Bryce Comer-The last remaining mountain caribou-Long form at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > The DV Info Network > The UWOL Challenge

The UWOL Challenge
An organized competition for Under Water, Over Land videographers!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old February 17th, 2009, 12:34 PM   #1
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rossland, British Columbia
Posts: 1,024
Bryce Comer-The last remaining mountain caribou-Long form

Hi all,
Well i've been really busy of late & unfortunately i haven't yet been able to get any footage for my long form project. What i do have however, is a bit of a script that i have put together. It basically outlines what the project will cover, & will probably change a lot along the way. You will see that i have started with the rut which is in October, then the story will continue through to the summer months. Since it is now getting on to late winter here, & i will only be starting to film in the coming weeks, i will be gathering footage & putting it all together bit by bit throughout the year, but it won't all take it's proper shape until around November, when i have the last of the footage i will need.
Anyway, attached is my script. Please help me out with any feedback you may have so i might be able to better plan how this project will end up. Looking at what everyone has been producing over the last year & a bit, i'm sure you will all have some great ideas that will help me out.
Thanks,
Bryce
Attached Files
File Type: doc The last remaining Mountain Caribou.doc (55.0 KB, 472 views)
__________________
There's never enough hours in the day!
Bryce Comer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 17th, 2009, 03:32 PM   #2
Major Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: bergen norway
Posts: 235
Hello Bryce


Lock trow your script and It lock facinating,and hope you get the cut you
nead. But I think we are in same boat ,the mountiain is big were you are to,
I think it give allot of training

Lock forword to your entery.

All Best !!
VJV.
__________________
WestCoast-film.
www.vidarvedaa.com
Vidar Vedaa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 19th, 2009, 10:25 PM   #3
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Lyons, Colorado
Posts: 1,224
Hi Bryce:

Well, following the caribou for a year and documenting on ways to help them survive in the future is well worth while. I read through your report and am impressed. Do you think you can actually film the calving season? Do you know where they go?

Looking forward to viewing your progress on filming and documenting these beautiful animals!

Cat
Catherine Russell is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 19th, 2009, 10:57 PM   #4
Major Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 904
Bryce....

Wow...you have set yourself a big challenge. I hope that you can find the herds and bring back some awesome footage of the things you describe.

Some years ago I rode a bicycle across the Yukon. I have always wanted to go back, and hoped to be able to do when when the caribou are migrating. I was told at one place that there were thousands of Caribou there when they passed on their journey. Take me there, please ?

Chris S.

ps. I had heard that a typical Caribou gives mosquitos about a quart of blood in a season. Whether that is true or not or whether it was told to me so I would not feel bad about giving a pint I do not know....but that would be an interesting angle to cover.

Last edited by Chris Swanberg; February 20th, 2009 at 03:07 AM.
Chris Swanberg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 20th, 2009, 07:25 PM   #5
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rossland, British Columbia
Posts: 1,024
Hi Cat, hi Chris,
Well, yeah, i am already thinking that it will be a struggle to get the footage i am after, but if i do, i will be wrapped & it will all be worth it. There are so few of this type of caribou left & in the area where i live, the herd has only about 35 in an area covering 1500 square kilometers, that's a population density of roughly 23 for every 1000 square kilometers. Slightly further north there is another herd that is 130 strong & even though the area where they live is much larger, the population density is slightly better at around 27 caribou for every 1000 square kilometers.
I will definately need the help of some experts on this one, & will be looking to get that expert advice from a number of bioligists that work on maintaining these last remaining populations of mountain caribou.
I have definately set my sights high with this project, & realistically, if it were a project undertaken by National Geographic or the likes, then it may well be filmed over the period of 2 years or more, so if i can pull off something that resembles my original plan in the next 10 months, then i will be very happy.
Bryce
__________________
There's never enough hours in the day!
Bryce Comer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 21st, 2009, 03:27 AM   #6
Major Player
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Latrobe Valley, Vic
Posts: 320
Hi Bryce
I like the idea you have; ambitious and with a good aim in mind. It will be difficult at times I'm sure, but with the right guidance and assistance you should have an easier time of finding places to go to get the footage. Maybe someone knows a mating call you can try, or a smell to lure them over long distance... or not, but you never know till you take the next step.

Good luck, I'm sure you will get something interesting by the end of the project.
Andrew Hood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 21st, 2009, 04:06 PM   #7
Trustee
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Akershus, Norway
Posts: 1,413
Hi Bryce,
a very interesting and ambitious project you have! If you got only a few shoots like the pictures in doc, you have a winner for sure!

Look forward to view some of your footage when you have something to upload.

