Coed-y-Bedw - a year in a nature reserve
 

An intensely personal project, this is a film about Coed-y-Bedw, a nature reserve hidden away in the woodland behind my home in South Wales.
It's a place that I go to unwind, to take time to think and to give thanks for all the little things that are in the end so much greater than me alone
Some technical notes:
shot completely with the Canon HFS100 at 1920 x 1080, homemade Igus slider, edited with Sony Vegas Pro 10 and graded and dubbed with the same programme.
Additional colour grading with FBM Software.

Hi Robin

You have a really nice level of production value to your piece. I also think theres a nice flow to a lot of the editing and the people you feature are all good on camera. I think on a micro level you have good bits of story but on a more general one it could do with some more story. The last critique would be a distinct lack of fauna to the piece, wheres all the animals that call this place home?

Thanks for posting. A very watchable little film with some nice production value. Is the main narration your voice?

Mat

Thanks Mat for your comments. I agree that it would have been better to have seen more of the fauna, but I never did actually stake out an area with a hide - the film was compiled with shots taken from random visits over the year.
One good thing to have come out of the film is the association with Rob Parry from the Wildlife Trust. He and I are planning on more in-depth films this year - and he's the man to get me close to fauna!!
Oh, and it was my voice-over as well...

Regards,

Robin

Robin, I thought that this video was beautiful. You really did a fine job in telling the story of the reserve. Not only did you show us its beauty, but you taught us of its history, and how good land stewardship and proper land revitalization can bring an old mining site (or manufacturing site) back to a more natural state. My only recommendation is that at when you put Cliff Woodhead name up at 2 min 10 sec, and Dr. Gillham's name up at 2 min 36 sec, that you include their titles and affiliations in print as you did with Robert Perry at 17 min, 02 sec. I offer you this because on a previous documentary that I did I only put in the name and did not include the other information. I was told that even though I stated what they did, it is always better to put it up there in print as in is easier to remember if you see it instead of just hearing it. Again, what a great video. I hope you get it onto your local public access TV as it would be a benefit to all in your area. Bob Safay

Hi Bob,
Thanks for your kind comments. I certainly take on board your point about the added info on the name supers.
Glad that you enjoyed the film.