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Informational Wine Channel

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daniel.havens

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Informational Wine Channel

by daniel.havens » Thu May 25, 2017 4:32 pm

Hello everyone, I started a wine channel about a month ago and would love some feedback and comments. Being a passionate wine lover and working in the industry i am familiar with wine but am new to making videos. I do one grape varietal video a day, and have other wine related videos. I am the owner of my family business which is a wine boutique in Parkville, Missouri. Not sure if this is inappropriate content for the forum as i am new here. Thank you guys!

https://www.youtube.com/WinesByJennifer
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by Robin Garr » Thu May 25, 2017 8:36 pm

Welcome to the forum, Daniel! I'll look forward to checking out your videos.
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by daniel.havens » Fri May 26, 2017 3:10 am

Thank you so much! I love wine and it has been a family passion since I was born! Any criticism would be much appreciated. :mrgreen:
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Tom NJ

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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by Tom NJ » Sat May 27, 2017 4:30 pm

Hi Daniel. Congratulations on starting your YouTube channel. Best of luck with it!

I'm not qualified to critique the content of your videos, I but I am perhaps qualified to comment on your production values. I'm now a network radio announcer, but early in my career I was also the sound and lighting producer for a regular segment on NBC-TV's "Today in New York" program. Perhaps you might find some of the things I learned there useful.

So after watching a number of your videos, here is what I would suggest:

1. Get at least a lavaliere microphone. Upping your audio game will make a huge overall improvement in your videos. Right now the little condenser mic on your camera is just not cutting it. Especially when you're shooting in a room with so many hard, reflective surfaces. It sounds, well...get a lavaliere mic. (When my wife started a YouTube channel earlier this year in support of her business, I gave her an Audio Technica ATR-3350 lavaliere mic, 30 dollars on Amazon. Even that inexpensive model made a WORLD of difference. Hers has a wire, but they make wireless models also, for a bit more.) If you go out in the field and shoot footage at, say, a tasting or festival, get a shotgun mic. (My wife's is a Lyx Pro CMG-50, works fantastic and still inexpensive.) ANYTHING but the stock mic will raise your game.

2. Get rid of the fish-eye lens. If your camera has a fixed lens and you can't change that, get a new camera. You don't have that big a set that you need to see everything in a 180-degree sweep shot. In fact, in a lot of the shots you see extraneous crap on the sides that only detracts from any classy, refined ambience you may be trying to achieve.

An adjunct to that, and this applies to any lens you use: frame your shot. Seriously, and no offense, but a lot of your videos look really amateurish just for the simple fact that you don't know how to frame. You need be make sure that you, and whatever you are discussing in that particular segment, are the main focus. Don't have too much space over the top of your head...or below your belt (unless you're showing off your dubstep moves)...don't, for the love of god, have the camera tilted over so it looks like you're shooting on the deck of a sinking ship (get a tripod with a bubble level, and use it)...don't have the camera too high up or too low down so it looks like you have alternately all chin, or no chin...etc. What I would suggest you do is set up your shot, then shoot about a minute or two as if it were a real take (that is, with you in it talking), then stop and watch what you just filmed. Check to see that it's framed ok. If it isn't, adjust accordingly.

3. Oh my god dude, take 10 minutes and watch any YouTube video tutorial on "3 Point Lighting". Seriously, your videos will be so much more professional looking if you just get some basic lighting techniques on your side. I mean, look at your "How to Know When a Wine is Corked" video. You have a spotlight trained directly on your face, which not only over exposes it, it also casts a big shadow behind you. That is classic horror movie lighting for the scene where the clown at the carnival pulls out the knife and plunges it into the chest of his next victim. I'm not kidding, that's the lighting they use. In other videos you light severely to the left or right, leaving one side of your face in darkness, like a Caravaggio painting. Don't do that.

I would suggest getting at least two "soft box" lights (I have LimoStudio 700 watt units, 75 dollars per pair at Amazon) and learning how to use them. It's not hard, basically one light is your primary and is pointed more directly at you, the second light comes in from the other side at more of an angle to cut down on the first light's shadow. You can get an overhead light if you want (it's 3-point lighting after all) but in your case, like mine at home, it looks like you have a decent overhead light already so you probably don't need it.) For close up work you can get ring lights that attach to your camera lens, but they're pretty expensive. Still, if you money is no object it's a good bit of kit to have.

4. No offense buddy, but I think it would help if you worked on your camera presence a bit. You're a good looking guy, and I'm sure given your family background and professed passion you know what you're talking about. You even wear appropriate clothes - kudos for that. But despite all that you're coming across on camera as kind of a sleepy automaton. Some unkind souls might even opine you had imbibed too much of your wines before filming them. You gotta raise the energy levels a bit here with your delivery. Not wild-and-crazy, but at least up to the level of "seems awake" (and it doesn't help that in a lot of your vids the camera is lower than your head, so with your head tilted back it make you look like your eyes are closed).

