The Digital Video Information Network - The UWOL Challenge (our newest contest)

Long Form Upload List

Kevin Railsback — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:18:31 GMT

Finn-Erik Faale ~ faale_longform_straholmen.mp4
Dale Guthormsen ~ guthormsen_longform_Hunting the Hard Way.mp4
Catherine Russell ~ russell_longform_psalmsfromonhigh.mp4
Bob Safay ~ Safay_TheGalapagos_UWOLLongFormFINAL.mp4
Steve Siegel ~ Siegel_longform_MilesToGoBeforeTheySleep.mov.mov
Mike Sims ~ Sims_OverTheMountain_UWOLLongForm-Final.mp4

LongForm Upload

Mike Sims — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:59:16 GMT

I just uploaded my �final� final file (as Meryem says- completed not finished!). It was uploading when I got the e-mail about the new naming convention. I had previously uploaded a file but it had several errors. After re-editing I sent up the new file with the same file name. It did not overwrite the old file but renamed the new one. Would one of the moderators please ensure that the new file> Sims_OverTheMountain_UWOLLongForm-Final1.mp4 < (uploaded on the 14th) is the file used? Thank-you! After the deadline I will post a link to files on my server as well as some final thoughts on my feedback thread.

I hope Meryem�s generous waving of the file size limits has now removed any remaining obstacles any of us are experiencing. Feel free to post to this thread once you have uploaded so we can keep a running tally of who�s made it to the finish line.

Best of luck everyone!

Films Submitted for Judging in UWOL #15 under the rules.

Chris Barcellos — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:07:24 GMT

In analyzing this competition I am curious about what films may have been submitted for judging, and which may also have been disqualified for rule violation reasons. We never hear about this, and I am curious how it is handled.

4. Production - Submissions should be 2-3 minutes in length. Entries exceeding the 3 minute limit can be posted on the site but will be disqualified from the judging. Credits are excluded from the 3-minute limit.

9. Judging - A new guest judge will be enlisted to help with the judging each month. The Challenge coordinator will forward the top 8-10 videos to the guest judge, who will be invited to select the final winner. The guest judge will also have the opportunity to select additional finalists and honourable mentions at his or her discretion. At least once a year, we will have one round of play which is self-judged by the players, to ensure that everyone appreciates the difficult task of judging this contest.

One of the things these competitions offer is a learning experience, but it is hard to discern what lesson is to be learned if you don't know if your film was even seen by the judge. So from that stand point, I think it would be only fair to those who take time to submit films to the competition to know if there film actually made it to the judging round.

And the winner of UWOL #15 is...

Piers Warren — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:58:45 GMT

Congratulations to all! I thoroughly enjoyed watching all these short films and was impressed with the quality and story-telling. This is a great community and a good place for my students to come and see how to make short films with beginnings, middles and ends - good complete packages!

It was very difficult sorting out the runners up - and I changed my mind several times - they were all good for different reasons! But for me there was a clear winner in the Animal Kingdon category:

Winner
Finn-Erik Faale ~ Barnacle Kingdom
A good example of how restricting yourself to one group of animals can help give structure to your film and help tell a story. Nice camerawork and interesting angles throughout. The script was good and well read, Excellent to start and end with the boat and a good tie-in of the 'Kingdom' theme. Very good editing apart from the watery transition which was overused! I wasn't too keen on the guitar music but the sound mix of narration, natural sound and music was very good. Overall it was the story, interesting information and visuals which made this stand out as winner. Well done Finn-Erik!

Runner up
Kevin Railsback ~ Silent Kingdom
If the catorgory had been more environmental, this film would have won. An excellent way to portray what is happening to our planet in a clear visual way. Well thought out and planned, just the right amount of information. Great idea to use the disappearing animals in such an effective way. Some beautiful images although the compression (or camera) didn't cope with movement (eg pans) so well. If only this film replaced commercials on every TV channel! Well done Kevin.

2nd runner up
Mike Sims ~ 1000 Feet
This film gets the prize for creative use of graphics. Some nice inserts and also good use of props such as rulers. Good macro work. The script was packed with info - all good stuff but a little dry as a result. The narration could have done with a touch more enthusiasm. The sudden start took me by surprise - would have liked a more subtle intro. The birdsong in the background needed to change more often - it was the same in what looked like different habitats for example - but better than no natural sound. Loved the book at the end! Well done Mike.

3rd runner up
Ryan Farnes ~ Ryan Farnes Short
Some really nice photography here although some of the pictures were a little too dark (even though it was dawn). Excellent camerawork when following the flying geese, lovely smooth pans. Good use of music although the levels seemed rather jumpy. Good script which was well read.

