Hello, there. This is my first video review! Comments and criticism welcomed! More reviews will be done daily.

Giving this set a 4 Above Average out of 5 or 8.5 ChewyBites out of 10!

Chewy Out!

Uuuuuur Ahhhrrr Uhhhhrrr Aaaarhg!

by ChewyBricks, on Flickr

First off, I feel weird reviewing a review.

Pretty good review, with some humorous comments relating back to Chewbacca, making it entertaining. This a good start to Video Reviews, though I just have some opinions I'd like to share.

While I had no trouble seeing the figures and model in the close ups, I as a viewer would be more visually pleased to see the models and figures on a clean smooth surface, this show cases the model better, looking a little more professional. I think you should be sitting behind the set, not to the side. I would suggest maybe using a table or something (Similar to The Brick Shows format). Everyone has different preferences on how their "show" is produced. But, Personally, I would use white over black as a black drop, unless that's how you like it to be set up, I know getting lighting everything perfect can be very tricky. And maybe that's just your way of being different than other Youtube channels who do reviews.

Other than that, I think you have a great name for your Channel and theme, it's goofy and has it's moments to be entertaining. I am not sure how your other videos will turn out, but I hope you plan on reviewing NEW sets.

Smitty, your comments are much appreciated. Plan on getting a 4k camera so that the quality will be much better. Considered using white, but did not do this for a couple reasons. The black makes the flow from the table to the wall backdrop not noticeable. Many reviews are done using white. This makes it stand out a bit. Also,think the white would not look as good with chewy. That being said, white is much better for lighting and clarity. Hoping the new camera will fix this.

Sitting to the side worked better for lighting at my setup. Also, this allows for me to still be facing the camera while being able to control the camera.

Thanks again for your comments!

I wouldn't worry too much about getting a 4k camera if it starts to push the budget up too much.

Using white has the advantage of helping to circulate light better... and that's normally the biggest problem in making videos. Get some half decent lighting... donut's have to cost too much but something that casts a decent light. There are plenty on eBay that can be bought for less than £50 which are on stands. The better lighting means the camera doesn't have to work as hard on the image and reduces the chance of noise artifacts on the image... you can also film at a lower ISO with better natural light.

Another things you could do it pick up a microphone... even a wired one can be bought really cheap... something discreet so it isolates the sound... the only problem you'll have with wearing a mic is the Chewie costume rubbing on it or intefering with it in some way.

I think you should try and set up some kind of intro screen to your videos that you can use on them all rather than going straight into the clip of standing there with the kit... maybe look at using some still photos of the box etc that you can cut away to so you don't need to do everything in a single take... it'll then allow you to break up your segments to help polish things up.

Just my twopenneth! ;)

Thanks for the feedback Robianco! Yes, white does circulate light better. Will see what Chewy can do about that. The issue is the location where this is setup. Its in a walk-in closet, lol, ahmm, Chewy means storage room inside Millennium Falcon :) This is the only stop where this can be set up. Put a soft box light in behind the camera. Thinking of getting another but space is limited.

Thought about getting a hard wired microphone. You think the volume sounds bad?

Will set up intro screen soon. Looking for the right music

Also, will be new reviews and old.

Thanks again!

White can still have a nice flow from back drop to to table. I have seen Soft box lighting kits on Amazon run for pretty cheap ($25-$30?), or you can make your own if you have the technical skills. which may cost a bit more than buying a cheap soft box, but it may be better quality. You should have at least have two lights

I don't think your sound was bad at all, were you using the camera microphone? I wouldn't get a lapel Microphone because of your costume, ehrrmm, fur. I would get a shotgun mic, these pick up sounds directly in front of it. Keep in mind, microphones aren't cheap, even lower end ones.

I understand your issue of being in a small room, maybe you can make a tear down studio, where you set it up quickly and make it compact for storage (maybe in that closet your shooting in currently?) I am not sure of your living situation, and having to set up can be a pain, depending how many videos you are shooting per week.

