GAMCOD: Video Submissions

Use this button to upload your files (remember to follow the guidelines below):

   


About the video files

The footage should be shot in landscape - horizontal - 16:9 aspect ratio.
 For HD that would be 1920x1080. ***No vertical shots please!***

The files should be video files uncompressed.

Before uploading the videos, please rename the files like this:

     firstname-lastname-01

          for example:
          john-doe-01
          john-doe-02
          john-doe-03

This is important! If the files are not named as requested, we wont be able to use the footage.

Iphones will work just fine for this or any camera that records at 1080p or higher.

24, 30, and 60 FPS are fine. 4K would be amazing because it allows zooming without video loss (Takes up more storage space however)

Please note, high resolution quality pictures can supplement your video submissions.

Feel free to ask any questions or guidance!

I like how Ned's thread suggests to have a start, middle points, and finish in mind when taking a shot. But it begs a larger question for me that might be aimed more to Paul or Andrés: What/when/how much footage would be advised taken as recordings with the gardener behind the camera pointing to what they've done vs in front of the camera doing things?

I'm guessing desirable results will vary greatly depending on individuals and their works, as well as if there is an additional person to take footage vs. stationary auto shots, and a mix should be attempted in any case. Just wondering if any of the producers have a vision of the final product they would like to nudge participants toward...

Coydon Wallham wrote:I like how Ned's thread suggests to have a start, middle points, and finish in mind when taking a shot. But it begs a larger question for me that might be aimed more to Paul or Andrés: What/when/how much footage would be advised taken as recordings with the gardener behind the camera pointing to what they've done vs in front of the camera doing things?

I'm guessing desirable results will vary greatly depending on individuals and their works, as well as if there is an additional person to take footage vs. stationary auto shots, and a mix should be attempted in any case. Just wondering if any of the producers have a vision of the final product they would like to nudge participants toward...

Capture As Much As You Feel Necessary

The idea is to gather as much footage as you think you might need to tell your story effectively. This means not just focusing on the quantity but on the relevance and impact of the shots. Having a variety of shots gives us more flexibility during the editing process to craft a compelling narrative.

Balancing Perspectives

  Behind the Camera (Showcasing Work): These shots are crucial for demonstrating the results of the gardening efforts. They provide an objective view of what has been accomplished, allowing the audience to see the transformations and the beauty of the garden. Consider wide shots of the garden, close-ups of plants, and before-and-after sequences.

  In Front of the Camera (Performing Tasks): These shots add a personal touch, making the story more relatable. They allow the audience to connect with the gardener, understanding their passion, techniques, and challenges. It’s not just about the garden; it’s about the gardener's journey and experiences.

Supporting Shots

   Time-lapses: Show the progress of growth or the change in a garden area over time.
   Detail Shots: Close-ups of hands in the soil, seeds being planted, or the intricate details of a flower can add a poetic quality to your story.
   Environmental Shots: Capture the garden in different weather conditions or times of day to show its dynamic nature.
   Reactions and Interviews: Moments of the gardener reflecting on their work, challenges faced, or personal victories add an emotional layer to the story.

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While it's beneficial to have a wealth of footage to choose from, every shot should serve a purpose in advancing the narrative or enriching the viewer's understanding and emotional engagement with the story. Capture whatever you feel illustrates your journey best. The goal is to support the story with visuals that are as compelling and rich as the narrative itself.

Click Here to check out the GAMCOD main thread to find more guidelines of what specific things we need you to convey.

Find more info at the GAMCOD forums

Andrés Bernal wrote:

The footage should be shot in landscape - horizontal - 16:9 aspect ratio.
 For HD that would be 1920x1080. ***No vertical shots please!***

I don't take many videos, except to capture interesting trains that pass. And I had absolutely no idea what numbers were involved.

But then, when I went to look, I found the phone was set to this!



Which is perfect, as it's one less thing for me to have to attempt to learn...

Forgot to add the very useful VOICEOVER

Sometimes, capturing the essence of your story in the moment can be challenging. You may find that ideas or clearer narrative paths emerge after the fact. In such cases, writing a script and recording a voiceover can be incredibly beneficial. It allows you to articulate the story you want to tell in a coherent and compelling manner, filling in any gaps that the visual footage alone might not convey.

