Guide [Issue 35] A Shorthand Guide to Making a Good TO Video

[Shedinja 1,488]

A Shorthand Guide to

Making A Good Tanki Online Video

 

 

 

Be it the maker or the viewer, everyone loves a good video. There's plenty of Tanki Online videos out there, and while not all of them are in the category of 'edge-of-your-seat enthralling', they're still a nice little distraction from whatever ridiculous thing you've gotta do at the moment. However, as y'all very well may know, where there's something labeled as 'good', there must be the title of 'bad' within the vicinity. Videos are absolutely no exception. There's plenty of good Tanki Online videos out there on YouTube or whatever you crazy kids watch these days, but then, there are those that... aren't exactly up-to-par with the local standards. I'm going to attempt to dole out some advice on how to make a future video just a bit better, so please, bear with me.

 

 

 

The Bare Basics

I'm going out on a limb by saying that there actually is a set of guidelines for making a TO video because it can simply be about anything (in-game or otherwise). However, there is a pattern between some higher quality videos that I've noticed that can really change the game up: 

 

1.) Their intro is short, quick, and to the point. The makers have the intro set so that it's long enough for you to get a feel for who they might be, but short enough so that the viewer can be introduced to the meat of the video.

 

2.) The special effects are used sparingly. "A wise man can say more with fewer words." The same logic can be applied here; placing one special effect in the right spot, instead of plastering many all over the place, can have a much greater affect than otherwise.

 

3.) Every frame has a reason for being there. Videos that cut to the chase and don't beat around the bush tend to be more popular. It's almost a type of common courtesy to get rid of bits that are irrelevant to the tape in question. I can't iterate this enough.

 

4.) Life is always better with a beat to step to. I'm a huge sucker for a good soundtrack, and I wholeheartedly believe that an adventurous tune to fit the moment can get a motion picture a lot of positive feedback.

 

So, there's really not a lot of ways to screw up and make a poor video. However, it's the little things that count. There are small items to be taken into consideration with movie-making that can either make or break their channel. I've seen videos that could have been regarded with higher esteem, spare for one or two glaring oversights that bowl over the viewer's entire opinion of the clip.

 

 

 

Don't Be That Guy

When it comes to making a well-rounded video of your Tanki adventure, I cannot say it enough: the smallest things make the difference. The quantity of annoying errors made in videos can be the difference between a thumbs up or a thumbs down. There are good ways to set up a video, and, well...

• Don't be that guy who makes their introduction last half of the blasted video. An introduction should looked at like the little bit of sprinkles on top of an ice cream cone. You have a thin but noticeable layer of rainbow, waxy goodness, then the actual ice cream. You don't just take an empty cone and start making it overflow with sprinkles, right? Because that's... just not right. I'm pretty sure the vendor would start yelling at you.                                                                                                             
• Don't be that guy who, in the case of a gold hunter video, photoshops seven or eight gold boxes over one spot in the beginning thumbnail. I'm not saying don't use photoshop, please, have fun with your thumbnails, but just don't go crazy. It looks exciting and spontaneous at first glance, but nobody actually looks at that and thinks, "Holy flab! That guy has ten 9000 gold boxes about to fall on him! I bet this video's going to be AWESOME!" To me, and I can't be alone here, it just seems obnoxious.                                                                                                                                                                                                         
• Please, please, PLEASE, don't be that guy who makes their footage nearly indecipherable by riddling it with excessive special effects. Like I said earlier, once in a while, when positioned correctly, they can deliver a unique jolt of excitement into a viewer that will leave them wanting more. But placing them in perpetual juxtaposition can just as easily throw off a viewer and make them regret ever clicking the hyperlink. Especially the ones that distort the screen in rapid waves or flicker random colors every frame--please, play nice with your viewers. Let's not cause any motion sickness among the audience.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

I hope that my message sticks with some of you as you leave the forums for today and return to your lives. You're making Tanki Online videos for everyone to enjoy, so remember to make it enjoyable for everybody. Be nice to your fans.

 

 

 

.

Edited July 30, 2017 by Hexed

[deadtoyou 2,502]

Don't be that guy who, in the case of a gold hunter video, photoshops seven or eight gold boxes over one spot in the beginning thumbnail.

:lol:

[Shedinja 1,488]

:lol:

It's my pet peeve, man. I'm not even kidding XD

[stanzhang 3,291]

It's my pet peeve, man. I'm not even kidding XD

are ypu a reporter?

[Shedinja 1,488]

are ypu a reporter?

Yes sir.

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

are ypu a reporter?

Joke Of The Day, okay?

[lukey0 27,543]

Yes, I agree, too much special effects is wrong. Make peoples eyes go weird.

[Cor7y 13,862]

Well, then the worst youtuber is O.U.F.A :P

Edited May 29, 2015 by Cor7y

[Cor7y 13,862]

Shedijna, do me a favour and add this :

 

"Please, do not be the guy who writes in Russian to get more views and doesn't speak a single word of Russian.

[Lankbouv 6,347]

I agree with some of it.

 

 

But the general problem i have with the newspaper is that we get guides from people who don't have a successful youtube channel.

 

 

Like, people writing guides on stuff they're not good at/don't do.

[stanzhang 3,291]

Why u dont have the logo?

