So some of you may have seen the video review of Theri. We, at The Hindu, aren’t abandoning the traditional review. (And I hope they never will.) But this is the future, and I can see why this is important to our digital presence. It was funny doing this. Came back after the film. Wrote a few hurried notes on sheets of paper. The videographer said I shouldn’t be looking at notes, I should be looking at the camera instead. So I wrote the same points — in block letters — on A4 sheets, which she held up behind the camera, a human teleprompter. I did my best to not look as if I was staring at those sheets, staring at the camera instead. Slightly unnerving, and hopefully I’ll get better at it. Apparently, old dogs have to keep learning new tricks.
PS: I can see why everyone’s getting on to this format. Everyone watches it. So many people wrote in to say congratulations, people who don’t usually say much about my written reviews. Even my neighbour saw this and said something to me, and he’s someone who’s never said anything about my work. I don’t want to make too much of a few random examples, but I’m seeing what they say about the slow death of reading.
PPS: Karthik Srinivasan, of milliblog, wrote in a helpful mail (see below), with comments. If you have anything to add, would be happy to hear it.
Congrats on the video debut… though, it was a difficult watch, to be honest 🙂
The video review zone in TN has been taken over by independents like Prashant and pros (reasonable) like Bossky. And the uncategorizables like TamilTalkies. And then there is Karthik, from Hindu Tamil.
The thing with all these is that there is more focus on showmanship than offering something of meaning, or offer genuine criticism. When you try to do that, and show scenes from the trailer or look off the camera, it feels very difficult to follow the thread. This isn’t a problem with the written word, however, since we readers keep going back to the sentence and cherish it over and over again.
What I believe you need to make it different and worthwhile (can’t avoid idiotic and abusive commenters, of course) is a visual/narrative device that helps (a) distinguish your style and (b) in sustaining interest. Such a device may even seem gimmicky, perhaps, but would help, overall.
I don’t know what it can be, but one start could be walking and talking. Helps alleviate the boredom of one pose. Two, hand movements. And 3, John Oliver-style… expressions 🙂
Baradwaj Rangan 
Kaaviyathalagani
April 15, 2016
Well, you and bosskey even share fullmoon heads!
Apart from “atavism” that was some scary resemblance.
How about providing SPOILER (video) reviews, with warnings instead? It allows for more freedom, no?
Plus it’s like you said, to be theri-fic on youtube, you need those zingers. The ones so prevalent in your reviews.
A better background and voice recording is the least reward you could expect for your experience 🙂
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Sai Prashanth
April 15, 2016
+1 on Karthik’s comments. As Karthick said , there isn’t anyone who can mix substance and class in their video reviews. The current crop of VJ’s (if i may call them) are more focused on templates, showman ship and gimmicks. I would like you to explore the road less traveled (similar to your writing , nobody else comes even closer) and create a standard which could be whacky , classy and yet content rich.
It should come easy for you as you have the substance and knowledge (which others don’t). How Manirathnam is to direction, GVM is to stylish packaging and BR is to writing , we need a new avatar from you amalgamating all the elements in your video’s 🙂 ….
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brangan
April 15, 2016
Kaaviyathalagani: Tech issues will slowly get sorted out. Yesterday was a trial, and the video was put together in a hurry. I’m talking more about content now.
Sai Prashanth: Yes, I agree about the “content rich” part. But they said around 3 mins or even less, and I seriously couldn’t think of a way to make it less generic. I mean, the nature of the beast seems to be a short running time and cramming in as much info about the film as possible. I’m asking if there’s a way to break through the clutter and get a USP, like I have in writing.
And thank you for your kind words.
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blurb
April 15, 2016
One could sense discomfort 🙂 I’ve seen several interviews of yours and loved them. Is it at all possible to make the videos somehow in a conversation format?
Another thing: the text review somehow came across as harsher. The video seemed more mellow (in terms of your take on the movie). I had read the text review first. I had imagined you say those things in a much harsher tone than what appeared on the video.
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Mowgli (@Nambitious)
April 15, 2016
Were you shaking your legs? or was it the nervousness showing? 🙂
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brangan
April 15, 2016
What eagle-eyed readers I have 😀 Yes, I am a chronic leg-shaker. And that’s ONE MORE THING I have to keep in mind now. Damn! 🙂
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Priyangu
April 15, 2016
BR, I didn’t know it was just a trial video. To be frank, I just hated it. I had already read your written review which was perfect, as usual. After seeing the video, I wished I had not seen it at all, as I felt as if I had eaten something too uninteresting after having a nice meal.
