Really well done! I'm no pro, and I still have a LOT to learn about making interesting videos. Here are a few of my random thoughts about video (i'm sure you already know most of them). I like talking and thinking about video, so don't take my abundance of comments as an indication that you are lacking skills; I'm just overenthusiastic.
1) I don't know of a way to force it to launch in HD. There used to be a tag you could add to your link and it would force it to play in 720p, but I can't remember if that tag is still working. I used to force all my videos in HD 'till I realized that a lot of people view on mobiles and if it takes too long to load they'll just skip it and not watch it alltogether.
2) Great job on the video! Video tells a great story and you have done really well using video as a storytelling tool, especially the opening scene.
3) the panning shots are great. Including another subject in them for scale will really add to the grandeur of how huge these mountains are. Whether that's a cabin, or an animal, or a person, it'll give an even greater sense of grandeur.
4) Good job zooming in on a few of the scenes. Did you do this in post or with the zoom of your camera?
5) Check out the documentary "mile, mile and a half" to get a great idea of how to capture great shots in nature and keep it interesting and diverse. You may not love the movie (I did), but it'll give you a ton of different ideas of how to shoot different scenes.
6) Try different perspectives. Shoot some from down low (feet height), shoot some from above, shoot some from behind a bush. Shake it up. The more diverse each shot it, the more it'll capture the viewers' attention.
7) Remember that you shot this video for you. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, how many views it gets, or what the YT or BCP comments say. It's a souveneir for
you to remember your trip. Video watchers are a fickle breed. They're so easily distracted, hardly ever make it to the end, and the video won't be nearly as meaningful to them as it is to you. Try to have a thick skin and keep at it!
8) There's a really fine balance between a video that's too long, and a video that doesn't tell a story. I like seeing short 3-5 second clips of the journey, not just the destination (peaks). The mountain peaks were incredible, but an intriging story would hook me a little more. What was the hike like? What kinds of plants and animals did you see along the way? What can I expect if I were to repeat your trip? It's always painful to end up with a 25 min video, then have to cut 20 min of footage because it's too long.
9) Be careful not to over-use fades. I'm super guilty of this. I used to use cross-fades for every transition, but I've weaned myself off of them. Every once in a while a nice transition really makes it feel great. I use fade to black to signify passage of time (like transitioning from night to day, or to a period of time hours in the future). I use crossfades sparingly, but I mainly use them when a hard cut seems too abrupt. For the most part, hard cuts are just fine.
10) great music. The music really sets the mood of the video.
11) Check out Wistia's
video tutorials. They do a fantastic job covering gear, lighting, music selection, setting the scene, scripting, you name it.
http://wistia.com/learning
12) It's all a matter of personal preference and what you're going for in your videos, but I'd love to see you (and other people) in it, whether you're hiking, or even just sitting there observing it. Like I said, personal preference and you may or may not want to do that (though I find ther interaction of people and nature interesting)
13) great mix of photos and videos. I always forget to put my photos in my videos.
14) fantastic job capturing the cave. Caves are tough to get on video and photos. You did a great job helping me feel like I was there (again).
15) I agree with nick, the fades were a bit slow, but 100x better than my first 10 videos.
16) Watch tons of other videos out there. Subscribe to people who have styles you like. Every time you watch someone else's video, make notes about what you like and don't like, then implement those lessons learned.
17) Consider adding some time lapses. They're major pain, take forever, and use a lot of battery, but they sure give a cool feel to a movie. The cloud growth definitely got the feel of a time lapse. I like it.
18) Film with the edit in mind. I'm sure in the next video you do you'll be thinking about "I remember how much this sucked to edit last time" and make adjustments accordingly.
19) Find the perfect balance between an enjoyable trip and a killer video. You could make the best video in the world and have an absolutely miserable trip. Conversely, you could have an incredible trip with only a lousy video to show for it. Find the balance. I know I could make much better videos of my trips, but then they end up feeling like a video shoot gig than a backcountry experience.
20) Forget all the tips everyone gives you and just go out and do your own thing.
