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

[robbalvey]

Just because this is a video contest doesn't mean every video has to be experimental or have a storyline or theme. To add to what Robb said, certain people have their own styles of videos that they are good at, and if that's not good enough for some people, well then you spend hours planning and shooting a video and editing it together then.

 

Secondly, my main point of the trip was not to film a blockbuster theme park video. it was to have fun and I submitted it for the same reason, just for fun.

 

Very well said...both of you!

 

I know from my perspective, I do very little if *any* pre-planning of a video before entering a park. I go in with a group of friends, shoot a bunch of stuff, and hopefully end up with enough footage to make a good clip out of it.

 

Some parks we get enough footage to make a "stand out" segment, and other parks, well, the stuff is just your good 'ol average coaster video.

 

On occasion I'll have a song in mind, or know that I need lots of shots of a coaster that either is new or that I didn't get good footage of last time, but for the most part our park days are VERY spontaneous, and IMO that makes for a better video.

 

I like to see people get creative and pull it off WELL, but sometimes you can have a VERY polished intro but the rest of the video doesn't live up.

 

IMO, if you are going to go out of your way to do something different, you need to carry that through your ENTIRE video. That's why I think Guy's 4th Dimension video held up so well. It didn't fall into the trap of "let me catch your attention and then go back to being a normal music video" which I've seen a lot of people do.

 

Personally, I'd rather see that extra bit of effort going into a more polished music video.

 

--Robb

[Skramp]

Ok, so I'm just going to say a little more because it seems like I offended some people. I was in no way, shape or form trying to say the videos were at all bad. I was simply stating that pure coaster footage isn't my "bag." There is endless amounts of footage out there to be seen. I like the more creative side and no, that can't be expected out of everyone and it shouldn't be. Like Robb said, everyone has their own style and as long as you make your style great, then you've made a great video.

 

Reading back over my comments, I agree they may come across a little harsh and I'm sorry for anyone offended by them. I might have been a little over critical and I'm sorry. The videos this far have been really good, some more enjoyable than others, but that's my own opinion.

 

I agree with everyone that it's all in fun, and it's just cool to make your own videos. I wasn't aware until recently that some of the past videos were made by "professionals" and that may be why they came across so slick. I really have enjoyed all the videos so far and each one has some great ideas. I guess my problem is being spoiled in the past some of the contest entries and kind of expecting them to be the same. For future rounds I'll keep my comments clean and digestible.

 

Congrats to everyone so far and keep them coming. And remember, even if some people don't like your vid, there's many others out there who do.

 

~Skramp~

[BarryH]

I watched them all and here are my thoughts:

 

Cody Kempema’s Tatsu

When I saw this video, at first I thought it would be a boring video or would be a POV of Tastu. When I see videos of someone shooting one roller coaster, the video is usually longer than the ride itself. Most of the time, you see the same loop over and over again. Sometimes you'll see a POV stuck in the video for over a minute.

 

This video, however, was entertaining. It was a solid video with great shots of Tastu. It does take a lot of time to shoot off-ride footage of coasters (believe me, I've done it) and Cody took a lot of time to shoot neat angles of Tatsu.

9/10

 

Matthew Tentnowski’s Six Flags Great Adventure

When I first heard the music, I thought, "Oh no, it's that song again!" The Vagaboys' "We Like to Party" video has been used in too many videos about Six Flags parks. It's almost a cliche to hear that song in a video of a Six Flags park. The video did give a good overview of the park.

 

However, technical aspects overshadowed the entire video. I found three glitches in the video. This could be due to a damaged tape or a bad video capture, but to see them in a video says to me the video editor didn't take the time to edit out the glitches to make a decent video. The audio from the guy talking at the beginning and the end was very hard to hear. I could not make out what he was saying at the end of the video.

 

The park and crowd noise through the video was unnecessary to leave in and almost was a distraction. It could have been taken out.

 

Can we please have a moratorium on using the Vagaboys' "We Like to Party" and Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Love Rollercoaster" in any roller coaster videos? These are two songs everyone seems to use.

4/10

 

Ryan Vesely’s Disneyland

The opening with the logo and the fireworks were the best part of the video. The music selection was good. It seems like bubblegum pop music and Disney parks go together somehow. The video had great POVs of the various Disney coasters. The video was well edited with the music. I liked when the song said "rocket ride" and we saw the Golden Zephyr. I also liked when the song sang "revolution" and we saw a helix from the Mattherhorn.

