Theme Park Review's 4th Annual Coaster Video Contest!

[robbalvey]

Hey everyone!

 

Welcome to the official viewing portion of TPR's 4th Annual Video contest!

 

There have been 30 videos selected to make the cut and over the next few weeks we will be posting 5 of them at a time.

 

Once all the videos have been posted, we create a poll so everyone can vote for their top three favorites.

 

We encourage everyone to take part in the viewing and judging process and I cannot stress this enough -

 

PLEASE WATCH EVERY VIDEO!

 

When it comes time for judging, to be fair to everyone who has entered a video, it's important that you have watched them all to judge them all against each other.

 

Something else that I want to encourage for this contest is to BE CRITICAL! Remember, this is a contest with some fairly valuable prizes for the winner. If you don't like a video or can offer suggestions to make a video better, PLEASE POST THEM!

 

I think everyone here would appreciate feedback on their videos.

 

And now the time has come....start watching videos!!! We will post a streaming and a downloadable version of each video.

 

Here we go! Good luck to everyone!

 

Note - If you have any troubles watching our downloading the videos, please let us know!

 

First Round of Videos

Second Round of Videos

Third Round of Videos

Fourth Round of Videos

Fifth Round of Videos

Final Round of Videos

 

PLEASE be sure to watch them all!

pam_brain_kanal_ppp.wmv

Pam & Brian Kanal's Knoebel's PPP - Streaming

dave_thomas_UKRandomness.wmv

Dave Thomas' UK Randomness - Streaming

kevin_aglione_cedarpoint.wmv

Kevin Aglione's Cedar Point - Streaming

darren_bailey_tprmidwest.wmv

Darren Bailey's TPR Midwest Trip - Streaming

barry_hom_altontowers.wmv

Barry Hom's Alton Towers Video - Streaming

pam_brain_kanal_ppp.zip

Pam & Brian Kanal's Knoebel's PPP - Zipped

dave_thomas_UKRandomness.zip

Dave Thomas' UK Randomness - Zipped

kevin_aglione_cedarpoint.zip

Kevin Aglione's Cedar Point - Zipped

darren_bailey_tprmidwest.zip

Darren Bailey's TPR Midwest Trip - Zipped

barry_hom_altontowers.zip

Barry Hom's Alton Towers Video - Zipped

[FLIPDUDE]

Hurray! Video contest entries!

 

Let me rate them in the order in which I viewed them:

 

 

Pam & Brian Kanal's Knoebel's PPP

----------------------------------------

The video was very nice, with some really good footage, and I liked how it showed the fun and atmosphere of the park.

However, I wasn't a big fan of the music(that's just me, though) and I think it could've used a little more actual rollercoaster footage.

 

 

 

Dave Thomas' UK Randomness

------------------------------------

Fantastic video! I loved it! It was fun, funny, and had a great balance of quality coaster footage and just people-having-fun footage. It was really funny(I'm A tree! With a camera!) and while it kind of really broke the flow that you "quit to commercials" in the middle, it was worthit because it was funny. Good job!

 

 

Kevin Aglione's Cedar Point

---------------------------------

Very good video, I liked the way you decided to start it off all slow motiony and the music actually fit. especially seeing millennium force geting airitme in slow motion.

however very early on in the video some shots broke the flow - anyone who's been to CP knows that when youre arriving to the park you drive around it clockwise, so seeing those shots that were taken while going counter-clockwise kinda made me think "What, the video hasn't started yet, and he's already leaving?"

I like the use of a wide angle lens. though at some point the same close-up footage of rides jsut became a little lackluster commpared to the beginning of the video which was exciting. I liked the syncing you did between the song and Maverick going into the turn at the black and white section.

 

 

Darren Bailey's TPR Midwest Trip

--------------------------------------

WOOHOO! MIDWEST TRIP!

Alright, so while I'm naturally biased, because I was on the trip, I really love this video, and it quite possibly got me to start liking "crazy train". I have seen this video before, but it still splashed a giant smile on my face with all of the crazy and good and crazy good footage.

Only complaint is that it's too R rated. I was looking for midwest trip vids to show my dad, so I showed him this one without really remembering what's in it, and it's basically an "everybody humps random things and Chuck" vid.

 

 

Barry Hom's Alton Towers Video

-------------------------------------

ROFL! Very cool video! At first I didnt know if I like the music bu it gre on me. There was some very nice quality footage there, though I think you used some of the strongest footage at the end when the music was dying, which I think wasn't a smart move.

You stalking Elissa constanly and everybody bodyguarding her was both hillarious(at some point I was more on the lookout for elissa shots than coaster shots) though it also made me feel a little sorry for her XD

but I like this vid alot, overall!

[Erik Johnson]

Wow the first five are really strong. It looks like it is going to be a tough competition this year.

