Recourse for Bad Competition Videos

[pnoisette]

I recently participated in a competition and was frankly appalled at the quality of the video I had purchased of my dancing. The companies that do the videos have a monopoly of the events and the videos are not cheap. Like other student dancers my teacher and I use these videos to critique and work on the dancing. In this recent video, the camera operator couldn't seem to find me most of the time: five or more measures would go by and s/he either had the camera on someone else, or on an empty spot on the floor. In several shots both or either my partner or me were chopped off at the head/ feet, or the picture would be out of focus. In almost all of the heats I was lost among the other dancers and no camera moves were even attempted to try to find me.


For nearly $300 worth of video I think I was entitled to a better package and would appreciate feedback on how to rectify this, and how to make sure that comp owners can go about with selecting credible companies. As most of us know participants in comps aren't permitted to privately video their dancing so we're really at the mercy of these companies. The quality of videos in previous comps I've been in have varied, but none have been as bad as this last one.

Does anyone have any info about the qualifications of either these companies of the people who run the cameras? Judging by what I got to see when I got home, the operation that made my video were at best amateurs and at worse a bunch of scams passing off as media production companies.

 

[mamboqueen]

There is a representative of one of the more well known video vendors on this forum and I'm sure she'd be happy to assist you if you contact her (Front Row Productions). I would think a reputable vendor would take the video back and remunerate you in some fashion if it is as bad as you say. The only issues I've had is once I got someone else on my video (and got a total refund). The most recent video I got started with two male pro's (on the sidelines) taking care of some of their facial sweat issues. I just had to laugh at that. Finally, about 15 seconds later, they were out of the video. Also, with this most recent one, the picture is distorted and I'm taller and thinner than I am in real life. But, it doesn't hinder what I got the video for, so I didn't bother them with it (and it's not just mine; happened to a friend at the same comp).

In any event, I would contact them...I think most of these people are reasonable and will rectify the situation for you.

 

[White Chacha]

This topic has appeared here a number of times before. Executive summary is that some people have had good luck asking the company in question to make good in a customer service way. Failing that, feedback to the organizers so they're more likely to select a different vendor in the future.

Search around here, you'll find copious discussion already

 

[wooh]

the picture is distorted and I'm taller and thinner than I am in real life.

Every video I've ever had of me dancing (not professional videos) has me shorter and fatter than I am in real life. I think I'd prefer yours.

 

[NielsenE]

Yeah I had a very bad experience in one of my first encounters with the video vendors. -- They missed several heats all together, and their VCR went on the fritz for about half of the ones they captures (so while the got teh right event it was all static-y). After talking to the company they: refunded most of the original cost, gave me a voucher for some free dances at the next comp, and when I sent the tape back to them were able to put it through some image recover/stablization tools to partially recover the corrupted heats.

They made good. Since then I've been happy with them at the following competitions...

I do wish they had slightly better operators, but it seems like its often random non-ballroomy/non-videographers hired to man several of the cameras and they haven't developed either the art of slow/gradual pan/zoon nor have they learned to anticipate how dancers move on the floor.

 

[tunape]

I've also had a lot of bad experiences with "professional" videographers. On top of filming the wrong couple, shakiness, etc... they tend to use lower quality equipment and don't provide useful options like DVD, or better yet, digital video file. bleh, monopolies are socially inefficient.

 

[mamboqueen]

I've also had a lot of bad experiences with "professional" videographers. On top of filming the wrong couple, shakiness, etc... they tend to use lower quality equipment and don't provide useful options like DVD, or better yet, digital video file. bleh, monopolies are socially inefficient.

Front Row actually does provide DVD now, which is nice...except once the disk is finalized, you obviously can't add to it. But I much prefer having the dvd's as they take up so much less space and I can mail them easily.

 

[LucyDiamond]

Front Row actually does provide DVD now, which is nice...except once the disk is finalized, you obviously can't add to it. But I much prefer having the dvd's as they take up so much less space and I can mail them easily.

Plus, DVDs are easier to copy for relatives, unless you have a dual deck VCR.

 

[NielsenE]

yeah every service I've seen at the past comps I've competed/spectated at that had a video vendor, had the DVD option as well as the VHS. but personally I don't find the DVD a price-effective option since its often 40-60 more than the VHS and is lower quality...

 

[fascination]

let me add that there have been past threads on this which might be enlightening...do a search using the word comp video

 

[Joe]

But is it direct-to-DVD or just a DVD dubbed from VHS?

 

[mamboqueen]

But is it direct-to-DVD or just a DVD dubbed from VHS?

I have seen both. Chel should be able to shed some light on this.

 

[NielsenE]

I've only seen the VHS dubbed to DVD system, typically with a horrible CBR (around 2-3Mb/s.... An unsophisticated single pass encoder, assuming that its going to have to fit 90 minutes onto a single layer DVD... They should either use a VBR two-pass method... but takes longer, or do some simple math... if its only 20-30 minutes of footage in a lot of cases they could use a CBR of around 6-7Mb/s and then the encoding would be decent....)

 

[Cal]

Comp Videos

In almost all of the heats I was lost among the other dancers and no camera moves were even attempted to try to find me.

Sorry to hear about your frustration with your comp video. But, in an attempt to extract some lemonade out of the lemon, think about what the video may be telling you:

If you are lost among the other dancers on the video, it may indicate that you don't "pop" out to the judges either. So, it may be that you could work on ways to stand out in your dancing.

Every so often, I'll ask a videographer to tape a heat in "wide-angle" for the sole purpose of seeing if I do or don't stand out.

As to the original post, on occasions where my tape is a bit botched, I've talked to the videographer, and they've given me a credit.

 

[dance234]

If you are lost among the other dancers on the video, it may indicate that you don't "pop" out to the judges either. So, it may be that you could work on ways to stand out in your dancing.

A generous interpretation, but considering that dancers (1) pay (2) in a monopolistic system for videotaping, there's no lemonade to be made out of this situation. If a person paid to do one thing during a given heat - tape YOU, the paying customer - cannot do it, it's their fault, not yours as the dancer.