Ford Mustang Restoration is Spectacular; Video Production Needs Work

This 1965 Ford Mustang restoration is impressive, but the question remains—how can you make a better build video?

Now, I’m not going to tell you that I’m the next Martin Scorsese or the next Christopher Nolan, but I can tell you when I get bored watching a video. The ground up restoration and hot rodding of this 1965 Ford Mustang by YouTuber Titanium AM should have been far more entertaining than it was. I shouldn’t have to explain to you what’s going on. This video fell into the trap of “all I can do are pictures and I don’t have a microphone” slideshow video.

It’s a shame, too. While this Mustang started off OK and had a clean body, the extensive work put into it is worth more than a simple slideshow with horrible music. This car was taken apart, sand blasted, and rebuilt with some amazing parts and engineering solutions. So much work was put into this car and to get such a horrible video is an embarrassment. I love the work that went into this car and the result was spectacular when you see it. It just should have had a better build video to support it. Take a look:

Let’s start with the first issue: there is absolutely no narration, at all. I know why there isn’t. Most people assume that you need a high-dollar microphone and field recorder for something like this. Despite what most think, you have a good microphone and recorder in your pocket or sitting on your desk – your phone. Your average smartphone has a microphone that is good enough to speak into and create a clear recording to add some narration to any video. Even GoPros above the Hero 4 also have good microphones that you can get decent audio from as you record yourself talking about your build or topic.

Scripting, sound and music

You don’t need a Rode or a Sennheiser microphone, but I will recommend getting a lavalier microphone, that is the microphone you clip to your shirt or tie. That will make recording your voice easier and clearer. Also, if you want crisp audio without a studio setup, talk into your closet full of clothes. That will keep your voice from bouncing and echoing off the walls.

Won’t hurt to write a script, too, if you’re not good at talking off the cuff. Just keep the sentences short and easy to remember. Don’t worry so much about “ahs” or “uhms”. Until you get good at speaking, you’re going to do it. Just watch Elon Musk as he talks, he’s full of them but people still listen. Talking without them takes practice like a lot of things in life, you’ll get good at it eventually.

The next problem is the music and it is terrible. There are far better sounding, free, and copyright free music files in the YouTube library that you don’t even have to give attribution to (credits and links, essentially). I use Silent Partner in many of my videos because they sound good, don’t require attribution, and you can get their songs straight from YouTube.You can even buy better sounding music from places like Audio Jungle, Artlist.io, and several other sources outside of YouTube.

You don’t have to use copyrighted music and hope to never get hit with a strike, as there are some very good sources now from some extraordinarily talented people. Also, even if your video is on the long side, try not to use the same song twice. If anything, time your video with the music you are going to use. Which leads us into the next problem.

Length

It’s way too long— more than 47 minutes. While there are several angles for some of the detailed work, there are too many uses of the same shots at different angles. Many of the pictures aren’t even shot well enough that should have been used. Like shots of the right rear tire and then the left rear in the same state.

Unless there is something drastically different, a single shot of the right or left would have been enough. The pushing the car out of the paint booth should have been a single shot, not one at each step. At most, with narration and just using snap shots, this video should have been no longer than about 15 minutes.

However, with smartphones and GoPros getting better, cheaper, and easier to use all at the same time, this should not have been a slideshow video. This should have had some motion of work being done, there should have been someone talking about it on camera with pictures and shots mixed in.

Now, it does take some forethought to do a video, but it’s no different than looking at your build list and seeing what you have going on. The engine is going in, there is your next shot. Putting tires on at a tire shop, there’s you next scene for your video. Not comfortable being on camera, just talk to your friends or builders as they are putting the car together without them being in frame. Use that to narrate the scene.

Proper lighting

One final piece of advice is to get good lighting. Not expensive lighting, good lighting. Clamp lights are stupid cheap and high-lumen, bright white LED lights are just as cheap. The combo I use costs me no more than about $7 to $12 and improves the scene in all cases that I use them. I’ll even use those lights where I do still photos and need more light.

This 1965 Ford Mustang, it should be said again, came out amazing. It’s the video I have a problem with. In all honesty, the talent was doing the build, not the video, but that doesn’t entirely excuse it from being as lackluster as it was made. Hopefully, after seeing this and reading my advice, you guys can create better videos of your builds and projects and maybe we can feature them here.

Remember, you don’t have to spend a bloody fortune to create a good video. Lighting and sound should be your focus points when making yours, then worry about composition when you get better at those first two. Just be sure your subject is in frame, however, don’t ignore that.

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