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Your optimism is what convinced me to stop complaining and do something productive to help. Seeing this get stickied actually gives me some hope. If there's enough interest, I can actually go into more detail about any production techniques or fundamentals that you guys want to know about to...

I might make one myself sometime in the future. I'll just point the camera directly at my package and then for all the big exposure moments, my hands move out of the frame and the audio goes wonky.

This looks a bit like the WOW principle. Are you certain you did research to find if this is a new principle? Also, please read this thread. And if you want your videos to look more professional, stick to one font, preferably a sans serif font. Because seriously, Jokerman is one of the worst...

See above about why I recommend people with no experience should still use an actual camera instead of a phone. Also, the Sharpen feature on most editing programs isn't very good. It's a tool that has its applications, but when you're just starting out in digital video... don't use it. It's...

That's impressive, but it's clear that these guys knew what they were doing. They have experience with digital video and wanted to experiment with a new device. For someone who doesn't have experience, I would not recommend using a cell phone as keeping them study can be a phenomenal pain...

Never let it be said that I'm an unreasonable man. Here's my attempt to move things up a notch.

When getting shots of you or a spectator, remember this number: 45. The 45 degree angle is great for bringing out the depth of the objects and people on screen. It gives faces more definition and makes you look more alive. As you get better at making videos, you can eventually work on...

Recent discussions have challenged me to put my money where my mouth is. I've complained a lot lately about bad video to the point where I really should just dump all my thoughts into one thread right now. So here is my experience as a digital video director on how you can improve your...

It's like those guys who spend 8 hours a day locked in their room practicing their guitar skills, then you hear their original compositions and it's all boring crap. They have nothing to say, nothing really interesting to do with this skill set.

You want suggestions? How about lay off the special effects and show your face. That was the same handful of card productions and vanishes repeated ad nauseum. Why should people want to watch that?

And that's the thing most people have a hard time with. Anything worth doing is going to require some effort. I can attest that it's difficult, but I feel very rewarded when I see the whole thing come together in the editing timeline, piece by piece. To give you a rough idea of what making a...

No mention of Jeff McBride? For shame. Seriously, Jeff McBride's Art of Card Manipulation trilogy is about as old school as you're going to get in this medium. There's material on those DVDs that is otherwise rather difficult to come by.

You're just more optimistic than I am. Like I said, I'm a recovering cynic. It's difficult to unlearn 20 years of destructive thinking in a short period of time. It strikes a sour chord in me to see guys who in one breath say they're hobbyists, then in the next demand everyone to take them...

I'm not talking about the exceptional people. Anyone with enough desire to succeed and the resourcefulness to go after what they want will make their way in the world in some form or another. I'm talking about the rank and file who keep posting their generic videos and wondering why no one is...

Smoothly executed, but it goes by so quick that there's no real drama. The reveal ends up feeling anti-climactic and the whole thing lacks a sense of energy. Also I'm going to start knocking point off anytime I can't see a human face.

Congratulations on being the exception, but there's no getting around the fact that there is pattern here. You know what? I'm going to say exactly what I'm thinking. Cardists are like magicians in one way: most of them will never perform for a live audience in their lives, much less to a...

Why am I not surprised? Let me add that as another problem with manipulation artistry and card fetishists in particular: as soon as the discussion starts getting complex and talking about performance theory, they bail.

Believe me, if I could I would. But aside from the fact that my performance style just doesn't work with manipulation artistry, I also have the severe handicap of being incredibly dominantly left-handed. I'm not kidding when I tell you that my left arm is about 2-3 inches longer than my right...

I actually don't use Tarot cards as an oracle. There is a very influential community of religious people in Pittsburgh, so I have to be very selective about what oracles I use in order to avoid getting blacklisted from venues. In fact, I'm trying to move away from anything with an overly...

Oh this should be good. Or maybe it's C) the videos just aren't very good objectively speaking. A slightly dodgy premise, but I understand the argument at least. We already have that where I come from. It's called masturbating. You're talking to a guy who works in mass media. Comparing...