I'm surprised at how poorly planned and filmed most of these videos are.
Is that the point? Is it supposed to be so rough? (Note: I've never applied to YC or looked at the application)
Is that the point? Is it supposed to be so rough? (Note: I've never applied to YC or looked at the application)
The instructions say: The video should contain nothing except the founders talking. No screenshots or postproduction wizardry please; we don't want this to turn into a video making contest. If you're going to spend time making something cool, put it into your demo/product.
However, I agree with you. I think people should strive to make a good first impression.
Beyond the bad quality of some of the videos, I was surprised how many people submitted videos saying words to the effect of "I have another co-founder but he couldn't be here for this video." If I were watching those and heard that, I'd automatically reject the applicant. If you can't even get your alleged co-founder together for a simple one minute video then things are obviously already falling apart.
I've actually heard of people applying a few hours before the deadline. So if they are geographically distant from one another, they just use webcams.
My comment was about people that just basically said, in so many words, "I have a co-founder but he refused to show up even for a one-minute video."