Some of us have got a lot of experience in using cameras and making videos, here are some top tips from some of the well-known users.
Subscribe to all other video camera cyclists. Watch their videos and comment on them. This will help others get to know you, they will subscribe back and watch your videos. In turn giving you feedback and helping your channel grow.
Test your camera set up before you hit the road. Too much sky or too much road will leave out vital detail and can affect the quality of your video.
Brush up on your cycling skills. Read CycleCraft or take a bikeability course. You are openly displaying how you ride and you can affect people’s opinions of cyclists and video camera cyclists.
Learn from your mistakes. You are in a unique position to replay what happened without your memory affecting it. Learn from your mistakes and don’t make them again.
Take constructive criticism from others. With other video camera cyclists watching your videos, they may pick up on something which is unsafe / best avoided and they may comment on that.
Don’t take stupid criticism. Some people know nothing about the road network, or how to ride a bicycle on it. They usually spout off about riding as close to the pavement as possible etc.. These people are best ignored / deleted and blocked.
Try to keep your head still. A still video is more watchable than a bumpy one. Securely fastening your camera and using a wider lens angle can help with this. Obviously shoulder check and look around were needed.
Try to keep your temper and anger under control. Whilst it is understandable that when someone has almost collided with you and nearly knocked you off your bicycle. It can make us look bad and the aggressor in the eyes of the public. The police will understand if you swear as the incident happens, that is after all human nature. If however you continue to use foul language and they may choose to prosecute under section 5 of the Public Order Act.
Avoid confronting motorists. Remember you have the incident on video and can report it to the police. You have no idea what kind of person the motorist is, they may have a weapon close to hand and be ready to use it.
Call out number plates as the camera may not pick it up.
Avoid the muvi clones, they are generally rubbish (poor battery life, not weather proof and a narrow lens angle)
For those of you that can’t remember the collision that iuckcan had back in September 2011, here is the video.
The driver of the black Golf RJ05EFO has pleaded guilty and received 6 points on his license and a £230.
The driver of the silver Ford NC04LXG has pleaded not guilty, even after seeing the video. The court case for this has been delayed till September 2012.
I’m not 100% sure what the charges are, probably Careless Driving for both of them.
Note that the court case was delayed due to the file format being a .mov. So it would seem that the police have the footage in a digital format. From my own experience of using video footage in courts, the best option is to provide the police with a DVD that is playable in a standard DVD player. That way the footage can easily be managed by the police, copies can be made etc.. and the footage can be played in court.
The initial result for the first driver is a fair one going by the other results we have seen from video camera cyclists. We will just have to wait and see what happens with the next one, I suspect it won’t be much higher.
Cycle Camera TV (CCTV) has been set up to bring the community of cycle camera users together. The aim is to share experiences and knowledge with each other.
Why? With the growing number of camera users online, interesting content, knowledge and experiences can be lost quickly. CCTV will aid in keeping this content easily viewable and discussable.
Do you have an interesting story, experience or some handy knowledge? Get in touch and we can organise for you to write a post.
We are currently writing posts on how to report incidences and top tips for being a video camera cyclist. If you think you can contribute to this, especially with regards to reporting incidences to the police in your area, please get in touch.