I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman

Gordon Hoffman · October 13th, 2015, 07:01 AM

As usual I was running out of time to get this done as I was having trouble getting the idea going. The idea started to form from the discussion going on about the UWOL Challenge. I tried to work some of my old DV footage in to see if I could do it so I edited everything at 720p. Somethings worked I think but some shots didn't do very good. I'll need to try a few different things to see if I can use some of the footage yet. I also need to do more editing so I can remember how to do things and not always searching the help files to refresh my memory as to how to do it. I end up spending to much time not getting anything done. I know I need to do a bit of tweaking of some of the shots which I had planned on working on but time was running out so I didn't get it done.
Anyway it was fun going back and looking at my old footage. A lot of memories there.
Open to any suggestions and especially on using 4x3 SD footage in a hidef video.
Thanks for taking a look.

Gordon

Mark Williams · October 13th, 2015, 08:15 AM

I enjoyed the narrative and visuals. It reminded me a little of Marty Stouffer's Wild America series.

Catherine Russell · October 13th, 2015, 10:40 AM

Hi Gordon:

Standard def or 4K, you have fantastic footage and your experience slugging a camera around in the wild shows. The male Grouse thumping and beating its wings, in that lighting, made me gasp. Again, the capture of the elk bugling at dusk, an entirely different lighting situation, was difficult to capture as you did. It shows off your skill behind the lens.

The 4K footage of the falls is exciting. I know nothing about shooting in 4K, but it is spectacular to see it in action. Your hard-earned skill set on the other cameras will bring stunning footage on this top-end camera for all future UWOLS. Looking forward to what you will bring!

Creatively, I thought you had some nice things going here too. I like the way you intro and exit the video showing you looking out across the landscape, making it clear that you are thinking back through old times.

Also creatively, I thought it clever how you visually showed video footage from the 3 different cameras as you stepped through them verbally in the narration. Nice touch.

As far as tips on working with standard video in high def productions, I have one idea. In Adobe After Effects (and probably several other editing software), it's possible to make a video available in 3-d space so you can position it "closer" to the viewing camera, making the same footage maintain its resolution but fill up the screen more.

Thanks for the entry, Gordon! I liked this very much, but when all is said and done I think I liked the footage of the mountain goats the most.... I'm very partial to them!

Best,
Cat

Tim Lewis · October 13th, 2015, 10:48 AM

Hi Gordon

It seems that retrospectives were a popular way to go. The use of a voice over was a good idea and gives flow and context to the wide variety of shots. Did you write the dialogue first and fit the shots to it?

I am not an expert ensuing different formats together, so I will steer away from that one. I enjoyed it as a whole and thought it showcased your beautiful area well.

Kevin Railsback · October 13th, 2015, 01:09 PM

Damn you Gordon!!! You've shot so many fantastic subjects and so many great locations!
I have corn fields and soybean fields here as my landscapes and cows and pigs as my wildlife!!

Your footage stands the test of time and it sounded like you were almost apologetic that you didn't get into HD right away. You know, it's not so much about resolution as it is the content of your footage.

I know guys that have Red Epics and Dragons and their footage frankly sucks. You've shot better footage in standard def than a lot of people have shot in 4k.

I really liked the way you took us along on your filmmaking journey and brought us up to date.

So many beautiful shots but the elk at dusk was one of the most stunning for me.

I hope we see you in the challenge next month! Put that 4k camera to use and keep on stunning us with your beautiful imagery!!!

Trond Saetre · October 13th, 2015, 01:36 PM

Hi Gordon,

You nailed it this time! What a great film you made.
I have watched it again and again, and I honestly can't see what is SD. It all looks impressive and great quality to me.

I agree with what has been said already.
Well done!

Gordon Hoffman · October 14th, 2015, 03:22 AM

Mark
Thanks for watching.

Cat
Wow thanks. One thing I do have is a lot of footage to play with from over the years. One good thing is the cameras are getting smaller and lighter to pack around. 4k is interesting but since my camera only shoots it in 30p it makes motion a little more challenging. Maybe if I had shot film before it might be easier to shoot. I tend to shoot more in 1080p60. As for the intro I used it in one of the challenge I called "I Wonder", hence the title this round.
Thanks again.

Tim
Thanks. As for the dialogue I usually try to fit it to what I have for footage but sometime I have to try and get the shots to fit it.

Kevin
Eat your heart out Kevin!!! Yes I have it made when it comes to wildlife and scenery. You just have to be able to tolerate the wind. Content is king but I have had inquires about some of my footage but when they find out it is only SD they lose interest pretty fast. But this fun shoot got me looking back through my footage and there is a lot of memories there. I really appreciate your comments. Thanks.

Trond
This was fun to do and I knew I had lots of footage to pick from. The squirrel and grouse shots were SD footage. The wide shot of the squirrel is one that really suffered. As I mentioned it was a trip down memory lane going back looking at my old stuff. Thanks.

