Reddit reviews Logitech HD Webcam C525, Portable HD 720p Video Calling with Autofocus - Black

Hello hopefuls, lurkers, and alumni! Rather than give each video a critique I'm just going to list some tips that will help everyone in the long run. These tips do not apply to any single person in particular and every one of them can be used to improve a performance in some way shape or form, those who have a mastery in all of them tend to go far.

1. Overlay Your Videos - Find a good quality version of your song that fits the theme, and edit your video in an video editing program (I use Windows Movie Maker for example) so the audio from your video is muted and the music is what plays over the footage. This has been a staple since week 5 of season 1 and is an absolute must if you want to do well.
   
   
2. Camera Quality - Now not everyone can afford an amazing camera ready to make Hollywood quality videos, I understand that. However if your camera can't keep up with you moving slowly, it's not going to be keeping up with your mouth either. I personally filmed my first few videos of season 1 with this before upgrading to this and then finally recently to this. You don't need to have the most amazing camera in the world but you do need one that is going to capture your performance in a quality that lets people see you werk it.
   
   
3. Emoting - Close your eyes, listen to your song, then listen to it again, then listen to it again, then listen to it again. Reread the lyrics, then reread them again. Get a real understanding of the song you want to perform and feel it out. Nothing causes a disconnect more than someone doing backflips and pirouettes to Natural Woman, and nobody wants to be the Kenya Michaels of that situation. However, on the other hand. You don't want to be completely still during an upbeat song that you can work the house down. Also use your face, don't be afraid to use your face. Are you feeling terrible, show it to me in your eyes. Happy? Throw a grin around that chin. Whatever the song calls for let it all out just keep it within the constraints of the song. Over emoting can hurt you just as much as under emoting.
   
   
4. Enunciation/Learning Your Lyrics - You can know the lyrics front to back, back to front, left to right but if you don't enunciate them properly what's the point? Now I'm always a fan of going above and beyond with enunciation for entertainment value but I understand that's not exactly everyones gig. What I WILL tell you however is that you do infact have to over enunciate at least a little. You're not actually singing, if you were to just move your mouth as if you were it doesn't get the point across as well as overenunication does. A little bit goes a long way and it really gives that extra punch to your lyrics. Also rather than syncing the way you'd sing the song, actually listen to the person singing, mimic their breath patterns, listen to how THEY pronounce the word rather than how you do.
   
   
5. Audience Connection - This one is going to be short, make and keep eye contact with your camera. Flirt with it a bit, the camera is your window to the audience and while you can't actually interact with them you can make them feel as if you are.
   
   
6. Reacting to Critique- Now every week your videos are going to be watched by a large pool of people, some of these people may choose to critique you. Largely whether or not you listen to their tips for improvement is up to you, however be forewarned that while it is 100% your choice to follow tips, it could shoot you in the foot regardless of whether or listen or not. Be smart about it, also try not to take them to heart, not everyone is going to love all of your videos, and not everyone is going to hate all of your videos. Just be proud of the work you put in and do it for you, have fun with it, learn from it, keep expressing yourself.
   
   
7. Dancing - Now if you are doing a song with rhythm, feel free to dance. You don't know how to dance? No problem either! Be creative, use the pauses and beats to your advantage. HOWEVER this is first and foremost a LIP SYNC competition. It helps to keep your fancy moves that could obscure your mouth to perhaps spots where there are no lyrics. If I can't see your mouth I don't know how well you're lip syncing. Find your balance, and run with it. In terms of non dance movement, hitting a beat with a quick arm movement or facial expression can really elevate a performance.
   
   
8. Have a Look - This is the last thing I can think of off the top of my head. Having a look or costume to go with the song you picked not only shows effort but can keep the video very engaging. Now obviously not everyone has access to tons of costumes, wardrobe, wigs and accessories so don't be afraid to get crafty. For example back in season 2 zoomyx made wigs out of yarn! Competitor Sailor Evan in season 1 is known for his viral construction paper Sailor Moon outfits. Even a simple t-shirt and some rudimentary makeup can be turned into a look that helps you tell a story with your video.
   