Now that I know it was just a trial, it is a huge relief. 🙂
I may be sounding a bit harsh, BR, please pardon me for that. IMHO, I doubt if the terrific grandeur in your writing can be recreated in your video presentation. I really see an absolutely entertaining drama unfolding in my mind when I read the written review. It’s difficult to find a metaphor, but the nearest I can think of is that when I’m reading your review, I sometimes feel as if I’m watching, listening to the histrionics of a hybrid offspring of Woody Allen and Dhanush combo in a lab session of (movie) Anatomy.
It’s not just about the movie reviews, there are quite a few articles of yours on other subjects that are equally inspiring in different ways.
Yeah, video marketing is a big thing now, so it’s part of your job. The best you can do, is just be your own self when you tell the review. Imagine you come home after the movie and sit down at the dinner table and tell about the movie to your spouse. Or imagine you come back to your office and rip the movie apart to your best friend in the office.
In any case, I think I’ll stay away from the video format at least for sometime till people go gaga over it 🙂
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tonks
April 15, 2016
I counted twenty “you know”s 🙂
And only two words having more than two syllables 😉 (atavistic and vigilante)
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tonks
April 15, 2016
I think I prefer the written review, but that said, I really liked it that when something is narrated, you get to see that actual scene from the movie as visuals. That enriched the review for me. This is going to be a good complement to the written review.
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MANK
April 15, 2016
No reflection on your speaking abilities Brangan, but you know the cheekiness, the naughtiness, the fun aspects of your writing just does not come across when you are speaking it. to draw an analogy, your written review give the impression of you as a rebellious prankster college kid making fun of authorities, while you presence in the video gives the impression of the strict disciplinarian – may be even a little mellowed and benevolent – principal of the same college enforcing the rules. it is quite bewildering for me how you go from anti authoritarian to being the authority with a change in the media even with the same script.. the concept of ‘ Vulgarity of visuals’ that you so fondly discuss in all those book to screen adaptations seem to have come full circle with you 🙂
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shondha
April 15, 2016
Also, I did not expect an American Accent 😀 Mass sounds Peter rather than mass when you say “May-ss”
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brangan
April 15, 2016
Priyangu: It’s a trial video in the sense that it was put together rather hastily, but it is going to be a part of the Hindu’s online space — Namrata Joshi will be doing video reviews for Hindi films etc.
And about the Antony reference, that is not under my control. I am just the “actor”, so to speak, the guy in front of the camera. What the “director” does is beyond me (If you’re a regular reader you’ll see the HUGE irony in this 😀 )
But hopefully in a few weeks, we’ll settle down, get a grip on what kind of presentation we are doing etc.
For instance, I’m think the Bullet-point Report format might work for video as well…
MANK: Your comment reminds of this girl who came up to me after an event looking rather heartbroken. She thought I was much younger (from my writings) and she was devastated seeing the grey hair. She told me as much, and she looked so… sad that I was much older than she imagined 🙂 I took it as a 50% compliment.
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shondha
April 15, 2016
I tried leaving a longer comment but that doesn’t Show up for some reason. Trying to paste it below:
Hi ! Long time Reader and new watcher here First off, just a few fan comments. I simply love your reviews and the dialogue in the comments, it makes my day when I get a notification that a new post is up. When you review movies, blog, and have a conversation with your followers, more of your personality seeps through than when you write fiction, so there has never been a disappointment that the writer didn’t match the writing (which when it happens is the bane of fandom) – so thank you for that. This makes BR on Video an addition rather than a distraction from BR the writer.
That said, here are some of the things that I would personally appreciate
The moments that worked for me in the video were all ones in which you had forgotten that you were being recorded and the force of emotion for what you were saying overrode the careful script. Is it possible for you to have a more freewheeling conversation type of Review ? Maybe even have someone behind the camera but without the prompting ? For a person who places so much importance on conversation, I found it weird that the choice of presentation was a speech. Maybe you could imagine some of your regular commentors behind the cam
Another thing about emotion in delivery. For eg., the line abt Amy Jackson as a teacher being the joke would have elicited a better response if you had smiled / added an inflection to your voice like you would have if you were speaking to a friend – it made me smile when I read the review but not when you said it on video, that’s unsual.
