Customer Reviews

How to Keep Your DO-IT-YOURSELF VIDEO From Looking Like You Did It Yourself

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've asked friends for advice, got half-hearted tips from professionals and read my users manuals front and back dozens of times ... but nothing has been more helpful than this DVD. After numerous attempts to shoot quality video (I only needed 1/2 as good as a pro), the simple chapters in this DVD allowed me to focus on particular areas and help me get incredible results I didn't think my little camera and steady hands were capable of. And, having a knowledgeable DVD guide walk me through each step while I got out my camera, did some test shots, paused the DVD and saw the results ... well, I haven't found or heard of anything better on the market.

My friends and family now look foward to watching MY HOME MOVIES! Hey, I did it myself!

I give this a B grade. It's OK, but mostly just a guy talking and not a lot of hard core information. Great for beginners as a starter.

Jim Staylor's "How to Keep Your DO-IT-YOURSELF VIDEO From Looking Like You Did It Yourself" was just what the Doctor ordered for this newbie. His informative training will help me be a better at producing my on DVD's. He's gives clear and easy to under information. Thanks Jim Staylor for the insights that are giving me more confidence.

Jim Staylor is obviously a Pro with extensive video knowledge and a passion for teaching. His ideas come across clearly, and after viewing the DVD it will give you
a professional relaxed confident perspective on your video abilities. My first one after looking at this DVD turned out great! My associates at work noticed the improvement in quality and gave me a two thumbs up. Thank you Jim Staylor! You rock!

I've been shooting video for about a year now ... and I've been reading and watching as many videos as I can to get up to speed.

While Mr. Staylor's video had some helpful tips about shooting video and Mr. Staylor has a nice presentation style, I also found it frustrating to watch for several reasons:

1. Lack of focus. I am baffled as to who Mr. Staylor's target audience is. It certainly isn't the DIY crowd. He takes time to explain the concept of a tripod (important for beginning videographers), but then later in the video glosses quickly over concepts of booms and such.

He also talked about shooting with cranes and putting together teams ... information that is not very helpful to the average DIY videographer. If I can afford crane shots and can put together a team, I'm probably not doing DIY video.

He talks about lighting, but gives the viewer no information about the kinds of lights to purchase (lighting being equal to or even more important than a tripod, as I have found).

2. Misleading. The cover of the DVD has a shot of Mr. Staylor standing in front of a green screen. The video was clearly shot in front of a green screen. But the video makes no mention of green screening.

3. Out of Date. The man talks about VHS (videotape)!

4. Available at no cost. After I purchased the video, I discovered that most, if not all of this video is available from the creator on YouTube and other video sites. I find that VERY frustrating. I don't mind paying money for content, but if it's available for free, then tell me that. (This issue alone dropped the video to a one-star rating. It would have been 2-3 stars without it.)


In closing, I really wanted to like this video. I want to support independent video producers such as Mr. Staylor. But I was very disappointed in the overall content of this video.