@BobinCH, I used Splice once to edit stuff directly from GoPro using my phone. Can't remember exactly what was involved but was quite good for quickly clipping and putting together shots with a bit of soundtrack. Knocked this together fairly quickly when I was a bit bored.
- You will need to film a lot to get a few minutes worth of interesting footage.
- Filming in cloudy conditions is only worth it if you capture something interesting. Otherwise it tends to look a bit drab
- Filming on cat tracks can actually look pretty awesome if the views are nice and the fact you aren't having to think to hard about your own skiing helps in filming others
- I filmed everything with either a chest mount or a ski pole mount. The chest mount is good for leaving it running but you have to get close to people to capture anything specific. The ski pole mount is great for planned footage and you can also do some self footage with it
- If it snows your footage will usually be useless. If you are using a ski pole mount your footage can often become useless after a few turns so if you want to film something specific remember to clean any snow off before hand!
- Try and film some of the non skiing stuff. Even a 2 second clip on a chair lift helps round out the video. Including some clips of getting ready in the morning/apres etc even more so.
Editing
- Editing is a pain and takes a long time. But it makes a big difference
- As others have said, be ruthless, have no qualms cutting something if it doesn't look that interesting
- Try and keep clips short. Unless you have some seriously good/funny footage, keep individual clips to a few seconds
- Try and create a bit of a sense of story in your video.
- Try and work to the music you have selected (very difficult and time consuming this bit).
Finally, remember that you're not trying to win an Oscar for directing or cinematography here. You're just trying to create something that people involved can enjoy. So try and give people relatively equal amounts of screen time and don't worry too much if you don't have anything too interesting of one individual.
The below was my effort from last year which I was relatively pleased with. Still some crap in there though.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Here's a little vid from the opening weekend in Val d'Isere, in November 2017. I used a boot clip for the first time and it gave some good footage, especially off piste in the powder. I should have trimmed some of the bits a bit more, but I'm learning on the edit front all the time.
I'm still unsure about having metrics in the frame.
The Virb has a really good phone interface so you can upload short funny clips, such as when I entered this magic carpet way too hot Try to keep FB uploads to around 30 secs.
Means you can use your phone as a screen while filming to make sure you're getting a decent shot. I find too often I think i've got a good clip only for the person to be too small or too big in the shot! It does eat up the battery of both devices though so worth bringing a power pack and some spare gopro batteries with you.
The handle is great a follow cam and reduces vibrations, I also prefer being able to direct the shot rather than having to point my chest/helmet at what I want to film. If you want to spend a bit more you can also attach an external microphone and wind shield for far clearer audio - just got to be aware it starts to get bulky in the backpack and can be a faff carrying it around everywhere.
I have to say that I rarely see the appeal in watching other peoples' holiday films. Although I will confess I have posted one sequence on here...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
under a new name wrote:
I have to say that I rarely see the appeal in watching other peoples' holiday films. Although I will confess I have posted one sequence on here...
Agreed, but the appeal is watching your own family and friends. No different to holiday snaps in that respect. I enjoy watching my own go-pro videos, but wouldn't inflict them on strangers!
After all it is free
After all it is free
I watch the videos on threads like this, as I like to look for editing ideas.
Including non skiing bits is always a good one, such as 1-2 second bits of the drive up the hill, etc.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I use a backpack strap because I can't put it on my head, and I find the chest strap always leaves it pointing too much at the ground. The strap is called a Dakine POV Mount.
For me, using a GoPro for skiing anything other than seriously impressive stuff just leaves you with a load of footage that shows you you're not as good as you think you are. You can do a run which leaves you absolutely buzzing then you watch it back from the GoPro and it basically looks like a granny driving round Morrisons on the scooter... when the batteries are flat. I think sometimes it's best to leave with just a memory.
What I thus use my GoPro for, is 30-second timelapse. With a big battery, I can easily do a full day skiing. So what I end up with is about 7-800 photos taken at 30 second intervals of the day. This gives you 2 things: (1) A timelapse that can be collapsed to a minute or two, showing your entire day; and (2) some really nice stills (99% are fairly crap but you do get the occasional mega one - you have to use the timelapse video to find it though).