[Shedinja 1,488]

I agree with some of it.

 

 

But the general problem i have with the newspaper is that we get guides from people who don't have a successful youtube channel.

 

 

Like, people writing guides on stuff they're not good at/don't do.

Well, you know what they say: Those who can't do, teach.

[liverpoolaum 811]

nice

[destroyeur12 11]

Hello every1, I am not sure if my youtube channel is either GOOD or BAD:

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/c/destroyeur12

please check it out and tell me ;) thx in advance 

*any feedback is greatly welcomed :D

[Ninja 10,468]

Hello every1, I am not sure if my youtube channel is either GOOD or BAD:

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/c/destroyeur12

please check it out and tell me ;) thx in advance 

*any feedback is greatly welcomed :D

Good channel nice vids ;)  but... why make the vids fast speed, i hate that. :huh:

[SwiftSmoky 8,445]

Nice one! :) I was considering to make a video about it but you already wrote an article about it, so I'll just add here a few things you forgot to mention:

 

The in-game view – Especially in parkour videos, it is hard to get good view when your tank is twisting in the air at high speed. Of course it is best to use a spectator or another player who records from the side, but not everyone have someone who can help them with it. But there is a trick that can improve the view so that your view will stay stable. When your tank is flipping, the camera makes a fast 180 degrees twist, and if you jump and keep rotating in the air the camera will be twisting like crazy. This happens because the vertical rotation of the turret doesn't matter, only horizontal rotation affects the view. So at one moment your turret is aiming straight forward, and the next moment it is already aiming straight back, without actually gradually turning to the side. To avoid this simply turn your turret 90 degrees to the side so that it will keep pointing to the same direction no matter how many flips you make. Of course if your tank is rotating a bit sideways too you'll need to adjust the angle of your turret to fit the rotation of your tank.

 

Graphics and FPS – Everyone like good graphics, but for some of you too many special effects in the game (such as dynamic lights, dust, deep shadows...) can lower the FPS so much that the video will look bad even if the graphics are really awesome. Experiment with different combinations of graphic settings and see how you can make it look the best without getting low FPS. Another option, for those who are willing to spend money to improve their videos, is to buy a good gaming computer that is capable of running the game smoothly at high FPS with all graphics turned on.

 

The content – Try uploading videos about different things you like doing in Tanki and see what your viewers like more. Based on that you can decide if you should start some kind of series or not.

[SwiftSmoky 8,445]

Oh I forgot to mention another thing for parkour videos.

If you can't make a trick from the first try and you have black marks of mines and shots all over the place it looks bad in the video. You can remove these black marks by shooting a wall with Hammer 2 or 3 times, it will make the other black marks disappear quickly so you can record yourself doing this jump again and it will look like you did it for the first time.

[slycleaversmart 1,154]

Lol agreed can't stand some of those photoshopped crap vids if you know what I mean :P 

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

Good one!

[applications 993]

Don't be that guy who, in the case of a gold hunter video, photoshops seven or eight gold boxes over one spot in the beginning thumbnai - O.U.F.A ._.

[AbsoluteAlphaZero 2,027]

Please Please PLEASE Don't be that guy that spams in other video's: Subscribe to my YouTube channel I only have 3 Subs.

 

Please Please PLEASE Don't be that guy that cries when he don't get many views. I started my channel too with 12 fps at 480p. I only had 20 Subscribers and only got 5 subs every month. Then I reworked my channel and only upload good content at 1080p and now I have 1000+ Subs.

 

Please Please PLEASE Don't be that person that spams hack video's everywhere.

 

Please Please PLEASE Don't be that person that makes a topic about what NOT to do on YouTube, when u don't even have a Channel.

 

I'm sorry about the last one but you can only give tips when you know what it is like to have a Channel. Sometimes getting views is very hard and that's why they edit 10 golds in one Thumbnail -_-

[SwiftSmoky 8,445]

...

Please Please PLEASE Don't be that person that makes a topic about what NOT to do on YouTube, when u don't even have a Channel.

 

I'm sorry about the last one but you can only give tips when you know what it is like to have a Channel. Sometimes getting views is very hard and that's why they edit 10 golds in one Thumbnail -_-

Well, he says what people who are normal viewers and don't have a channel think, it is an important thing to let youtubers know what viewers think about stuff they do. Also trust me, putting a whole bunch of gold boxes on the thumbnail won't get you any more views. If you will put one big gold box in a nicely designed thumbnail it will look much better and will not make people dislike because of misleading thumbnail. (yep, some people dislike because of it, and don't sub even if they like your vids)

 

As a youtuber, you should take in consideration what normal viewers think without expecting them to understand what it's like to have a channel.

[AbsoluteAlphaZero 2,027]

Well, he says what people who are normal viewers and don't have a channel think, it is an important thing to let youtubers know what viewers think about stuff they do. Also trust me, putting a whole bunch of gold boxes on the thumbnail won't get you any more views. If you will put one big gold box in a nicely designed thumbnail it will look much better and will not make people dislike because of misleading thumbnail. (yep, some people dislike because of it, and don't sub even if they like your vids)

 

As a youtuber, you should take in consideration what normal viewers think without expecting them to understand what it's like to have a channel.

You are right. But if a real YouTuber with 10k subs or something made a topic like this, it would get more attention.