I wasn't aware of how timing started! I don't think it would save me any time, since AFAICT moving to the side doesn't slow your ascent and I was already fullhopping from the start, but it would certainly make the beginning much more consistent.
One trick I could've done that I didn't is that you can end the level by hitting the side of the green instead of landing on it like I did. But I hadn't gotten a feel for exactly how the chicken and the green's hitboxes interact and didn't want to risk a good run, so I went for the safe route.
The camera had nothing to do with why I stopped, actually! I'd already memorized the level and knew everything that was coming. I stopped because it halted my momentum and made the skip I did a lot more consistent. In particular, if I lined up myself with the little notch right below, that got me perfectly in place to do a really natural left-right-left-right swerve. Though, if the camera was better, I'd probably be more willing to find some trick to get through the gap without needing to stop.
Sub-8 is definitely possible if both of these tricks are implemented, but I'm gonna wait for the full game to try for better times.
And sure, you can share it! Though, would you mind uploading it as a video instead of linking it? I would prefer my channel not be linked. Here is the original .mp4 on Google Drive if you'd like to use that. I also have some footage of my failed runs leading up to this run if that sounds like something you'd want to see.
For your future levels, you should definitely incorporate more seemingly-random gaps in the geometry like this. I really felt like I was making my own path and I felt like a genius when I found a way to make that skip consistent. You've definitely earned a future customer in me! I can't wait for the full game now! <3