UWOL #8 "A Matter of Focus" by Bob Thieda at DVinfo.net

Bob Thieda · April 22nd, 2008, 04:48 AM

Oh well....Grand ideas + bad weather = poor execution.

I had one day of good weather at the start of the challenge, got some shots planning on going out again latter and never did get the chance.

So I did the best I could with 18 minutes of tape.

I have a list of flaws a mile long, let's see if y'all can find them. :)

And maybe there's even a couple good things to see....

But....No shark tank for me. 2 for 2!!

Almost forgot...here is a link to the wmv version:
http://www.baatfam.com/A_Matter_of_FocusRev6.wmv

GL2 with SonyVegasPro8

Bob T.

Paul Mailath · April 22nd, 2008, 06:14 AM

I'm not sure when we should post comments but I jumped the gun before so I may as well be consistant..

Loved it!

I like the way you used Focus as the name and as the glue that held the piece together. You moved from the tree to the hydrant? and from that to the flowers and the narration introduced all of that. I would have liked to see a smoother timelapse on the flowers.

Then you use the tree again to take us to the other side of the house. In the backyard to go from focus on the tree to introduce the plant and then introduce the cardinal from the plant. All of these things are 'a matter of focus'.

I found the jump to the blackbirds - sudden. Maybe you could have started the narration "while above.." earlier to introduce the new view.

You then take us back through selective focus to the starting scene - all very smooth to my eye.

My comments are simply my impressions and are those of an enthusiastic amateur.

Dale Guthormsen · April 22nd, 2008, 12:35 PM

Bob,

A very nice perspective and the title was perfect!! I liked the running backwards to return to the larger picture and not seeing the little things one needs to focus on in order to see the first images of spring.

Very nicely done

Oh yea, The domestic crocus' were interesting to me. The last shot in my "rejuvenations" is of the first emerging native flowers of the northern prairies, the native crocus. Rather different.

thanks for sharing!!!

Trond Saetre · April 23rd, 2008, 02:36 AM

Hi Bob,

You made a very nice video with a good story!
Loved to see how the crocus opens to catch the sunshine.

Well done!

Bryce Comer · April 23rd, 2008, 04:17 AM

Hi Bob,
Well with just 18 minutes of footage i think you did a stella job. It's amazing how we look at the big picture sometimes, & yes, in your opening shots, spring didn't look like it had sprung, but you took us for a closer look, to see the little things, & did a great job of showing us that spring had infact started! Thanks for sharing.

Bryce

Jim Montgomery · April 23rd, 2008, 06:59 AM

Bob

It is not easy find great images in the places we cal home. Not all of us are blessed with Norway, Colorado, wilderness. Your depiction was really well thought out, going full circle. I did find the timing and pacing was a little slow, maybe even trying to catch up.

As said previously don't be afraid to let you narration preclude your images, trim a little tighter, don't dwell but present.

The VO was outstanding and well fit to the piece.

Steven Gotz · April 23rd, 2008, 09:49 AM

It took me a moment to figure out what you were doing, but the transitions from manmade items to the flowers worked perfectly. I like the time lapse on the flowers. It might have been just a touch slow overall, but all in all a nice job.

Ruth Happel · April 23rd, 2008, 11:13 AM

This film showed the value in searching close to home, and looking for beauty in the everyday. I really like the timelapse of the crocus opening to the sun. And the storyline of the lone crocus waiting its turn gave a neat drama to the life of the flowers. Your constantly changing focus- turning from the manmade to nature, showed you see where you look, and if you really focus in, there is always something interesting to see. Thanks for sharing.

Ruth

Mike Beckett · April 23rd, 2008, 01:21 PM

Bob,

You got that from 18 minutes? Mine had 2.5 hours of footage to sift through, and even then I wished I'd taken more. Not to mention that your robin is better dressed than mine.

I loved the focus pulls (I'm such a sucker for them) and the timelapse of the crocuses opening worked well.

I noticed a bit of camera shake on the focus pull from the tree to the hydrant. I tried using my lanc controller, taken off the tripod for that to avoid shake. Then I remembered that Sony have given me shot transition and I could cheat!

You even managed to tug at my heartstrings with that lone crocus waiting for the sun. I'm getting soft in my old age.

It's kind of hard to see as they bounce around in the wind, but your blackbirds look more like our starlings. I always find it fascinating to see the different versions of our domestic birds all round the world.

Bob Thieda · April 23rd, 2008, 01:38 PM

Thanks for all the positive replies...I guess we are our own worst critic...
This is only my second UWOL and I'm very new at this hobby for an old man, so I'm very happy that many of you liked what you saw...

Paul -- You're right. I should have left the Blackbirds out, watching it again. I sure wish the Woodpeckers or the Cardinal pair that visit had been there that day.

