Freezing up on camera

Tsani

Tsani

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How do you keep from freaking out when you are trying to record something on camera? I have a couple of songs that I think I am playing well enough to video, but whenever I turn that little beast on, I freak out. When I'm just practicing and playing, I'm fine. But when the camera is on I just make one mistake after another. 500 takes later I give up. I don't know if I actually make more mistakes, or if I just notice every little screw up that I would normally not notice.:mad::mad::mad:
 
I don't freak out. I just suck normally and have learned to live with it, one of the benefits of age, I figure. I know that if I want it to be absolutely perfect, the vid will never be made. Then again, it's not uncommon for me to run through 30 or 40 takes before things start to groove. The cam can be a wonderful silent teacher, forcing you to iron out flaws and showing you when something slightly different is working better.

Then again, no one's going to point out a little flubbed strum or buzzing fret or vocal hiccup. I've had hundreds of comments on my vids and find that people are hugely supportive.
 
probably because your trying to perfect it.. LMFAO! that was pointless saying that because thats the point of the video..

i notice when i play, i play really stiff because i know im on. (which is why i dont make video's) but if i jz play a bit more loose, it goes fine.

and i think u would make more mistakes rather then noticing them more, because i know i make more mistakes :S
 
Play through

I think I am going to try this strategy.

No matter how bad I mess up, I am going to play the song or the piece all the way through. I tend to quit and start over when I screw up. If I play the piece all the way through, maybe on review I will decide it was not so bad and it might be worth putting out anyway. Maybe the good parts will make up for the bad parts. If I stop the song and start over, the video is trashed.

I keep hoping for the perfect take - and it never happens. :wallbash:

Maybe you won't know that I made a mistake!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! :biglaugh:
 
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I dont have a camera to record with lol, but we borrowed my friends camera and i used it a couple times. I did freeze up at first but then i just started to relax and it got a little bit better. I think you just need to practice in front of the computer and it will get easier and easier.
 
Have a shot of whiskey 5 minutes before filming. ;)

In all seriousness, I freeze up too. I'll know a song backwards and front but when I turn on the camera I start forgetting chords. Maybe that's the reason I haven't posted any videos yet!
 
Move the camera between takes

You could try and change the camera position for each take. That way, if you make a mistake on one part on one try, but not on the next one, you could cut the two together, and it will look like a multicam shoot. Maybe after 3 different tries you might have a complete (near perfect) song. This only works if you mess up in different places each time. It might also provide variety to the video. If you are maintaining the same tempo, it might work.

Just a thought...

–Lori
 
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You may not think so but I also feel your pain. No matter how well rehearsed I may think I am everything seems to change when the red light starts flashing. One thing I wish I could do is have someone else operating the camera so all I have to do is focus on playing. As you practice a song over and over there comes a time when you finally get things grooving and that’s when I wish I could just say “start recording” and let it rip. But by the time I stop and turn on the camera (even when already setup and ready to go) just that little loss of momentum can break the groove. I don’t have anyone available to do it this way. This person doesn’t even have to be in the same room the entire time you are practicing but can be within ear shot of your notification that you are ready. If you have a friend that will take interest then this may work for you.
 
Every video I've posted contained at least a few mistakes. And that's after several takes on each one. I figure since I'm not Jake or Aldrine, a few mistakes is acceptable. :p
 
Lori said:
You could try and change the camera position for each take. That way, if you make a mistake on one part on one try, but not on the next one, you could cut the two together, .....
–Lori
Click to expand...
Ah ha! I see what you did there! hmm.. And people think you are more sophisticated and have multiple cameras... hmm.. I am liking that.

GX9901 said:
Every video I've posted contained at least a few mistakes. And that's after several takes on each one. I figure since I'm not Jake or Aldrine, a few mistakes is acceptable. :p
Click to expand...
Every video I've posted contained at least a few correct notes.

When I am just playing around, I am much more relaxed, I am having fun and I am not really paying attention to every note. When I hit the record button on the camera all that changes. I get tense, I worry about every note, and I worry about the notes I am about to play... what's next.. C? A? E... Is that normal... I worry about the note I just finished playing... Then there's the words to the song, if I am singing at the same time....

I am more comfortable with it now because of repetition, more confidence what I do, and the realization that nobody is paying me for this so I should just have fun have.

It gets easier/better, but I still rack up a high take-count before I end up taking the 2nd or 3rd one.
 
Having just recorded and posted my first ever videos, boy do I know what you're saying. My All Things Reggae videos are second takes and I still screwed up a bit, but just decided to get it over with and post. I sat down a few weeks ago and just started playing around with my Canon Powershot A610. All of those recordings have been thrown away. What a waste of space. It is amazing how a recording device can pull my attention away from the music. Dominator is right about having someone else run the camera. My wife did some very good work. While recording one of my All Things Reggae entries in the car a pair of marsh hawks were gliding in the sky. I almost stopped to get my wife to pan over and get them in the shot, but I just kept going. I think that's when I made a mistake or two, but I'd rather make a mistake for something like that than just because a camera is on.

Practice, practice, practice . . . . . . and more practice.

Be on the look out for more videos from me and hold me to it.
Ray:D
 
Tsani said:
I think I am going to try this strategy.

No matter how bad I mess up, I am going to play the song or the piece all the way through. I tend to quit and start over when I screw up. If I play the piece all the way through, maybe on review I will decide it was not so bad and it might be worth putting out anyway. Maybe the good parts will make up for the bad parts. If I stop the song and start over, the video is trashed.
Click to expand...

That is an excellent strategy!

I think I've got at least one major clam in every one of my videos. I should steal the Ivar's motto...

64764570_3ce665fd6f.jpg


JJ
 
GX9901 said:
Every video I've posted contained at least a few mistakes. And that's after several takes on each one. I figure since I'm not Jake or Aldrine, a few mistakes is acceptable.
Click to expand...

I've seen Jake flubbing in a couple videos. He just winces a bit (like the rest of us) and continues playing (like the pro he is).

Mind you, if I'd had my eyes closed and was just listening, I probably wouldn't have noticed. And these were just little hiccups, not train wrecks. But the point is, everybody hits the occasional clam.

I've got more than 20 videos up so far. If you can find one where I didn't make a mistake, I'd like to know about it.
 
I freeze up as well...boo...I tried to record myself doing the simple Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and it was sooo horrible I just gave up. I believe in Homer Simpson's saying: "You tried and failed miserably. The lesson is....never try!";)
 
Try this:

Set up the camera and record yourself playing. Go all the way through the song. Then play back the video and watch yourself.

Look at yourself. Are you framed the way you want to be? Are you wearing the right shirt, hat, etc?
Listen to yourself. Is the sound the way you want it to be (not the song/mistakes, the SOUND itself). Is the voice to uke balance correct?
Look at the background. What do you notice in the frame? Do you want it there or would you like something else?

Make the adjustments to meet the technical needs of your video. With each change in setup, make another full video of the song. Then make the adjustments until you are happy with everything.

At that point, you will have practiced on camera several times with that particular arrangement and have a complete grasp of what you look/sound like on camera. Most of what you see will be the result of practice, the rest is simply work. And work is just something that needs to be done.

You will have put yourself in control of the situation.
 
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