, far too many car videos cut out the true soundtrack in favor of some random song. We need more car sounds and less music in my opinion. Just my two cents... And I agree that recording high quality audio of the cars should be a priority.
Sam Moultroup
http://moultroupracing.blogspot.com/
--------------------
2015 VW GTI
1988 Pontiac Fiero GT
1985 Honda Nighthawk S
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by Rabbit Farmer »

I usually add music when the sound is poor.
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Re: Philo 2013 Promo Video

Post by drummingpariah »

I just got off the phone with a camera rental shop, and while they weren't willing to send gear for free as a sponsorship, they did set me up with a discount code and some advice on exactly what I'd need to pull this off. I'm more than willing to direct, edit, organize, and produce this video, but I just can't afford all the equipment I'd need (in addition to trying to get this Datsun ready for the road this month, and attending the event). If it's going to happen, it'll have to be donation-based.

Because of this, I've created a fundraiser account here. If you know of anyone who has wanted to see you in action, or if you've wanted to see yourself in action, consider sending this link around to anyone who might donate. As long as the minimum is reached, I'm creating it, but the more funds, the better the quality will be. If the minimum is not reached, nobody will be charged and the video won't happen. I'll just bring along the equipment I have and make the most of it. Honestly, I'd love to make this into something memorable to help wrap the 2013 season up.

To donate or read more, visit this link.
Hillclimb Documentary Fundraiser
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