Gordon

Trond Saetre · October 14th, 2015, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Hoffman

The wide shot of the squirrel is one that really suffered.

Had to go back and watch your film again. Yes, I can see the wide shot of the squirrel is a bit less sharp than the others, but the squirrel seems to stay sharp and in focus. So I think you did well with the mix of SD and HD footage anyway.

Paul Wood · October 15th, 2015, 08:40 AM

What a great film Gordon - going back over your entries and following the seasons across the year, and then tying in the advent of HD and 4K with new footage made for compelling watching.
The elk footage is spectacular !

I thought the waterfall sound overshadowed the VO a bit at 01.51, but thats being over observant, and I would have held that last shot of the head scratching just bit after the VO ends, before fading to the credits.

Geir Inge · October 15th, 2015, 10:50 AM

Hi Gordon.
What an impressive video you have created.
The colors of some of the footage is superb.
VO is great and you have a suitable opening image.
It is the first time I see squirrels dive for food.
Have the squirrel food storage in the river?
I am very pleased that you have submitted this video.
Hope you join the next round.
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers!

Gordon Hoffman · October 16th, 2015, 12:00 PM

Paul
I agree about the audio of the waterfalls being a little louder than it should. I was having some problems with lowering the volume for some reason so I let it go. Holding the last shot longer would be easy enoiugh to do.
Thanks for the comments.

Geir Inge
That's the only time I've ever seen squirrels picking up cones under water. It was spring thaw so the water was running and I suspect the cone had fell in or got blown in with the melt. I figured they were nice and soft so maybe why the squirrels were after them but that's just a guess on my part.
Thanks a lot for the comments.

Gordon

Phil Stanley · October 17th, 2015, 04:01 PM

Excellent I really enjoyed the film, thanks for posting

Vishal Jadhav · October 17th, 2015, 11:36 PM

Very nice looking footage

I love the deer silhouette shot a lot as well as the grouse and there was some weasel picking up something from under the water.

Gordon Hoffman · October 19th, 2015, 07:28 AM

Phil
Thanks for watching I appreciate it.

Vishal
Thanks for the comments. The red squirrel is after spruce cones under the water.

Gordon

October 13th, 2015, 07:01 AM	#1
Gordon Hoffman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada Posts: 619	I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 As usual I was running out of time to get this done as I was having trouble getting the idea going. The idea started to form from the discussion going on about the UWOL Challenge. I tried to work some of my old DV footage in to see if I could do it so I edited everything at 720p. Somethings worked I think but some shots didn't do very good. I'll need to try a few different things to see if I can use some of the footage yet. I also need to do more editing so I can remember how to do things and not always searching the help files to refresh my memory as to how to do it. I end up spending to much time not getting anything done. I know I need to do a bit of tweaking of some of the shots which I had planned on working on but time was running out so I didn't get it done. Anyway it was fun going back and looking at my old footage. A lot of memories there. Open to any suggestions and especially on using 4x3 SD footage in a hidef video. Thanks for taking a look. I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman UWOL Fun shoot on Vimeo Gordon Last edited by Gordon Hoffman; October 13th, 2015 at 07:05 AM. Reason: forgot to link to video

October 13th, 2015, 08:15 AM	#2
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 I enjoyed the narrative and visuals. It reminded me a little of Marty Stouffer's Wild America series. __________________ Mark videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29

October 13th, 2015, 10:40 AM	#3
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Hi Gordon: Standard def or 4K, you have fantastic footage and your experience slugging a camera around in the wild shows. The male Grouse thumping and beating its wings, in that lighting, made me gasp. Again, the capture of the elk bugling at dusk, an entirely different lighting situation, was difficult to capture as you did. It shows off your skill behind the lens. The 4K footage of the falls is exciting. I know nothing about shooting in 4K, but it is spectacular to see it in action. Your hard-earned skill set on the other cameras will bring stunning footage on this top-end camera for all future UWOLS. Looking forward to what you will bring! Creatively, I thought you had some nice things going here too. I like the way you intro and exit the video showing you looking out across the landscape, making it clear that you are thinking back through old times. Also creatively, I thought it clever how you visually showed video footage from the 3 different cameras as you stepped through them verbally in the narration. Nice touch. As far as tips on working with standard video in high def productions, I have one idea. In Adobe After Effects (and probably several other editing software), it's possible to make a video available in 3-d space so you can position it "closer" to the viewing camera, making the same footage maintain its resolution but fill up the screen more. Thanks for the entry, Gordon! I liked this very much, but when all is said and done I think I liked the footage of the mountain goats the most.... I'm very partial to them! Best, Cat

