Advice for how to add to my videos/ am I going in the right direction?

[Legolessed]

So my videos on youtube have not been the most amazing but I started getting into playing the piano more and thought about making a video with it and the result is 2 of my most recent videos. The first one I used my phone to record the video of my hands while playing the piano and in the second video I spent about 30 minutes getting my phone to not fall over and when I finally did it just didn't record for some reason so I gave up and didn't include a video with my hands just some nature photos.

 

I also tried to make my sound quality as good as possible by wiring my electric piano directly into my computer and using the program Audacity to record the audio (Thank you guys for the help with that). 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is how can I improve my videos. I'm trying to keep them short so they are engaging while still having content. I really enjoy making videos and will keep making them even if no one watches them but want to try and make them as presentable as possible on a budget. Anyways thanks for reading and here are the two previously mentioned videos!

 

 

 

[corrado33]

For piano: Video of your hands from above, from the side, and a wide angle shot of you playing the piano. Switch between them when appropriate. 

[Shiv78]

I think the first video looks better than the second (actual recording vs static image)

[Legolessed]

2 minutes ago, corrado33 said:

For piano: Video of your hands from above, from the side, and a wide angle shot of you playing the piano. Switch between them when appropriate. 

I've been thinking about getting a webcam and a tripod of some sort. Hopefully that might work. I'm totally open to ideas though. Thank you!

2 minutes ago, Shiv78 said:

I think the first video looks better than the second (actual recording vs static image)

Yeah I tried to do a video but my phone failed on me because it didn't record and as of now what I do is balance my phone against two black keys and use a weight to prop it up. It's really unstable

 

Thanks for the advice!

[cc143]

4 hours ago, Legolessed said:

I've been thinking about getting a webcam and a tripod of some sort. Hopefully that might work. I'm totally open to ideas though. Thank you!

Yeah I tried to do a video but my phone failed on me because it didn't record and as of now what I do is balance my phone against two black keys and use a weight to prop it up. It's really unstable

 

Thanks for the advice!

you definitely will need a tripod of some sort. I would add a 2nd angle first of all. To do that you can use either your phone or a cheap action cam. There's clamps you can buy that will hold you phone which are cheaper than a tripod usually and will be just fine given the weight. 

 

Unofrtunately, as far as the hands on the piano from the side shot is concerned, I have loads of ideas of how to do it, because I can just translate from photography to video, but, it will be much better with a proper camera vs. a webcam, and a camera operator or a really reliable AF camera will make a huge difference. The unfortunate part is that the cheapest thing I can think of that will give you all that is a Canon M50, which is way more expensive than a webcam. 

 

So I'd start off with a cheap action cam for the wide shot or the hand shot depending on your phone's video quality. Put both on clamps, attach one to the side of the piano (There shouldn't be any scratcing if you find a clamp with a rubber or soft clamp) and one to a door or somewhere else in the room, which will make a decent wide shot. 

 

If you get into it more, and believe its worth it spending $600-$800 on a proper camera and equipment, come back, we'll recommend something and your action cam will graduate to a top down shot and your phone to the wide shot. 

 

Another concern might be lighting, I can't really tell from the shot I'm looking at, but usually spending $100-$150 on some decent ligths will go a long way in improving the quality of your videos, especially if you are currently shooting with a phone or an action cam. 

 

Something like this for instance: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G334LP9/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07G334LP9&pd_rd_w=NBtXJ&pf_rd_p=f0dedbe2-13c8-4136-a746-4398ed93cf0f&pd_rd_wg=pzkFF&pf_rd_r=JBY2D7V1XXTS1KPDQD1K&pd_rd_r=217e1f51-fd1e-11e8-87bf-151422111fdf 

 

As far as sound is concerned, if you are already recording it from the piano, there isn't much you should do, that is the right call.