Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hi everyone:

Thanks again Trond, for all you do to keep this forum alive and well!

Okay! So this is an attempt to be amusing, and it will either work or really fall flat. Two years ago we experienced a catastrophic flood here in Colorado and all last year I spent my time producing a documentary looking at the science behind what happened. Trond was awesome to sit through the entire thing and give feedback. So dear Marj and Steve, my flippant comment on your other post that informative video was over-rated these days was very tongue-in-cheek and I sincerely hope I didn't offend your mastery of this kind of endeavor. :)

Thus, it is wonderful to spring off of the past two years of serious stuff and just be silly! Thanks for the comments! I haven't checked the levels of feedback yet in rule #9, but I think you should go for it and... rip away!

Can't wait to see your works, they look really interesting!

Cat

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Oh yeah, here's the link to my entry. And also, I have forgotten how difficult it is to create and wrap up a story in 3-4 minutes! It's great practice and one of the best parts about this forum :)

Cat

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Thanks Catherine

That was a different way to wrap together such different footage and keep the audience involved. A really good effort with plenty of action. It must have taken a fair bit of editing time.

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hi Catherine,

Very good to finally have you back again, my friend. (I won't let you get away for such a long time until next challenge you participate in, hahaha)

This was fun to watch! And I have already watched it a couple times now.
You have a great communication line with all the animals, haha. Nice to have them cooperate.

Your film made me think about how much of the nature shows we see on tv is staged and how much is the real deal.

Thanks for sharing another of your masterly edited films.
Well done!

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hey Cat!

First of all, WELCOME BACK! You've been greatly missed!

Your entry brought a smile to my face! What fun you must have had putting it all together.

First you put giant koi in a tiny little "pond" and now you have wildlife so talented that they take direction! :)

I do have a confession to make... I do that sort of "directing" all the time when I'm filming wildlife. Wish the subjects I filmed were as cooperative!!!

I think a lot of non wildlife filmmakers have no clue how difficult it is to get good footage of wildlife.
Not only do you have no control of the light and the weather or location, you have no control over your subject.

There are some people out there that probably think this is really how it's done. I know Yellowstone showed a comment card from someone asking that they train their wildlife to be more visible and closer to the road because they were disappointed that they didn't see that much wildlife.

There have also been comments left asking what time they let the animals out of the cages in the morning so that they knew what time to be out to get pictures of them all.

All I know is that your film gave me the chuckles and after being on hold with customer service for several hours over the past two days for my dogs GPS tracker, I really needed it.

Hope to see you throw your hat in for the challenge next month.

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hi Trond and Kevin:

I've missed you both too! And it is so nice to jump in again!

Thanks for the watch and the comments. Yes, it is amazing how accommodating animals will be after the footage is taken and when the story line is built in after the fact :) HA! --Kevin, i'm thrilled I was able to make the "infinitely put on hold" situation tolerable! :)

Kevin, I think you are right in that one just can't imagine how difficult it is to photo-shoot wildlife until one tries it. That's why I am so immensely humbled at the skill of my UWOL friends.

And Trond, wasn't there a big UWOL discussion awhile back on just this topic... the purity of the nature shoot and how far can you go to bend it for that perfect shot we all live for as wildlife filmmakers? When you start discussing that one, pure wildlife filming becomes nearly impossible.

Hi Tim:

Thanks for being a part of this round and for sharing your video! Yes, this took a lot of editing, but not all at this time. I did the bulk of the work awhile ago for something else, and then reshaped it and cut it way down for this entry. So it was pretty painless this time :)

The best to you all,

Cat

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Yes there sure was a heated discussion a long time ago, causing some people to withdraw from UWOL. Was a sad event, that I hope never be repeated.
(I was just reminded of some behind the scenes of the Australian Steve Irvin's shows.)

Hopefully most people realize how hard work it really is to make a nature film, especially when the wildlife is involved.

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hi Cat let me welcome you back also.
I have to say that this was really clever. Man what I could do with a lot of the footage I have if I could come up ideas like this. The comments that Kevin was making reminds me of the time I sold some footage to a producer of a show who told me I should go back and shoot it in better light. I was thrilled I even got what I got as it was not going to happen again.
Thanks for this and hope to see you in the Challenge again.

Gordon

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hi Catherine and welcome back.
You've been missed.

Your video made me laugh and lightened up my day.
Tell me, is that the same Megan as in your earlier work?
She is just adorable.
You are a true Wizzard of Uwol.
Your work shows that one can approach different ways to fulfill an Uwol video.
It's true, it all seem so easy but we know better. It's hard work, timing and luck that makes the best recordings.
Sorry, but I can't put a finger on anything to make this video better.
Perhaps it was this fun shoot, we need to revitalize Uwol?

Thanks for sharing!
Geir Inge

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Lovely idea, Cat!

And very well executed, although I did find the ¨photo flash¨ effect a bit overwhelming after a while. The content and the voiceover was very well done, and I really enjoyed your entry!

Thanks, Paul.

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hi Paul! Thanks for watching. I sincerely appreciate you!

... and you're right... the flashes could have been toned down some for sure.

And "hi" to you too, Geir. It's so nice to meet up again in UWOL land. I've missed you, friend! And yes, that is Meagan. She's still around. That is old footage though, and 3 out of the 7 in the video have passed away this year. We are an aging farm. Nothing stays the same does it!

Cat

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

This is pretty unique way to present.

i kind off just liked the approach of how it rolls

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Cat, I am sitting by the lake in Salo, Italy, I just watched your video. It was so good I had to share it with relatives. Seeing those shots of Longs Peak ln Rocky Mountain national Park made me remember the summer 1975, when I had the privilege of working there. You bought back great memories. I miss it. take care and keep shooting, Bob

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Hi Vishal! I'm Cat, and it's nice to meet you. Thanks for taking a look at this quirky little video.

Bob.... oh wow, Italy, I'm very envious! How are you, friend? Long time no hear from, which is my fault because it's been such a long time since I have visited the forum. Thanks for the kind words! For some reason I was thinking this was rather a flop. Your enthusiasm has really given me a boost :). How long in Italy? Are you filming there too? Can't wait to hear more about what you're up to!

Best,
Cat

Re: Studio B - Cat Russell - UWOL fun shoot
 

Cat, believe me I loved that little video. It took a lot of imagination and creativity to put it altogether and it really worked. I have been traveling for the last three weeks to Switzerland, Italy, and Croatia. About a year ago my brother and his wife decided to move to a small town in northern Italy named Salo, it was named after Giuseppe Salo, the man who invented the violin.It is absolutely beautiful. I will be returning to the states in a few days, and after wrapping up some paying projects for the government I plan to enter the next challenge. Take care and keep shooting. Bob.