Dale, Trond, Bryce, Ruth -- Thanks for the compliments!

Jim, Steven -- Thanks for the advice on speeding things up a bit. I tend to not edit as tight as I should.

Mike -- Yes the camera shake annoyed the heck out of me. I didn't have a LANC controller when I did that, (but I do now!). I did all the focusing with the focus ring....
And the Blackbirds my very well be Starlings. I'm no bird expert, we just always just called them Blackbirds around here.

Oh and BTW, for those that don't know. The hydrant thing is our well head. It may look like civilized suburbia, but have well water.

Bob

Meryem Ersoz · April 23rd, 2008, 09:14 PM

Ah, the one-day wonder, my favorite genre!

They are never as good as you wish they were, and never as bad as you fear!

How's that for a tombstone inscription....?

Catherine Russell · April 23rd, 2008, 10:35 PM

Hi Bob:

Nicely done friend. The title captures this film perfectly. Creative with the transitions, fabulous time laps of the crocuses and nice transition from beginning shot to ending shot with busy traffic to still street. This is a wondrous contribution for a single day of shooting.

I'm impressed.

Cat

Bruce Foreman · April 23rd, 2008, 11:35 PM

Good job, Bob.

I, too, liked the way you made focus part of the focus of the story. While some may have felt the pace was slow I found it relaxing. And Oliver's music seemed very much the right touch there.

Markus Nord · April 25th, 2008, 04:29 AM

Well done! I liked the idea to film in you on yard. Interesting stuff are happening around us, but we seams to over look ‘em, nice VO too. The focus shift are nice, maybe you could have put the camera up to film the flowers… as long as the opening don’t take longer then 1 hour. Before I have put the camera on interval filming, but it some times becomes a bit jumpy, the Time-laps for this round was shot on normal mode and then speeded up to 1000-2000%.

well done Bob!

Rob Evans · April 25th, 2008, 10:17 AM

Yes, I liked this entry - the story telling approach has a really individual style to it. Liked the timelapse and use of the environment around you - it's sometimes too easy to overlook the amazing things around us on a day to day basis. Good film!

April 22nd, 2008, 04:48 AM	#1
Bob Thieda Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 541	UWOL #8 "A Matter of Focus" by Bob Thieda Oh well....Grand ideas + bad weather = poor execution. I had one day of good weather at the start of the challenge, got some shots planning on going out again latter and never did get the chance. So I did the best I could with 18 minutes of tape. I have a list of flaws a mile long, let's see if y'all can find them. :) And maybe there's even a couple good things to see.... But....No shark tank for me. 2 for 2!! Almost forgot...here is a link to the wmv version: http://www.baatfam.com/A_Matter_of_FocusRev6.wmv GL2 with SonyVegasPro8 Bob T. __________________ Bob T. Last edited by Bob Thieda; April 22nd, 2008 at 05:26 AM.

April 22nd, 2008, 06:14 AM	#2
Paul Mailath Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Coast - NSW, Australia Posts: 1,606	I'm not sure when we should post comments but I jumped the gun before so I may as well be consistant.. Loved it! I like the way you used Focus as the name and as the glue that held the piece together. You moved from the tree to the hydrant? and from that to the flowers and the narration introduced all of that. I would have liked to see a smoother timelapse on the flowers. Then you use the tree again to take us to the other side of the house. In the backyard to go from focus on the tree to introduce the plant and then introduce the cardinal from the plant. All of these things are 'a matter of focus'. I found the jump to the blackbirds - sudden. Maybe you could have started the narration "while above.." earlier to introduce the new view. You then take us back through selective focus to the starting scene - all very smooth to my eye. My comments are simply my impressions and are those of an enthusiastic amateur. __________________ Cheers - Paul M. www.perbenyik.com

April 22nd, 2008, 12:35 PM	#3
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Bob, A very nice perspective and the title was perfect!! I liked the running backwards to return to the larger picture and not seeing the little things one needs to focus on in order to see the first images of spring. Very nicely done Oh yea, The domestic crocus' were interesting to me. The last shot in my "rejuvenations" is of the first emerging native flowers of the northern prairies, the native crocus. Rather different. thanks for sharing!!! __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

April 23rd, 2008, 04:17 AM	#5
Bryce Comer Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rossland, British Columbia Posts: 1,024	Hi Bob, Well with just 18 minutes of footage i think you did a stella job. It's amazing how we look at the big picture sometimes, & yes, in your opening shots, spring didn't look like it had sprung, but you took us for a closer look, to see the little things, & did a great job of showing us that spring had infact started! Thanks for sharing. Bryce __________________ There's never enough hours in the day!