You would of course be trying to remember what you wanted to say, but moving your eyeballs to the back of your head makes this obvious to viewers Also like Mowgli said, less leg jiggling please.
Please add more lighting
Please do add the link to your blog review whenever you do this, the Hindu’s site is notorious for stalling, the YouTube link works much better
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Altman
April 15, 2016
I am a huge fan of your reviews but I have to say the video review left me with mixed feelings. You were obviously uncomfortable and lacked interest. Your laidback approach with all the ‘you knows’, pauses, and other fillers sounded more like Coen brothers dialogue rather than your review.
I don’t follow any video reviews in Tamil but I ardently follow Rajeev Masand’s show for Hindi and English films. I know you don’t agree with star ratings but he is terrific at this form. His enthusiasm, body language, vocabulary and the breakneck speed of delivery absolutely enthralls the viewer and convinces to watch the films he found good and vice versa.
So yeah Brangan, a little showmanship, enthusiasm, rehearsal, hand movements, branded wardrobes, lighting, editing and other technical enhancements will do the trick. Sorry if you find this comparison offensive. Just used it as a reference point. I’m looking forward to both written and video reviews from you. Congratz.
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Bala
April 15, 2016
Hah, I’ll be honest :D. After you mentioned that you read those off a card, all those attempts at “acting” as if you were speaking extempore did cause some giggles. I also agree with Shonda’s comment above. I think these would work better if you were in conversation with someone (equally articulate and also passionate about movies) in the videos. (I did ask for a podcast a while back didn’t I ? ) I listen to a lot (and I mean a lot) of podcasts on movies and I always like the interplay, the banter, the humor, the different points of view that happen when two people talk about a movie. I am hardly the best judge of video reviews though. I used to detest Anupama Chopra’s video reviews because they seemed too wordy (as if she were reading out her written review of the movie) but I have grown to like them. Rajeev Masand’s on the other hand, is something I may have said I would like (since he does use sarcasm and humor at times while poor Anupama is usually very straight-laced) and in the mouth of someone better, it may actually work 🙂 . Also, I find video reviews more interesting when accompanied by appropriate, actual visuals from the movie (which may not happen obv)
So, suggestions ? If possible, make it a conversation. Many of the points Shonda raises may be fixed in a conversation 🙂 More humor (some of those patented Baradwaj puns ?) And of course, more experience and time in front of the camera would obviously help
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Anuja Chandramouli
April 15, 2016
…I’m seeing what they say about the slow death of reading.
No BR Noooo!!! Don’t even think it. If you had said that instead of having written it, I would have stuck my fingers in the ears and gone la la la la…. Now I am having a panic attack! If you start believing these things they will become our reality! I mean that is why we have to believe in fairies, Santa, Krishna and Buddha right? In order to keep them alive in some plane of existence? Why is everyone convinced that the art of reading has been stricken with a terminal disease and is dying slowly and painfully anyway?
I don’t buy that diagnosis and wrote as much for a related column in TNIE :
“The naysayers and prophets of doom would have you believe that printed books are an endangered species, e-books are a fad that won’t last, newspapers and magazines will be merged with toilet paper manufacturers in hostile takeovers and reading itself is a dying pastime. Fortunately for lovers of the written word, I can confidently assert that this is a load of alarmist crock and there is no need for wordsmiths to kill themselves just yet.
Studies conducted by myself, with scant regard for methodology, statistics, analysis etcetera, thereby being entirely bereft of scientific merit, have revealed that there are readers out there who wade through pages and pages while munching on crunchy apples or crunchier chips (depending on their waistline) and have every intention of doing so till the end of their days.
You can read the rest of it here: http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/Like-Dogs-and-Diamonds-Make-Books-Best-Friends/2016/03/26/article3344548.ece
Getting back to your video review, I congratulate you heartily but refuse to watch it on principle. Hope you are not seduced by the big bad world of television and continue to write now and forever more.
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Saurabh
April 15, 2016
Oh wow … it was hilarious to find you nervous and struggling (do not mean it in a bad way or criticism just amusing). I have always imagined you very very calm. 🙂
I dont know but I felt like you were trying to remember all the points you had jotted down looking up rather than “around” the camera. I guess you cant afford to “remember” stuff, instead you will have to be more spontaneous with your narrative.