October 13th, 2015, 10:48 AM	#4
Tim Lewis Major Player Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Perth, Western Australia. Posts: 591	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Hi Gordon It seems that retrospectives were a popular way to go. The use of a voice over was a good idea and gives flow and context to the wide variety of shots. Did you write the dialogue first and fit the shots to it? I am not an expert ensuing different formats together, so I will steer away from that one. I enjoyed it as a whole and thought it showcased your beautiful area well. __________________ Cheers Tim

October 13th, 2015, 01:09 PM	#5
Kevin Railsback Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Posts: 1,544	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Damn you Gordon!!! You've shot so many fantastic subjects and so many great locations! I have corn fields and soybean fields here as my landscapes and cows and pigs as my wildlife!! Your footage stands the test of time and it sounded like you were almost apologetic that you didn't get into HD right away. You know, it's not so much about resolution as it is the content of your footage. I know guys that have Red Epics and Dragons and their footage frankly sucks. You've shot better footage in standard def than a lot of people have shot in 4k. I really liked the way you took us along on your filmmaking journey and brought us up to date. So many beautiful shots but the elk at dusk was one of the most stunning for me. I hope we see you in the challenge next month! Put that 4k camera to use and keep on stunning us with your beautiful imagery!!! __________________ --==Kevin==-- http:naturephotostudios.com.com

October 13th, 2015, 01:36 PM	#6
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Hi Gordon, You nailed it this time! What a great film you made. I have watched it again and again, and I honestly can't see what is SD. It all looks impressive and great quality to me. I agree with what has been said already. Well done!

October 14th, 2015, 03:22 AM	#7
Gordon Hoffman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada Posts: 619	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Mark Thanks for watching. Cat Wow thanks. One thing I do have is a lot of footage to play with from over the years. One good thing is the cameras are getting smaller and lighter to pack around. 4k is interesting but since my camera only shoots it in 30p it makes motion a little more challenging. Maybe if I had shot film before it might be easier to shoot. I tend to shoot more in 1080p60. As for the intro I used it in one of the challenge I called "I Wonder", hence the title this round. Thanks again. Tim Thanks. As for the dialogue I usually try to fit it to what I have for footage but sometime I have to try and get the shots to fit it. Kevin Eat your heart out Kevin!!! Yes I have it made when it comes to wildlife and scenery. You just have to be able to tolerate the wind. Content is king but I have had inquires about some of my footage but when they find out it is only SD they lose interest pretty fast. But this fun shoot got me looking back through my footage and there is a lot of memories there. I really appreciate your comments. Thanks. Trond This was fun to do and I knew I had lots of footage to pick from. The squirrel and grouse shots were SD footage. The wide shot of the squirrel is one that really suffered. As I mentioned it was a trip down memory lane going back looking at my old stuff. Thanks. Gordon

October 15th, 2015, 08:40 AM	#9
Paul Wood Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 485	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 What a great film Gordon - going back over your entries and following the seasons across the year, and then tying in the advent of HD and 4K with new footage made for compelling watching. The elk footage is spectacular ! I thought the waterfall sound overshadowed the VO a bit at 01.51, but thats being over observant, and I would have held that last shot of the head scratching just bit after the VO ends, before fading to the credits.

October 15th, 2015, 10:50 AM	#10
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,342	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Hi Gordon. What an impressive video you have created. The colors of some of the footage is superb. VO is great and you have a suitable opening image. It is the first time I see squirrels dive for food. Have the squirrel food storage in the river? I am very pleased that you have submitted this video. Hope you join the next round. Thanks for sharing. Cheers! __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

October 16th, 2015, 12:00 PM	#11
Gordon Hoffman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada Posts: 619	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Paul I agree about the audio of the waterfalls being a little louder than it should. I was having some problems with lowering the volume for some reason so I let it go. Holding the last shot longer would be easy enoiugh to do. Thanks for the comments. Geir Inge That's the only time I've ever seen squirrels picking up cones under water. It was spring thaw so the water was running and I suspect the cone had fell in or got blown in with the melt. I figured they were nice and soft so maybe why the squirrels were after them but that's just a guess on my part. Thanks a lot for the comments. Gordon

October 17th, 2015, 04:01 PM	#12
Phil Stanley Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: London Posts: 148	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Excellent I really enjoyed the film, thanks for posting __________________ Phil Stanley

October 17th, 2015, 11:36 PM	#13
Vishal Jadhav Major Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Pune, Mah , India Posts: 445	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Very nice looking footage I love the deer silhouette shot a lot as well as the grouse and there was some weasel picking up something from under the water. __________________ vishal jadhav www.indianwilderness.com

October 19th, 2015, 07:28 AM	#14
Gordon Hoffman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada Posts: 619	Re: I Wonder II by Gordon Hoffman - Fun Shoot 2015 Phil Thanks for watching I appreciate it. Vishal Thanks for the comments. The red squirrel is after spruce cones under the water. Gordon