Tying/Lacing shoelaces
How to perfect lacing shoes and tying shoes:
- Make sure shoelace length is equal on both ends before lacing.
- Once you start lace, alternate one side after another
- After reaching the second top hole on top of the tongue of the shoe stop lacing.
- Tighten the shoelaces after left-over-right knot.
- Create two loops with both hands.
- Put one loop in one hand over another loop in another hand and loop underneath would go into the circle that is created.
- Pull two loops and tighten it.
- Adjust the length of the astray laces by pulling on the loops slightly.
Creating a Storyboard
For the next step in the process, we looked at a variety of different videos for creative inspiration. In particular, I found Saul Bass’s work particularly interesting with the different ways he uses perspective and graphics within his animations. We also looked at bad examples of work where the explanation did not correlate with what was actually being filmed on the video or the quality of the video was poorly filmed.
After looking at the variety of videos, I realized that I had to take photos of the shoes from a variety of perspectives: up close, afar, subject focused (laces, whole foot.) And this would emphasize the movements and actions that each frame attempts to communicate. One particular shot that Stacey appreciated was the one with a zoomed out shot that showed that the tips of both laces were adjusted to equal length. I would also have to consider from what point of view would a person learn to tie and lace shoelaces, as all the pictures I have for the story board have the shoe face opposite to the viewer.
The First Video.
For my first attempt at filming a video of tying shoelaces, I experimented with a variety of different angles: close up, zoomed out, from the bottom looking up, from top looking down, filming on the same level as the shoe etc. I tried to film at angles that would best allow the viewer to understand the movement and actions of the shoelaces in relation with my hands.
I chose this view as I thought it would give a clear view of my laces going through the first two holes.
This shot is meant to demonstrate that both sides are meant to be of equal length after lacing the first row of holes and the panning movement helps demonstrate how the tips of the laces match up when its tensely pulled up.
I realized that this shot does not clearly communicate which side of the lace is going into which hole as I think of it as an assumption just from doing it so many times. Next time I shoot I would have to zoom out just enough so the hand movement is also shown.
BUT…
I thought that a bottom up angle would allow the viewer to see the hand movements more clearly and how the laces are being controlled.
I also filmed from an aerial point of view for experimentation and I think that it communicates the movement of tying a lot simpler, the only problem is that the shoe is situated horizontal to the frame, making the instructions hard to follow. On the bottom right is an aerial view of the shoes but instead the shoe is rotated so that it is vertical to the screen, this helps clarify how the shoelaces work.
Feedback I got from the class that can be applied to me:
- Have pauses to verify instructions and to clarify detail
- For shoelace tying, the intricacies in the hand movements of tying can be drawn out through slower shots.
- For framing, do not cut off important movements, offscreen (same side shoelace goes into opposite hole → Needs Clarifying)
- Keep lighting consistent in between the zoom shots. My lighting dims and brightens cut certain points in between transitions.
- The COLOR of my shoes are all white and that gives a stark contrast against the black background, especially since the laces are also white. SOLUTION: Change shoes to different color OR Change laces to different color OR Change background → EXPERIMENT!
The Second Video.
Things that changed:
- The shoe.
- The shoelaces.
- The background.
- The lighting.
For this second filming of the video, I kept some of the same angles and shots as my previous video, but also experimented with even more angles and zooms to see the effectiveness of it.
The Set-up
In order to keep the lighting consistent and well-lit, I borrowed a desk lamp to test how well it works against the cardboard background. I tried three different angles of shooting as I would cut the ones that would best correlate with each part of shoelace tying.
For this second version, I tried doing quite a few zoomed out and extremely zoomed in shots, and I found out in some instances it can proved to be very effective and very ineffective!
For this shot, I zoomed into the shoelace so that what is shown is on an extremely microscopic level, and I received feedback that the detail of the shoelace takes away from the movement of it and is too distracting. Even though it was fun and interesting, it did not serve the purpose of my video.
This close-up shot, on another hand, provides a closer view of tying part of the lace, and this is effective as it shows where the laces go into which hole. If the shot is filmed well, the laces will be the focus in the frame instead of the hand, so the zoom will show how the fingers work to tie the lace. Yet one drawback from this frame is that the studio environment in the background may be distracting even though it is not in focus.
Group Feedback Session.
- Some of the shots are way too zoomed in, making the action sometimes cut off from the frame or near the end of the frame.
- The beginning should have more context about the shoe.
- The ending is too abrupt and the viewers want to see more, maybe even the other shoe getting tied.
- The transitions are not very smooth, especially seen when lacing the shoe, because the camera angles were too zoomed in.
- The shoes appear dirty, decreasing the credibility of the video.
- The tying of the laces were clumsy and the bows were uneven, making the credibility decrease.
- The sequence of the shots make sense, its just that the camera angles need to be adjusted (going back to the framing issue)
- There is also background noise which may be distracting at points.
Response to Feedback.
After receiving feedback from my peers, I completely agree with the framing issue in a lot of my shots. The intent behind those close-up shots were just to experiment with angles and how well different extremes can communicate different things. While the texture of the shoelace was in clearly in focus, it was microscopic to the point that it was distracting. Thus, it does not support my goal as an instructional video.