I dont follow video reviews at all. I find them rather boring and besides as other have pointed out, reading reviews is way more fun and lets you indulge your imagination. But one way might be to break down the reviews into bullet points (like screenplay, story, acting) etc and then have the narrative just about that particular aspect. This way you don’t have to create a complete narrative that you do in your written reviews. Also, for a given movie you can choose to talk about only certain aspects. And since you have given the heading that you are going to talk about Sound, you can get more technical and the listeners wont get lost as to where you are going.
PS: The above suggestion comes from watching a few reviews from KRK. Yes, I admit, I have watched his reviews. Ok. Don’t judge me. I was tired that day and the weather was not good.
Brangan, anything for you man but now you owe me one. 🙂
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Jyoti S Kumar
April 15, 2016
My review on your review!
Br sir, r u having ur hand in the table, u seemed hunched forward, which makes you look small. I suggest you read about body language and posture, if u r planning to do more of these video reviews. Also often times, u are looking away from the camera, up, down, sideways… I have never seen any television presenter look anywhere else except the camera. I didn’t hate it or anything… I am sure the fillers issue, the ah and ums will sort itself out with more awareness and practise. I was remembering Madan’s thirai parvai… Do you remember those… He had some honest criticism to offer and some sarcastic comments too… Congrats on ur first attempt. I’m sure you can rock it
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Jyoti S Kumar
April 15, 2016
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Nee
April 15, 2016
I also didn’t know about that video.
I watched few minutes and couldn’t watch more.
I have input but am not sure if BRji will like it. Don’t want to hurt feelings and all. And none of my points are shaking legs or playing with self or the eye movements that are so typical to us desis. My closing the video was entirely for different reason(s).
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Kay
April 15, 2016
Hi BR:
I have been reading your blogs silently. Always come to your blog to see if you have done a movie review after the release. Please do continue to write and do video reviews. I love written words and read your blogs avidly. Plus the discussion in the comments is a bonus.
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Radhika Sriram
April 15, 2016
Can a good writer be a good talker as well? Very few can be both, I guess.
I think great writers are often deep thinkers and are usually introverts. They may be comfortable having one on one conversations with a known person but when it comes to a lecture or for that matter even a simple telephonic conversation, they might stumble, stutter and be at loss for words. On the other hand when they put pen to paper or fingers on the keyboard, there is effortless flow, an intuitive guidance that does not involve much sweat. Why? Is it because they are wired that way or lack confidence in themselves or afraid of being judged? I don’t know!
Anyway, I feel it is important to have a “presence” to be able to “connect” with the audience. It is this presence that will shine through when you speak. Unfortunately, most often, viewers do not care about the content of the speech but pay close attention to delivery. Maybe one has to practice well in mind and work hard before the mirror.
Good Luck!
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Boaty McBoatFace
April 15, 2016
The content can of course get better with time & budget, but translation of your thoughts need not always be from the written word to a “video” ; mixed-media-review would be a better way of looking at it than video review, no?
PS: I can’t believe this tamil VR – itisprashanth is still around, after this austin-powers-on-james-bond league job: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiELmGnSTq4. Hilarious.
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Anuja Chandramouli
April 15, 2016
So I caved and watched the video review. It has to be admitted (albeit grudgingly) that it is pretty good, starting troubles notwithstanding. Even the nervous tics were kinda cute and endearing. Hopefully Vijay is watching this and studiously taking notes 🙂
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S.P
April 15, 2016
I would have never guessed that you use so many filler “aaaaaaaa’ .
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chhotesaab
April 15, 2016
Badesaab,
I thought that was a very good first attempt and it will get better as you get more comfortable speaking to a camera. Once that happens, I think, we will see more of the wit some people are referring to as seen in your writing.
Suggestions to improve your comfort in front of the camera are all good – walking while talking, hand movements etc to make it more natural
Having said that, writing is your forte and I think it is going to stay that way. Video reviews will be like the T20 matches, a necessity in this day and age while your writing is like the classic Test matches – timeless and evergreen !
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Karthik
April 15, 2016
As much as I find your Faustian jump despiriting, I thought it was a good start– content easily better than run-of-the-mill and emotions understated but genuine. I think MANK’s comment was spot-on. I do hope that the tepidity in presentation was just a reflection of your restraint in a new medium, and not a fear of repurcussions.
