back after 40 years
 

hi folks,

i just joined DVINFO because i can use all the help and insights i can find. i'm very rusty!

in the 70's i was a working film-maker, but my move to an extremely remote location, and it's rural lifestyle, changed that.

leap foward 40 years: with all the new digital gear, software and display possibilities, last year i took a chance to jump back into video productions, and accepted a contract to make a short. here's that completed 9 minute video:

Saving Our Forests on Vimeo

Saving Our Forests is a short video about the threats facing our Ponderosa pine forests and the urgent need for active management to restore historic landscapes and revitalize rural economies. To learn more: SavingOurForests.com

i'm proud to say that it appears to be good-enough because within weeks of completion, SOF took an award for Columbia Gorge International Film Festival 2012 Winner for Best Environmental Short.

thanks for taking the time to read this, and i sure hope to learn much from all you pros out there.

-eric of Wild Dog Studios

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Re: back after 40 years
 

Hi Eric,

Hey, that was a very nice introduction. Really enjoyed the film, er.... video!

It has been a terrible summer with all the forest fires throughout the west, from Colorado to California and here in Washington it has been smoke, smoke, smoke for the past couple months. Is there anyone who is sill saying the climate isn't changing? We haven't had any rain for three months and back in 1986 we had mesurable precip every single day of July. The parking lot where I worked was green. Now the local bays have red tides that kill off a number of species.

The evening news on Channel 5 had a short about the large return of Salmon, which is true, but probably due to the removal of a major dam. One local stream here in Poulsbo has gone from a fish count of 125 to zero in the space of about 10 years. Seems Poulsbo City Council approved a shopping center and that development put in a culvert that dumps into the North Fork of Johnson Creek. The city planner signed off on the project with "no significant impact" or words to that effect, whatever it is they do, and now look what we have, or maybe don't have.

Thanks to Channel 5 NBC, though, everybody hears something good but nobody hears the bad.

The same Poulsbo City Council approved a trails plan - trails are good, right? - not so fast! The plan they approved has all the trails going through wetlands, along the shorelines, and through riparian zones, the worst possible place to put them. These are prime wildlife habitat areas! "But people want to look at the wildlife!" they said. Unfortunately, they don't get it.

We need more videos like the one you produced - have one for rivers and streams. Have one for wildlife habitat areas like wetlands, streams, shorelines, and riparian areas.

Yes, a lot has changed! Not only has the video medium changed from plastic to digital, but the skirts have got much longer.

Comment for Chris: Years ago I hitch-hiked through Dunedin, down to Invercargill, and up to Queenstown and over Haast Pass. The blokes who gave me a ride over to Greymouth (sp?) were a couple and the husband had a PhD in Biology. It was very interesting as he explained about the "fern trees" (don't remember their exact name). They looked very primeval and I think they are related to ferns - but huge! They were really awesome.

Also, I was able to hitch-hike across Cook Strait from Picton to Wellington on a new (wood) sailboat the skipper was building and it wasn't totally finished yet. The skipper took me on because I had good sailing experience and because all his crew (blokes?) spent several hours in the local Pub drinking flagons before we cast off from the dock. They were really not very fit to crew! What a ride, though!

This was a long time ago. What a great, great time!

Re: back after 40 years
 

So after a 40 year hiatus, what kind of gear are you finding yourself getting in to?

Re: back after 40 years
 

hey guys!

john: i'm working on a reply to you over at the intro page: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/these-pe...ml#post1757781

mark: i've been working as a still photog guy, so i've based my gear on those needs. because everything i shoot is on location and i'm operatiing everything alone, it needed to be simple, lightweight and easy, and of course, mainly focused on still work.

the above vid was shot with my nikon D7000 and a low-end back-up D3100 (the one elk clip was shot with a canon point and shoot, which explains its very low-quality). editing was done on a buddy's mac/FCP-7 system.

since then i upgraded all my still gear to a D800 (which will double as my HDSLR), 24 and 85 1.4 primes, and a heavy-duty induro CT414 'pod with arca-swiss Z1 QR ballhead .

for doing vids i added a 24" K5 konova slider, a cheapie oly LS-7 pcm digital recorder (for ambient sound collection. i just didn't have room for something like a larger tascam or zoom, nor pro XLR gear), and macbook pro retina with FCPX (plus a desktop lacie 6BT thunderbolt raid hard drive for storing the clips).

everything (except the pod & slider, and raid drive) fits inside a single Think Tank Urban Disguise 50 camera case.

if these things can do what i need, it should be enough. right now i have a few shoots lined up for this fall so will quickly learn the hard way if i've chosen the right equiptment for my needs.

i left the business when the first portable video tape systems were just coming into their own, and linear editing was all there was, so its been a brain-frying experence to learn all this new digital info.

Re: back after 40 years
 

You're doing great Eric!

Re: back after 40 years
 

thanks chris!!!

i should also add that i enjoyed your Camera Showreel.

even more important is that a few days ago i caught your fire tornado footage live on national network TV (on multible channels)!

what an amazing sight to see and how beautifully you recorded it! very nice work!!!!!

for those who haven't seen what i'm talking about, you're in for a treat. here you go: http://player.vimeo.com/video/49985537

Re: back after 40 years
 

Eric, Great video. You did an excellent job of educating people on the need for smart forest management. I got my MS at the University of Idaho back in 1981. A major part of my graduate work was in controlled burning. Even then all the environmental groups were fighting against burning. Then the big one hit Yellowstone. I always felt that "environmentalists" should take more courses in "ecology". Again, you all did a great job. Bob

Re: back after 40 years
 

thank you bob, you get it. the video was shot in hopes of reaching all sides of the conversation and to educate those who had no idea there even was a problem. and if someone with your background feels we did a good job, then i call it sucessful.

=====

FYI everyone -

i just finished four more video. shot in B&W, using some new gear for the first time and editing alone for the first time on new FCPX software. client is a well know horse/rider trainer by the name of joe wolter.

i posted four mini vids from the one-day shoot, but will make a few more, releasing them once a month. next spring we'll do more shooting, more vids.

mostly it went well, doing everything by myself i did screw up and missed turning on the seperate digtial recorder at times, so a couple of the vids ended up with on-camera sound which is a bit distant and tinny. but overall, the client and fans are pleased, and i am too.

its the first four videos on this website (which we also built for him): Joe Wolter - Videos of Joe

oh yes! please note that these are low-res versions. i live off-the-grid and my solar-powered internet satellite's "broadband" speed is way too slow to upload larger Hi-Def files. when i can make a run to a town with hi-speed access, i plan to exchange these with much higher quality versions.

thanks for taking a look, and for all the really nice comments. they've been very helpful.

-eric