I know the length of this probably already qualifies it as a TLDR response, but if you're serious about making a channel that supports your family business I think these are all things you might want to consider. If I may just add one last, overarching, comment: there are dozens of wine channels on YouTube, many with very slick production, and entertaining hosts. People aren't gonna watch (or subscribe to) yours if your stuff has the same production values as the anime reaction video some kid makes in his basement on his laptop. Wine is percieved as classy, for better or worse. Try to make your videos reflect that with classy audio and video. I think you'll see results if you do.

Again, all the best to you. Hope my words weren't TOO critical. FWIW, I do mean them to be constructive.

:D
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by David M. Bueker » Sat May 27, 2017 4:38 pm

I cannot add anything on production, but if it's your passion, let that shine through.

Anyway, on an encouraging note, even Antonio Galloni had issues with his first videos, so take heart and keep at it!
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by Peter May » Sun May 28, 2017 1:26 pm

Welcome

I'm impressed you've featured some less common grape varieties, though calling a variety a 'varietal' puts my back up.

I'm no techie, but pay ettention to Tom as the wind noise on Chambourcin Grape of the day #23 was really irritating and if a plane comes over, reshoot!

Ref: Chenin Blanc grape of the day # 25 ; you say Chenin is primarily grown in the Loire and mention it's also grown in South Africa where it's called Steen..

South Africa has huge plantings of Chenin, more than the Loire AND the rest of the world put together. And its not generally been known as Steen for 50 years since Steen was proved to be Chenin.

Off to watch some more, stick around and take part ..
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by daniel.havens » Sun May 28, 2017 4:08 pm

Thank you so much for the advice!! I just bought the new mic, and studio lighting. As for the fish eye, i am using my go pro right now which is not ideal. I will be upgrading soon, I am so appreciative for the critical comments. Otherwise I wouldn't get any better.
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by daniel.havens » Sun May 28, 2017 4:10 pm

Thank you for the tips Peter! I was incorrect, thank you very much for the correction!
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by Tom NJ » Sun May 28, 2017 6:25 pm

daniel.havens wrote:Thank you so much for the advice!! I just bought the new mic, and studio lighting. As for the fish eye, i am using my go pro right now which is not ideal. I will be upgrading soon, I am so appreciative for the critical comments. Otherwise I wouldn't get any better.


You're welcome. I'm glad you took my comments in the spirit they were given.

I should probably mention something here if you're going to be upgrading your equipment. My wife's camera (Canon HF R700) has a mic input built in. If your camera doesn't, a different setup will be required. Likewise the shotgun mic I mentioned: the Canon does not have a hot shoe, so I had to buy a powered unit and mount it to a bracket. If your camera has a hot shoe (most do), you have more options as you won't need a powered model, and can probably attach it to the camera body itself.

Again, all the best here. If you ever want any more overly wordy advice, just ask :wink:
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by Peter May » Tue May 30, 2017 3:58 pm

Hi Daniel

I've been watching more of your videos

General comments are

- drop the background music, distracting and sometimes, as in
Epic Wine Interviews Episode #1: Moris Farms
its louder than Mr Moris
In that episode it would help to introduce what is and where is Moris Frams and who the speaker is at he very beginning. I gave up on this one, becuse I couldn't hear what the speaker was saying. I think the winery is in Tuscany but..,,,?

- I believe you're in Missouri. Why not shoot the video in vineyards of the variety you're speaking about? Show us the grapes, drink the wine and tell us what it tastes like. As it is it seems like you're just reciting a book and we may as well read the book

Don't gabble, sometimes I coudn't understand when you introduced yourself. Speak slower

Specific

Mass Production Wines, Are They Any Good?
Intrusive background music. But it's never explained what mass production wines are. The entire item was very confusing. Maybe its becaise you're fronting a wine shop and you sell both mass production and artisan wines, but there's good points in both and you could have highlighted them. Name names, compare two examples.

How to know when a wine is corked
Hmm, not sure a newby will get it. You said you had a corked wine in your glass, then why the cheer on the soundtrack when you drank it? Why no reaction from you?

You say there's a 1-10% corkage rate so unless you're opening a lot of bottles your chance of getting a corked wine is pretty low. Really? So if someone buys a case of wine from your shop at least one will be corked? (at higher end). That doesn't seem lpretty rare to me. 5% means 1 in 20, again not as rare as suggested.

I think you need to zoom in to cut out extraneous background, I think you need to have examples of the wines you're talkingabout in your glass and to taste them. And I think you need to be in vineyards if the grape is grown in your area.

Let me know when you cover Missouri's own state grape!! (a particular favourite of mine - I even have the specific Riedel glass)
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by daniel.havens » Tue May 30, 2017 7:10 pm

Thank you for the comments Peter! They are much appreciated and I will use them in every video to come in the Future! Thank you for sticking with me through my growing process. Norton / Cynthia video coming soon!
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Re: Informational Wine Channel

by daniel.havens » Tue May 30, 2017 8:35 pm

Also peter I am Redoing the Moris Farms video without the music. Guilo is an awesome gentleman with great wines! It was on the spot and my first ever interview, I will be more prepared and have a set introduction, a stable camera and good sound without background music moving forward. Thank you again for all the input positive or negative I cannot grow without it.

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