I am not sure what your intentions are, if you are making these videos for fun and enjoy sharing your opinion, then that's great!! But if you are trying to gain attention and be one of the top reviewers, it may be a good idea to invest in some more equipment. Good work comes at a high price though, and I don't want to break your bank.

I like the idea of an intro. I don't know if you have editing capabilities, but maybe try throwing in some B-roll? to break up the same static shot.

Good luck!

Black background is ok. It's like in space but you may have to put more direct light on your objects. I guess it could be hard if the model is also black. Maybe a white turntable. Probably have to experiment. Do you have access to a camera man/woman?

Smitty - Am using one soft light box. Looking to get another. Am not using a microphone. Just using my phones mic. Looking to get a new 4k camera to up the quality. Really can only base the setup in my walk in. Out of my dark ages and would like to do quality reviews of new and older sets. Working on intro. What do you mean by B-roll

Dr_Spock - Good idea on white turntable. Been looking on amazon and other places online but can't seem to find a good one. Don't have access to a camera man/woman.

You were using your phone? if so that's pretty good quality. What kind of 4k camera were you looking into? And B-roll is like, best I can describe as, fill in footage that you use while editing. It makes sense if you are familiar with editing.

Just a quick comment on the 4K camera (I'll watch your video entirely as soon as I find few moments. Very frantic day for me today )

It is indeed a huge investment and it depends on what you plan to do with your channel. If you want to make it your job than it may be worth the investment (even though I know persons who made a lot of money on youtube with much less quality cameras) but if it's just for hobby (even if you monetize) then I'd suggest to use that money to buy Lego sets

It also depends on the number of views. If you got millions view than you may cover the cost sooner. That's my opinion but if you really want the 4K camera because you like to make videos for hobby or work, then do what you like most. That's always the best choice

They sell phones now that have 4k cameras in them. Curious how the quality relates from 4k to youtube

They sell phones now that have 4k cameras in them. Curious how the quality relates from 4k to youtube

I thought you were talking about professional level 4K cameras which cost much more

Regarding the quality difference: the "typical user" will rarely notice the difference. Usually users looking for "informative" videos (like reviews) prefer "lighter" files especially if they are looking on mobile ( I know 4G is super fast but users often have a "monthly traffic limit" etc) and even if they have fast connections they will rarely select higher than 720p or 1080p.

Their approach changes when it comes to content like video games video footage and similar, then they usually want the maximum definition available.

In the Lego context I noticed the highest definition is more sought after when watching a Brickfilm more than a review because it's like they are watching a film.

Just my two cents

Having a problem with black bars appearing on the sides of my videos. Anyone have any idea how to remove them?

Having a problem with black bars appearing on the sides of my videos. Anyone have any idea how to remove them?

I had the same problem. I have not a lot of time to dedicate to videos right now so I'm using iMovies on my MacPro and every time I remove the default "Ken Burns effect" I get the black bars on the side.

What software are you using? I've been told with the most "advanced" software there aren't such problems

4k is overkill , in my opinion, for youtube. Your upload times are going to be horrendous with that much resolution, and with most laptops falling between 13 and 17 inches I would say that there will not be an appreciable jump in quality on screens that small.

I got an apple certification on Final Cut pro X (which some people hate) a few years ago after taking some courses in post production. Here's few things that will vastly improve your videos (others have said as well).

- Bad sound is more distracting than bad quality video, if you want to do this for income I would suggest looking into a mic separate from the camera.

- B-roll/ Cut aways/ more shots. One static shot is not very visually interesting. Look at what JangBricks and Brick Show do (don't copy outright :D). Doing an intro/outro as Chewie, and cutting to close ups/general shots of the set with voiceover is a successful formula.

- Having multiple shots and angles allows you to properly edit your videos. A continuous shot usually only allows the dreaded "jump cut". With multiple shots you can trim out dead air or lines that just didn't come out right.