Specially Commended
Geir Inge ~ Land Of The Seagulls
It was over half way through the film bfore we saw a seagull and it was crying out for some close-ups, but I loved this film for its peacefullness and creative scripting. A great film to relax to.

Bill Thesken ~ Monk Dreams
Gets the comedy award! Great idea. Would have liked more different shots of the seals and less text on screen, but the dream sequence worked well.

Well done everybody - keep up the good work.
Best wishes
Piers Warren
Principal of Wildeye Wildeye - International School of Wildlife Film-making
International School of Wildlife Film-making
Editor of Wildlife Film News Wildlife-film.com - Wildlife Film Makers News and Information

Question for the Long Form Community...

Meryem Ersoz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:07 GMT

In considering the judging of this (been discussing with a potential judge...), would the finalists be willing to provide a DVD copy of their long-form for the judge to view?

It would be more comfortable for the judge, viewing-wise, and it would be a better representation of your work to the judge. You would have about ten days to have it burned and mailed to me...for our international finalists, you could upload the file to my FTP site, and I would have this done on my end, assuming you can send me an MPEG-2 quicktime.

We have to have agreement by all 11 of you, or we can't do it this way....

Your files would still be hosted to the UWOL website as well. This would be for yours' and the judge's convenience only and would apply to half of you...

File it in the category of, "things you don't think of, one year in advance"---

Our judge for UWOL #15 is...

Meryem Ersoz — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:49:28 GMT

Please welcome Piers Warren as your judge for UWOL #15...

As the founder of the Wildeye International School of Wildlife Filmmaking, Piers is exceptionally suited as judge for our ANIMAL KINGDOM round...

Piers is well known throughout the wildlife film-making industry as the editor of Wildlife Film News and producer of wildlife-film.com, which he created in the 1990s. With a strong background in biology, education and conservation, he has had a lifelong passion for wildlife films and has a wide knowledge of natural history. He cut his teeth in the industry as a sound engineer and multi-media producer, running a studio for many years. He is one of the founders of the international organisation Filmmakers for Conservation and was Vice President for the first three years. Piers is the author of many magazine features and several books including Careers in Wildlife Film-making and Go Wild with Your Camcorder - How to Make Wildlife Films.

Ever-keen for adventure, Piers leads wildlife tours and training expeditions around the world. Amongst other things he has walked the African plains with Maasai Warriors, tracked tigers in India on elephant-back, explored the Amazon rainforest, swum with sharks, trekked across Tanzanian deserts on a camel and filmed cheetahs hunting in Kenya.

For more information on Piers, Wildeye, and the amazing work that his organization does, check out their website at Wildeye - About Us and Our Tutors

We also have Piers to thank for driving traffic to our little contest - he keeps a link in the "Training" section of Wildlife Film:

Wildlife-film.com - Wildlife Film Makers News and Information

Let him know how much we appreciate his contribution to our UWOL world...

UWOL #15 hide and seek

Sam Mendolia — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:35:13 GMT

Vimeo

Well, here is my vimeo link.

At the start of this challenge, I had a totally diiferent view, than what I ended up with.

As with most of you, it was a challenge to find any wildlife, to include.

I thought that with the fall, there would be migrations to film, and the fall colours.

Well with the weather not really cooperating, and most animals being elsewhere, this is the result, me looking for ....

Enough excuses, on with the show.

UWOL#15- Silent Kingdom- by Kevin Railsback

Mike Sims — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:36:36 GMT

Kevin- Leave it to our favorite camerayeti to sneak in there with a moving piece that has both a poignant message and a call to action. All I can do is applaud and say- �Hear! Hear!�

Well done, Kevin. I hope things are soon well for the Railsback family.

UWOL#15- Ryan Farnes

Mike Sims — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:31:10 GMT

I need to leave in the morning to finish shooting for my Long Form and I�d like to comment on everyone�s video before I leave. I�m starting feedback threads for those that haven�t. I hope no one objects.

Ryan- I enjoyed your video. Lots of good shots. I thought a couple could benefit from a little gamma correction. The credits could stand to be a little larger. I like the dramatic reading you gave your voice over. I wish I could do that. Every time I try it just sounds silly! Good work.

UWOL 15 Temp Viewing Page

Kevin Railsback — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:47:56 GMT

Mat must be busy this weekend so since so many people have already put up feedback threads and links to outside sources for viewing here's a temp viewing page for the films.
UWOL 15 Temp Viewing Page

UWOL #15 - Elephants of California by Rich Ryan

Rich Ryan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:08:56 GMT

I had my heart set on a title of "Butterflies and Elephants." Featuring two migratory species - Northern Elephant Seals and Monarch Butterflies. Well the seals were very cooperative, but the butterflies not so much (I did see two of them flutter by).

