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Luthrie is an art seperate from teaching.

The fact is; many video presentations and books are created by those who...have either forgotten what they previously didn't know, didn't know enough to begin with, or had no ability to systematically convey their knowledge. Present company excluded, of course. I've seen some nice tutorials here.....and I DO appreciate them. Sadly, too many of the commercial efforts I've looked at are more motivated by profit than by a sprit of altruism. Not that I mind paying top dollar for good information but I should pay for lousy information when I can get good information for free?

http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html

This is the best presentation on french polishing that I've read....free on the internet. Maybe I could commission these guys to do a similar exposition on spray finishes.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Filippo,

I know exactly which FP tute you're referring to on YouTube. It is indeed painful to watch. I think he was tapping into the EverClear prior to producing the video.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

It is not that bad, though could have been a little faster moving and as stated above we do not need to watch so much of the actual application. It would be a good 2 part video.

At least we do not have to learn from this guy



Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Fred-
Thanks for that video!
I learned a lot!

I agree, I just tried to watch that video before seeing this thread.... That Everclear was almost gone

WRT to Frank's post, I guess it's one of the consequences of democratizing access to technology. There was a similar situation when automated cameras became affordable: a plethora of really bad "photography". When bit-mapped laser printers hit the market, there was a surge of posters, newsletters and memos sporting a half-dozen fonts in one document. Remember web sites built with Netscape in the early 90s? I think we're seeing the same thing with videos. I wonder what's after videos?

It seems a lot of these pursuits are undertaken with the maker caught in the moment of the making, bearing no mind to what the viewer's experience will be , whether it's videos, photography, building web sites or whatever.

Personally Todd, I think your videos are produced well enough for what they are: full of substantive info, without an agenda and not meant to dazzle.

Pat

Edit: I meant Filippo.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Fred, that was great. I hadn't seen that one before. I can't believe he got through the whole thing with a straight face!

On the serious side, I really appreciate the efforts folks take to make instructive videos. I've learned a lot from them. Sometimes I come across one that is just obviously a Todd rating #4 and I just move on.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

HOLOGRAMS

I for one have a great appreciation for Todd's videos. They're no nonsense and very informative.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Todd, Sucked? I watched the scary sharp video 49,000 times... what is up with the counter???

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Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Well all I can say is you get what you pay for.
I pretty much do mine on the fly so they are what they are. I think I do a pretty good job of showing what I'm doing and frame the shot pretty good. You usually only see me in the opening and closing and the rest is usually directed at the task at hand. I know all about 3 point lighting and that stuff but this isn't the Yankee Workshop. It's just me and my Canon PowerShot and a tripod(most of the time on the pod)
Also , these videos aren't mainly for the seasoned builders so some of the stuff might seem below some of you but good for the beginners. I feel that showing somethings gives people an idea of how much time it takes to do it and possibly what speed to do somethings. Like drilling a hole in UHMW or how fast to saw shell and stuff like that.
I do some of the videos in hope that some of the seasoned builders will give me some constructive advice.
And I do some because nobody else is putting that info out there for free.
But if I put a video out there and someone can see what I'm doing then it's explained better then what I could express in writting it down in a post.
I wish more of you would make some videos so I wouldn't have too.
But I get your point about really bad ones. (I'm hoping you don't think mine are really bad)
I too don't like to see the host just working on something in a wide shot and not seeing a close up of what he's doing . And I don't like the excessive use of wipes every 5 seconds. I try and use wipes as a transition to another segment or a transition from a wide to a close up shot or visa-versa(sp?) but sometimes a simple cut works better in that case. I like to disolve from one shot to another to show the lapse of time and from the title page or to the credits.

Hey Filippo,

As far as ideas (sorry for getting things off track earlier ) good lighting, clean closeups, to the point informative talk, minimization of background noise, addition of music in places, and the occasional blurb of humor, are all targets I look for in videos. It helps to maintain a person's attention and helps to educate (often even the experienced) with ideas both new and old. Background noise and heavy breathing tend to (at least for me) be a bit distracting. Also excessive rambling will generally cause me to stop viewing a video and move to another. Just my 2 cents FWIW.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

What works for me? What I think works for me is showing close ups of what I'm doing so the viewer can see what I'm trying to explain and at times get a grasp of how much time it takes to do it and what speed. Sometimes I try and express my thought process too. But my teaching style is pretty much a show and tell style which is what I think video is pretty much suited good for.
As far as technic I try and make the viewer unaware of the camera. IMHO any video should do this. To achieve this when at all possible put the camera on a tripod. Avoid rapid and jerky pans and zooms. And avoid a lot of wipes for 5 second segments when editing. (that makes me dizzy) Some of this will also depend on the quality of your equipment. My camera isn't really designed for commercial video in so much as it takes video. I have a one speed zoom which I just hate for video, it really just doesn't get it. I try and make it seem like the viewer is pretty much standing there watching me working and looking at what I'm doing and not just watching me working at something.
Although I'll be the first to admit I don't always do these things. When doing these on the fly it can be difficult to do the task at hand and explain it while being aware of the camera and trying to not block the camera's view. Especially in the tight spaces of the shop and when you're tired. That's also when you won't care to make more takes of something if it just isn't quite right. Like I said, what do want for free?
"Video tutorials an art?"
They can be just as much as any videography , movie making or TV show. There's an art to doing anything well. Don't you think?
Also lighting is important for a good looking video but that 's another cost and time issue for these no budget youtube tuts as well as sound and editing. So I'll say be aware of lighting and try and get the best you can. I also like videos to be dynamic and not too much like a slide show. But some of these things are just my direction style.
I use to shoot wedding videos for a few years on the side for a couple of guys 9 years ago and do stuff at the public access station so I have some background with video. So I'm aware of what's not right with my videos mosty. Although you have a good point about holding parts on the drill press. But I'm so use to not having a vise or clamps for it and I'm use to drilling and hole sawing throught stuff in the field on the job (electrician) so much that holding things down with one hand and using a hand drill with the other hand is second nature to me now . I'm pretty good at getting my fingers out of the way when it gets away from me. But you're right about that. But I don't smoke and I have to have some vises.
But I'd also say just make a video and look at it and see what you like or don't like about it and look at ones you like and figure out what you like about them and apply it to your videos. Don't expect everyone will like your style. But that's how you'll learn your directing skills and the "Art of Video Tutorials." You pretty much have to do it just like building guitars.
Maybe I could make a tutorial on my views on making tutorials.