-If you want to go all out, look into some very basic lighting. Look up "three point lighting", judging from your workspace you might only need a fill light and something to light up your backdrop.

- I would switch away from the black backdrop. Black is hard to evenly light.

Hope that helps. I do think the Chewie gimmick is funny, and you should stick with it. Good luck!

4k is overkill , in my opinion, for youtube. Your upload times are going to be horrendous with that much resolution, and with most laptops falling between 13 and 17 inches I would say that there will not be an appreciable jump in quality on screens that small.

I got an apple certification on Final Cut pro X (which some people hate) a few years ago after taking some courses in post production. Here's few things that will vastly improve your videos (others have said as well).

- Bad sound is more distracting than bad quality video, if you want to do this for income I would suggest looking into a mic separate from the camera.

- B-roll/ Cut aways/ more shots. One static shot is not very visually interesting. Look at what JangBricks and Brick Show do (don't copy outright :D). Doing an intro/outro as Chewie, and cutting to close ups/general shots of the set with voiceover is a successful formula.

- Having multiple shots and angles allows you to properly edit your videos. A continuous shot usually only allows the dreaded "jump cut". With multiple shots you can trim out dead air or lines that just didn't come out right.

-If you want to go all out, look into some very basic lighting. Look up "three point lighting", judging from your workspace you might only need a fill light and something to light up your backdrop.

- I would switch away from the black backdrop. Black is hard to evenly light.

Hope that helps. I do think the Chewie gimmick is funny, and you should stick with it. Good luck!

I'm not the author of the original post/question but I want to thank you for your advices. They are very useful to me

I strongly agree on 4K: it's more useful for other kind of productions than YouTube.

Regarding the static images: I too prefer non static images. However I once made a video with some of my Brick Comics and the static image was the only way to make the whole panel easily readable. I also had to use static images when making stop motion videos. Any effect added ( I notice again I used iMovie) ruined the "motion sequence" of the frames.

Would you recommend Final Cut to someone who, at the least a the moment, plans to make YouTube videos mostly for fun and not to earn something from them? At least not yet

Thank you again for sharing your knowledge on the matter. I really appreciated it

It was directed at Chewie, sorry for the confusion :)

I would recommend Final Cut for getting into video editing. Programs like Adobe Premier and Avid are good for professionals but are much more expensive. Final cut will also have a similar interface as imovie, so that might be helpful. Final cut will give you a lot more freedom to pan across, zoom in/out, and movie the images on the screen. There are a lot of buttons, so look to youtube tutorials for help, much cheaper than classes :D

If you are looking for something to help with comics, look into Gimp or other free photo editors.

glad to help ;)

It was directed at Chewie, sorry for the confusion :)

I would recommend Final Cut for getting into video editing. Programs like Adobe Premier and Avid are good for professionals but are much more expensive. Final cut will also have a similar interface as imovie, so that might be helpful. Final cut will give you a lot more freedom to pan across, zoom in/out, and movie the images on the screen. There are a lot of buttons, so look to youtube tutorials for help, much cheaper than classes :D

If you are looking for something to help with comics, look into Gimp or other free photo editors.

glad to help ;)

I knew it was directed at hime I just read it and I found very useful so I jumped into the conversation

Thank you for the info on Final Cut.

I recently bought Pixelmator as photo editor and it does not seem bad. I have still to learn most of its advanced functions (like creating explosions etc)

It has a very reasonable price (I bought it for less than 30€ on App Store) and it appears to have some interesting potential

Really like that set. Got it really cheap from ebay.de

Anyway, nice review. Keep up the good work ;)

Thanks for comments and advice guys! Don't have a Macbook, but have a PC. Can't get Final Cut then. Was looking to buy Camtasia for video editing. Would you guys recommend that or something

I laughed while watching Chewy peruse the instruction booklet. Actually, I had a smile on my face the entire review. "Stubby human hands"...haha! I hope to see more.