Getting Psyched for UWOL 18? Here's some food for thought
 

Hey guys:

Got to love it! I've just spent over an hour writing this thread on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and upon hitting the submit button it simply poofs and vanishes into thin air. Splendid! So this re-write it more the abridged version.

Tonight at midnight the sign up thread for UWOL 18 will close. So far 22 of you have signed up (you all inspire!) and the thread is still open for those of you lurking in the shadows wondering if you dare take part in the fun that awaits for those who play. If that's you, then dare! You are welcome, and you will be amazed at how fun this forum can be.

I thought I would give you some food for thought concerning the theme for this round to get those cognitive wheels turning. But before I do, I thought I'd mention that it is Halloween here in the U.S. and strange creatures come out of the woodwork during the day and night at this time. As a nod to Kevin, I shared a grocery aisle yesterday with none other than a 6 foot tall shocking pink sexy yetti. I kid you not.

So let's get inspired and focused on the round at hand.

Food for thought 1:

As wildlife filmmakers we have a unique relationship with our subjects. We are there but not seen. We are bystanders that capture a moment that otherwise would not be witnessed. We are bystanders, but we are not passive. We actively direct through our camera choices, lenses, filters and position. We do not interact, but we are personal and there in the moment. Through what we do as filmmakers we give powerful suggestions as to what we see. The filmmaker through this relationship with their subject makes the viewer forget that there was a filmmaker there. Instead the viewer feels as if they are there, in the moment, in real time. This relationship between filmmaker and subject is one reason why wildlife film is so captivating and powerful.

Food for thought 2:

... the sunrise could just be seen over the horizon, bursting with hues of crimson, gold, purple and green dancing off clouds like monster heads with silver linings...

... its wing spread into a fan of aerodynamic perfection. Each feather positioned just so to orchestrate lift, dive and roll. What at first seemed pure black, now in motion reflected a sheen made of purple and green...

...the tree bark smelled of butterscotch and comprised of layer upon layer of tightly knit puzzle pieces of soft pulp with a rough exterior skin...

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Okay, that should get the juices flowing until tomorrow!

If you haven't already, be sure to fire me your e-mail address to uwol@spikeproductions.com so I can get you into my e-mail database. I need addresses from:

Chris Barcellos, Chris Swanberg, Ruth Happel, Ryan Farnes, Bill Thesken, Bob Safay and Rob Evans.

Thank you for taking on this challenge! You inspire!

Cat

A picture paints a thousand words!

However, just as some people are gifted with the ability to use words to create powerful images and take us to places we haven’t been before, it takes more than just a cameraman to craft images into a visually powerful and meaningful piece.

C’mon Cat – let’s have the theme so we can paint some ‘magic’ into this challenge!