Ken Somolinos Special

[Dat]

Nice "calm before the storm" intro. Pinned the location well for the viewer. It took me a bit to figure out your sweater said Ceiling Fan because of the video resolution, but still a cool idea.

The slow-mo fearless run, snowball datw, clock tower w/ original audio, bleacher blurry whirling swirl broke up the the video well, nice breather points for the viewer. This is really what makes or breaks a shred video for me. 9 minute shred videos with a constant level of intensity are impossible for me to sit through. Next time when you arrange clips you can also think about how shred intensity builds and wanes.

The indoor tripod background was kinda boring, and the soccer guy was distracting. It feels like you're far away and there's a lot of space under your feet in the frame at times. It also feels a bit forced cause you're facing the camera dead on, like you're going to charge. To make that shot more interesting and intimate you could move the camera closer so you would fill the frame more. Playing space markers, like a few footbags, just outside the shot can help you keep track of where you are in the frame. Shooting from lower or higher would have been good ways to spice up the shot. Also, shooting from your side would have given it a more candid feel. Shooting from lower is also helpful cause if the camera is close to ground level you don't have to worry about stepping too far forward and out of frame.

Shooting at a different angle might have made the wall behind you look more interesting too, instead of flat. It was good you set up far from the wall though. Before you pick a camera spot and angle, it helps to take a 360 look and walk around first and imagine what will compliment the shred the best. Try to avoid messy backgrounds that'll take attention away and make it hard to see the footbag.

The shadow run was fine. The transition after seemed abrupt and awkward.

The color and detail of the stadium and the low angle on the fearless and blurry whirling swirl made those shots interesting. The stadium was a nice setting because it was interesting, yet not distracting.

The handheld indoor shot was cool. You filled up the frame more and the viewer could see more of the gym. Maybe a lower shot to get more of the high ceiling and to make you look more substantial. In general, shots from eye level tend to feel plain because that's how we normally see the world.

Showing your name when you looked at the camera at the end was a nice touch. The string over the Cornell name and the slow pan back was a great way to bookend the video by reminding the viewer you're at Cornell. The panning was also cool cause it seemed like you were "exiting the stage".

Even though the songs you picked were cool, I think you could have found songs that would have fit your playing speed better. Shred seems more impressive and powerful when it's on the beat, cause it looks more deliberate and less chaotic, like well choreographed dancing. I know you were pressed for time and this wasn't feasible.

The tombstone was a great nugget for showing your character and adding to the "Portrait of a Player" feel.

Overall good effort. Good job giving the viewer lots of locations and angles, thinking about the music, and not going overboard with effects too keep the attention on you. You are pretty good at hacky too.

[Psilocybe]

Nobody has asked yet - how long have you been playing? You're really good!

[Matt K]

I think it's 8 years, but obviously Ken knows better than I do.

[dp]

Yea Ken, you could be pretty good if you keep playing!

I believe he's been playing for close to 10 years?

[Beastie Bee]

Nice Vid. Ken !!!

Your style is pretty good !
Keep it up m8

and datw with snowball was funny (Y)

[C-Fan]

Thank you again to everybody for the comments.

Bigtime thank you to Dat for the extensive, thoughtful notes and feedback. That’s exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for. Yesterday I began filming my next project, and I’m totally applying many of the tips you suggested. The only way I’m going to make better movies is by getting constructive criticism like this.

Josh: why did you delete your critique? That’s the kind of thing I want!

Just for the record, the bell toll sound effects in my video are part of that Daft Punk song; I didn’t add them in or anything. I chose the song in part because I knew it would go well with the clock tower intro.

As for how long I’ve been playing? Well, I first kicked a hacky sack on Easter ’96, and I first saw freestyle footbag on June 28th, 1997. So yeah, I’ve been playing almost a decade.

Yea Ken, you could be pretty good if you keep playing!

That's the hope!

[Zeb Jackson]

you killed jorden

[shreddaily]

why did you delete your critique? That’s the kind of thing I want!

critique:
don't label a video you made of yourself "(insert name her) special"

otherwise sweet
more:

-Rory Dawson, James Randall, Clavens and Dat for inspiring me to actually edit a video, and not just slap music over random clips.