Only question dogging me is: As fans of your written word, must we now watch the videos to promote your success or must we stay away to save the written word.
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brangan
April 16, 2016
Posting a comment that came from Sanjay Shankar, via email. Sanjay, incidentally, presented me with an unexpected act of kindness last year. He noticed that the domain name http://www.baradwajrangan.com was available and wrote in saying, “Your name is a well recognized social media brand for movies and I didn’t want the domain to be taken over by a squatter. I took the liberty of registering it and pointing to your WordPress blog.” I’m truly grateful for (and to) such readers.
Here is his comment:
Hi, I was having some trouble getting authenticated to post a comment on your Bitty Ruminations post about your first Hindu video review (The trouble is on my side, the site is fine) . So, I thought I’ll take the liberty of emailing you my thoughts.
First of all, kudos on taking the leap to another medium. I understand now unnerving it could have been. I recently had a part in a Tamil short that was directed by a friend. I have no plans to take up acting as a career and this short would only be seen by friends and family, but it made me very uncomfortable at the beginning.
I read your review before I saw the video. I am not sure if the video was done based on some bullet points that you had written down. The extemporaneous nature of the video didn’t work for me. Also, the fact that I was watching someone talking in English about a Tamil movie was jarring for me. I regularly follow one other talking head on Youtube (Prashanth) and occasionally watch Bosskey. I don’t think highly of them and I do it mostly to be in touch with what’s being release. In spite of all the problems I have with them, I think they are able to convey certain things clearly because they are speaking the movie’s language. I know you work for a English language daily, but when you review a Tamil movie, an occasional line in Tamil is probably not going to raise any eyebrows.
The technical things can definitely be improved and I’m sure you’ll get better at this as you keep doing more of these. Please consider a format where you’re discussing it with another person.
Another suggestion: These days, web outlets like Behindwoods and others are full of videos with the usual suspects (cast, director, music director). Occasionally, there’s a video that’s actually worth watching. Mostly, these ‘interviewers’ are lavishing praise on a mediocre product to the point where the interviewee is embarrassed. We rarely get to listen to technicians like the sound engineers, cinematographers and editors. Given that you have an eye for these details, it would be interesting to listen to you talk with them. There’s not a single dull interview on your blog. Heck, even the imaginary one with Bala was fantastic.
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Sev
April 16, 2016
Nice attempt, Rangan. Maybe you could try an audio commentary while scenes from the film play on instead of you being in front of the camera. This might take some pressure from you, and especially if you’re a person who likes their privacy like I do. And if you are clever about choice of film scenes from this movie or from other, relevant movies, you could have a unique review that gives you an edge over other video bloggers/reviewers.
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MANK
April 16, 2016
Ha, Brangan does 50% compliment automatically translate to 50% put down? :). i wasnt exactly harking about your age there. i know you are an old wise guy :). what was amusing to me was the change of tone that happened to your piece.
Even more interesting to me is your situation now.i mean how many times you have discussed the problems of transforming a script in to a film . how a million things can go wrong. an actor reading a line wrong,his body language being not correct, the photography being bad, the lighting not good, etcetra etcetra,…. , its quite amusing seeing all the advise that is pouring through here for you- dont move your legs,move your hands, adopt an aggressive posture,good lighting please……so on so forth, how would you term this turnaround – poetic justice or Meta ? 😛
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Sev
April 16, 2016
A poster compared you with the very facile (in my opinion) Rajeev Masand. Between his sing-song voice and his annoyingly generic reviews, he along with Anupama Chopra seem the two biggest hacks in the Indian film reviewing profession to me. And I find you and Jai Arjun the ones who compel me to keep coming back to your blogs. So as an engaged reader of your reviews, I’d be really offended at this comparison were I able to muster up the required umbrage and energy. Anyhow, please, please, keep the blog and writing alive. That, to me, is your forte and what a niche group of readers like myself seek out. There is still, and, I’d like to believe, will always remain, a niche group of dedicated readers who appreciate your well-crafted essays on your viewing experience of various movies. In fact, I haven’t watched a single movie, let alone a hindi one, in years, and yet, I look forward to reading your posts. So I hope, these dedicated readers are not short-changed in this branching out because the ones who gravitate towards such short video “reviews” are a very different type of audience, and one with a very shallow interest, if at all, in the film viewing and the film making experiences.