 

This video could be called "the roller coasters of Disneyland," but Disneyland is much more than roller coasters. I would have liked to have seen more Disney non-roller coaster rides. After seeing the 5th or 6th POV in the video, I thought, "Enough already! Can we see something else?"

7/10

 

JimmyBo’s PortAdventura

This is a very fun video to watch! It made me sad that I missed the Spain trip and I wanted to visit Port Adventura now! It shows how much fun you can have on a TPR trip. I think this video showed more fun than Darren Bailey’s TPR Midwest Trip video.

 

The editing kept in beat with the music. My favorite editing bit was when the still photos kept up with the beat of the music. It showed the variety of the park well. The video did have some jittery photos on the wooden coaster, but that could be because the coaster itself was jittery.

 

My only big complaint about the video is that it seems too TPR-ish. That is, at first I thought R&E edited it. There's nothing really wrong with being a TPR video clone, but starting as a clone helps you develop your own style.

 

This is my favorite video out of this bunch.

9/10

 

Justin Saxe’s Dollywood/Six Flags Over Georgia

This is another solid video that shows off the variety of things in the park well. The camerawork was pretty good and there were some good edits in the beginning and the end. My only issue is that the video jumped from SFOG and Dollywood too many times. For a minute, we see SFOG, then we're at Dollywood, and now we're back at SFOG! I have been to both parks, so I know what they look like, but the causal viewer who have never been to either park may confuse SFOG for Dollywood and vice versa. There wasn't a set mark that separated the two parks. Perhaps half the video could be SOFG stuff and the other half Dollywood stuff.

8/10

 

The rankings for the videos in this round:

 

1.) JimmyBo’s PortAdventura 9/10

2.) Cody Kempema’s Tatsu 9/10

3.) Justin Saxe’s Dollywood/Six Flags Over Georgia 8/10

4.) Ryan Vesely’s Disneyland 7/10

5.) Matthew Tentnowski’s Six Flags Great Adventure 4/10

 

Overall:

 

1.) JimmyBo’s PortAdventura 9/10

2.) Darren Bailey’s TPR Midwest Trip 9/10

3.) Cody Kempema’s Tatsu 9/10

4.) Dave Thomas’ UK Randomness 8/10

5.) Justin Saxe’s Dollywood/Six Flags Over Georgia 8/10

6.) Ryan Vesely’s Disneyland 7/10

7.) Pam & Brian Kanal’s Knoebel’s PPP 6/10

8.) Kevin Aglione’s Cedar Point 5/10

9.) Matthew Tentnowski’s Six Flags Great Adventure 4/10

[larrygator]

The audio from the guy talking at the beginning and the end was very hard to hear. I could not make out what he was saying at the end of the video.

 

I think you are upset that he stole this technique from you.

 

JimmyBo’s PortAdventura

This is a very fun video to watch! It made me sad that I missed the Spain trip and I wanted to visit Port Adventura now!

 

It made me happy remembering that you were not on the Spain trip

[bigjohnson51]

Cody - Pretty cool video of Tatsu. Some pretty cool shots of the coaster. Not exactly fun to watch but it was a good coaster video.

 

Matthew - I liked it. I liked the fog shot that was pretty cool. The song kind of annoyed me though. I don’t know how you edited that without having to check into a mental hospital!

 

Ryan - Pretty cool video. I liked the opening and the ending statue shot. Short and sweet.

 

JimmyBo - Pretty nice video overall. I liked the still shot incorporated in the video.

 

Ryan - That was a fun video to watched. Really liked it. You’ve got some cool shots in there!

[ernierocker]

Really enjoyed this set of videos!

 

Here are some highlights for me...

 

JimmyBo's PortAdventura

 

Really like the editing and the pacing in this video. I loved how you mixed in the photographs and thought you nailed the timing with the placement of each photograph. Probably my favorite of the ten so far.

 

Justin Saxe’s Dollywood/Six Flags Over Georgia

 

Liked the editing here as well as the camera work.

 

Ryan Vesely’s Disneyland

 

The transition from Big Thunder Mountain to Space Mountain was nice! I liked all the POVs and thought the camerawork was steady on them.

[zebidee]

I thought all videos were excellent . I thought codys was the most professional with excellent sound and good quality filming. But Jimmy bo was, in my opinion the best as it integrated the stills into the clip and added the feeling everyone had a great fun day.