I posted a tutorial on YouTube two years ago. Last I checked (nearly a year ago), it had 70,000 views and a few pages of comments asking for a tab, telling me I moved too fast, or that my teaching was terrible. The tab was linked in the description, and I gave a bare bones explanation of what to do as a I played slowly. "Capo two, D2 shape, thumb the E string on the 2nd fret, walk to the G shape."

That's taught me that putting pertinent info in the description and moving quickly while covering the material thoroughly aren't enough.

Teaching has taught me how surprisingly non-verbal we are. I have to show, and I have to give my students time to watch if I'm demonstrating something. I really like John Hall's videos. Listening to the information builds the foundation, but watching him work (fitting the dovetail neck joints, for example), helps me understand.

Chris,
I think your videos are awesome( I think I've said that before)

Todd,
Untill this thread I have never seen yor videos... (I'm new here) But I think they are awesome too, and will be loking forward to seeing more...

Thanks again,
Jeff

Fred, that was one fine video. Does StewMac sell transcendental hopper data scopes?

Filippo, I think you're on target with this post, and hope some folks take a minute to at least absorb the points you're making, even if no one bothers to offer a tutorial on making video tutorials. I 'rolled tape' when I was sanding a set of rims and linings on a sanding dish, thinking that it might be valuable to share with anyone not familiar with the process, as well as sharing the humorous aspect of the braying, honking, and snorting sounds emitted. Upon reviewing the footage, I saw it was valuable only to catatonic patients and the humorous noises became annoying noises in about 1.5 seconds. I have spared everyone my effort, and the entire production remains on the cutting room floor.

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Dennis, that's funny. I did the same thing, too. It's about 30 seconds long with a few fades here and there, an annoyed face, and "I've got Dreams" playing in the background. I never posted it because the soundtrack won't play on YouTube since it's an iTunes file.

I think people forget when they're making a video that it will be extremely easy for viewers to rewind and watch again if they miss something. It's not necessary to repeat yourself, speak really slowly, etc...

It may be fruitless to try to raise the bar for amateur lutherie video production, given the trouble many still have with still photography and the written word.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Edit: Funny you just mention what I was writing while you posted.

Here's a tip that I think you might find helpful. Start with pictorial tutorials. I did those for years on MIMF.com. And I believe I was the first one over there to discuss the idea of making videos and using them for tuts on youtube when it first came out. I think Todd might have even seen some of my pictorials and emailed me about checking out OLF or when I was having problems with my first side bends. Visit the library over there and check out my pictorial on how I make a metal Tricone body.(100 pictures in that baby) I believe that if you have the ability to make a pictorial then you can make a video. With a pictorial you frame your shots to show what you are wanting to show and write want you want to say. You focus on the subject. You move through the process taking pictures of key steps. You frame the shot that is best for getting your point across or demostration it. You don't go wide unless it serves one of those purposes. It's the same as writting a book. Video is the same thing, just dynamic and giving you far more info if done correctly. If a picture is worth a thousand words then a video has to worth million. Tuts also have to do with whether or not you have any teaching skills. At first you might have some stage fright like your first open mic if you have ever done one. But after a while you'll get use to that too and you'll kick into a zone to where talking to the camera whether on or off screen is like talking to a person. But chances are if you can't do a decent pictorial you won't do such a hot video tut. Having an eye for the visuals helps too along with a creative sense. After all you are wearing many hats when making these solo. It's also nice to do as much in camera editing as possible so all you have to do is load it into movie maker and add a title and credits add some transitions between scenes and cut the parts where you are turning the camera on and off. Also it helps to give yourself a few seconds of still time before you start and when when you finish a segment. If you screw up then just stop a few seconds and start again. Give yourself some room for the cut. It's also visually better to wipe or disolve from a still to a still or a motion to a motion. If I have to do a cut from one frame to another I try and make where there isn't too much of a change in the shot so it only looks like a glitch. I find a desolve or fade can work better sometimes the a cut. When I say disolve I mean the same thing as fade. There are some programs that have a desolve that's a desolving wipe. I'm probably should have been saying it correctly as fade as with fade transitions the audio also fades in and out and not with the wipes. Any of this helpful?