Good luck with your project, Bryce
__________________
- Per Johan
Per Johan Naesje is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 22nd, 2009, 05:02 AM   #8
Trustee
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Larsnes, Norway
Posts: 1,342
Hi Bryce.
It seems like you have a great plan and an ambitious too :)
I guess you have to hike a lot in the mountains, or is it possible to go by car?
Do you have any to ask where to find the herd? I guess the caribou is walking all the time from place to place?
Wish you all the best and looking forward to see your film.
Remember to bring with you enough batteries :)
Geir Inge
__________________
Geir Inge B. Brekke
Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm
Geir Inge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 22nd, 2009, 06:43 PM   #9
Inner Circle
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 3,048
Bryce,

Boy you have a big job ahead of you!!! what a great challenge and effort!! I look forward to some of you first posts of footage.
Can you get up there to get some winter footage as well??
__________________
DATS ALL FOLKS
Dale W. Guthormsen
Dale Guthormsen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 23rd, 2009, 12:17 AM   #10
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rossland, British Columbia
Posts: 1,024
Ok, for what ever reason, i don't seem to be able to edit my original post so i will have to put a link here to my video on Vimeo. I still need to upload it to the UWOL site, but will need to do that tomorrow night, as i need to get some shuteye! Here is the link. Comer-UWOL-longform on Vimeo
Regards,
Bryce
__________________
There's never enough hours in the day!
Bryce Comer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 23rd, 2009, 01:19 AM   #11
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rossland, British Columbia
Posts: 1,024
HI all,
Well, i have got a video up on Vimeo now, still need to upload to the UWOL server, but should get that sorted out tomorrow night.
Dale, you're not wrong when you say i have a job ahead of me. The more i think about it, the more i think wow, what was i thinking! I will be trying to get some footage of them before the end of winter. It's actually a bit easier to track them, just harder to follow the tracks! :)
Geir, I will be travelling into areas & along forestry roads by car but then a lot of the places where i will need to go will only be accessible by foot, so there will be a lot of hiking involved. I will make sure i have plenty of batteries, but interestingly enough, i was just looking the other day at a small solar powered battery charger that can be used for hiking. I really like the idea of this as i'm also then cutting down on the amount of greenhouse gasses i am producing every time i charge my batteries. It's only something very small, but hey, every little bit helps huh!
Per, thanks for the encouragement, if i can get anywhere near the quality of footage you seem to be able to get eack time you go out, then i will be very happy. Of course, i would like hope that that footage will include Mountain Caribou, & hopefully some of the predators that prey on them.
Andrew, Yes i will definately need help with this one. I have emailed some people that work in these areas & will be contacting more in the hope that i will get some help & guidance. I may well be able to use a call like with elk, but i'm not even sure if they have one, not to mention that with elk, the calling usually occurs in Autumn when it is the mating season. I would also like to be able to get all of my filming done without any interference to the caribou at all. Quite a few of the nature programs i see on tv nowadays seem to be so "in the face" of the wildlife & i can't imagine that's a really good thing for them. So for me, i would like to do all my work as an "observer" & not as a "player" so to speak.
Regards,
Bryce
__________________
There's never enough hours in the day!
Bryce Comer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 26th, 2009, 03:04 AM   #12
Major Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Pembrokeshire, Wales
Posts: 734
That's quite some project you have outlined. I think one of the fascinating aspects of this challenge is seeing how films develop from those initial proposals.

Bt "in your face" wildlife do you mean those that sensationalise the animals, or those with lots of close-ups. I tend to avoid the first kind. The wonderful close-ups in conventional wildlife films must come largely from the incredible magnification possible with today's zoom lenses on relatively small (compared with 35mm film) chips. Our Canon XHA1's don't have quite that ability - so I'll be interested in how much you get extra with that Raynox 1.8 TC.

Good luck
__________________
Canon XH A1; Canon XF100; Nikon D800
Annie Haycock is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 26th, 2009, 04:54 AM   #13
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bristol
Posts: 92
Wow. What a proposal. A great idea for a film and the back drop makes for great viewing. I look forward to your progress.
I think the help of local biologists is a must for this one.

Good luck.
Mihali Moore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 26th, 2009, 09:20 AM   #14
Trustee
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rossland, British Columbia
Posts: 1,024
Hi all,
Annie, Yes it will be interesting to see how things develop over the course of the project. I really hope i can put it together as in my plan, but i think it will need a lot of work & some luck too. What i meant by "in the face" of the wildlife was what you thought, the sensationalism & invading the space of the animals being filmed. It may make for better ratings for television viewing, but it's not what i want. I don't mean to be negative towards the people who make programs in that way, it's just not what i would like to see if i had the choice. The 1.8x tele converter that i use does a great job, but still i am limited to the 1400mm (or there abouts), range that it gives me. I will probably need to do a lot of filming from a hide in order to get close enough to my subjects. Only time will tell.
Mihali, Thanks for the encouragement. It certainly is a beautiful place where the mountain caribou live, hopefully i can show it off in my film. I agree that without the help of the biologists i would have little hope of pulling off something like this, even with their help i think it will be a big task. I have searched the internet for footage of mountain caribou & have come up with nothing, so maybe if i do succeed i will have some pretty unique footage.
Regards,
Bryce
__________________
There's never enough hours in the day!
Bryce Comer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old February 27th, 2009, 04:02 PM   #15
Major Player
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 880
Bryce,
Here’s a suggestion. With such a large sexy animal with such small numbers why not play up the air of mystery? Especially if you have trouble getting as much footage as you want. First tease us with a couple of long shots as you do the introduction then follow the efforts of a biologist as he or she tries and tries to locate the animals to study and protect. Follow their early fruitless efforts, their perseverance, and build up to the final moment when they finally find the herd and all is revealed. With little footage existing the offer of access to your raw footage may be just the incentive the biologist needs to help and be on camera. The footage you showed us is really nice. I only have two complaints. That first pan across the mountains could go a bit slower. We flatlanders would like a couple more seconds to take it in. Second, three minutes is not enough- I want to see more!
Mike Sims is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > The DV Info Network > The UWOL Challenge

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:34 AM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network