Resolution: Zoom out for more shots, especially when lacing, so it is more apparent where the holes are situated along the shoe.
The problem with my shoes that I use in this video is that it is too dirty and old and since my camera shoots in ultra high quality, it captures all the details. Another problem was also the short white shoelaces which is actually from ANOTHER pair of shoes but I had to use it in order to contrast the black. Also considering the ambiguity in the beginning and ending context of the video, I decided to completely change the context of my video to solve all these problems.
Resolution: Change the context of the video. I was eating at Rez that night, and I looked out on the field and realized I can work with my running shoes on the running track! My shoes are relatively new, and the laces contrast the shoe extremely well! (The shoe is blue, the laces are bright green) Thus, I decided to film on the track for the next video.
Filming on the track would provide great context in the beginning and end of the video. In the beginning, I will film someone running with their laces untied, then I will go through the entire process of lacing and tying to demonstrate the ‘right’ way of tying, and the closing shot will be of the person running off into the distance with a pair of nicely tied shoes! This will also solve the short laces problem, as the green laces are the perfect length.
As I will be shooting outdoors, I will definitely need something to block out the wind noise.
Resolution: The problem with the background sound will hopefully reduced with the use of a deadcat microphone muffler that I purchased on amazon for $11!
The Third Video — Filming on the field
As I began to film outdoors, I realized that my bright colorful shoe against the red track may be too much of a visual distraction for my video, as there are so many bright color’s going on at once!
As a solution, I decided to use Jina’s simple black shoes and replace her black laces with my green ones so that they would stand out.
This being the first time I filmed outdoors, I encountered problems that were out of my control, such as problems with lighting, background noise. Using Yoshi’s high quality camera, a Rode microphone along with a wind muffler, the sound control and the camera quality was extremely good.
However, as I filmed the natural lighting was so unpredictable, as the clouds would cover the sun at random points during the shooting and the lighting would fluctuate. This problem made me extend the duration of my shoot which also explains the intermittent cuts in my video!
Problems with my shoot:
- In general, I shot my videos from so many angles, it was hard to choose exactly which angle to use, and so I think I ended with shots from many different angles. Yet the effect was quite confusing according to some.
- Panning up my shoelace was unstable and Kyle noted that the body behind the shoelace is distracting.
- Kyle also mentions that usually shoes are laced without the foot inside, and only after it is fully and loosely laced, then you put your foot in to adjust.
- There were a few instances where the shots were out of focus and the shadow of my hand obscures the point I want to focus on.
- My camera goes out of focus at random points, especially when I don’t intend to do so. So as a solution, Kyle suggested that I use AF to focus before I press the shoot button, and after I press the shoot button, I change to MF. This would help keep the focus stationary.
- Whilst the point of view I shoot from while tying the shoelace is quite aesthetic and cinematic, it doesn’t quite serve the purpose of this video, especially after I asked people to compare between an aerial view and a front view, people prefer aerial view when they want to learn lace tying.
- Background noise, I had to wait when athletes in the background stopped shouting so that the noise won’t distract the viewer from the instructional video.
Experimenting — A different method of tying
This method of tying the shoelace is a lot quicker, after a friend showed me how it worked, however there are a lot of intricacies to how it works as there are specific laces that need to be pulled in order for the bow to be formed. The thing with filming on a big camera is that it is hard to capture the details without shadow or hand getting in the way.
Even though this way is more novel and interesting, the main intent of the video is to be instructional, so I decided that even though the first way of doing it is a lot more mundane, it is clearer and simpler for people to follow. Since I tried it out and realized it does not work, eliminate this technique and focus on the two loop one instead.
The Final Video — Fixing My Problems.
- As mentioned in my previous writings, I attempted to minimize the number of angles I used throughout my video to make it flow smoother.
- Made the background of the pan shot clear so that nothing will detract from the laces.
- I also made sure to slow down on certain tying parts, so that it is more obvious which string goes where.
- Took Kyle’s advise and laced the shoe without the foot in.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY, I chose till film in overcast weather so that no shadows would show and distract the viewer from the information being taught.
Reflecting Back.
After finishing this project, I’ll admit my video still isn’t perfect, there are often times where my shoe is not place in the center of the frame, or the construction noise in the background is prominent in some instances even with the microphone off.
However, I would say that the filming process was not as bad as I thought it would be. Even though it was repetitive at times, each iteration of the video I made had slight changes to it. After not experimenting enough in previous projects, I decided to go extreme here in this one and explore all types of angles for each shoe I shot for. I wasn’t satisfied with the first two shoes I filmed with, and it was only till the third shoe that I felt that the colors and the aesthetic fit.
I would say that I struggled the most with considering the best angles in this project and choosing which shots would most easily communicate the action I wanted to convey. I had to go through the whole process of asking a range of people in order to get multiple perspectives on whether or not they would get each instruction. I guess another problem with that is the assumptions that people make. Tying shoelaces is a task that requires little thinking as we have become so accustomed to it, so sometimes I would assume actions and leave out minor details.