What I'd like to do is find a way of automating the GoPro so that it takes a photo every 10 seconds during the ski run and then once a minute on the lift. That'd be smart.
Coming to think of it, I do also have mounts on my skis for the occasional dose of self indulgence, as you can get the camera pointing up at yourself
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Re GoPro tips - here's my 2 cents worth
Mix up camera angles as much as possible, get creative
Helmet mount footage is normally useless
Use handlebar mount for your ski pole, film yourself and others, just turn the camera around
Be prepared to take a LOT of footage as most will be rubbish
Watch other videos on YouTube for ideas
Don't just film randomly without a plan, the end result will be rubbish. Make a note of ideas from watching other videos and execute those yourself
Add markers to the music in your editing software on the beat. This will allow you to easily transition from shot to shot on the beat - this will make a massive difference to the watchability of your edit
Record in a high frame rate to allow slow motion and still keep the footage smooth
If it's sunny, film.....A LOT
Nice video.. Like the drone leaving footage at the end..
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@under a new name,
I don't make videos too bore other people with but having said that the better it is the more likely somebody else would enjoy it too. Hours of footage of somebody filming themselves with a pole mount is very dull I grant you. I really make them as a momento of a great holiday that I can and do look back at. Also when editing I can re-live all those moments again. Finally I can see how crap I am and hopefully improve for next time.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Being one of the boring people that likes to watch gopro footage on YouTube my advice would be don't get a selfie stick and film yourself going down a run, despite what the younger generation believe no one wants to see you bobbing left and right for 5 mins.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Don't often use a GoPro but I suspected yesterday might be worth bringing it and as you can see some sweet footage
So having just gone skiing and made a go pro video, one thing I found is that the go pro studio software no longer exists (there is a crappy replacement called Quik that is completely useless). This turned out to be a blessing in disguise though, as I followed the recommendation in here to use DaVinci Resolve, which whilst complex let me play around with video and audio in a really powerful way (that I barely utilised).
I have to say that I rarely see the appeal in watching other peoples' holiday films. ....
My tip then would be to look for threads which don't have "GoPro" in the title.
I do watch parts of them, and read the threads. It helps me understand what the conditions are actually like, and how and where people actually ride.
You can take as much or as little as you like.
... DaVinci Resolve, which whilst complex...
It's come on remarkably over the last few years. I've been using it instead of Premiere Pro for dun. It pretty much does everything really useful from PP and the colour grading is neater.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I've recently started using da Vinci resolve too. Which I've found fairly intuitive although I've be editing vids for a while.
As above very little point in filming in low contrast days and you need to move the camera about for different perspectives.
Also the choice of music is very important although this is fairly subjective. I usually add the sound track early on while editing to get a feel about how the whole movie will go together.
This was the first time I had used my GoPro and it was a mistake to film everything from the top looking down. Next time I will film people coming towards me. I was using a chest mount.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@mark70, very much like that.
Great work & nice video.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Wow! I love all of your videos. I am so keen to try to match some of these. I downloaded Davinci and really loved it - but then it crashed and i have not got it working since. Turns out our computer isnt powerful enough to run it. Im gutted as it looked great - but it will turn out to be a very expensive gopro if i also need to buy a new computer!
Can anyone recommend anything similar that needs less RAM?
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
The Garmin Virb software works with Go-Pro footage and is free. It uses what RAM you have and a mate runs it on a very old laptop, for his GoPro edits.
Very simple to use for basic cut+paste/transitions/audio edits. It can't do things like white balance or post production stabilisation but then they need lots of RAM anyway..
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@bar shaker, Thank you! I will try that. I am just having a look at movie maker too.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
This is what my 11 yr old daughter did with her and my iphones (5S and 8 ), using imovie on the phone. All shots hand held, no selfie stick, no laptop involved from start to finish.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@Orange200, I suspect the flaw in this is that we’re not 11!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
As a first time go pro user I tried repeatedly to get footage on Tuesday in the dolomites but it kept cutting out.