April 23rd, 2008, 06:59 AM	#6
Jim Montgomery Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vero Beach Posts: 392	Bob It is not easy find great images in the places we cal home. Not all of us are blessed with Norway, Colorado, wilderness. Your depiction was really well thought out, going full circle. I did find the timing and pacing was a little slow, maybe even trying to catch up. As said previously don't be afraid to let you narration preclude your images, trim a little tighter, don't dwell but present. The VO was outstanding and well fit to the piece. __________________ http://www.billfishadventures.com \| http://www.sfgmedia.com \| http://vimeo.com/2015915

April 23rd, 2008, 02:36 AM	#4
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Hi Bob, You made a very nice video with a good story! Loved to see how the crocus opens to catch the sunshine. Well done!

April 23rd, 2008, 09:49 AM	#7
Steven Gotz Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,520	It took me a moment to figure out what you were doing, but the transitions from manmade items to the flowers worked perfectly. I like the time lapse on the flowers. It might have been just a touch slow overall, but all in all a nice job. __________________ Steven Gotz http://www.stevengotz.com

April 23rd, 2008, 11:13 AM	#8
Ruth Happel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Black Mountain, NC Posts: 488	This film showed the value in searching close to home, and looking for beauty in the everyday. I really like the timelapse of the crocus opening to the sun. And the storyline of the lone crocus waiting its turn gave a neat drama to the life of the flowers. Your constantly changing focus- turning from the manmade to nature, showed you see where you look, and if you really focus in, there is always something interesting to see. Thanks for sharing. Ruth __________________ http://rockfowl.com/

April 23rd, 2008, 01:21 PM	#9
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Bob, You got that from 18 minutes? Mine had 2.5 hours of footage to sift through, and even then I wished I'd taken more. Not to mention that your robin is better dressed than mine. I loved the focus pulls (I'm such a sucker for them) and the timelapse of the crocuses opening worked well. I noticed a bit of camera shake on the focus pull from the tree to the hydrant. I tried using my lanc controller, taken off the tripod for that to avoid shake. Then I remembered that Sony have given me shot transition and I could cheat! You even managed to tug at my heartstrings with that lone crocus waiting for the sun. I'm getting soft in my old age. It's kind of hard to see as they bounce around in the wind, but your blackbirds look more like our starlings. I always find it fascinating to see the different versions of our domestic birds all round the world. __________________ Irish Railway Videos on Youtube

April 23rd, 2008, 01:38 PM	#10
Bob Thieda Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 541	Thanks for all the positive replies...I guess we are our own worst critic... This is only my second UWOL and I'm very new at this hobby for an old man, so I'm very happy that many of you liked what you saw... Paul -- You're right. I should have left the Blackbirds out, watching it again. I sure wish the Woodpeckers or the Cardinal pair that visit had been there that day. Dale, Trond, Bryce, Ruth -- Thanks for the compliments! Jim, Steven -- Thanks for the advice on speeding things up a bit. I tend to not edit as tight as I should. Mike -- Yes the camera shake annoyed the heck out of me. I didn't have a LANC controller when I did that, (but I do now!). I did all the focusing with the focus ring.... And the Blackbirds my very well be Starlings. I'm no bird expert, we just always just called them Blackbirds around here. Oh and BTW, for those that don't know. The hydrant thing is our well head. It may look like civilized suburbia, but have well water. Bob __________________ Bob T.

April 23rd, 2008, 09:14 PM	#11
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	Ah, the one-day wonder, my favorite genre! They are never as good as you wish they were, and never as bad as you fear! How's that for a tombstone inscription....?

April 23rd, 2008, 10:35 PM	#12
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Hi Bob: Nicely done friend. The title captures this film perfectly. Creative with the transitions, fabulous time laps of the crocuses and nice transition from beginning shot to ending shot with busy traffic to still street. This is a wondrous contribution for a single day of shooting. I'm impressed. Cat

April 23rd, 2008, 11:35 PM	#13
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	Good job, Bob. I, too, liked the way you made focus part of the focus of the story. While some may have felt the pace was slow I found it relaxing. And Oliver's music seemed very much the right touch there.

April 25th, 2008, 04:29 AM	#14
Markus Nord Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vastervik ,Sweden Posts: 639	Well done! I liked the idea to film in you on yard. Interesting stuff are happening around us, but we seams to over look ‘em, nice VO too. The focus shift are nice, maybe you could have put the camera up to film the flowers… as long as the opening don’t take longer then 1 hour. Before I have put the camera on interval filming, but it some times becomes a bit jumpy, the Time-laps for this round was shot on normal mode and then speeded up to 1000-2000%. well done Bob! __________________ www.nordproduktion.se https://vimeo.com/nordproduktion

April 25th, 2008, 10:17 AM	#15
Rob Evans Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 390	Yes, I liked this entry - the story telling approach has a really individual style to it. Liked the timelapse and use of the environment around you - it's sometimes too easy to overlook the amazing things around us on a day to day basis. Good film!