Ration Video Review Tips and Tricks?

[WarGeek]

Hey folks, new poster (long time fan of MRE Info and the history of military food in general)...

Just wondering as I stumbled across a plethora of MRE info videos and reviews (Thanks Steve1989, Kiwidude, Gundog, et al.) is there a sort of guide on how you make your videos? I mean is there a specific setup you have for your camera and how you point it down at the food items? Also preferred setups for your platters/trays/melmac etc.

I mean I've already come across some of my noob mistakes (such as putting a side from my IMP in the same receptacle as I threw all of the trash, also forgetting to knead the condiments before spreading, not shaking bags enough to distribute powder...) Just wondering if you folks had any other hints/tricks for new people to the scene of ration reviews spread the word of Military Eating.

Thanks.

[elandil]

Pay close attention to your lighting. Shadows can detract.

Find whats comfortable for you. Be yourself, don't try to force it. Do what feels natural. Learn from other styles, but find your own.

Setup is whatever you can find. You can do just as much with a cellphone and a clamp mount as you can with a full-on DSLR with tripod setup. As long as you are showing the ration, you will be good what, or where, ever you film.

[parafireboy]

Like elandil said, be yourself. One of the cool things about watching video reviews is that everyone has their own style. You can watch five people do a review of one type of ration, but when they each have their own style, it can still be entertaining and unique. Have fun and stay loose, it's nice to see people do reviews and keep the parts that maybe don't go according to plan. I think that's a lot better than a sterile, dry video that seems too scripted. Whether it's a dog deciding to come up and bark during the review, or some juice from a squirting c-ration can spraying you in the face, whatever, its a part of the review.

Good luck!