[Guy T. Koepp]

I just watched all of the first batch of videos. I wanted to say congratulations to all the chosen ones.

 

So far these are quite good. One in particular laugh out loud funny. I will watch them all again tonight and give individual reviews.

 

Guy "Not that my opinion means anything." Koepp

[sfotfreak]

Wow all of them are great, mostly i liked how you showed what happens on and off the coasters! Cant wait for the next ones to be up!

[BarryH]

I will have to have a little talk with Mr. Thomas and his girlfriend Falafel. No really, I quite enjoyed the commerical, but I look so fat in the video! You didn't get my best angle!

 

I wonder if the "Sad & Pathetic" calogne will be a hot seller at Macy's? Maybe we need to market the product...

 

I've only watched one of them, but I will predict the bestest one will be the Alton Towers video. I just have a gut feeling.

[Skramp]

Dave Thomas

Seemed like a mix of promo/trip review video. Didn't really have a main theme to and a bit cut/pastey compared to the others that seem a tad more "professional". A decent vid with lots of coaster/ride footage but more of just a family vid than contest entry.

 

Kevin Aglione

Nice build up in the beginning, but then the slo-mo build up runs on too long. Very "artsy" with the different shots and black and white. I do like the way the slo-mop exposes some cool facets of the different rides (i.e. the water plume on the water ride). Complete difference in second half. Nice flow, but my question is Got Wood? I don't think there was a single shot of Gemini, Mean Streak or Blue Streak in the vid? If you're recaping a certain park, should you're vid contain pieces of each ride? Or should this vid be called, "Steel at the Point"?

 

Darren Bailey

Not quite sure what to make of this one. Lots of cut and paste with quick clips of rides and coasters. A good recap of all the parks the TPR crew visited on their trip, but no really theme or story to it. Everything seems really random and just thrown together. Nothing really stood out in this video, just seemed like your normal TPR recap vid that Robb would post.

 

Barry Horn

Well, except for the stalking of Elissa, video didn't really have any memorable moments. A great overview of Alton that included some great shots of not only the rides, but also the gardens (which most people never pay attention to.) A decent video though.

 

Pam Brian Kanal

Good video that showed alot of the park, I learned alot about a park that I'm not that familiar with. Good mix of rides, food, entertainment. I think it was a well done video

 

Now, I'm not trying to be harsh, but it seems like the videos over the years have changed directions. I remember a few years ago where most videos had themes or "plot" lines. Like the "Floruba" video from a few years ago (which I still watch almost weekly). That was a cool, well-done video. A lot of the vids just come off as recaps which we get from Robb on like a weekly basis. I'd like to see some creativity, planning and work for a good video. Not saying the ones so far aren't good, just don't seem like vids of years past. Just my two cents.

[jamesdillaman]

After watching them all, and basing solely on my perceived quality and merit of the videos, My favorite so far is Kevin's Cedar Point video. I love how it syncs with the music, and seeing rides in slow motion always make it stand out from others. I was a bit worried it would all be in slow motion, and I think you could trim the opening sequence a little, but besides that, a great video.

 

-James Dillaman

[BarryH]

Well, now that I've watched all of them, I will give my thoughts. I will leave mine out, since it is mine and I can't be objective about it. Besides, it is the bestest of them all!

 

Pam & Brian Kanal's Knoebel's PPP

I enjoyed this video. It showed off Knoebel's and their various rides well. Still, it didn't seem to memorable, other than the shot with the biker/pirates. It seems like the video was edited by first-time video editors. It's not bad, but it's a start and could lead to better videos in the future. The only part I didn't like is the POV jump cut around 0:25.

6/10

 

Dave Thomas' UK Randomness

Other than the commerical starring me (Falafel's voice made my man parts act funny), I liked the video. It did show up the TPR UK trip very well, but there seemed to be too many shots of Derek and Nicole. Not that there's anything bad about it. It could have shown more of the roller coasters that we rode on the UK trip. During the video I was thinking, "Speed...again?" I would have liked to see some of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Thrope Park coasters, among others. Stiil, it was pretty entertaining and fun to watch.

8/10

 

Darren Bailey's TPR Midwest Trip

If you want to see how much fun a TPR trip can be, watch this video! After watching it, I was so excited and I wanted to sign up for a TPR trip right now! Unfortunately, I am already semi-signed up for one now. It did show a lot of coasters and fun antics. Chuck's humping made the video a little risque, but the best way to deal with it is to cover the kids' eyes when you come to Chuck's parts. I didn't like the zooming in and out during some of the shots. Sometimes I think the camera zoomed in too much that you couldn't really make out what was happening, like in the night shots of TTD. This video needs to be a TPR trip promo!

