Golf Course Showcase Video - Appreciate Feedback

Aerial Media Productions · Mar 15, 2015

Hello everyone! My company, Aerial Media Productions, which is based in Southern New Jersey, has been filming real estate, events and now golf courses since the end of last summer. We recently got an Inspire, and are starting to phase out our Phantoms (or use them in select shots that require a very small craft). Here is a showcase video for a country club, which will hopefully allow us to start working directly with them. We aim to equip all the carts with monitors that would showcase each hole as the driver pulls up to the tee. In addition, we would want to create some video content for their website, become their videographer vendor for weddings, ect. With all that said, here is the video and I would love any feedback before we present this to their board of directors.

A few notes: I'm colorblind (which is brutal at times), and their was horrible wind when we filmed. This video includes the Inspire (1080P 60FPS), Phantom 2 Hero 4 (2.7K 60FPS Medium FOV), another Hero 4 (1080P 120FPS Wide FOV), and finally a Nikon D3300 (various lenses 60FPS). We use 60 FPS or higher to allow for smoother slow motion, although I LOVE the 4K footage. I would have used only the Inspire but our second new battery arrived dead so I was limited to one. Anyone else suffer from DOA batteries? It's a shame because it was one of the new and larger sized batteries.

This video is for promotional purposes only, and thank you so much for any pointers, tips, or friendly critiques! Also feel free to browse our website below to see other events and real estate videos/photos.

Matthew Arch of Aerial Media Productions
www.aerialmedianj.com

PetePerrim · Mar 15, 2015

Hi, I like it but I think it's a couple of minutes too long. Like with YT videos, people have an attention span of up to 4 minutes but quite possibly less for this type of footage as its fundamentally all the same. Personally I'd shorten it, have shorter clips and while I'm at it I'd change the sound track.

Aerial Media Productions · Mar 15, 2015

Good feedback. This was merely a "get us in the door" video for the country club, so I opted to show more, rather than less. When I screened it with one of the board members in private they loved it and the length, in addition to the soundtrack. When they hire us to do holes or other content I will most certainly keep the length at around what you mentioned. The homes we do for real estate agents range from 2-4 minutes tops. Finding music is also one of the longest parts of these for myself, as I want to make sure it feels right. Music is also difficult because, as you mentioned, what might seem off to you may seem amazing to someone else. We have one agent who prefers "chillstep", a form of dubstep, while another prefers classical music.

Take care and thanks again.

Wiski23 · Mar 16, 2015

Very good.

wheelsee · Mar 17, 2015

That music will haunt me in my sleep tonight.

hoverkat92 · Mar 18, 2015

Good afternoon AMP. I plan on using my I1 to do the same thing. IF you where to charge for something like this, what would it be? I'm in Georgia. Hopefully we won't be competing for the same clients.

Aerial Media Productions · Mar 19, 2015

Price is very up in the air right now because there are a ton of factors involved. We don't yet know the extent to which they want to use us. I'm hoping that we do each hole, which will then be shown on a tablet as the golfer arrives at a hole. I want to redo their website intro movie, as they don't even have one, and I'd like to also become an official vendor for them. So it's really hard to talk numbers until they tell us what they want. This video, as I stated above, was only made to get us in front of the board.

I'll keep you updated as we move forward, however. I also don't plan on flying anywhere even remotely close to Georgia

Best of luck at the course and please post what you make here, I'd love to view it!

flyingclint · Mar 19, 2015

Aerial Media Productions said:
Price is very up in the air right now because there are a ton of factors involved. We don't yet know the extent to which they want to use us. I'm hoping that we do each hole, which will then be shown on a tablet as the golfer arrives at a hole. I want to redo their website intro movie, as they don't even have one, and I'd like to also become an official vendor for them. So it's really hard to talk numbers until they tell us what they want. This video, as I stated above, was only made to get us in front of the board.

I'll keep you updated as we move forward, however. I also don't plan on flying anywhere even remotely close to Georgia Best of luck at the course and please post what you make here, I'd love to view it!

What did you do to get permission to do the video just to "get your foot in the door...???" I too am looking for my company to do work just like this for some golf courses here in Houston and I need to know how to get my foot in the door or have the opportunity to show them what I can offer them so they are willing to hire me for such work...! So what did you do???
Thanks!
-Clint

Simon Torkington · Mar 19, 2015

You have some good shots here but you've not made much of them. The film lacks any kind of narrative. I don't know any more about this golf club than I did before I watched. I never really know where I am on the course, I don't know how much it costs to play, I don't know the yardage. It doesn't make me want to join or play there which is presumably what the client wants from their videos. Also you need to edit to the music - there's almost no connection between the visuals and the soundtrack. As others have said the soundtrack is a bit dull. The film is also way too long. I think three minutes is the max for this kind of thing. And one final point...that guy's swing made me feel ill.

Aerial Media Productions · Mar 19, 2015

My neighbor growing up is now on the Board of Directors there and does landscaping around my area. We linked up for landscaping air shots and I did a few properties he owned via the real estate part of our business...all that led to him suggested we get in front of the Country Club people. He just called me up and we met him on the golf course for an hour or two. He is the man in the video driving the carts, so in that sense I got a bit lucky. Other golf courses we've spoken to are interested but discussing budget before getting back to us.

flyingclint · Mar 19, 2015

Ahhh! you did get lucky there on that one! Guess I will have to figure out a way in...! Thanks for the info!

Cheers!

-Clint

Mark Mahoney · Mar 21, 2015

Matthew,

I agree with the others.... I think the music and shots need to be a little more "inspiring" (no pun intended). I also think that a few closer up shots (I might have missed it if there were) would be nice. It seemed too far away at points.

