Well scrimper, I must add my own congratulations on your first effort into instructional videos. As someone has already said, if I didn't know anything about scrolling your 4 films (all 4 worked fine for me BTW) would certainly have set me off on the right foot. And I picked up a couple of tips too, so well worthwhile.
Many congratulations, and if it's really true that you only bought the video last week then you're clearly well set up for a new "career", especially if/when you get into editing videos.
Very well done Sir!
=D>
I don't even own a video camera myself and have never even tried to use one, so I have no idea how to fix the following relatively minor details, but in your post you did ask for comments so I hope the following will not cause you any offence:
1. You mentioned your accent but while it does come across IMHO there's nothing wrong with having an accent and yours is certainly not broad - on the contrary, you were very clear and easy to understand throughout, so if I were you I just wouldn't worry about it at all;
2. As you said yourself, your hands are a bit big in the overall screen and in better focus than the job itself. You need a closer focus on the blade and the cut itself. Your hands were also a bit "purple-ish" in colour, though that may just be my laptop screen/viewing angle;
3. It would have been good to mention the blade type/TPI/blade number as well as the (Hegner) saw, and also the speed you were running it at (assuming you are multi-speed - I can't remember what you posted the last time that subject came up). If single speed, it's also useful to say so;
4. The description of entering into a curve at (roughly) 90 degrees was a good point (and a common mistake I often used to make) but better focusing on the job and the blade (point 2 above) would have made the point even clearer - and even more clear would have been to demonstrate the wrong way on one curve first, then the right way on a second curve;
5. Not hugely important, but the sound of the saw was sometimes too high in relation to your own voice. I assume you were using the open mic built in to the camera? Perhaps a throat/head mike with a foam shield would give more emphasis to your voice, putting the noise of the saw itself more into the background;
6. If you do get into editing (which I understand is a whole different ball game), that will enable you to cut out a couple of sequences where just bank grey appeared for a few seconds;
7. But I really do think you've done wonders already - running the saw and making good cuts whilst working the camera AND making a sensible soundtrack, all at the same time - you must have felt like a one-handed paper hanger at times!
But perhaps a small pre-preparation (e.g. cue cards with just headings, held up by your wife off camera??) would have saved a few verbal stumbles? Having said that however, your commentary was far more fluid and lucid and free of Uhhmms & Ahhs than many I've seen (from apparently experienced people), so that would be just a small "final polishing" in my view.
Again I really am impressed with your 1st time efforts and hope the above will help you on to even higher levels.
Thanks for taking the trouble and I hope you find the above to be constructive and not de-structively critical.
Please carry on.
AES