9/10

 

Kevin Aglione's Cedar Point

I wasn't sure if I liked the slo-mo intro at first, but I eventually got to like it. The best shot in the slo-mo part was of Maverick. As for the rest of the video, it seemed like a generic coaster video. To be honest, I felt bored by the video and stopped watching it 30 seconds before it ended. I consider this one an average video.

5/10

 

So in this round, I rank them (excluding mine):

 

1.) Darren Bailey's TPR Midwest Trip

2.) Dave Thomas' UK Randomness

3.) Pam & Brian Kanal's Knoebel's PPP

4.) Kevin Aglione's Cedar Point

[borisdag]

I like all of them, but Kevin's is so cool! I love love love the dreamy slow motion, a nice change of pace from the hyperactive euro pop some folks use (which is much better than the migraine inducing heavy metal which makes me want to turn the sound off.)

 

I agree that a narrative is what makes a short video interesting. There should be a beginning, a middle and an end, and so many videos are just very pretty montages that don't add up to anything. I think a lot of the reason I find Rob's videos so amusing is that they contain something of a plot. Within a few seconds the viewer "gets" where the action is taking place, who's gonna take it in the nads, and who is going to scarf down the funnel cake. He sets it all up and then captures the ensuing hijinks-it's funny when the gag pays off.

 

God knows I couldn't do any of this-so great job everyone!

[DenDen]

OK, here's my take!

 

First, I only critique for people to learn and better themselves. I shoot video for a magazine, as well as contract work, so when someone gives me this type of advice, I love it! Don't take offense, please!

 

Dave: Funny funny funny! You got my #1 spot so far! The only video that made me laugh out loud! (Poor Barry!) Even with the basic editing, it's still good!

 

Barry: I always like your videos, you always have good off-ride footage, but this one seemed a tad slower than your others. Loved the on-going Elisa bit! (And you've improved on your vocal volumes, KUDOS!)

 

Darren: Great footage, but "Crazy Train" by any artist became passe when Entertainment Tonight used it for their coaster feature in 1992. Every time I hear that song on a coaster video, I wait for the Paul Ruben commentary! (EEEEKKK!!!) Otherwise, again, great footage!

 

Kevin: Liked the artistic effort, but it was a tad slow going. (I'm sure with practice and input, you'll get this down!) CP is a great place, the video just didn't feature enough of it.

 

Pam & Brian: This definitely seemed like a "beginners" video, which is not a bad thing, it's a great attempt. I did feel though that this was more of a "family vacation video" than a "coaster/park enthusiasts" video.

[bigjohnson51]

I'll keep mine short and sweet. I'm in a video editing class at school so I like to think I know what I'm talking about. I don't though. I've been in it for about 4 months. If I sound like a noob I'm sorry! Yes I just said noob.

 

Barry: Pretty solid video. I liked the coaster shots in yours and the water rapid part was one of my favorite parts.

 

Darren: You seemed to catch the fun on the trip very nicely in this video. Kind of just missed a standout part though... Still a fun video!

 

Kevin: I really liked the video. The black and white segment was really cool but it may have lasted a wee bit long. The burst into color was pretty cool after that though. Lots of coaster shots!

 

Dave: You had me laughing with that commercial. Pretty creative I thought. You also captured the fun really well.

 

Pam & Brian: There is something about this video that I really like and I can't put my finger on it. I thought the song was pretty cool, and the length was good. It captured all aspects of the park. Simple but effective!

[chriskq]

i liked yours the best Kevin. Great work buddy!

 

unfortunatly i dont kno if i remember you from the midwest trip or if you were even on it.... seems yonks ago now.

 

i just bought a new car so no holidays for a while for me. althou tpr trip is definatly on the cards for 09

[dammie16@vt.edu]

Ok so this is my first round of coaster contest videos and was impressed! Here's my rundown.

 

Kevin: I think the opening was perfect, and not too long. It was a change of pace and the shots were just awesome. Good music too.

 

Barry: Funny video, I like the on going Elissa stalking. The music was good and the shots were good.

 

Dave: The commercial was funny and it was unexpected, which is good. The footage was really good, I laughed a lot during this video.

 

Darren: Very funny video, well made I liked it.

 

Pam & Brian: I did like this video until the last minute which I couldn't sit through, I had to skip to see if there was more park footage. I thought it was too much of the camping, I was sad because you were capturing the park so well.

[cfc]

OK, here are my random thoughts asfter viewing all the videos (discussed in the order in which they were posted on the first page).

 

Barry (Alton Towers)--I like the way this video flows. Barry's musical choices tend to be "unusual," and he does a good job of editing the footage to match the beat. It was a nice touch using the Ryan-Elissa footage as bookends, too.

 

Darren (TPR Midwest)--Captures the fun and the frenzy of a TPR trip perfectly. Even though I wasn't on the Midwest tour, this video makes me wish I had been.

