Are POV videos good indicators of how a ride will be?

[cal1br3tto]

I personally try not to look at a POV if I haven't been on a coaster that I may be able to ride one day.

I tend toward this as well (sometimes I feel like I'm in the minority there). If a coaster is on my radar to visit, I'll generally avoid the videos, but still read any TPR reviews I come across. Sometimes I'll seek out reviews from other sources and sometimes I'll hold off. But since nothing can replicate the experience of actually riding something in person, if I do watch a video, I don't feel it ruins anything. In fact, I often forget a lot of the surprises, anyway.

[downunder]

Definitely agree that a POV doesn't convey the forces of a coaster. I think POV's make a coaster seem less exciting, on front view, drops look a lot less steep and shorter than they actually are.

 

I think one of the best POV's that came a lot closer to representing the coaster experience was Robb's reverse POV of Expedition GeForce from the front of the train. At least with reverse POV's you get a sense of how big the drop is and the speed of the ride. Seeing the riders and their hair going up from airtime and their expressions was compelling.

 

Don't get me wrong, I still love POV's and I think the POV's are something that really sets TPR apart. They at least give me an idea of hat the ride experience is like.

[Jew]

A GOOD (read: TPR) POV gives you a good idea of how the ride will be because of all the different views and rider cam. Terrible POV's usually give a good idea, since it shakes so much you can tell how ride really is. The main problem I think is that when parks do their B-roll, it's over produced so you can't really tell.

[djcoastermark]

I always like a pov that is filmed from the rear of the trains with the camera facing forward. I think they give a better idea of any airtime or hairtime the ride may have by looking at the riders in front of the camera. To me it also seems that you also get a more realistic idea of how the drops etc are, rather than just the front of the train pov. Either way, I enjoy pov's, especially after riding a coaster, then seeing the pov. It brings back all the good memories of the ride. (Or in some cases, the bad)

[viking86]

I feel it depends a lot on where the camera is positioned. If the view from the camera is close to the view from the riders eyes, I think it gives a better impression of the ride experience compared to, lets say, if the camera is mounted close to the track.

 

I also agree with the poster above me that POVs from the backseat seems to give a better impression on ride experience.

[A.J.]

It also doesn't help when someone shoots a really bad roller coaster POV and then goes into After Effects in an attempt to stabilize the video footage using the built-in Warp Stabilizer tool. Sometimes it actually ends up making the video worse.

[Schrecken]

As someone else had said, I think the main thing you can accurately get from a POV is the layout of a ride. Roughness is also hard to tell, simply because of how the camera is mounted or if it is hand-held, though if some footage of the riders is included within the POV, you can see things like people's heads slamming into OTSRs and people grimacing in pain if the coaster is a headbanger. You can also see people being thrashed around if it is a rough woodie, so in that regard, video of people riding the coaster can be very helpful to warn of rough rides. But not so much with POVs.

 

I also agree about Skyrush - I watched some POVs the year it was built, and I really had no desire to rush up to HP and ride it based on those vids, and also on the look of the coaster itself, with apparently gentle hills and valleys. IMO Skyrush has to be one of the most deceptively designed coasters out there, and the POV shots are testament to that. Even though I went to HP alone my last time this year, I thoroughly enjoyed the first time GP reaction to the coaster! Even if they had seen the POVs, they wouldn't have helped prepare them for a first time ride.

[JJLehto]

Not really.

 

I believe Skyrush was already mentioned as the obvious one.

I think it's really about quality of POV, where the camera is and sound/secondary factors.

 

When I saw the original POV for Outlaw Run it looked cool, ok it looked really cool, but I wasn't terribly wowed. Then I saw the vids with people on it and holy cow was I wrong.

 

Also I do try to avoid POVs for rides I may hit that year but I always fail!

[rctneil]

I would say POV's give a nice view of what to see during a ride and where you will go. But there is no idea on g force, what is to the left and right and then above you. Shaking can sometimes be noticed like on the older woodies and knockoff Chinese SLC's but can be hard to notice.

 

The above seems to apply to the best quality POV's where the camera is correctly pointed and mounted securely and firmly.

 

In any case, go and ride them if possible. You will enjoy them far more!

[FreeFaller]

POV's are amazing to get over coaster withdrawals Sure it is WAY better to experience the ride in real life but it gives you a good first impression of the ride itself!

[coasterlover420]

Obviously POV videos give a good feel for layout and speed and aesthetic stuff, but the things they can never determine are the things that bother people, such as if the track is shaky or vibrates, or if the restraints hurt, or how comfortable/uncomfortable the seats are in general...

 

As far as forces, I believe POVs give a good perspective if you have enough experience matching them with the actual coaster. For instance, watching a POV and experiencing that coaster over and over help you get a good perception of how the POV relates to the real-life forces. Doing this with several coasters can give you a good basis for POVs of coasters you haven't been on so you can at least begin to predict what it will feel like. Other than that, POVs don't really do much except show you the layout and help you get over off-season blues

[SFOGdude25]

It also doesn't help when someone shoots a really bad roller coaster POV and then goes into After Effects in an attempt to stabilize the video footage using the built-in Warp Stabilizer tool. Sometimes it actually ends up making the video worse.

As a video editor, this is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. Post-stabilization is really made to correct small camera bumps/vibrations, so when it's applied to a horribly shaky POV video, the editor usually crops the video by like 40 to 50% so the picture is not even usable.

It's like a bad toupee or comb-over. It just covers the obvious. Embrace what you have!

[australianalex]

I'd say some POVs do rides justice, but others just don't get across the intensity of the ride or, in some cases, the roughness.

[carolinacaniac]

Watching a POV is kind of like watching porn. Sure it may be fun to watch, but being able to experience it is MUCH better

[gerstlaueringvar]

Watching a POV is kind of like watching porn. Sure it may be fun to watch, but being able to experience it is MUCH better