   
9. Filming Camera Angle Orientation - If you film on your phone, don't film in portrait mode. It cuts a lot out of the video and while you may have more room up and down to work with you lose a lot of room to your left and right, it also can be very distracting and take away from what otherwise be an absolutely stellar performance.
   
   Overall these tips can and WILL help you in the long run, I wish you all the best and good luck!
   
   Now with all that said I'm now going to reveal the 6 people I voted for in no particular order.
   
   /u/BitchEva /u/mtd1988 /u/Kamui_Gr /u/itsbrohan and I don't know Sheba Maneater or Lady T's reddit names.
   
   Now good luck, and don't fuck it up
   
   Edit: SECRET TIP NUMBER 10! Carrion Threads - If you don't get in or didn't audition but want to still participate, make a video and post it in the Carrion Threads! These threads are named after April Carrion from Season 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race, after she was eliminated she would post the runway looks for each theme that she brought to the show on her social media. In the spirit of that you guys can follow along in them and they're great practice to really hone your skills for next year! Stick around and lip sync with us!

If you want to go a little cheaper, the C525 is still quite good and costs about $30.

get cellphone user crap... there are hundreds of quality earbuds with a mic along the wire for next to nothing;

http://www.amazon.com/JBuds-Fidelity-Ergonomic-Earbuds-Headphones/dp/B005VEZ54Q

I'm not sure, but since PC's often have separate speaker/mic jacks, you might have to get some sort of 1/8" splitter. to avoid this issue you can also consider stereo wireless headphones and mic that cellphone users get like;

http://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Sacool-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset/dp/B00B4YD2P6

if your PC does not have bluetooth yet, you can find older USB bluetooth dongles anywhere for a few bucks.

2.0 http://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-USB-Micro-Adapter-Dongle/dp/B001EBE1LI

4.0 https://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10308&cs_id=1030801&p_id=9386

i use a cheap unidirectional mic and my PC stereo speakers - i hate having anything on/in my head while gaming.

https://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082304&p_id=2925

keep in mind most WebCams have ambient noise cancel mics built in, so you can kill two birds with one stone.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Webcam-Portable-Calling-Autofocus/dp/B004WO8HQ4

It really depends on the setup you want. I used a headset for a long time that had good audio and sound for the price. Was a plantronics gamecom 780., But really, any mic will do for the most part. If you just want a basic USB mic, id go with something like this and as for a webcam Id go with the Logitech C525 which I actually still use for my "cat cam" since upgrading my cam a while ago to the C920. So about $60 for a decent setup that wont disappoint. The main thing with the microphone is to properly setup all the necessary filters to get the most out of it

You can't really record directly from the iPad to the Mac. I think you're probably going to want to look into getting a webcam. Nearly any USB webcam will work with the Mac.

This is a nice one on the cheap but not super cheap end.

You may also want to get a microphone. Many webcams like the one I just linked have one built in, but these are usually pretty low quality. You might give it a try first with the built in mic but if you want higher quality audio I recommend a nice USB mic like the Blue Snowball. Optional, but it'll make your videos sound 100% better.

All of these can be used as direct input for iMovie. iMovie is great for basic video editing and can upload your work directly to YouTube. It's great software that comes free with every Mac.

We use this one, and while we haven’t tested any others, it seems to work nicely. Logitech C525

Logitech HD Webcam C525, Portable HD 720p Video Calling with Autofocus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WO8HQ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_aMn7BbVM31GSN

Is this ok?

i'd just get 2 of the cheaper monitors and buy a webcam. the built in one is like 2 megapixels, pretty shitty. i suggest this:

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Webcam-Portable-Calling-Autofocus/dp/B004WO8HQ4