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sanjana
April 16, 2016
I dont care for video interviews. I prefer reading the written blogs. Much more natural and substantial. I always go through what was said(synopsis) than torture myself listening to sounds and trying to connect with the person. But if you try this medium, there is no harm.
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Sowmya:)
April 16, 2016
Hi, I am a long time reader and commenting for the first time. While I do understand the need for the digital review, please don’t ever stop the traditional written one. It alone affords us the luxury of reading and rereading and thinking it through and appreciating the movie a wee bit more. As a rule, I don’t read your reviews till I have watched the movie but I watched the video because it was your first one and also it’s hard to have spoilers in a Vijay movie.
One thought about the video – weren’t there a little too many “you know” in it….almost begs for a drinking game
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sanjana
April 16, 2016
Intellectuals like me(hahahahahahahha) prefer the written word against the spoken one.
Anyday I would like to read Shakespeare’s plays than watch those half baked movies based on his plays. Dread to think Mahatma Gandhi in this visual age. People will expect him to wear branded clothes, talk like Rajdeep and shout like Arnab.
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Kannan Baskar
April 16, 2016
BR , I expected a video review from your team to be more aesthetically pleasing. I do wish that your team puts some thought into the composition, in your forthcoming video ventures. I feel we do have the talent to make content that rivals the Guardian film show in quality. Keeping my fingers crossed and waiting eagely for your next video review.
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Kannan Baskar
April 16, 2016
BR, I also feel reviews are presented better to an audience in a video clipping, when they are structured as a discussion between two people. It could be one person talking to you, that person would be acting as a facilitator, picking on your opinion and knowledge as a film critic.
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Vikram
April 16, 2016
BR, congratulations on the step…
I am not sure if most of the written review had to be delivered for video…could have been crisper than the written version…that way, you could throw the fun lines with emphasis…for eg., the Amy Jackson line worked very well for me in its written form but looked glossed over on video..
Some of the other points that are being made about wardrobe, editing, lighting etc will obviously sort themselves out soon…
I am a regular reader of the blog (read even reviews about films made in languages that I don’t understand).. Pl keep blogging… And keep the videos coming…
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Kannan Baskar
April 16, 2016
BR, here is an episode of the Guardian Film Show, which I have mentioned in my previous comments. Its my personal opinion that the Guardian Film Show brought tons of class, sophistication, quality and aesthetic creativity to the world of video film journalism
https://embed.theguardian.com/embed/video/film/video/2016/feb/18/how-to-be-single-freeheld-bone-tomahawk-chronic-video-reviews
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doctorhari
April 16, 2016
I for one whole-heartedly welcome you to YouTube review BR. The film-viewing public certainly deserve a better brand of reviews than what’s getting passed of as film review in YouTube. Reading a book or two on the dynamics of good speeches, little bit more time and thought put into the preparation…I’m sure you will find your comfort zone in a couple of sessions.
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Ananth
April 16, 2016
I have not watched the video review. Reading your reflections and the comments, makes me lighter… can’t stop smiling. You are just like everyone of us – all too human. What is the word for such a feeling, BR?
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venkat
April 18, 2016
Didn’t plow thru all comments so apologies if this has been mentioned – but why don’t you consider a siskel & ebert type format where you have a foil who you use to bounce your thoughts off of? Maybe not every review but occasionally?
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sameoldnewbie
April 18, 2016
Apologise if others have mentioned this already. I read your review first and then watched the video. What I really liked about the video is that you have tried to be honest in it. Its sometimes easier to write negative comments than actually saying it out loud. So that aspect of it was great. What could be improved is the format and the flow. The flow of thoughts in the written format isn’t quite reflected in the video. Its kind hard to grasp what you actually think until we get to the last line because there is a bit of to/fro rambling through positives and negatives so the feeling of ‘ennadhan solla vareenga’ arises a tiny bit. The last line was good though and succintly captured the essence of your review. Maybe you can make this kind of one-line summary your signature ending? I hope I haven’t been too harsh in my comments and I do apologise if I have come across like that.