We had a week vacation in Pismo Beach, CA which is really close to one of the largest Monarch Butterfly groves in California and only an hours drive from one of the largest Elephant Seal Rookeries. No butterflies so my video features only the elephant seals. Oh and I forgot my tripod! So a quick trip to a local electronics store yielded a cheap replacement (and boy does is show on pans and tilts).

Since the last challenge I got a new camera - a Panasonic AG-HMC40; so there we some "issues" resulting from a new camera. But it was (mostly) fun and allowed me to carefully follow rule #11.

Here is a higher resolution version on Vimeo:

Elephants of California on Vimeo

UWOL #15 Kingdom Of Our Dearly Departed

Oliver Pahlow — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:08:15 GMT

Well I guess I should start a proper thread now that I have my ducks in order (so to speak). I'm very greatful that I got my entry in. I chose an odd subject but it felt right to me being in the fall season and Halloween. An animal cemetery. But after spending some time there and looking around, the place had a warm and caring feel to it.

So here it is.

YouTube - Kingdom Of Our Dearly Departed

UWOL 15- "The Sandhill"

Chris Barcellos — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:51:52 GMT

Here is my entry for the UWOL Challenge 15. Thank you to Chris Swanberg for his work on the Voice over.

I shot this with Chris's 400 mm lens on my Canon 5D. Used a 2x extender to get 800mm out of it. Quite an improvement over what I was able to get out of the FX1 or the HV20

I put a 24p version up on YouTube, and a 30p version on Vimeo, so those who are interested can compare.

YouTube HD Version here: YouTube - The Sandhill

Vimeo here:

The Sandhill on Vimeo

UWOL #15 - An Irish Wild-Goose Chase - by Mike Beckett

Mike Beckett — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:02:28 GMT

First, let's get the excuses out of the way:

- not enough time (for filming)
- bad filming weather (grey, dark, miserable, wet)
- ended up with one day of filming
- I stuffed up the exposure and ND filters
- got a lot of underexposed and flat images
- nice panoramic shots, straight into the sun (I wanted to come back at sunset, but it, er, rained)
- messed up focus at times with my new SockLoupe (I'm not used to it yet)
- voiceover is still an incredibly painful process for me
- managed to misread the tides and not get close enough to any birds!

Whinge, whinge, whinge!

But anyway, on with the show:

Every year, around this time, a great migration takes place. Around 20,000 Pale-bellied Brent Geese migrate from the Arctic circle to Strangford Lough, a tidal lough on the Irish Sea coast of Northern Ireland.

The migration got a lot of coverage on local TV and radio as well, which is where I got the idea. Every time I set up camera in a public place I would get a small group of well-meaning hangers-on, who presumed the man with the furry mic and headphones new what he was doing and would ask questions (not helping my audio capture woes). I don't like having an audience while I work! I should've taken a photo of them. But it was fun, all very aimiable.

There's loads of mudflats, inlets, little islands (submerged hills called "Drumlins"), and it's a great place for wildlife. At least, it normally is, until I point a camera at it, then they all disappear. Hence the "Wild-Goose Chase" title.

So, I've scraped together the best story I could get with the limited time and footage I had available. It's all SD, no HD here yet. Add some cheesy Oirish music and you've got my UWOL entry!

This is a password protected video on Vimeo

Password: uwolweb

Low res .MOV file (38MB - same as the one uploaded to UWOL):
http://www.mikeb.org.uk/uwol/15/UWOL...GooseChase.mov

High res .MOV file (78MB):
http://www.mikeb.org.uk/uwol/15/UWOL...hase_large.mov

References:

Strangford Lough website: Strangford Lough
Wikipedia Entry: Strangford Lough - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Google Maps link: Strangford Lough - Google Maps (Fantastic - I didn't even know there was a place called Ballywatticock!)

P.S. I upgraded my voiceover location from the closet to the "edit suite". Compare the before and after pictures! I get a chair now, I used to have to squat on the floor in there.

Attached Images

Mosiac

Dale Guthormsen — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:19:44 GMT

Good afternoon,

Well, this has been my most frustrating chllenge to date.

The original story line had to be scraped. We had snow,sleet, rain, wind and cold temps which prevented me from even getting to the location to shoot. I was not physically capable of hiking in through the Mud for my most important shots and close-ups.

I had some footage and thought I might get some footage thursday and Friday. Unexpected company from Germany and out of town occupied those days and I was physically trashed by 8:00 last night when the house was clear.

I sat down and looked at what I had and groaned. Wife sheila encouraged me to see what i could do, so I did.

I put it together, did the voice over and made the mp4. My player would not give me sound at all!!! I had it sounding alright from the timeline so I submitted it!!!

Today I downloaded vlc player and well, I wish I had not bothered!!

I know, excuses, excuses, excuses.