UWOL #6 "Art of the Night" by Per Johan Naesje
 

This was a really big challenge for me. As being a wildlifefilmmaker used to be out in the woods or on a mountain peak, filming in good light, night was a new experience for my to film.
I'm living in a city and I was thinking of course there are plenty of lights here at night, so my entry took form in my head as a film about the city scenery at night. Oslo have some great buildings and monuments which is floodlight at night.

Hopefully I have succeeded to show you some of the beauty of the night. I have called it "art of the night" because this is not any story but more a journey through my hometown at night.
Oslo is located at the fjord (Oslofjord) and there is some beauty in the dark sea at night. Some of the most famous buildings like the City Hall and Akershus Fortress is located downtown at the fjord.
In the Frognerpark you got some aweful statues in bronze and stone made by Gustav Vigeland, unfortunately there was not so much light there at night, so I had to tune my camcorder a lot to get those faces!
At Holmenkollen, the famous ski jump hill, you find our great King Olav V (died 1991) toghether with his dog Troll. Olav V was a real uwol'er and he was fond of being out in all kind of weather, in winter he was skiing cross country toghether with his dog Troll. He has also been doing ski jump in the Holmenkollen, albeit not so huge as todays ski jump hill.
To get footage of King Olav V, surrounded by the fog was a big and magic moment, I was standing there just watcing in the cold night. Hopefully I've been able to show you some of the mood.
I will also say a big thanks to Anne-Kari my good friend and her two dogs Várri and Raijo for their patience and will to act in this little film.

Link to the film: http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...artofnight.mov

Enjoy!

since i'm out of the judging this round, i can comment!

this was stunning--and the shot of the real dog and the statue dog bumping noses was magical.

we all know you are a great wildlife shooter, but it was a real treat to see what you can do with civilization--and with very challenging lighting conditions. shooting a cityscape was a smart way to get some natural lighting in your camera.

Hi Per:

I think this was a masterpiece. Your transitions were beautifully done, your use of lighting (like the red hues in the fog) made it magical. Perfect music to set the mood. A real drama. One of your best, I think.

Thank you for the experience.

Cat

Hello Per Johan

This was a weery impressive film,and some of my favorit.
Geait job!!!!

VV.

Fantastic use of the light sources, stunning images and an interesting mix too! I loved the panning statue heads, with the tone of the music it was very powerful and emotive.

That said, not a lot held this together for me, it just lacked a premise or goal.

Per the sequence with the statue heads was perfect as was the use of the red hue in the fog the music took me to that dark place....the proper mood.

As you said this was a strange place for you...not the woods or mountains but even with that I enjoyed your film.

Brian

Wow !! Very dramatic, and the music worked well with piece. I think there is Cinematographer in there..... you are going to have to get into the DV Challenge next.

Very masterful use of the night...

Per,

Your film really evoked night in the city, both in its beauty, and at times a sinister undertone, in music and imagery.

I liked the way you did many of the fades- especially between the reflection fading into the real building- very surreal.

The fog with dramatic lighting, and the real and statue dog meeting, was a wonderful moment. I also like the dogs running out of the darkness into the light- for a few seconds it isn't clear what they are, a real sense of uncertainty.

This was a fun film to watch, and had many beautiful scenes. I thought your choice of music was a nice complement to the video, too.


Ruth

Hi Per,

As always, technically brilliant! Editing, Compression, Flow, pans, tilts, all spot on.

For me, the feel of your film seemed to come out from around the 2.00 minute mark - where your footage was just beautiful and emotive. The effect of the fog and the reddish mystical light was magical. Also the running dogs and the use of the backlight - worked perfectly.

There certainly was a "mood" or "feeling" from the 2.00 mark - which I would have liked to have seen from the very start, and built upon.

Well done once again Per - it must have felt very different to be filming in that environment, as opposed to some remote place up in the hills.

Per,
What a ripper! For me it was i bit like looking through one of those beautiful coffe table books with photos that just amaze you with their composition & lighting. Only difference was that yours was a moving picture! I loved the mood you created it had me captivated. I really think this shows how diverse you can be with your cinematography.

Well done,

Bryce

Per, FANTASTIC use of light and fog. The shots of the statue of the dog then the real dog was breathtaking. Then, you follow with just the hint of a ghost of a dog. WOW. Get rid of your day job, your are a magnificant videographer and story teller. The music was perfect. As I have often said, "Team Norway" should be hired by your government to promote your beautiful country. I can't wait to visit Norway, you and the others have sold me on its beauty.

Hi PJ
I'm at work now and got some time off to write some more feedback.
Well done on your entry Per Johan, as always you have a way of putting together nice shots to a complete and entertaining film.
Nice to see our Capital Oslo by night :)
Akershus festning was great and the fading from sea picture to the real house was stunning. The statue of our late King Olav V and his dog in front of Holmenkollen (ski jump) was great. Also to see how you managed to make use of the fog. The music was dramatic but did fit the scenes in your film.
Thinking of you as a "wildlifer" this entry is very good.

Wish you a pleasent trip to Dovre and all the best.
Geir Inge

Per,

This effort sets the standard of video for me, it is a total inspiration.

Your theme was night art and you nailed it down like a coffin, well maybe thats not such a good analogy.

As far as I am concerned this is some of the most artistic compositions I have ever seen in video or film.

The dog scene was a little long for me but still was totally cool

The pans and transitions were so slow a fine.

I can only hope I can improve enough to shoot some creative footage as nice someday.

What a way to finish the year!!!!!! I must quitely say (sense I prefer shooting wildlife over all things), that I really liked it better than the bear footage which was so awesome!!

Fantastic Job!!

Well well the great outdoorsman finds the city, and find and fim it very well indeed.
Can only second what everyone else has said about it ,Great stuff.I loved the reddish glow around the statue of the dog.Made it seem very old world.

Thanks all for your nice comments!
Cityscape during the night is not my most facinating place to be, but this theme forced me to!

Thanks Bob, send this to NRK (Norwegian Broadcast Company), they have rejected all my attemps to get anything screened lately! Even in a program called "Ut i Naturen" (eng: A prime time wildlife-program), they rejected to screen my Bears, several tries to almost "give" them footage has been wasted.

OK, I'll heading for my Muskoxen this weekend, so I will be out of office (read: this forum) until Monday. All the best to all you uwol'ers this site rocks!!!