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Anand Narayanan
April 18, 2016
Siskel and Ebert show used arguments as a gimmick, but yet they retained their style of criticism. Maybe that’s what you should do. Not the arguments bit, but some thing which could spice the video up. When I read the review of Theri, there were lot of funny lines and the tone of the article indicated that. But while watching your video, I couldn’t laugh. One, there were not many funny lines. Two, your tone remained constant, stoic if I should be blunt.(sorry for that).Why can’t your video review be a reflection of your writing style itself? The tone is very important here, as it is in the written review, which I don’t need to tell you. Show the exact reactions which you faced while watching the movie. It intrigues people even more as a review is personal to the reviewer. Also, you could show some particular scene which you liked/ didn’t like without spoiling the film. It could spark some interest in the viewer or generate some laugh. Showing the trailer clips doesn’t do much help. Pick out a scene and describe it. May I suggest A.O Scott’s critics picks or Siskel and Ebert itself? I am sorry if I criticised too much, but the video review lacked your charm which the written reviews had.
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Sifter
April 19, 2016
I haven’t watched your video review, but all the very best and hey, you’ll get new followers who can start enjoying your unique reviews 🙂
I enjoy reading your written reviews, bitty-ruminations, and the comments. please don’t stop writing them..
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tejas
April 19, 2016
Sir, what is Reel two? And why is it by invitation only?
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meera
April 22, 2016
It might be a bit too late but leaving my thoughts in this space since I expect to see more fabulous video reviews from you…
Please get some Tamil in… especially for keys words…like your typical loosu ponnu etc..
Your reviews set the tone by your title… similar start and end on a high…Def end with a punch….
Have a prop maybe a hat or shades etc that differ for every review. ..maybe for kabali you can have a rajni the shirt etc. .. gives the viewer something else to look at…
But overall good beginning. ..
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srivatsan sampath
April 22, 2016
You could use Music to accentuate your reviews. the Best example for this is from youtube channels like nerdwriter1 who do a fantastic job of using the music and video editing to elevate the overall experience. A link of their videos for your reference. This approach might suit you as it eliminates the need to go for acting related gimmicks.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
April 23, 2016
BR: Great effort on your part to step out of your comfort zone. Its given to very few people to be at ease in all formats. Ultimately the written word is the real thing. If its any help I never saw a Mario Puzo video inspite of the umpteen videos and documentaries made on The Godfather.
I guess you’ve got enough feed back and tips here before you embark on the next video venture :))
Best of Luck
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blurb
April 24, 2016
Last week, I had mentioned sensing some discomfort (Theri video review), but it’s come really well this time!! (Vetrivel) 🙂
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Rahini David
April 25, 2016
I had seen another video that was posted 3 years ago and you seem so much more nervous and seems to gently rock in your chair as you speak. I see that these two videos are so much better. And yes, the second video is better than the first. Please make a YouTube channel if the newspaper is fine with you doing so.
There is a lot to improve though I am not clever enough to identify exactly WHAT needs to be changed. Hopefully, you will keep taking inputs and will keep changing. Personally I believe that if the Hindu is into these things, they should make you just write this out so someone who has a carrying voice will voice over and someone will collect the pics and videos and give us a wholesome video review. They can just mention your name in the credits. If they need it, it should be a team effort. I know it already is, but you know what I am getting at.
I am not one of those who say that I like your review in spite to not agreeing with you. The content of your reviews are quite interesting and I liked the point you have raised in “Nil Battey Sannata” which though a contrarian point of view does make me stop and think a bit. The same happened with “English Vinglish”. However, your reviews are predominantly about form. I get the same feeling you get when you see Vijay Sethupathy or Sasikumar star in regular masala movies. It roughly translates to “But THAT isn’t why I like him”. I read that “Conversation with Baradwaj Rangan” again today. I see that you have mentioned that you write non-movie stuff on a daily basis just to keep the form and to flex the writing muscles. Can that ever be translated to a 4 minute video?
Rant over.
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KayKay
April 25, 2016
B, as long as you don’t sound like this uncle, it’s all good:
Happy V-Logging as long as you keep the B-Logging going!
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KayKay
April 25, 2016
Just as an example of how to sound more animated in your video reviews, I append this sample review by Chris Stuckmann. Now, Stuckmann, IMHO, has nowhere NEAR the breadth of knowledge and insights you give your reviews, but I like the way his passion for the movies he’s watched comes through in his body language
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Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)
April 25, 2016
Avoid intercut footages from the movie trailer. We’ve all seen the trailer many many times. So it gets frustrating to watch it intercut into the video. Gives the feeling like I’m watching some programme that’s titled “Thirai Kondaattam” or the likes from Sun TV. They do this when they don’t get actual footage from the film. If you’re using film footages, let it be relevant.
