UWOL#25 - Boda² - Simon Wood

[Simon Wood]

Hi Oliver;

Thanks for watching. I sort of do this for a living, but I have another business that I am involved in, so its kind of complicated. I used to work for a TV in production, and then later in a station doing News Editing (using linear editing tape to tape machines). But then I left the industry to go into tourism for a good while.

I personally prefer not to use narration for my films, so I always try to get someone to tell the story. The reason for this is twofold, firstly I like to hear it from the other persons perspective, and secondly; I hate the sound of my own voice!

Hey Marj,

Thanks for watching! Yes, I did a number of big trips using public transport in SA in the early 2000's - mainly minibus taxis. I had some interesting experiences doing the Drakensburg by taxi; the drivers would put the bus in neutral and coast down the mountain roads trying not to use the brakes. Thrilling stuff!

Yeah, the edit was pulled of in one night, though I should probably revisit the edit some time in the future because I am sure there is some better footage in there.

With regards to the theme; yes this was 'Plan D', and before I committed myself to the project I had to jump through some mental hurdles to ensure that the theme would fit (or at least be shoe-horned into place!).

The way I saw it was like this: on the surface the theme expanding horizons worked in terms of the tour (bringing people to places they would not normally go to on tour) - as seen in the film. The people on the tour consisted of a German Couple and a Danish man; they had all come to Uganda to see nature (National Parks and Gorilla trekking for the Germans, the Danish guy was climbing the Rwenzoris). So for them Walters tours allowed them to expand their own horizons beyond what they would normally see on a holiday abroad.

However, in terms of my own personal filmmaking experience; I decided to expand my horizons beyond the regular confines of UWOL and make an urban based film - essentially this is urban exploration. Yes, its not a traditional UWOL movie; but I felt the theme enabled it to move outside the regular bounds and into new territory.

;)

[Lorinda Norton]

You have proven mastery in so many elements of filmmaking, Simon. It's always the complete package. I'm going to give special mention to the editing, simply because it is so crucial to the success of a film. All the great shot choices, actors/talent, directing, etc. can't lift a video to excellence without great editing. You've got the eye and feel for it that we can all study to improve our own editing skills. Thanks for sharing an interesting and fun new horizon!

[Simon Wood]

Hi Lorinda,

Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed the editing! This edit actually came together quite quickly (in one night), but I find I usually work better when I'm under pressure. When I have lots of time on my hands I usually find myself distracted by other things, and I end up doing the edit in fits and starts. Once the deadline is close, I tend to focus better.

I'm going to try something different for the next round though; as Geir pointed out my edits are quite similar for these projects so I need to get out of my comfort zone and try a new tack.

With regards to the movie; I see it is now my 2nd most viewed film (on Vimeo); just a few hundred views below 'The Source'. At this rate it will become my most viewed video in about 2 weeks. Walter had posted it up on his Facebook and Trip Advisor page; and I see most of the views are coming from those 3rd party sites, so I am happy to say it is fulfilling its second purpose relatively well.