I tried 4 batteries but all the same result. The cold was killing it.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Roguevfr, when it gets really cold, Gopro just shuts down (at least Hero3+, which I have, does). It's not batter issue, but obviously camera issue. And really cold doesn't need to be -30c, -10c is more then enough already. Problem is, when camera gets cold, but if you take it out from warm, it will work until internals of camera will get cold.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@primoz it was at least -20 before wind chill.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
breeze11 wrote:
Wow! I love all of your videos. I am so keen to try to match some of these. I downloaded Davinci and really loved it - but then it crashed and i have not got it working since. Turns out our computer isnt powerful enough to run it. Im gutted as it looked great - but it will turn out to be a very expensive gopro if i also need to buy a new computer!
Can anyone recommend anything similar that needs less RAM?
Husband is using VideoPad although doesn’t publish min RAM requirements a quick search on their forum indicates somebody has it running with with 2gb.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Not sure I need it but ordered a GoPro Hero 6 today. I've a TomTom Bandit which i think is great but gadgetitis kicked in!
Anyone else got the 6, interested in your thoughts or advice on getting the best from it. I'm going skiing in 2 weeks so looking forward to using it.
I've just seen the Zhiyun smartphone gimbal for a hundred quid. It's my daughter's birthday at the end of this month.
Must resist...
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Roguevfr wrote:
@primoz it was at least -20 before wind chill.
"Wind chill" doesn't influence electronics, as most of devices don't have human skin to apply wind chill on them. But yeah, keeping Gopro out at -20c for some 20-30min is enough that you won't be able to make second of video as it will "freeze" and turn off itself in second.
I often use my GoPro in temperatures in that range, but not for 20 minutes.
I doubt I've ever recorded clips which are more than a couple of minutes long. If you keep it in your pocket until there's some useful light, then shoot pretty much only what's going to work, you don't need a bunch of spare batteries. Plus you don't have to spend tons of time editing useless footage. As you're not going to use a sequence of more than a few seconds before you make a cut... running the camera for long periods mostly doesn't make sense. It's kind of like photography: you don't shoot stuff which looks mediocre because you won't use it.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It's not really about running camera for long. Normally when I go skiing (freeride or ski touring, as with "normal" skiing I don't feel like putting camera in pockets, and I ski without backpack), I put it in either pocket of my ABS backpack (belt pocket) or in my pants pocket. And when you are out there at -15c for hours, camera internals just get too cold, and as soon as you turn camera on, thermometer icon displays on display and camera turns off. Somewhere down to -10c pants pocket works, but when it's lower, even pants pocket doesn't work anymore. Belt pocket of ABS backpack works fine around -5c but then it just gets too cold. Well at least it's so on my Hero3+.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I made my first edit after this years trip, and I'm quite pleased how it has come out. First verse is filming my brother, the interesting off pistey stuff in the second verse.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
boarder2020 wrote:
More hassle than its worth IMO. Lots of faffing and you will end up with lots of footage that you then need to spend even more time editing. 99% of the time filming someone else looks better than POV/selfie stick shots. I rarely take mine out but if I do I generally just use it as a normal camera (I.e. summit photo on a nice day) or set it on take a photo every 3 seconds and just pick the best couple to keep.
Agreed. Too much hassle trying to capture the moment rather than living it. It's the same with most music gigs these days where people obsess about getting awful footage that you'll never watch again rather than just enjoying what's happening. When you try to preserve the moment often it is lost. Not a chance i'm devoting all my spare time to watching unusable footage, messing around with video editing software and setting up shots on the mountain. To get much watchable footage you really need someone filming you which they probably won't want to do apart from on the odd occasion because that will ruin their ski day. From what i've researched into it it takes get a lot of time and dedication to get anything worthwhile.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Fri 22-11-19 11:19; edited 1 time in total
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Best tip I got - camera should be still, “hero” in action. Not useful on solo trips. Moving camera - mheee. Mini tripod useful, otherwise use rocks or snow banks to put your camera on.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
Try to keep FB uploads to around 30 secs.