[JimmyBo]

Dammit Justin for having a better video than mine!

 

Honestly, the videos this contest are way better than the previous contests, in my opinion.

 

Cody.

I must say that I tried to do a "Tatsu only" video and it sucked compared to yours. I really liked your transitions with the different sequences and it showed that the ride is amazing. Great editing and a kick @$$ song.

 

Matthew.

For an overplayed song I think you did a pretty good job. You definitely captured the entire park and what it has to offer.

 

Ryan.

Great Opening. That really shows how you can edit some pretty amazing stuff. I wish I had a program to edit intros like that. By far the best opening of a video yet. You had some great coaster coaster footage and your POV weren't too shaky which is a good thing.

 

JimmyBo.

Sucked

 

Justin.

You bastard...I think yours is the best out of the bunch. Great way to show coasters and freaks all in one video. I really like how you edited the video to the music. The drum beat was pretty sweet and that's what I try to do on my videos but you pretty much make mine look like a little school (which isn't that bad if your Jeff Johnson).

[BrownStreak]

I've watched these 10 thus far:

 

BARRY_HOM_ALTONTOWERS

Didn’t like the song

Good ride coverage

A bit dark and shady at times

Good Human Element

 

CODY_KEMPEMA_TATSU

Didn’t like the song

Good ride coverage

A bit dark or shady at times

No Human Element

 

DARREN_BAILEY_TPRMIDWEST

Didn’t like the song

Great ride coverage

A bit dark or shady at times

Great Human Element

 

DAVE_THOMAS_UKRANDOMNESS

Didn’t like the song

Excellent ride coverage

A bit dark or shady at times

Great Human Element

*Bonus Points for a shot of Derek in a leather jacket

*Points lost for having the same name as the homophobic founder of Wendy’s

 

JIMMYBO_PORTAVENTURA

Didn’t like the song

Great ride coverage

A bit dark or shady at times & some parts blurry at full screen

Great Human Element

 

JUSTIN_SAXE_DOLLYSFOG

Song was okay

Great ride coverage

Great Edits between scenes

Great Human Element

 

KEVIN_AGLIONE_CEDARPOINT

Didn’t like the song

Good ride coverage

Very (almost “too”) artsy beginning

No Human Element

*Points lost for being all CP

 

 

MATTHEW_TENTNOWSKI_SFGADV

I liked this song before SF overused it!

Great ride coverage

Great Mix of rides and people- some dark/shady bits

Good Human Element

 

PAM_BRAIN_KANAL_PPP

The song made this video seem retro- plus Knoebels looks timeless

Good ride coverage

Night shots actually look good

Good Human Element

 

RYAN_VESELY_DISNEYLAND2

Didn’t like the song

Good ride coverage

Some good FX and nice firework shots

Average Human Element

 

OVERALL

Only one or two of the songs fit with the action shown and none of them were timed to the action as I have seen on this site before. I liked Darren and Dave’s the best because they were from multiple parks.

 

So Far its:

Dave

Darren

Jimmy-bo

MatthewT

Justin

[BarryH]

DAVE_THOMAS_UKRANDOMNESS

*Points lost for having the same name as the homophobic founder of Wendy’s

 

This is an amusing observation. Perhaps we need to take some points away from his parents, as they gave Dave this name. I think Dave needs to change his name to "Thundarr D. Barbarian" to avoid confusing with homophobic founders of chain fast food restaurants.

 

[JimmyBo]

^^BrownStreak...those are some great pointers! I'll be sure to make sure I write those down and put them next to my monitor next time I edit a video. And I'll be sure to use a song that you adore and love. Maybe some death metal with cursing and swearing, or a rap song about rape and drinking will fit right in for a coaster video about Thomas Town. Thanks for the input!

[BarryH]

^I think we need to borrow some of Dave Thomas' CDs for next year's contest.

[Mozart67]

Again, all of the videos had really enjoyable moments (like the superstew the guy was..er..stewing at Dollywood or Kingda Ka in the fog, which sounds awesome but frightening)

 

Cody's Tatsu video was great: great vantage points, seamless segues, cool music, just a great video.

 

I have to go with Ryan's Disney video, though, because it has made me lift my 23-year-running boycott on the Mouse. The place looks incredible and fun; not at all like I remember it. (thank you for not filming "It's a Small World". I dont know if I could take that..)

 

Great job to everyone who filmed!