If you're camera-shy or prefer not to be on screen more than necessary, a voiceover provides a perfect solution. You can still tell your story powerfully without having to appear in front of the camera. just make sure we have enough supporting footage to compliemnt your narration.

.mp3 or .wav files are good for this.

Burra Maluca wrote:

Andrés Bernal wrote:

The footage should be shot in landscape - horizontal - 16:9 aspect ratio.
 For HD that would be 1920x1080. ***No vertical shots please!***

I don't take many videos, except to capture interesting trains that pass. And I had absolutely no idea what numbers were involved.

But then, when I went to look, I found the phone was set to this!

Which is perfect, as it's one less thing for me to have to attempt to learn...

Awesome! For everyone pls remember to hold the phone horizontally cause if you hold it normally it will overide the configuration and go vertical.

Like this:



Were looking for landscape :)

For voice over, would it be ok to submit that as a video with the talking but not looking at anything interesting?  

For instance, if I'm looking at my video and the wind messed it up, could I play the video on the computer and record another video with my voice over?  Then you can just take the voice over from one video and place it on the video with poor sound?  At least for this dinosaur that would be easier than getting a mp3 or wav file done correctly....

Mike Haasl wrote:For voice over, would it be ok to submit that as a video with the talking but not looking at anything interesting?  

For instance, if I'm looking at my video and the wind messed it up, could I play the video on the computer and record another video with my voice over?  Then you can just take the voice over from one video and place it on the video with poor sound?  At least for this dinosaur that would be easier than getting a mp3 or wav file done correctly....

Yes! this would work :)

Taking the video so far is the hardest part for me and it takes a lot of time too. I played back some videos and they made me so nauseated. Most of the usable ones are less than a minute or seconds long. I need to learn some editing before I can make a submission.

Questions:
Does the still image need to be 16:9 ratio?

May Lotito wrote:Taking the video so far is the hardest part for me and it takes a lot of time too. I played back some videos and they made me so nauseated. Most of the usable ones are less than a minute or seconds long. I need to learn some editing before I can make a submission.

Questions:
Does the still image need to be 16:9 ratio?

Answer:

Yes please :)

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Sometimes, it's easier to simply place the camera on a tripod and record from a stationary position rather than moving around. If you need to capture something up close, move the camera, set it up again, and continue recording. What's most crucial is conveying your story. Don't stress too much about editing; we can assist with that later. :)

Hmmm, the opening post has a really nice looking picture...

...in portrait? Just noting a bit of cognitive dissonance...

What format is acceptable? My DSLR takes videos in .avi format and I have no problem opening the files in my laptop. But when I transfer them to my android phone I need additional apps for viewing. Do I need to convert to .mp4 first before submission?

May Lotito wrote:What format is acceptable? My DSLR takes videos in .avi format and I have no problem opening the files in my laptop. But when I transfer them to my android phone I need additional apps for viewing. Do I need to convert to .mp4 first before submission?

.avi is ok :)

Hey Andres, (Or whomever is working on footage) Will you please check my recently uploaded footage and give me feedback? I would hate to spend more time producing videos if they aren't useful.

Rebekah Harmon wrote:Hey Andres, (Or whomever is working on footage) Will you please check my recently uploaded footage and give me feedback? I would hate to spend more time producing videos if they aren't useful.

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Hi Rebekah! That was great!! There is no need to edit the clips, we can do that later during the editing process. Feel free to upload the raw files, but looking awesome. Keep it up!

Hey Andres! Ok, good to know. I cut down like 10 minutes of footage to yield that two minute video. I guess I feel like that's too boring! hah! I will be happy to send larger clips, although I doubt if more than 5 minutes a week is necessary.  Is it preferred that all of them are in one file, like this? for each week? with the audio clip rolled in? Or do you prefer the audio clip to be separate? should I avoid using transitions between clips, subtitles, titles, and other animations, so they call all be uniform in the final video? or should I personalize mine?

Should everyone do an intro for themselves? Time limit? requested info like growing zone? climate?  or zip code? other limitations, like are we first-name only? no logo stamps? or city names? Should I keep my kids out of videos? and neighbors? If we quit, should we do an outro video, claiming the reasons we back out? (that might be useful if folks self-prune themselves from the final video.)

