PH member's commentary drives.
Discussion
I thought it would be a lovely idea if we all uploaded a video of ourselves providing a commentary whilst driving.
Ill do the manly thing, and go first.
Benbay001's commentary drive
Recorded using a phone in a phone cradle.
Fantastic example of clues to be read from the road at 6:55
Criticism welcome.
(apologies for my excessive use of the words "happy with that")
ETA- give it time, i was speaking crap for the first minute or so.
Ill do the manly thing, and go first.
Benbay001's commentary drive
Recorded using a phone in a phone cradle.
Fantastic example of clues to be read from the road at 6:55
Criticism welcome.
(apologies for my excessive use of the words "happy with that")
ETA- give it time, i was speaking crap for the first minute or so.
Edited by Benbay001 on Tuesday 15th November 19:26
Thanks for posting that video. Very interesting to watch. I've got a few points but don't take them too harshly as overall it was an impressive drive with some insightful observational links.
1. Could you have used a cradle to hold the phone, the movement was quite distracting, particularly on the lanes.
2. Sometimes you spoke a little too quickly, however there wasn't anything I missed due to this.
3. Agreed on your overuse of 'happy with that'. Have you been watching Chris Gilbert videos lately by any chance?
On to the driving...
4. At 3.34 I would definitely have selected 3rd (having been in 4th previous to that). What car/engine were you in?
5. At 3.43 I would say 'just under 50mph' is a tad too quick. Perhaps around 30-40 mph would have been more appropriate given that visibility into the driveways was very restrictive. Also I would have positioned further to the right of the road given the lack of centre white lines.
6. At 5.10 it looked like a little BGOL to me. I may be wrong so correct if I am. Not the biggest crime anyway, just a small point.
I may or may not reply with a video of my own, but might encourage some others within my group to do so.
1. Could you have used a cradle to hold the phone, the movement was quite distracting, particularly on the lanes.
2. Sometimes you spoke a little too quickly, however there wasn't anything I missed due to this.
3. Agreed on your overuse of 'happy with that'. Have you been watching Chris Gilbert videos lately by any chance?
On to the driving...
4. At 3.34 I would definitely have selected 3rd (having been in 4th previous to that). What car/engine were you in?
5. At 3.43 I would say 'just under 50mph' is a tad too quick. Perhaps around 30-40 mph would have been more appropriate given that visibility into the driveways was very restrictive. Also I would have positioned further to the right of the road given the lack of centre white lines.
6. At 5.10 it looked like a little BGOL to me. I may be wrong so correct if I am. Not the biggest crime anyway, just a small point.
I may or may not reply with a video of my own, but might encourage some others within my group to do so.
Synchromesh said:
Thanks for posting that video. Very interesting to watch. I've got a few points but don't take them too harshly as overall it was an impressive drive with some insightful observational links.
1. Could you have used a cradle to hold the phone, the movement was quite distracting, particularly on the lanes.
2. Sometimes you spoke a little too quickly, however there wasn't anything I missed due to this.
3. Agreed on your overuse of 'happy with that'. Have you been watching Chris Gilbert videos lately by any chance?
On to the driving...
4. At 3.34 I would definitely have selected 3rd (having been in 4th previous to that). What car/engine were you in?
5. At 3.43 I would say 'just under 50mph' is a tad too quick. Perhaps around 30-40 mph would have been more appropriate given that visibility into the driveways was very restrictive. Also I would have positioned further to the right of the road given the lack of centre white lines.
6. At 5.10 it looked like a little BGOL to me. I may be wrong so correct if I am. Not the biggest crime anyway, just a small point.
I may or may not reply with a video of my own, but might encourage some others within my group to do so.
Cheers! 1. Could you have used a cradle to hold the phone, the movement was quite distracting, particularly on the lanes.
2. Sometimes you spoke a little too quickly, however there wasn't anything I missed due to this.
3. Agreed on your overuse of 'happy with that'. Have you been watching Chris Gilbert videos lately by any chance?
On to the driving...
4. At 3.34 I would definitely have selected 3rd (having been in 4th previous to that). What car/engine were you in?
5. At 3.43 I would say 'just under 50mph' is a tad too quick. Perhaps around 30-40 mph would have been more appropriate given that visibility into the driveways was very restrictive. Also I would have positioned further to the right of the road given the lack of centre white lines.
6. At 5.10 it looked like a little BGOL to me. I may be wrong so correct if I am. Not the biggest crime anyway, just a small point.
I may or may not reply with a video of my own, but might encourage some others within my group to do so.
1. It was a cradle, but its on a long bouncy arm which worsens the movement
i want an in car cam but cant afford one at the moment, and, if im honest, i worry it will catch me doing something i shouldnt and get me into s
t, but it would be ideal for things like this.2.I feel that the only way to cover all im seeing is to speak fast, maybe too fast. This was picked up on by my friend who was in the car at the time.
3.Haha, yes, i learnt to do a commentary by watching his videos, and havnt really developed my own style since.
4.I was in 5th prior to that, i had reached the nsl on the straight before, so i took 5th to save the planet
car's just a 1.8 focus, so i guess i could have done with going down one further.5.Totally agreed
6. Im not sure, but you could be right, i sometimes BGOL, so this could have been one of those scenarios
Really appreciated your feedback. It would be great to get other to post up videos, its nice to see how others prioritise what they say, and how different people's driving styles change. But i suggest no one does it in a tuneful car, i wont be listening to the commentary
Benbay001 said:
1. It was a cradle, but its on a long bouncy arm which worsens the movement i want an in car cam but cant afford one at the moment, and, if im honest, i worry it will catch me doing something i shouldnt and get me into st, but it would be ideal for things like this.
You may get just as sucessful results by just using the cradle, but also resting the phone agaist the car as well, perhaps with some felt/foam in between to reduce vibrations - have a play around. i want an in car cam but cant afford one at the moment, and, if im honest, i worry it will catch me doing something i shouldnt and get me into st, but it would be ideal for things like this.Benbay001 said:
2.I feel that the only way to cover all im seeing is to speak fast, maybe too fast. This was picked up on by my friend who was in the car at the time.
There is of course the old adage; if your commentary can't keep up, your driving too fast. Not one I agree with myself but maybe you could practise putting the same points across in a more concise way.Benbay001 said:
4.I was in 5th prior to that, i had reached the nsl on the straight before, so i took 5th to save the planet car's just a 1.8 focus, so i guess i could have done with going down one further.
My personal opinion would be to, on a nsl s/c road such as the one in question, to use 4th gear where visibility is good and 3rd or even 2nd when needed. For example, my car has very short gearing (2nd gear stops at 50, 3rd to 70, 4th gear I wouldn't know as finding out would mean breaking the speed limit car's just a 1.8 focus, so i guess i could have done with going down one further.
). I would recommend keeping the revs higher to give more control thus improving safety and progression, at the sacrifice of eco-nonsense.Edited by Synchromesh on Tuesday 15th November 22:37
Synchromesh said:
I would recommend keeping the revs higher to give more control thus improving safety and progression, at the sacrifice of eco-nonsense.
I might take a slightly different view to that. It's notoriously hard on these videos to get the kind of definition that the eye is able to distinguish, but it appears to me that there are very few hazards on that section, and those which emerge do so with good grace. The taller gear will allow for a smoother and more progressive approach to the drive. You also go faster for less effort. That said on a narrow SC NSL, I'd expect to see considerable shape to the speed profile, possibly more than I think I'm seeing here.
OP - thanks for sharing. Commentary is done for a reason. There are usually three reasons - one is to teach a newer co-driver to understand what they should be looking at, a second is to reassure a co-driver that you're seeing everything, the third is to slow a driver down if you think he's cracking on a bit.
You might also use it to trigger a rhythm or to break a bad spell of driving and reset yourself if you ind that useful.
What is your purpose in this commentary? That will guide how to improve it. For me it is quite verbose and whilst you call-out many hazards, I don't get a sense of prioritisation. I find a commentary where I hear the driver say what he is responding and planning for more reassuring than an observation laundry list.
I find by far the most reassuring thing when the driver says nothing and the car magically moves itself to the places where I want it to be and I can feel the drivers thoughts in his choice of speed and position. Any words are a bonus.
7db said:
more reassuring than an observation laundry list.
7db said:
You might also use it to trigger a rhythm or to break a bad spell of driving and reset yourself if you ind that useful.
Most often i use it for this.Im going to do a commentary every time i drive for a week and see if i can prioritise a little better. and maybe get out of the "happy with that" habit
Enjoyed that, I like watching this sort of thing as it reminds me of the things I do well and asks me to consider the things I don't do as well. I don't think I'd be brave enough to upload a video to PH yet (nor do I have the capability to actually film one) but if I do buy myself an HD camera next year I will probably think about recording some of my own driving.
Good drive though OP, the pace of the commentary was quick but I didn't miss any of it and didn't feel as though you were missing anything either.
Good drive though OP, the pace of the commentary was quick but I didn't miss any of it and didn't feel as though you were missing anything either.
Many years ago when I first started to take my driving performance as important to me I was lucky enough to spend a day with Paul Ripley. As part of the day I sat in the passengers seat and listened to him as he drove and do a commentary for about 40 minutes, during which there was periods of town driving and also driving on country roads where he, I think the phrase is made good progress.
It was fascinating, I learnt more about my inadequacies and what should be done in that 40 minutes than any other time. Certainly taught me how much I had to do to improve my own driving.
Have always found watching other experts do this to be extremely informative, so thanks for posting the clip. Just reminds me my driving still has a long way to go!
It was fascinating, I learnt more about my inadequacies and what should be done in that 40 minutes than any other time. Certainly taught me how much I had to do to improve my own driving.
Have always found watching other experts do this to be extremely informative, so thanks for posting the clip. Just reminds me my driving still has a long way to go!
Edited by DuncanDisorderly on Wednesday 16th November 17:18
Im practising, spent 20 minutes in the car today, constantly doing a commentary to myself 
I will do a run again at the weekend and upload it.
Did anyone spot the bit at 6:55 onwards? When i point out the tractor tyre marks in the gateway, followed by rounding the corner and coming across the tractor? I think its an ideal example of what can be gained from knowing signs to pick up upon.
I will do a run again at the weekend and upload it.
Did anyone spot the bit at 6:55 onwards? When i point out the tractor tyre marks in the gateway, followed by rounding the corner and coming across the tractor? I think its an ideal example of what can be gained from knowing signs to pick up upon.
Benbay001 said:
Did anyone spot the bit at 6:55 onwards? When i point out the tractor tyre marks in the gateway, followed by rounding the corner and coming across the tractor? I think its an ideal example of what can be gained from knowing signs to pick up upon.
the farm traffic was towards. the tyre tracks were away.I did one this morning , currently uploading to YouTube , will post the link when done . ( currently 14% done after 10 mins or so - I live in the sticks so uploading is s l o w )
I used a strip of double-sided adhesive tape to stick my camera to the top of the dashboard , this seems to work quite well . My Canon G11 digital compact camera shoots video at VGA 640x480 resolution , for a 40 odd minute drive this amounted to a file of some 8 Gb ; I then used Toast Titanium to reduce it to a little under 300 Mb for web streaming , the resultant video still looks reasonable quality pre-upload , hopefully it will be OK from the link .
I will apologise in advance that I haven't done much commentary driving in 20+ years and am quite 'rusty' . but will work on it over the next few weeks .
I agree that this will be a good way for all of us to learn something from each other , and welcome constructive criticism . I was aware of a number of wrongdoings as soon as I did them .
Hope this will be of help to others and am sure I will learn from others' efforts .
I used a strip of double-sided adhesive tape to stick my camera to the top of the dashboard , this seems to work quite well . My Canon G11 digital compact camera shoots video at VGA 640x480 resolution , for a 40 odd minute drive this amounted to a file of some 8 Gb ; I then used Toast Titanium to reduce it to a little under 300 Mb for web streaming , the resultant video still looks reasonable quality pre-upload , hopefully it will be OK from the link .
I will apologise in advance that I haven't done much commentary driving in 20+ years and am quite 'rusty' . but will work on it over the next few weeks .
I agree that this will be a good way for all of us to learn something from each other , and welcome constructive criticism . I was aware of a number of wrongdoings as soon as I did them .
Hope this will be of help to others and am sure I will learn from others' efforts .
Edited by Pontoneer on Thursday 17th November 19:26
Benbay001 said:
I thought it would be a lovely idea if we all uploaded a video of ourselves providing a commentary whilst driving.
Ill do the manly thing, and go first.
Benbay001's commentary drive
Recorded using a phone in a phone cradle.
Fantastic example of clues to be read from the road at 6:55
Criticism welcome.
(apologies for my excessive use of the words "happy with that")
ETA- give it time, i was speaking crap for the first minute or so.
I thought that was pretty good and you have my praise for being brave to do it.Ill do the manly thing, and go first.
Benbay001's commentary drive
Recorded using a phone in a phone cradle.
Fantastic example of clues to be read from the road at 6:55
Criticism welcome.
(apologies for my excessive use of the words "happy with that")
ETA- give it time, i was speaking crap for the first minute or so.
Edited by Benbay001 on Tuesday 15th November 19:26
Just some suggestions, "mirrors check", "one towards", "going left (or nearside), or right (or offside) for view"
Try to simplify the commentary in terms of words whilst still explaining your thought processes.
Although, you'll never be able to get out in words what is happening in your mind.
I'm never sure whether the gear selected should be part of the commentary, once someone is driving to a standard where they can provide commentary.
Pontoneer said:
I did one this morning , currently uploading to YouTube
Im excited No, really, i am WhoseGeneration said:
Just some suggestions, "mirrors check", "one towards", "going left (or nearside), or right (or offside) for view"
Try to simplify the commentary in terms of words whilst still explaining your thought processes.
Now, i like that. Will have to try.Try to simplify the commentary in terms of words whilst still explaining your thought processes.
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