Piano music videos - your feedback, please!

Nifforum veterans might remember the "guess the music" game we've played here a while ago. I've posted videos of playing game tunes, and members had to guess the title.

Since then, I got some new gear and I'm working on a new video technique. I want to make it really good, and that's why I'd like to get your feedback: what works for you guys, and what could be improved? Some specifics of what I'm after:

• 1. How is the sound quality?
• 2. How is the picture quality?
• 3. What angle shots would you prefer?
• 4. What resolution do you usually watch videos? (HD/480p/default YT settings etc.)
• 5. What do you think about adding occasional gameplay footage during some part of the music?

So far I've uploaded two tunes with the new technique:



Thanks for helping out!  

Someone got Camtasia Studio! I like that program too

Here's my feedback:
1. How is the sound quality?
> Its okay. I don't think soundquality will matter that much with a piano piece, as long as there is sufficient bass, and thats the case here. So: no need to change this.

2. How is the picture quality?
> You're using pan and zoom, and that degrates the quality. You should use the native camera resolution, and not change it at all. The pan and zoom is actually distracting. Other than that, the quality is suffice. If you hadn't ask, I might not have noticed.

3. What angle shots would you prefer?
> First video has the best angle for sure, but the pan and zoom kills it a bit. Just show us the entire keyboard with your hands on it.

4. What resolution do you usually watch videos? (HD/480p/default YT settings etc.)
> The higher the better, but it depends. If a video looks good at 480p (default) I usually don't need to go for a higher setting.

5. What do you think about adding occasional gameplay footage during some part of the music?
> It can work, and it can distract. Personally, I check a video because of the music, not because of what I see, and if I keep seeing someone play, suddenly going away from that can feel awkward. But if such clip would be played together with you playing the piano, sure. That would work. In CamTasia Studio 8, you can even do things like transparency, cropping the video, removing a color, etc.

Thanks for the feedback, LPChip!

I thought that before answering, I'd record some videos using your advice and see how it goes, but I've been on the road too much for the last couple months, so I've yet to test your ideas out. (There is going to be a Muslim holiday next Monday, so I'll try to get something together on the long weekend and post it here).

Yeah, it's Camtasia. It's intuitive yet capable, I love it! Very handy when I do videos for work, where deadlines are usually too tight to waste time fiddling with settings.

Good point about the pan and zoom effect degrading graphics quality. It was supposed to imitate the smooth sweeping camera motions that some pro youtubers use, but obviously it's a whole different ballpark. 

Resolution-wise, I could do 1080p max, but it would increase the rendering/uploading time a lot, and I wasn't sure it was worth the effort. On the viewer side: here in Thailand, 480p loads smoothly, but on higher settings, loading can sometimes be a bit iffy.

For gameplay footage, I'd avoid adding any gratuitously, but I thought it could be useful for enhancing the mood while playing music - or for hiding some unsightly parts of the recording.