If you don't mind me asking, what software did you use to edit the footage.

Good luck with getting the accounts!

Mark

Aerial Media Productions · Mar 29, 2015

Mark,

Sorry for the delayed reply, and thanks for the feedback. I couldn't agree more on your closeup points. Keep in mind, this was done merely to get us in the door, and we are still awaiting the official meeting to determine what they will want. I will surely be getting closer to the club house and doing a variety of different angles and shots. It was so hard to tell what they wanted without knowing, so I took a stab at it.

As far as music goes, that is also hard to determine without having first talked to a client. I agree that the music would maybe serve a different style of film better, but I was honestly pressed for time on getting this done and was up until 3am trying to find something that felt good. With that said, do you have some recommendations for songs that are Creative Commons for when I do land some of the golf course jobs? Any feedback would be really awesome.

I use Sony Vegas and After Effects to edit the videos. I switch between them, depending on the job. I usually use After Effects for creating titles, intro graphics and things of that sort, and I prefer to then use Vegas to stitch and transition everything together. I used Final Cut Pro in college, but it was my roommates machine. I don't prefer Apple computers, and use PC's, so when I found Vegas it vaguely reminded me of Final Cut. We may be purchasing a Ronin and a Blackmagic 4k for it, so I would be adding DaVinci Resolve 11 Workflow into the mix of software soon.

I'm a teacher by profession, and do feature length films with my students in school. I've used Hit Films as well. I went from doing special effects and green screens there to doing Real Estate videos and golf courses. I suppose I need to continue to retrain myself, as I'm no longer making kids shoot fire out of their mouths or fly around like Superman!

Here is the trailer to the last film I did, which was last year. I was so proud of the kid's efforts in this and the previous films. It uses our Science curriculum and various other cross-curricular stuff..and yes it is a COMPLETE ripoff, as were all my other movies, but it's done for the kids and we don't profit from it:

I also am a veteran Beach Patrol lifeguard of 18 years, and started using drones and GoPros for lifeguard events. I'm hoping this summer to really expand that as well. Here is a fun little wave riding video we tested out last summer. Unforunately there is no drone footage for this video because as the swell kept building it got so large that my LT. couldn't make it out and all the drone footage was wasted. The footage here was before the really large hurricane waves came through:

Matt

Aerial Media Productions · Mar 29, 2015

Simon Torkington said:
You have some good shots here but you've not made much of them. The film lacks any kind of narrative. I don't know any more about this golf club than I did before I watched. I never really know where I am on the course, I don't know how much it costs to play, I don't know the yardage. It doesn't make me want to join or play there which is presumably what the client wants from their videos. Also you need to edit to the music - there's almost no connection between the visuals and the soundtrack. As others have said the soundtrack is a bit dull. The film is also way too long. I think three minutes is the max for this kind of thing. And one final point...that guy's swing made me feel ill.

The yardage, information, narrative and all of that jazz will be added when we determine what the client wants. As stated before, this was a free video we made just to get us invited to present at a Board meeting and hopefully get hired. Also about that swing....yea. We'll be using the clubs resident pro when we film for real!

Mark Mahoney · Mar 29, 2015

Matt,

Thanks for the reply. I hope my response was taken as negative criticism but more as constructive criticism. I am not qualified to critique anyone's work, I gave my opinion as what John Q Public would see/say.

Mark

Aerial Media Productions · Mar 29, 2015

Mark,

Not at all! Everyone has opinions, different tastes, styles, ect. I mean, I could make a golf course video with death metal music and SOMEONE, even one person, out there would probably love it. Appealing to the masses is tough. I love the input here and am thankful for it.

P.S. I am not planning on a death metal golf course

Matt

Mark Mahoney · Mar 29, 2015

Aerial Media Productions said:
Mark,

Not at all! Everyone has opinions, different tastes, styles, ect. I mean, I could make a golf course video with death metal music and SOMEONE, even one person, out there would probably love it. Appealing to the masses is tough. I love the input here and am thankful for it.

P.S. I am not planning on a death metal golf course

Matt

If you do, you'll have to fly the Inspire faster....LOL.

Mark

robdigphot · Sep 25, 2015

I have started filming golf courses in the UK and this is how we produce 18hole t2 green flyovers

B-Scene Films · Sep 25, 2015

On the music side of things, my wife will typically choose about 5 different pieces that she feels are appropriate to the demographic that the video is targeted to and she lets the client choose. That way it's the client's fault

I see lots of aerials of golf courses. Many of them need to saturate the green a bit to make it look more lush and inviting instead of faded/low contrast.

Aerial Media Productions said:
Mark,

Not at all! Everyone has opinions, different tastes, styles, ect. I mean, I could make a golf course video with death metal music and SOMEONE, even one person, out there would probably love it. Appealing to the masses is tough. I love the input here and am thankful for it.

P.S. I am not planning on a death metal golf course

Matt

I want to see a Grind Core one

Aerial Media Productions · Sep 26, 2015

We did finally go back to Linwood Country Club and do their official video. Here it is along with another golf course we did. These were meant to show the entire course and not be a hole by hole. We move on to another course in October where they do want each hole done solo. Love the Inspire!

Another area were getting into now is surfing, and we were hired by the World Surf League to do a live streaming event and then make a highlights video:

And our "bread and butter" is still Real Estate, where we get the most business now. We are both teachers, but wish for the day we can do this full time. Cart before the horse, and if this is nothing more than a lucrative side and summer job I'm still very happy: