Cue View 360 - Rotating 4K Cue Videos Resource

Hi everyone,

Full disclosure: I am a cue dealer. If I am violating any forum rules, or this is in the wrong forum, please delete/move as appropriate, and I apologize in advance.

I'm not a regular poster here, but wanted to share the project I've been working on. It's called Cue View 360.

Essentially, it's production cues recorded in 4K while they rotate. There is also a pan & zoom video for cues that are more detailed (more than a stain and linen wrap).

Right now I only have a few Viking cues and the entire Valhalla line, but more manufacturers and cues are coming soon.

Please note that I am nowhere near an experienced videographer or video editor (as evidenced by some of the earlier videos, which I intend to redo). After dealing with so many lights, camera settings, placement, etc., I do NOT envy the pros that do photo or video shoots on a regular basis. They truly have a lot of skill and patience!

Here is a link if you'd like to read more about it.

YouTube Channel - Subscribes are appreciated!
YouTube Viking Playlist - Includes Several 2021 Cues
YouTube Valhalla Playlist
YouTube Meucci Playlist
YouTube Cuetec Playlist
YouTube J. Pechauer Playlist - Includes Select 2021 R Series
YouTube Jacoby Playlist
YouTube McDermott Playlist - Includes Several 2021 Cues
YouTube OB Cues Playlist
YouTube Schmelke Playlist

I hope you enjoy, and this becomes a useful tool for those researching their next cue!

Cuetec cues added: Cuetec Playlist

Michael Webb said:

Very interesting.

Click to expand...

Is that good or bad? LOL

I appreciate the compliment!

We played with the rotation speed as well as the pan speed quite a bit, and think we found a fair middle ground:

Cues rotate at about 2.5 RPM. Any faster and it felt 'too fast', especially on the wide angfe shots

Basic cues pan the entire cue (back and forth) in about 45-50 seconds. More intricate cues, or those cues where there are decals, we slow down so the panning doesn't go too fast and features are missed. We also tried to sync it so that it started panning at the logo on the butt of the cue and ended there as well, which would give the most coverage of all the angles.

Viking had previously suggested to us to speed up the portion of where the wrap is, but it ended up being 'jerky' and very inconsistent, so we couldn't do that.

What improvements do you think we can make? We can probably speed them up a tad on the rotation and pan side going forward. Would that be helpful?

If you have any other ideas I'm happy to hear them, and appreciate your feedback on making it better!

Your pics came out very good, and very nice work!

I'm far from a photographer, and the first videos I did came out horrendous (I started with GoPro and other action cams - great camera for it's intended use but not for this scenario).

Lighting is a pain. I always got shadows, so I added more lights. Then too much glare, or too bright from the edges. Then the dark cues don't show enough color. Then, someone accidentally hits the lights or the camera and I have to setup all over again.

I still have an issue properly capturing certain hues of blue, but fix them in editing (which I am just learning as well).

I should've read monstemash's pic taking thread and reached out here for advice before I started!

Like everything, it's an evolving process and hopefully I get better at it. The majority of the cues are already recorded and just need editing, so for now, only new stuff the comes in will be video'd.

Perhaps one day I'll redo all of them, but I'm nearly 500 cues in and do not look forward to that day. :shakehead:

Meucci Cues Playlist added

Thanks! Yes, we have the videos on our site as well.

Been a while since I updated this thread. PureX, Lucasi, Schmelke cues added.