Amateur vs Professional: Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus
In both videos the quality of picture is very good, with the professional video just slightly better, on bigger screens. This is quite surprising really as with a larger budget you would expect the professional video to have a professional standard of equipment, menaing that the amateur video group were likely to have had good cameras or the quality of the professional video was reduced when it was uploaded, as most amateur videos generally have poor camera quality. Also the shots in both videos are almost identical, with very similar angles and timings, so perhaps the past student video took ideas from the proffesioanl version to use as their own. One of the few differences surprisingly there being so little, between the two videos are that the tracking shots aren't quite as good, and are slower and less smooth flowing in the amateur video and this is probably due to the lack of equipment. Most of the shots are very steady as well, which is probably fromt them using a tripod. Furthemore the sound in this video is added in post production and is soundtrack, so it is difficult to spot differences or potential weaknesses of the amateur, so for this part the amateur version is very good and effective.
The editing in both videos is also very similar, with quick edits done especially well and the timings are nearly perfect, which is very good for a student video to have such precise editing. The lip syncing is very good in the professional video as expected, and the amateur video also has fairly good lip syncing although there are a few bits that are slightly out of time. Also the transitions between shots are the same in both of the videos. The lighting is different in both videos, and I have noticed that in the amateur video most of the light is natural where as in the professional video it is clear that professional lighting has been added and this helps with the detail that can be seen, as they can afford a higher amount of equipment, and equipment of a greater quality also.
Mise en scene is arguably the most important factor in making a video look professional and I feel that the amateur video has done this quite well too. Firstly the main difference that I can pick up between the video is the location, as the original video is set in America so obviously the amateurs can't travel over to another country for the filming, as this is too expensive and time consuming. The clothing is probably the biggest difference in the mise en scene that I can see, and this is probably due to the students being unable to obtain the same clothing as the professionals have used. A really good attempt has been made though and example of this is of the main singer in the school gym, who has a similar shirt, hat, hair and glasses. Other similarities include, the crowds, and the musical equipment. The idea of this students video is to clearly agree with conventions of the original video, and try to replicate various features of it, as oppose to completely recreating a new idea, that was fully original and different to the professional version.
In conclusion I think that the amateur video is very good in comparison with the professional video, which is in some elements surprisign as it is difficult for amateur videos to be this good, as normally they lack the equipment budget and skill to do so, however there are a few differences that give the video away as a amateur remake and these include, the acting, lighting and clothing.
