What are some things to do in a robot reveal video? How do you plan shots? How do you pick a song? What should the format look like? etc.
1 Like
So my process is to make a Spotify playlist (or similar) of past songs you like and let the algorithm find you new stuff for vids. Obviously you need to be aware of how copyright may impact the platform. Alternatively there are places like Epidemic Sound or No Copyright Sounds. Try to avoid the songs that have been used a LOT for FRC. They are great for finding similar music, but they are very much overused . You may want to pick a song that you can cut down, to 60 or 90 seconds. This REALLY helps with the scheduling/ amount of work.
Shots wise, listen to your one or two top song picks on repeat, maybe storyboarding. Just put that on repeat and try to visualize the video. Personally I am not a fan of the dark room flash the LEDs on the robot, sped up footage, or the driving thru a bunch of staged game pieces.
The best vids IMO have good lighting, a mix of static (tripod-esque) and tracking shots and show off the robot in realistic situations.
Realistic situations include:
- scoring and gamepiece gathering control
- show good driver control
- highlight unique mechanical aspects/ mechatronics that enhance how the game is played.
A lot of the above is subtle in this video
Other stuff:
-
In my opinion decide if you want a build timelapse/ highlight OR a reveal vid. Not both in the same video.
-
Set aside time to actually do the filming. A lot of this can happen during driver practice.
-
Make a template with the (cut down) song and approximate placeholder footage, this is good video editing practice
-
Phone cameras now days are great, but you probably want to be careful with shaky footage and avoid it all being shot from the same angles. Mix it up.
-
Short bursts (2-3) seconds of video are better than pictures
-
If motion is left to right in the video try to make the next shot have the same flow.
-
Jump cuts are fine with music. You do not need many (or any) fancy transitions
-
IMO the person editing should have a large vote in what song is the song to use, democracy can just lead to hurt feelings here
-
Play with sound levels, mixing footage/robot sound and music. As well as subtle sound effects (i.e. whooshes)
-
Look up lighting (key lights, fill light, etc) this can really help with bot glamor shots.
-
Get creative! Go ahead and make a cardboard/wood thing so a phone camera/GoPro can spin on a drill, put the camera in a gamepiece and take slow mo footage, be weird!
20 Likes
- Show all the distinct features of the robot (close-ups are nice here)
- Show every way the robot can play the game
- Let the audience hear your robot
- Show some driver practice/match play scenarios
- Autonomous and automation
- Show off your sponsors
- When and where you’re competing
1678 and 118 are personal favorites when it comes to reveal videos.
I’ve never been a fan of story-telling that doesn’t show off the robot (ie. a bunch of team members talking for two minutes before the robot is shown). That’s something great to put into a build recap video. Show off your robot and everything it can do!
And for the love of all things good in the world, STOP USING LEGENDS BY THE SCORE! Every year I feel like there’s 10 teams that use this song. Spice it up!
11 Likes
- catchy copyrighted music
- only showing folks what you want them to see.
4 Likes
I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!
5 Likes
Ideally with some good inflection points to make fun cuts at.
5 Likes
Personal preference, but I really enjoy hearing the robot whir and whine in the background.
118’s 2017 reveal does this perfectly.
https://youtu.be/x6CtdZ91qzI
14 Likes
A few of my thoughts, having been involved in many 118 reveals, and most recently edited our 2022 reveal video in Justin’s absence (the best I can do is emulate his style).
-
Make it a team effort. Get everyone involved in cleaning your facility, formulating a shot list, and suggesting songs.
-
Have a good video the year prior. Okay, this one’s hard to replicate, but if you want a far reaching presence in this community, you want consistency from year to year. 1619, 610, 1690, 148, 3476, 2481, 125, 179, 4613, and a handful of others have been at it for many years and have consistent branding and format.
-
Don’t start or end shots with a stationary robot. It should already be in motion to give the illusion that the robot is always in motion, rather than running a staged performance.
-
Show an entire end game sequence with no cuts. People will inevitably have doubts if you don’t.
-
Use a song that viewers are unlikely to already associate with something other than your robot. When it’s too obscure for anyone to have listed lyrics online, add them yourself so that a DJ at an event can see them when you request them to play the song.
-
Show the autonomous routine if you’ve got it.
-
Keep it short. You need to be doing something really special to retain viewers for longer than 2 minutes. Plus, people will rewatch your video the more you pack into a short time.
33 Likes
Going overboard: Synchronize the video to match with the music. This can be done with video editing effects or robot actions.
See: Mickey Mousing - Wikipedia
Example:
Lyrics- “green light go tires burn the pavement”
Robot- moves really fast from a very short standstill
Music- has clapping sound
Robot- shoots balls in sync
8 Likes
179 2019 also does a great job at that as well!
https://youtu.be/bBi1K7paqFY
1 Like
Yes, I especially love synching robot actions with bits of songs.
I also like to try and make the music either match the theme of the game or the team, or something. Just a little Easter egg kinda deal.
1 Like
I’m a really big fan of 118’s videos, especially 2013 and 2022. They’re incredibly well polished, with every little detail in there. The synched cuts and slow-motion shots are great, as well as stuff lining up with lyrics (“stage lights” → closeup of LEDs, “what’s next” → tease endgame). Also, you can find 118’s videos all the way back to 2006, which show an incredible progression in both robots and videos.
2 Likes
To piggyback off the original idea here, if we have an elevator game this year, you could match with a song that mentions rising up, lifting, etc. We may or may not have a song lined up that if my research is thorough enough, no one has used before. (a song that fits the above criteria)
3 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.