Racing commentary, finding the balance
Having gone to broadcast school I like to try & do a professional commentary like a real race. Not always easy, but it is a fine line between being a bit dull, and screaming like a madman.
Play by play and color commentators is best, but not always possible. I just try not to overdo it, and do it without "planned spontenaity", but actully act as though I'm seeing the action for the first time, which isn't all that untrue; when you shoot it often happens so fast you only get to see the details when slowed down in editing.I do enjoy it though!
I like that each person has their own track and approach to narrating their events. It is really a broad spectrum and each has its own merits. There is always the volume button for folks that don't like or want to hear any commentary!
To me, commentary is the hardest part. I am not a very out spoken person and it doesn't come natral to me. I prefer videos with commentary so I feel that I really need to do it in my videos. I have been experimenting with using some AI voices in mine to take some of the load off of me talking through the who thing. I really commend those that do a great job at it.
- i think you do a great job! Is the female voice on your vids AI?? — G_ForceRacing
- Yes, Taylor Drift is AI, my wife wouldn't d o it LOL — Papa_Pugsley
- Haha! My wife refused too! I might have to try that, I like the idea. Thanks bro'!! — G_ForceRacing
On my channel I broadcast it as if there's actual people inside the cars. As of now it's a one man band. As someone just starting out my goal is to add a little more (PG rated) humor and a storyline as the season goes along.
I film at 120fps, so my usual playback is 60fps, and I can do slowmo at 30fps.
This gives me a good time to commentate, it lets you see the action and follow it, and it lets you do slo-mo without a loss of quality.
I, like Chaos Canyon, am unscripted. I will write out a sentence if I am trying to convey a concept and I flub it more than once, but thats so I can read it back. I will manipulate the footage with slow mo or replays if I need more time to talk, so the editing is built around the commentary.
That said - I am new and finding my own ,feet in this, so i know my own commentary may not be the best yet.
- The commentary in your latest video was superb IMO. You have a very unique way of presenting. Your dialog takes a couple of real whacky "squirrel" moments and your energy is great! — GravityThrottleRacing
- Thanks mark! That means a lot, and I really appreciate it. — StarCorps
- I’m with you. I am looking to find myself in the mic. I found myself also playing with the slow mo when needing a few more frames. I’ve only done one full length video. As the video went on, I felt like I was developing an idea of story telling and creating the story. I write scripts when I present, so I naturally am drawn to writing the script as I watch the video back. — Midwest_Diecast_Raceway
- On that, I can offer advice. Find the implied story of the race and build on it. If you have 4 races and in 2 of them, the same two cars tangle, make a story out of it. The track gives us the pieces. I just add machine guns and missiles to the mix. — StarCorps
I thoroughly enjoyed this thread, and gathered some good ideas and techniques to try with my my newer video's.
For me, I was blown away when I first discovered big track racing. Yeah, I knew about drag racing, and have enjoyed that aspect of diecast racing, but when I discovered 3D Botmaker, my racing world changed. I consumed as much as I could as a viewer.
Of course I got inspired by 3D, GTR, Chaos Canyon, TTC, and so many more, that I started building tracks and started racing with my family. They suggested I start making video's, and after a few attempts, I started with my drag racing track.
I have made a few video's for yt and have started doing narration for them, and I'm getting more into the show style video's. I do find them more entertaining and fun to create. I follow almost every channel that has diecast racing so I can be entertained all week.
I film & edit the races with my phone. I don't have all the big camera's and editing equipment, yet. I have learned that I get better film rates if I film the racing in slow motion. In editing, I found that speeding the film up keeps the frame rates smooth, but if I try and slow the video down from normal speed, slow mo gets choppy. Total newb stuff I'm sure. All my narration gets done after the full video is done, and it is all unscripted, but may start using some script to get certain points on the video.
Thanks for all your hard work and getting this old kid excited for this hobby!
I love commentary on videos. It really personalizes each channel. Everyone that does shows there own personalities and flare. Myself I am not the greatest. I do enjoy doing it. I work to get better each time. I race a race edit it all together then do commentary as I watch it back. It feels very much like I am calling it live and seeing it for 1st time. Then I will add in sound effects. It is time consuming. And I appreciate All who do it. And appreciate all who watch and actually listen to me.