You’re thinking of bullet points in the video. I think it’s a great idea!
And to Sanjay Shankar’s point that it feels odd to hear someone talk about a Tamil movie in English. I think that’s just a temporary mental block that I need to overcome, rather than you doing anything about it. Because honestly, I don’t find it odd to read a Theri review in English. So why should I find it odd to watch a video?
But I do agree to his other point that whoever currently exists on the Youtube Tamil movies review space, seems to be representing the “common man”. “I don’t know much about cinema. I’m just giving my two cents worth based on the 120 rupees I spent.” This seems to be the dominant scenario. So it’s like a playground waiting for you to walk in (like whichever cricketer you’d like to imagine yourself to be) and show them how it’s done!
I’m sure you’ll do it 🙂 Please don’t lose interest _/_
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ANAND V
April 27, 2016
Incidentally, you started doing video reviews three years ago. I was there. 🙂
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blurb
May 8, 2016
BR: For the video review of “24”, did something happen in the middle during the shoot? I somehow sense a change. For example, I notice that you are fixated (in terms of eye contact) at the camera a lot more in the beginning, but that focus (again, in terms of eye contact with the camera) begins to disperse towards the end. The latter seemed more natural.
Great video, though. And great review, as usual.
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Venkat Ramanan CS
May 8, 2016
BR,
late to the topic.
Well, first and foremost i think doing the kind of video reviews which happen within a few days of the movie’s release is not efective.
When is say not effective i mean that such videos merely remain as a vocal mouth piece, solely dependent on the textual words which are being spoken by the reviewer. And not fully utilizing the visual medium.
Say instead of a video like this ,
which is a detailed analyisis, but not only that it fully utilizes the visual medium (with diagrams, editing) to explain what it sets out to do.
Hence, coming back to these video reviews main problem is that since it happens immediately after the films release, there will not be much video content available which can be edited and disected to visually emphasize the points the reviewer is making. Thus it remains mostly a vocal review which is visually recorded.
Now acknowledging these limitations.
Let us look at the resoucres we have content, presentation, camera, editing.
-Presentation: This part is the most significant one, just like how a director would use blocking to focus our attention in a frame. How you deliver the text, where you make your pauses, how you divide your lines, where you stress,where to let that little bit of silence in between lines and how long. How you would make use of facial expression all comes into play. Not just that a good quality audio recorder and sound editing will have considerable effect.
-The Camera: This is good old cinematic techniques. You can cut from a mid shot to a close up when you want to stress something. Or even cut to a extreme close up, which could be used to give a comical sense.
-Editing: I feel the use of movie trailers is largely redundant unless if you can match part of the content to something in the trailer. Here you can use typography. You can cut to a typographic text of what your are saying which again can act as a close-up, zooming attention to a portion of the content.
Having said all these one can be creative and work out to find newer ways of expression. For some odd reason, i find your video reviews doordarshan-like, It seems serious and doesn’t match the kind of playfullness that some of your writings have.
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blurb
August 28, 2016
Didn’t quite know where to post this, but YouTube recommended this to me:
I’m so happy – recsys actually works!
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lakshmi
August 28, 2016
blurb: Thank you 🙂
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blurb
August 31, 2016
Only now did I complete watching the video link above. I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion, brangan. Thanks.
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blurb
August 31, 2016
brangan: Sorry about repeated posts – I meant to ask who the person sitting to your left is. I gather it’s Ray’s son? He looks very different than on Wikipedia.
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MANK
August 31, 2016
That was a great watch Brangan.you covered almost everything from silent cinema to contemporary cinema and parallel cinema to masala cinema. it would have been better if you have finished your speech first and then sat down for a Q & A with the audience. i dont know whether that was how the program was designed. otherwise it was a riveting watch
P.S. One a funny note, i was quite amused by your body language throughout, that repeated pulling up your shirt pocket, is that a recurring habit or just a case of an uncomfortable shirt ? 🙂
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lakshmi
August 31, 2016
blurb: He’s Tapan Sinha’s son, Anindya Sinha.
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blurb
December 21, 2016
I think the Fully Filmy people are doing a great job with the video reviews. Abhishek is especially good.
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