 

Scott

[BrownStreak]

^^BrownStreak...those are some great pointers! I'll be sure to make sure I write those down and put them next to my monitor next time I edit a video. And I'll be sure to use a song that you adore and love. Maybe some death metal with cursing and swearing, or a rap song about rape and drinking will fit right in for a coaster video about Thomas Town. Thanks for the input!

 

I don't understand the harshness of your pst at all! In fact it is insulting!

[ghost007jas]

I was able to watch all the videos this round, and for the most part enjoyed them all.

 

Cody - Very good video. You had some great shots, and the song worked well with the footage you had.

 

Matt - I wasn't overly impressed with this one. It actually reminded me of one of my music videos, and not in a good way. The music seemed to just be "there" like it served no purpose other then to have background music. Next time when you have talking segments, you should lower the volume for the music at that part .

 

Ryan - Very nice video, the opening was great. And while the POV footage wasn't anything o jump up and down about, it wasn't too shaky and it served it's purpose. I really enjoyed the ending of the video, it turned out quite nicely.

 

JimmyBo - An excellent video. The footage was timed perfectly to the footage, and the human element was fantastic! Keep up the great work.

 

Justin - My favorite by just a little bit. There was some great shots in here, and I enjoyed the multiple park aspect. So while it was close, I would have to say yours is my favorite for the great song, footage, and the way it all synced together.

 

So.. yup.. congratulations to all who participated in this round.

[FLIPDUDE]

Cody's Tatsu vid - This video was pretty good but nothing special in my opinoin except the quality of the shots. But it focuse don only one ride, and only random offirde shots. I know this is hte kidn of vid that appeals to many coaster fans, I'm just not one of them.

 

Matthew's SFGADV vid - I am sorry but I can't help but be a little harsh on my review here because I rather disliked this video. The music is tragically overdone, whenever someone in the video talked you couldn't hear a thing over the music, some shots would've been better off if the sound had been edited out of them(such as midway shots where some other song was playing in the background), there was no synchornization between the video and the music, as if you first made the video and only then added the music, and the video ended before the song did. I am sorry that my review is this negative but the only redeeming quality of this video was that it had some interesting shots, like the looping starship actually working or kingda ka through the fog.

 

Ryan's Disneyland - This was a pretty good video. I am a sucker for widescreens. Many shots were good, hwoever the few shots you had of actual people enjoying hteir time int he aprk came rather late int he video and were also kinda mediocre(someone putting their sunglasses on... some dude with an unexplained creepy expression next to the golden gate bridge, and some people with a "hm. that's cool." face on a ride. But overall a good show.(Also, I think the song mightve been too California screaming themed but maybe that's just me)

 

Jimmybo's Port Aventura - I think you had some FANTASTIC footage, however, despite beign a fan of Mika, I thinkt he choice of song was all wrong. With fast paced, extreme, great fototage liek that yous houldve sued a much more pwoerful song with an "OOMF". It was just weird seeing allt hose fast paced shots of people goign crazy on Stmapida while the song slowly goes "Tum ta da di da di..." Also, I am not a fan of putting stills in videos but you made it look okay. But overalla great video.

 

Justin's Dollywood/SFOG - FANTASTIC video! Defiantely this week's best! Perfect synchronization, and the second the beat started and the vids faded in and out of black it relaly pulled me into the groove of the video. Fantastic footage. Even ebtter editing, this is a great vid.

[krouvi]

I saw all the videos of group 2 and again I feel that the soundtrack can boost the video. If you don this video mainly for yourself you can choose your kind of music, however consider that people may not like the music and it can be a huge turn off

[robbalvey]

I saw all the videos of group 2 and again I feel that the soundtrack can boost the video. If you don this video mainly for yourself you can choose your kind of music, however consider that people may not like the music and it can be a huge turn off

I don't know if I would agree with that. Take TPR's videos for example. We choose music that WE like. Some people like it, some people they tell me they turn the sound off. But I wouldn't change our music choices because some people don't like it.

 

Music choices is a very difficult thing because it's SO subjective. Chances are that no matter what music you choose, SOMEONE out there won't like it.

 

--Robb

[robbalvey]

^^BrownStreak...those are some great pointers! I'll be sure to make sure I write those down and put them next to my monitor next time I edit a video. And I'll be sure to use a song that you adore and love. Maybe some death metal with cursing and swearing, or a rap song about rape and drinking will fit right in for a coaster video about Thomas Town. Thanks for the input!