 

Kevin (Cedar Point)--I rather liked the slow first half (a nice change of pace from the usual frenzy of park videos). But the second half was more of the same, only faster (with a few extra coasters thrown in). But the video shows off the park quite well.

 

Dave (UK Randomness)--I love the spot for "Dave TV" and the "commercial break" (nice, sexy voice, Falafel). In fact, I would've loved to have seen more of this kind of stuff (I'm a big fan of digressions). The rest of the footage was good, but I'd like to see more of Dave peek through it.

 

Pam and Brian--I finally went to Knoebel's for the first time last October, and this video captures what a funky, charming old park it is (extra points for using a Beatles' tune). Yeah, it's a "family vacation" video, but a good one.

 

Overall, this is a pretty strong group.

[socalMAN123]

Dave wins just for the commercial in the middle of it. That was amazing.

---Brent

[WillMontu]

Barry-

Once again, Barry creeps us out. He did do a decent job at shooting though.

 

Pam and Brian-

Bonus points for using The Beatles for the music! I need to get out to Knoebels sometime. Some scenes looked like they were overexposed, but that may just be the compression

 

Darren Bailey-

This one covered a ton of parks and was more of a faster pace. I noticed that the play time was 5:03, but that's probably my computer playing at the wrong speed. Covered the Midwest trip fairly well

 

Kevin Aglione

While I appreciate the effort that went into this one, it's not quite my style. I felt that the music could be better synced with the video clips.

 

Dave Thomas

This one was hilarious. I almost fell out of my chair during the Barry scene. I do think the music could kill small animals though.

[robbalvey]

I noticed that the play time was 5:03, but that's probably my computer playing at the wrong speed. Covered the Midwest trip fairly well

The video ended at 4:59, but there was a little credit thing on the end that I made the judgement call to leave on there.

 

Thanks for pointing it out, but leave the video moderating to us please!

 

--Robb

[JimmyBo]

I must say that these videos were great. A lot of them had amazing coaster footage and some of them were just out-right hilarious. They all had great music and the videos were edited well to the music. I especially like it when the music skips or counts and then you have quick shots of videos...it really is hard to eidt to make it work and it definitely pays off in the end.

 

Dave, your video made me spit my beer all over my screen. And thanks Barry for being a good sport about it.

 

Jimmy "My videos suck compared to these" Bo

[BarryH]

^^^Actually, the music in Dave's video seemed quite tame compared to what he usually listens to!

[Guy T. Koepp]

OMG! I just spent the last 2 hours writing reviews. When I hit submit it asked me to log in to TPR. After I did, it took me back to my post a reply window. Only the several pages of notes that I had written were gone.

 

I will try to do this again in MS word tomorrow then paste the whole thing at one time. I never realized this page had a time out limit.

 

Rrrrrrrrr!

[Chadley]

All the entries were well done, but one stood out for me, and that was Dave's video. Good track, nice footage, and the Barry commercial was funny and creative. But what really sold me on that one was Derek.

 

Derek = Comedy!!

[robbalvey]

I will try to do this again in MS word tomorrow then paste the whole thing at one time. I never realized this page had a time out limit.

Awwww...that sucks!

 

The page actually doesn't have a time-out limit as I believe that it's something that is set in your browser.

 

As for a little TPR posting tip I've gotten in the habit after posting a lot of text to hit -

 

CTRL-A (highlights everything)

CTRL-C (copies all to the clipboard)

 

So that way if the server does error out, you can just hit CTRL-V to paste it all back again.

 

Looking forward to your comments!

 

--Robb

[RCFreak]

^ Actually, I'm pretty sure it's a setting with the forums as this is the only forum I get logged out of if I don't close my browser (which clears all cookies automatically) and I'm not active for a while. I would think that turning on the "auto log-in" would help though, it's just nothing I've tried doing. I usually do the same thing (copy and paste) if it's been a while as it's happened to me more then a few times lol.

 

 

 

Awesome videos everyone! I don't have much to say since I don't think I could do any better, but I do have a few words to say about each.

 

Barry: Nice vid with some nice footage, but the Elissa thing got really annoying.

 

Darren: I didn't go on the Midwest-trip, but it definitely captured the crazy antics to be had on one of the trips! I think with a bit tighter editing (hitting the beats of the song more) your videos could have been a bit better.

 

Kevin: The opening went on for quite a bit too long, but i liked the song, I just wish it would have gotten to the action a little faster. other then that great vid.

 

Dave: LOL! Something a little original (I will be one of the first to sign up for DaveTV) and poor Barry, but really funny!

 

Pam and Brain (lol): I think all the camping footage was great for showing your time there, but I think it could have been mixed in a bit more into the park footage for a much better effect (although the guy sleeping at the end made me laugh)

[pod]

Can anybody else not either stream or download the videos?? Have tried in both Firefox and Internet Explorer but to no joy.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Paul