Video recording your display

[NTKing(Brad)]

Come this time of year some are releasing videos of there display to show them off, or you could be new and considering what to do. I would like to start a discussion around what people are using to record the display. I know this is going to go in lots of directions but thought I would make a start. I guess what could be of interested is:
What did you use to record?
Settings tips and tricks
Particular time of night?
Lower the display brightness?
Anything else I cant think of?

Be nice if you could include a link to a video (shameless self promotion) and talk about what you did.

Any members using a drone - what do you have, any settings tips, time of night etc.

And if anyone is a camera buff, would recommendations would you make for camera choice (considering a few budget points of up to $500, up to $1000 etc), time of night, and anything else I have not considered.
Maybe even 4k vs 2k vs 1080 p?
Also, what accessories do you use. I have the Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal from DJI which I am itching to use filing the lights.
Im not looking at Spielberg or @LawrenceDriveLights productions, but just something you can be proud to show to the world.
Maybe eventually this can move to editing, but will leave that for a later day.

There have been some great presentions on xEssentials http://videos.xlights.org/browse-xessentials-videos-1-date.html

View: http://videos.xlights.org/xessentials-e38-how-to-make-an-epic-video-of-your-display_569d260c4.html

View: http://videos.xlights.org/xessentials-e47-drones-101_7407f0d10.html

 

[NTKing(Brad)]

Reserved

 

[djgra79]

Well my 2c for what it's worth, I've tried a few different options on my DSLR (Nikon D5100) and I was never 100% happy with how the videos came out.
What I thought was clear in the viewfinder and lens, sometimes turned out to be out of focus. I always film once its dark, as it was hard to get the entire show during dusk, due to daylight savings here in VIC it means it will be only 10-15 mins tops from dusk to dark.
I have just bought the same gimbal as what Brad listed above (DJI Osmo Mobile 2) and only had a couple of nights to have a quick play, so am looking forward to next season to film. I have recorded some sequences with just my phone (Samsung Galaxy S8) and have been pleased with the results once you lock the focus. I'm sure there are other settings that could be used to dial it in a bit more too.
PS, if anyone wants to buy a Nikon D5100 with 2 lenses and a carry bag let me know.... Serious enquiries only.

 

[abundy]

This Xmas I decided to try my GoPro 6 to film all of my sequences.
Made it easy to set up. I started with auto white balance and ISO of 800. The video came out nice, no too much fuzzyness, a bit overexposed, so I played with the ISO settings until I was happy.
When it came time to use the video in iMovie and sync up with the audio file, I found that by the end of the of the video, the images were about 0.5 to 1 second behind the audio. No matter what settings I used on the Gopro I ran into the same issue. I had 7 songs snd everyone of them ran not the same issue.
I switched back to a normal SLR and had no issue.
Not sure if others have had similar issues...just wanted to share my experiences.

Hardest thing was getting a complete video without some numptie standing in the way or some driving past and stopping.

 

[ezellner]

I just re-recorded my display using my Samsung S8 (since that's all I have). The first time I recorded, the lights were too bright and it washed out the colors, For the second try, I reduced intensity to 12% and it was much better. I had the same issue as abundy with "numpties" walking by or cars driving through in the last 10 seconds of a song. Took me almost two hours to capture my 20 minute show without interruption. I may be able to tweak things a big more in the video editor. No matter what you do, it will never look as good as it does to the eye.

 

[ezellner]

This Xmas I decided to try my GoPro 6 to film all of my sequences.
When it came time to use the video in iMovie and sync up with the audio file, I found that by the end of the of the video, the images were about 0.5 to 1 second behind the audio. No matter what settings I used on the Gopro I ran into the same issue. I had 7 songs snd everyone of them ran not the same issue.
I switched back to a normal SLR and had no issue.
Not sure if others have had similar issues...just wanted to share my experiences.

I had a similar issue last year with my video editor (Openshot - free) and couldn't get it fixed. This year, there have been updates to the program and now it syncs perfectly.

 

[djgra79]

Hardest thing was getting a complete video without some numptie standing in the way or some driving past and stopping.

I recorded most of my show on the first couple of nights when it was less busy. The trick is to sequence during the year and test ready before switch on night, so that you actually have a few things to record early on! Alternatively, you can advertise your show closes at 10pm for example, but stay out until 10.30 and run the show again just to record.

 

[Robbo]

because of the brightness of lights against a very dark background the camera has trouble balancing the lights, therefore most will recommend some ambient light in the background hence why they recommend dusk, having said that, our phones, tablets etc do a pretty good job recording video these days, and in my house I have 5 phones I can use, setup around the yard and record multiple angles if I wanted too, my opinion when it comes to audio, is to in post editing, mute the sound and put in the original audio track, nothing irks me more than hearing a car drive by, ideally nobody would be around to distract the viewer but this is easier said than done if you want ambient light. so in summary, no need to buy a DSLR or cinematic movie producing camera, but if using phones etc, yes get a gimbal or something, a cheap tripod, as steadiness will make it more appealing to the eye, use multiple cameras, use fade transitions in post, use the audio track from the mp3 rather than the camera audio...choose the time of day that best suits your needs

 

[NTKing(Brad)]

Phone cameras are getting better to record with, it just comes down to trial and error with settings and timing. I used an iPhone 7+ for my videos. Looking back at them now I can see issues, but its all part of the learning process. Next year I will record early in December, so if i have quality issues, I can record it again.
A tripod is definitely a worthwhile purchase - Kmart have a small one for $8 which you can clip a phone into.
Having people and cars appear in the video is something I try to avoid as well.
I have found an app (NightCap on iphone) which is supposed to help with videoing stars. Have not been able to test it with Christmas lights.