Wake Me Up - A Cinematographic Wakeboarding Film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijDhlKpXiZA
Hey guys! This is my first post on what looks like a great forum! My brother and I have been wakeboarding for maybe 6 or 7 seasons now, and have put together our best edit yet. Just wanted to share it with you guys and see what you think. Shooting took all summer and editing took all of Fall and more. It was shot with a Panasonic GX7, so we focused heavily on color correction and angles while filming and editing. Edited with Final Cut X.
If you enjoy the video please click the like button! And subscribe to my youtube channel, I will be posting a full snowboarding edit at the end of the Winter! Skateboarding clips here and there as well. Would love to get more views and likes on this video that has taken us so much work. I have thrown more effort into this one than any other video before. Thanks for watching and keep riding friends

Looks cool man, Did you have it on a tripod by any chance?

Thank you! We set up a tripod at the very back seats of the boat and were able to keep it pretty steady. Kind of hard to explain how we positioned it. A few of the really close shots are with a gopro while towing a filmer who was holding it with just a grip.

Good work man. Looks like some perfect days out there. I love being on the water. One of the best places to be.

Originally Posted by revolutionwake

Good work man. Looks like some perfect days out there. I love being on the water. One of the best places to be.

Thanks! We had some very clear days last season. We live near a small lake that, thankfully, doesn't have many boats on it. Glassy lake water is the best! Can't wait for next season!

Nice riding. Makes me pine for summer.

Nice work with the color grading and correction, and I'm always a fan of videos that jump right to the point after a brief intro. The mellow song and slow mo worked well together.

Critique:
I think every single person who has ever edited a wakeboard video had "wake me up" or some variation of "awake" pop into their head for a title. Try for something a little more original.

"Cinematographic Wakeboard Film". Again, the color correction on this video does make it stand out compared to most web edits, and the editing itself is tastefully done, but proclaiming that your 3 minute video is a "Cinematographic wakeboard film" had me expecting more than was delivered. Some things that stood out as needing improvement:
-Shaky shots (slow mo helps, but still noticeable)
-Rider going halfway out of frame
-You moved the camera around the boat, but still only had camera angles from the boat and from the tube. You did well with them, but more angles are always better.

Keep doing what you're doing, you're already miles ahead of where most people will ever be. I guess my main point would be to under promise and over deliver when it comes to titles and such.

First and most important - cut, edited, and presented way way better than most amateur wakeboard (or other) videos I've seen so any criticism you see here and likely from others should be interpreted as good because it looks like you have enough understanding and can improve.

My main critique is your colors. I think you adjusted them too cool - likely were focused on the blue of the sky and water, but sacrificed skin tone too much.

As for composition, your wakeboarding tricks aren't pro level, so id suggest compensating by adding in more variety of angles on the shooting - like from a chase jet ski or a photog riding a tube. I'd also add some "fun" shots, meaning brief 1-2 second cuts with you guys not Wakeboarding - smiling, pushing each other in the water, etc. I say this thinking that since your tricks themselves aren't eough to blow people away, you want to add variety and concentrate on the "we had a blast" emotion, not "we rock as wakeboarders".

Keep them coming - look forward to waht you can do on your next one!