Making a HOW-TO hypermile video... need advice

[ThermionicScott]

Jacob Aziza's "Mad Max hypermiler" video got a lot of chatter at the time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBo7k_9zxBs

It's not really an entry-level "how-to" video and is partly a profile of him, but it covers a lot of the good stuff.

[NoD~]

I've wanted to do the same. Because I probably never will (more than I have), here was my idea...

Video 1 - Explain what Hypermiling is
Video 2 - How to Hypermile without changing your driving/speed (aeromods)
Video 3 - Hypermile without slowing down*
Video 4 - Becoming a standard Hypermiler
Video 5 - Becoming a Hypermiler Pro

*= This was the one I thought was critical. Showing how to read lights and coasting to stops that wouldn't actually reduce your times to get anywhere, etc. That stop sign up ahead and 3 cards? You wanna glide in as the car in front of you just leaves the stop, not stop behind him when the other cars are still there, for example. Learning light timing is definitely critical and the signs to look for with those. Anybody can do these things and it takes zero time out of their day. Once they see the gains there, the incentive to further advance down that addicting road skyrockets! (in my theory, anyways)

That about sums up what I was planning, lol.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by ThermionicScott

Haha, okay. I ask because I did (it's a small midwestern college with Scandinavian heritage if you didn't know), and sometimes anonymous editorial comment/humor was posted in the school newspaper in the "Headless Norseman" column.

I went to (and taught at) a small ELCA university founded by Scandinavians as well, Pacific Lutheran University. My sophomore year, we interviewed for a new organ professor, and one of the candidates (a PLU grad who didn't get the job) is now Music Department chair at Luther. And my doctoral adviser at the University of Illinois was an interim professor at Luther as well.

Sorry, random Luther connections.

I'm eager to see what you come up with... it seems like a lot of interest went into hypermiling advocacy in 2008/2009 during the recession and when gas prices went up, but things cooled off since. Something fresh would be great.

I expect it will happen again when gas prices rise enough that people hurt filling up the trucks and SUVs they're purchasing like hotcakes now. When I started keeping track in 2012, I paid an average $3.50 for regular gas that year, with a fuel cost of 6.8 cents/mile. Last year, it was $2.10 average at 3.7 cents/mile. Not much difference for me, but filling up a 26-gallon truck would have meant $54 for a tank in 2016 vs. $91 in 2012.

[ThermionicScott]

Originally Posted by Vman455

I went to (and taught at) a small ELCA university founded by Scandinavians as well, Pacific Lutheran University. My sophomore year, we interviewed for a new organ professor, and one of the candidates (a PLU grad who didn't get the job) is now Music Department chair at Luther. And my doctoral adviser at the University of Illinois was an interim professor at Luther as well.

Sorry, random Luther connections.

That's cool!

I expect it will happen again when gas prices rise enough that people hurt filling up the trucks and SUVs they're purchasing like hotcakes now. When I started keeping track in 2012, I paid an average $3.50 for regular gas that year, with a fuel cost of 6.8 cents/mile. Last year, it was $2.10 average at 3.7 cents/mile. Not much difference for me, but filling up a 26-gallon truck would have meant $54 for a tank in 2016 vs. $91 in 2012.

For sure. If gas were to stay at current prices, my ScanGauge would take forever to pay for itself. But I like it anyway!

You've got me wondering if I should be scouting out my next small gas-sipping car now, while they're cheap. It's funny how cyclical these things are.

[HeadlesNorseman]

Originally Posted by NoD~

I've wanted to do the same. Because I probably never will (more than I have), here was my idea...

Video 1 - Explain what Hypermiling is
Video 2 - How to Hypermile without changing your driving/speed (aeromods)
Video 3 - Hypermile without slowing down*
Video 4 - Becoming a standard Hypermiler
Video 5 - Becoming a Hypermiler Pro

*= This was the one I thought was critical. Showing how to read lights and coasting to stops that wouldn't actually reduce your times to get anywhere, etc. That stop sign up ahead and 3 cards? You wanna glide in as the car in front of you just leaves the stop, not stop behind him when the other cars are still there, for example. Learning light timing is definitely critical and the signs to look for with those. Anybody can do these things and it takes zero time out of their day. Once they see the gains there, the incentive to further advance down that addicting road skyrockets! (in my theory, anyways)

That about sums up what I was planning, lol.

this was more or less my main goal. the video is geared toward more of a practical, real life, how to. i started filming already. couple hours of footage and a few dozen hours of editing and trying not to be lazy and i should have number 1, with possible footage for all 3. most of the videos i have seen, kind of describe what the driver is doing but not a step by step process and most importantly WHY. more how-to and less theory with step by step breakdowns of what i am actually doing to the controls of the vehicle

[fearlessjoe]

as for Hypermiling, you lot probably know more then me

but..... i have spent over a decade working in the film industry.... my advise on that is.....


write a script and stick to it.... dont improvise, and dont pretend to improvise... watch topgear for examples of people pretending there improvising, there actually good at it.... and its still crap

dont exaggerate... a one sided video.... be it a fanboy review of something..... or an instructional with unrealistic goals...... is bullcrap...... be honest

theres a fine line between being not overly techy and dumbing stuff down... and people can tell...... its hard to pull off.... but ...well try lol

if you have multiple gopros you can film from several angles and cut between them... it will add production value, a vid that doesn't cut around often is boring

lastly.... the vid needs to be an appropriate length.... if you make a min vid noone will think it will hold anything useful beyond narcissism regardless of how good it is...

equally.... if its 20 mins long.... noone will watch it.... id say make it like 5 mins long

and expect to spend 5 times as much time writing it .... then again editing it, then you do actually filming it

[ThermionicScott]

Good stuff, fearlessjoe. A video that starts off with a lot of rambling "umm, uhh.." while the camera is facing the narrator has me hitting the NEXT button pretty quick.