I'm probably taking this the wrong way but, I asume you mean that you find lots of people "slap music over random clips". Well to be honest your vid looked like almost every other vid out there. I mean you did some cool things, but if I had never edited I wouldn't notice. The only thing that sticks out is the bell slowmo. But all the subtleties are easily missed; these techniques are in MANY of the videos out there but missed by the run of the mill viewer, thus this impression of "slap music over random clips" is put upon vids that clearly had some time put into them. and by subtle i mean changing strings when song parts change( even if it means cutting strings), setting up scenes, transition, slowmos ect... Anyway maybe this will give you a little more apreciation for less-than- epicly edited vids( or just less respect for me )

alpine leg>beackside fog ... yum

[C-Fan]

Thanks for your comments Nate.

critique:
don't label a video you made of yourself "(insert name her) special"

Yeah, I was a little worried I'd come off like an egotistical maniac, especially given that I put my name in the credits twice. When I was making the video I watched the Mulroney Special and Penkse Special a bunch, and I needed a title for the video so I just went with "Ken Somolinos Special." Given that I've been playing for 10 years and there's almost no videos of me out there, I hoped people would forgive me a little vanity and indulge me.

I'm probably taking this the wrong way ...

After reading your post, I'm pretty sure you are. When I said that those editors inspired me to try and edit, and "not just slap a song over some random clips," I was mostly referring to my last video (haha, I just noticed that that one is also called "Ken Somolinos Special." ), which was random tripod clips with no transitions, no editing, and a song thrown on top. I was thanking them for inspiring me to try harder than last time.

Well to be honest your vid looked like almost every other vid out there.

Like I said in my first post: this was my first attempt ever at editing a video. I did not expect to make a groundbreaking, beautiful video for the ages. That said, when you compare it to my last video, I think I've made substantial progress. The hope is that my editing abilities will improve in subsequent videos, and that's why I asked for critiques. Will my next video look like "almost every other vid out there"? Maybe. I'm not really that concerned if it does. I just want to make some videos of me that I can look back on when I retire and say: "hey, look what I used to do," and have it go with some music better than my first vid.

I apologize if my comments offended any videomakers out there; that really was not my intention at all.

As for critiques, keep them coming. The more specific the comments the better; telling me my video was boring doesn't give me much to work with, but telling me that a tripod shot with me facing the camera is visually boring is a great critique. Help me become a better editor.

[zeroman13]

Josh: why did you delete your critique? That’s the kind of thing I want!

I did 'cause after further watching, pretty much every day , I noticed that you did use different effects to move too and from different strings.

I'm in the same boat as you with editing. And with that my afore mentioned and edited out advice, seemed a bit out of place and useless.

Alright, here's another critique.

I agree with Dat, that you could've used a couple of songs, or one, that more matched your shred speed and style.

The intro was a good attention grabber. It kinda set the scene for what we could expect.

Like I said before, the slo' mo's matched well with the music. The fearless, with the slo' mo, and the guitar solo was beautiful!

I'll have to agree with Dat again, with the different camera angles. There was quite a bit of different angles in this vid, but maybe having the camera on the ground, or maybe getting a couple of shots from overhead.

You doing the long string at the end going the whole length of "Cornell" was a good ending. It kinda brings the viewer back to the world, in a sense.

And hitting Tombstone in the graveyard show's some of your character and more of your humorous side.

Good effects, good shred, varied locations, semi-varied angles.
Ken S. Special recieves an "A," as a good vid, that I will keep watching!

[ashleyd]

Really enjoyable. I love watching you kick.

[Jimpenske]

Nice video Ken! I love watching you shred. You're getting really good. I really liked some of those links. Especially alpine legbeater-supernova! That was huge. Your form is looking real good. I also liked the traveling run over "Cornell". Those are fun to do. I've been thinking of having some 1/4 mile shred event. Or just trying to keep it up all the way around a track. You should see how far you can go without dropping.

Thanks for the video.