Maybe we could do a zoom call or something to clarify everything? then we could all hear it at once.

Hey Permies team! And Paul! I would really like more direction on these videos. Can we do a conference call or post a list of q and a?

Rebekah Harmon wrote:Hey Permies team! And Paul! I would really like more direction on these videos. Can we do a conference call or post a list of q and a?

Hi Rebekah! Maybe you want to list all the things you need clarification on? Ill try to answer them all and create a faq as you suggested. Hopefully that solves it.

Thanks!

I have a hypothetical question:
If someone takes a video and realizes later there's a child or neighbor in it and prefer not to show. There is no way to retake the video and the clip might be only seconds long in the final movie. How hard or laborious to blur the face area? Will staff help with this upon request?

Andrés Bernal wrote:

Rebekah Harmon wrote:Hey Permies team! And Paul! I would really like more direction on these videos. Can we do a conference call or post a list of q and a?

Hi Rebekah! Maybe you want to list all the things you need clarification on? Ill try to answer them all and create a faq as you suggested. Hopefully that solves it.

Thanks!

Here's a list:
should I avoid using transitions between clips, subtitles, titles, and other animations, so they call all be uniform in the final video?
or should I personalize my video entries?
Would you prefer we keep our voiceover files separate from the video ones? or edit them into eachother?
Should everyone do an intro for themselves? Time limit?
Are you requesting info personal information from us growers, like growing zone? climate?  or zip code? (to compare details between us in the final video, which is helpful for viewers to keep us separate)
Should we be following privacy limits, like are we first-name only? no logo stamps? or city names? What kind of privacy rules do you legally need us to follow?
Should I keep my kids out of videos? and neighbors? (Youtube has guidelines about this, for example)
If we quit, should we do an outro video, claiming the reasons we back out? (that might be useful if folks self-prune themselves from the final video.)
How many of us are actually turning in videos, so far?
Are we going to have a live GAMCOD call? Once a month or something? It might be nice for us growers to bounce ideas off eachother.

May Lotito wrote:I have a hypothetical question:
If someone takes a video and realizes later there's a child or neighbor in it and prefer not to show. There is no way to retake the video and the clip might be only seconds long in the final movie. How hard or laborious to blur the face area? Will staff help with this upon request?

Usually, cropping the video slightly is enough to remove any unwanted scenery or people. However, if these elements are too prominent or centered, blurring could be an option, but it might result in an unattractive final product. In such cases, I would recommend reshooting the video if possible. :)

Still carrying on with GAMCOD! How's everyone else doing?

Most of my stuff is planted, just need to transplant in some squash and build a natural trellis.  So far so good on my plot :)

I finally finished posting all my videos!

Rebekah Harmon wrote:I finally finished posting all my videos!

I see them at the upload folder, yaaay, thanks!

Andrés Bernal wrote:

Rebekah Harmon wrote:I finally finished posting all my videos!

I see them at the upload folder, yaaay, thanks!

Andrés, do you think there is enough footage from those 3 of us who turned in footage to make a movie?

Rebekah Harmon wrote:

Andrés Bernal wrote:

Rebekah Harmon wrote:I finally finished posting all my videos!

I see them at the upload folder, yaaay, thanks!

Andrés, do you think there is enough footage from those 3 of us who turned in footage to make a movie?

Hi Rebekah! Will review the footage soon and give it a first edit pass and with that we'll know!

I can hardly wait to see what you put together. I’m in Arizona, it’s never below zero, so I’m out. That doesn’t mean I’m not doing this. It only means that I’m not qualified for submission. Right? Right.
What a great idea!

Thea Morales wrote:I’m in Arizona, it’s never below zero, so I’m out. That doesn’t mean I’m not doing this. It only means that I’m not qualified for submission. Right? Right.

You can certainly join me and others doing GAMCOD not GAMCOD! I suspect I won't even qualify when the temperatures may be raised, since I live in a very mild area - challenging to grow stuff none the less, we each have our advantages and disadvantages. I had a pretty poor yield last year from my GAMCOD plot, partly due to a rotten summer, but I've got a few things up my sleeve for next year to try and do better
You can even submit videos, which I gather might even be used if showing good techniques for background information.