 

I don't understand the harshness of your pst at all! In fact it is insulting!

I think he was trying to say that, while you made an attempt to give comments on every video you watched, they really didn't make sense nor were very constructive. So thus his response to you was his interpretation of your feedback.

 

That's how I saw it at least.

 

Basically it boils down to this -

 

Some people make better videos that others...some people make better comments on videos than others.

 

IMO, if we had a "Coaster Video Feedback Contest" your post may not get a lot of votes.

 

--Robb

[Teacups Make Me Sick]

I think everyone did a very good job...each person took this on their own angle.

 

IMO---I think the one that really stood out is Jimmybo's. He really had a fun video. Great editing...I liked where he gave the impression that he was using multiple cameras, such as the log flume he got it in one angle and contined the scene in another.

 

Great stuff!!!

[JimmyBo]

^^Robb, you nailed my comment right on the mark. Seeing how BrownStreak rated the videos and didn't say much about any of them really doesn't help us videographers on improving on editing videos.

 

And to go back to the music thing, I choose my own music for my videos because I like that music. I will say it now that I hate Mika but that song was perfect for the video. I've had people tell me that they didn't like my DVD because they didn't like the music...then on the other hand I have people tell me they love my DVD because the music kicks @$$. You can't win with them all so don't expect me or probably any other videographer to change their music to something they don't listen to.

 

Jimmy "Rant over, beer in hand, it's gunna be a good night" Bo

[24]

And to go back to the music thing, I choose my own music for my videos because I like that music. I will say it now that I hate Mika but that song was perfect for the video. I've had people tell me that they didn't like my DVD because they didn't like the music...then on the other hand I have people tell me they love my DVD because the music kicks @$$. You can't win with them all so don't expect me or probably any other videographer to change their music to something they don't listen to.

 

Couldn't have said it better.

 

I focus on choosing songs that fit with the rides pace. It's really hard trying to find the song that will make the flow of the video perfect. I admit that the song I chose for Tatsu was a little last minute, but it got the job done.

[robbalvey]

And to go back to the music thing, I choose my own music for my videos because I like that music. I will say it now that I hate Mika but that song was perfect for the video. I've had people tell me that they didn't like my DVD because they didn't like the music...then on the other hand I have people tell me they love my DVD because the music kicks @$$.

For the record I actually watched your video multiple times because of the music. I thought that song was awesome.

 

Too bad it had so many shots of Larry in it though.

 

--Robb

[cfc]

OK, here's my take on the second round.

 

Cody (Tatsu)--Although I lean toward videos that feature entire parks (not to mention people), this homage to Tatsu is very well done--if a bit "hypnotic." The music and the footage blend beautifully, though.

 

Matthew (SFGADV)--Sound was the big problem here. The music tended to drown out what people were saying, which made me think that the video actually would've been better without the random shots of people playing to the camera. Getting the Looping Starship with GASM running in the background was a nice catch (as was the Kingda Ka fog shot--which sounds like a great name for a cocktail).

 

Ryan (Disneyland)--Nice work incorporating the ride POV with the other shots. This was definitely a coaster enthusiast's view of DL and DCA, which is OK, but it doesn't capture all the unique nature of this park (that is, "classic rides" and "atmosphere" attractions, such as the Mark Twain and Jungle Cruise). But for coaster fans, it's just the thing.

 

JimmyBo (Port Aventura)--Yep, that's a TPR trip! Well done, and a good mix of ride footage and antics (you get a nice look at the Retarded Yellow Hat Club in action). This video actually got better on the second viewing.

 

Justin (Dollywood and SFOG)--Good work here, too, with a nice mix of coasters and people. Lots of fun to watch, definitely makes me want to visit both parks.

[65skylark]

My two cents on song choice.....

 

For me it is all about the song fitting with the video. I thought the song Jimmy used was great for that video. It isn't a song I would ever listen to on its own, though. Same with the song I used. It really isn't the type of song I would normally have playing at home or in the car, but I thought it went well with what I was trying to do. I was looking for a song that had sharp rhythm and would allow for quick editing with the beat. When I did my Enchanted Forest video, I used a blue grass song, because I thought it fit the feel of that little "off the beaten path" park. It really depends on the feel of the park and what I think will work with the footage I've got. That is how I look at it when I'm watching other people's videos. "Does it fit" not "Do I like it".