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Permalink Reply by Dutruex on May 26, 2012 at 12:33pm

fist off you need to get lost of different clips to play with...like clips of different tricks to mash up togethere...the more varity you have the better it is for veiwers to watch without getting board, cause people cant consertrait for log periods of time

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StudentPermalink Reply by Splynk on May 28, 2012 at 12:20am

I liked your video :) the only two things that I think that really stood out in my mind was that your head was cut off a few times and the ending, it just kinda cut off boom done! but pratice makes perfect keep making video's.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Tink in Tokyo on May 28, 2012 at 4:31pm

Here's a excerpt from a longer article I wrote about creating hooping tutorial videos. Although it's focussed on tutorials, a lot of the advice applies to any video you make.

1. Scout your location.
   • Do you have enough room? If you aren’t able to do the move in its full expresion, everyone will learn to do it wrong. Caroleeena once did a tutorial where the hoop was accidentally tapping the ground – now everyone taps the ground when they do the move, even though that wasn’t meant to be part of the move. Remember that your camera needs space, too, or you’re going to cut off your head or feet in the shot.
   • Make sure there is light. Indoors:  You want the light source in front of you, not behind you, so don’t stand in front of a window even if the view is spectacular. Frame the shot so no light fixtures are in it; these will mess up the automatic systems in your camera. Outdoors: you want the sun in your face or less than 45 degrees to your side. A slightly overcast day is good. Dappled light from leaves makes it harder to see the action.
   • Avoid distractions. Try not to have too many people moving or making noise in the background. If you’re filming indoors, it’s smart to remove clutter from the space behind you. Maybe the puppy needs to be in another room.
   • Consider the color of your hoop, surroundings, and clothing. You want some contrast so people can see clearly.
2. Check your gear. Can your microphone pick up the sound of your voice? Is your location noisy or windy? If you can’t get clear, loud audio, consider doing a voice over with the explanations. Does your camera capture the motion smoothly? You may need to adjust frame rates or other settings.
3. Find a tripod or stable platform for the camera. Keep the camera still when your hoop is moving. The more motion you add to your video unintentionally (via handheld jitter, wind rustling through leaves, cars speeding past, etc.) the crappier your video will look when it’s compressed on YouTube.

The rest of the article is here: http://spinmatsuri.com/2012/02/09/a-tutorial-on-hoop-tutorials/ 

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Permalink Reply by Taylor Dinkins on June 22, 2012 at 10:52am

Thanks guys I super appreciate the tips!!

Totally random and un-hoop related question... any one have tips on a good/cheap camera to buy? I'm wanting something digital that takes nice enough quality of pictures and video. I'm a super camera noob, so I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I've become super interested in photography and videography lately, but I'm feeling quite limited with only my camera phone and webcam! 

Lots of love to you all!!

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Permalink Reply by Megan LadYduB* on June 22, 2012 at 8:38pm

In my experience, there has been 2 constant variables i find that create an awesome end result (and keep in mind that if you think your video is amazing for this reason or that, then thats ALL that matters! your opinion on the outcome is the only opinion that really matters! who else can appreciate how smooth you made that isolation look as compared to ur previous attempts - when you finally nail that 3 beat weave and you caught it on video, no one except you can get that feeling of pride and joy and confidence from understanding all you put into it and finally getting it!!!) Dont get me wrong all hoopers feel this but may not necessarily enjoy that video as you will because it is not their progression they are experiencing - what im trying to say is, TRY to understand that there will be so many viewers of that video and everyone will critique and judge and love it or leave it in their private thoughts but only a FEW may actually take the time to share their comments - Its been over a yr of hoop video creations and I STILL have trouble accepting that the lack of comments/likes/etc does not mean lack of interest every time - i have even uploaded the same video on numerous sites on multiple occasions just to test my theory if maybe there were not many folks online at the time to catch it in news feed or what have you so i would upload again to freshen the feed, but alas not much difference - more views, YES, but still no comments :( i think many people arent sure of what to say - if i make a great video with flawless dance and hoop movements with an LED hoop that turns out bright and clear, thats when i get most of the feedback - people need visual stimulation so back to the drawing board --- what is your goal with these videos, figure out who you trying to reach, who you want to watch and be moved more - a new hooper, someone who never has hooped, your parents, friends, co workers, or oh heyyyy YOURSELF! thats a good start mentally to know ur audience and what will keep em watching or inspire them! 

BAck to the 2 elements i personally see surfacing in every video that I adore of myself hooping are:

1 - THE SOUNDTRACK -

while you are alone with no distractions  - sit or stand or lay down or do ANYTHING but pick up the  hoop YET - put your ipod on shuffle and make sure you created a playlist full of all of your ALL TIME favorite songs, and explore back into genres you may not currently be feeling but go back in time with a song that draws up crazy strong emotion, good or bad or hey it could just be a fun song that you could help  but to sing to every time u hear it and your feet or legs cant sit still through! When you start seeing yourself in your minds eye hoop dancing to the song you are hearing, thats when you know you found a song that will take you and your hooping and your video to the next level :)

click here to see my latest video

2 - FREE YOUR MIND - 
forget about the techniques of each trick or iso and just dance, move with the hoop - follow dont lead, then  allow yourself to forget the camera is there! (u wanna keep in mind your planes though so dont face the camera square and start weaving, it just doesnt show the true pattern and path if your not side shooting that one, but just dont over think it, you should really get a nice long lasting battery camera and large memory card and set it up and forget about it - u can always do over, edit, erase, anything is possible but i think a clear mind that is focused on the music and the emotion it draws is the foundation to creating an inspiring video and the rest is all common sense 

Again, this is all my personal beliefs and it works for me, but i think every hoop dancer has the understanding of what Im trying to say especially about the music, how it makes you feel, how it makes you move, we ALL have the passion for music in common here, Oh and we ALL like to make ourselves dizzy by spinning in circles too :P jk on the last part, kinda 

I want to add that there is NO LIMIT to what you can create with these gifts,the free computer programs to edit, the skills of the dance, the perfect setting, and the most incredible song/songs to match! A handful of times I have laid a completely different song on top of a video of me dancing to a whole other song and its been crazy how each time it seems like fate and it actually turns out looking cooler then if u heard the original song i was dancing to, oh this has shown true for me as well when i try to add the original mp3 to the video and mute the original sound during editing so that the echo of room is not there and the smacking of my hoop to ceiling is not distracting viewers from the dance,but what can happen is the song is like 4 secs a head or behind the timing of the original recording and after muting clip you notice that you actually POP the hoop perfectly with the drum BOOMS and your timing is altered but looks better some how - oh girl i could go on ALL night!!! I had to buy an external hard drive to store my videos on so i didnt use up all the computers internal memory, i bought a TERABYTE of memory space thats 1000 GBs of memory!!! Id say Im a tad narcissistic when it comes to recording every single time I pick up the hoop, I dont want to miss a thing!

 

ps many clips from diff videos isnt always necessary, just about everyone of my most popular videos are one continuous recording with maybe a few mistakes chopped out and transitioned together - the transition if not done properly is where you can lose people, especially if its sloppy or the quality changes or volume goes up in this short clip then back down again - too much room for error, ur best bet is to keep it simple short and full of heart <3

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