Who are your favourite boat bloggers / vloggers?

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

Interesting post cyan, as last night my wife wondered if Delos wasn't using a colour correction software as the colors from different shots, likely done with multiple cameras, was fairly consistent. I know next to nothing about production, but can certainly appreciate good production and nice shots. The Wynnes are using some lights for their underwater stuff now, and it really brings the subtleties to life. Certainly not Nat Geo level stuff, but better than nothing.

They are doing whatever can be done in Adobe Premiere. Almost all bloggers are using that or iMovie or equivalents which does pretty well, but rudimentary compared to what the pros can do.

[mikedefieslife]

I like the Wynns but their post production is not great. Mostly there’s just too much contrast. Highlights are blown out and many scenes are difficult to watch. There’s no colour grading to speak.

I’m not knocking them because it’s certainly not easy to do what they and many of these other bloggers do.

Has anyone noticed the over use of orange and teal on La Vaga since Troyer came on board? Will be interesting to see if Elay keeps it up now that he’s gone.

[cyan]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

They are doing whatever can be done in Adobe Premiere. Almost all bloggers are using that or iMovie or equivalents which does pretty well, but rudimentary compared to what the pros can do.

For editing, actually the pros DO use Adobe Premiere Pro more and more, though Avid still rules in the movies and episodic television. (Final Cut was once overtaking Avid among younger editors, but then Apple screwed it up.)

Color correction is always done separately by the pros, outside of the edit bay, in a separate color-calibrated room. The previously mentioned non linear editing apps have color correction built it, but we pros use dedicated color correction systems for movies and most TV. These systems include Baselight, Nucoda, and Davinci Resolve. There are many reasons, but matching shots is just the beginning.

Most of these color corrector systems historically cost Lamborghini money, except for one: Davinci Resolve. You can literally download Resolve software for FREE, thanks to rebel Grant Petty founder of Blackmagic Design. Grant changed the world years ago, suddenly handing out these elite tools to the masses after his company purchased Davinci. Resolve is EXACTLY the same color software that is used in many features that have HUGE budgets (>$100M) The main difference is a dedicated control surface with trackballs.

Unfortunately, movie-quality color correction takes time (and training, experience), and sailing vloggers already spend hours per episode simply editing. (big movies spend about 3 weeks and $300K on color)

I don't know much at all about the Sea Change guys, but I can tell you that they are clearly filmmakers more than they are vloggers. Their work to date has all the earmarks of the professional stuff that makes it to the theater.

For the record, Swedish couple in RAN Sailing does a decent job emulating cinematography with amateur equipment, when they are on the water. One of them has an artistic eye.

My 2 cents.

[cyan]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

I like the Wynns but their post production is not great. Mostly there’s just too much contrast. Highlights are blown out and many scenes are difficult to watch.

THIS!

I believe that they are simply over-exposing their shots.(by a lot) There is no color correction that brings back clipped whites. (but you CAN bring back a dark shot, depending on the noise in the blacks) When you are using prosumer cameras with MAYBE 10 stops of dynamic range, this can be a challenge. Add sunny backgrounds (and a white boat) while trying to expose for faces, and it becomes hard to watch.

HD filters and polarizing filters would help. They really just need to learn how to expose with manual settings, then all will be well.

Cy

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by cyan

THIS!

I believe that they are simply over-exposing their shots.(by a lot) There is no color correction that brings back clipped whites. (but you CAN bring back a dark shot, depending on the noise in the blacks) When you are using prosumer cameras with MAYBE 10 stops of dynamic range, this can be a challenge. Add sunny backgrounds (and a white boat) while trying to expose for faces, and it becomes hard to watch.

HD filters and polarizing filters would help. They really just need to learn how to expose with manual settings, then all will be well.

Cy

Well Jason is a pro photographer so he must know all about it and have just decided that it’s not worth the time/hassle.

[cyan]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

Well Jason is a pro photographer so he must know all about it and have just decided that it’s not worth the time/hassle.

Maybe so.
Video can be much different to master versus still photography.
They (Gone With the Wynns ) have GREAT stills on their blog, IMO.

I really liked their vlog as they were learning to sail, but I stopped watching as they weren't really GOING anywhere.
I see now that they are in Panama- gotta catch up!

[maijipo]

@Cyan

Thank you for the feedback. Very interesting (since i do not know much about movies)

All this is definitively doing the difference. But as well the "tone" of the narration is completely different, a certain level of poetry via the narration and images giving to the final result another level of quality.

But at the end, what is important, is the desire to share what we do and what we like, with the budget and the capacity we have. I follow others blogs such as La Vagabonde with the same pleasure.

Chris & Maribel
https://windmaiden.blog/

[Jammer]

I've enjoyed most of the major vlogs mentioned upthread at one point or another. Some have crossed the threshold, for me, of posting videos of real life, to scripting and casting real life with the goal to make more popular videos.

One not mentioned upthread is the youtube "Crusing the Cut" series. Not sailing, but a fellow cruising on a narrowboat on the English canals. Quite a change of pace, good storytelling, and good production values.

[Pete7]

This is another very ordinary bloke just out there doing it. I don't know how far he is going but has so far sailed from the English East Coast down past Biscay, with some problems on the way, not least this one. Within a couple of hours of leaving Portland UK in flat calms he had to heave to. The boat is a 30ft Dutch Steelie with bilge keels.

This is the video of him heaving to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH_p0p53LOc

[Cherod]

Watched a few of his , heis quite good

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by cyan

Maybe so.
Video can be much different to master versus still photography.
They (Gone With the Wynns ) have GREAT stills on their blog, IMO.

I really liked their vlog as they were learning to sail, but I stopped watching as they weren't really GOING anywhere.
I see now that they are in Panama- gotta catch up!

Yes, we are watching them too, but the content has changed a lot during their journey.

They had a lot instructional videos on technology, product reviews, how-to stuff, model comparison of RV's, off-grid gear, mixed with some traveling and dining. It was the mix that attracts a large crowd.

Since they are sailing it is more or less a weekly travel vlog, more on land and not much about the sailing, prices, gear, technology... Just some snorkeling and diving and some hiking - no projects.

The last video they mentioned some issues with one of the LFP batteries and the inverter. Unfortunately no detailed information except they are receiving replacement parts from the vendor. Would be interesting what happened to the LFP, it is a drop-in battery with internal BMS I guess.

[fxykty]

I may be a bit socially awkward for social media but after avidly watching a number of the vlogs (most of the top 10 ones) for the year before we got our boat and dreaming of being in a life on the water, since we got the boat and have passaged and cruised I have pretty much zero interest watching any of the vlogs anymore. Reality TV is just not my thing.

[CatNewBee]

I think, they are great for dreaming and planning of the routes as long as you are at home. While under way, Internet is a big issue and often expensive, you would use it more for essential things like grib files and weather and less for entertainment.

[Cherod]

I think most are quite good not just for dreaming aspect but actually planing pre voyaging, watching vids of approaches to particular harbours moorings etc and suggested routing in particular I think are good (eg. some of the recent UK / N Europe to the Med via Atlantic sea board and particular for me a very couple of very good ones going round N of Scotland I find very good as I intend this trip nxt summer ) I think is helpful , can’t be bothered with the tourist or diving stuff tho .

[Supers0nic]

I like" no ******** just sailing".