First-ever "Under Water, Over Land" Video Shoot-out
 

Chris Hurd has green-lighted the first ever "Under Water, Over Land" video shoot-out. This is in no way intended to replace or compete with Dylan Couper's fun-fest, the DV Challenge. In fact, I still plan to sign myself up on a semi-regular basis to submit to Dylan's fiendish torture.

Instead, the "Under Water, Over Land" forum is a brand-new opportunity for you documentarians, planet Earth-lovers, tree-huggers, extreme sports enthusiasts, bird-watchers, sea-dwellers, and guys and girls who like to walk around with cameras shooting stuff in their neighborhoods, to participate in a different kind of challenge.

Each month, or thereabouts, we'll give an "Under Water, Over Land" topic (examples would include, f'rinstance, mammals, macro, landscape, water, recreation, birds, peaks and valleys, etc.) and you'll be expected to produce a 2-3 minute video on the topic. The point, of course, is to GET OUT THERE and to boldly take your camera where no camera has gone before.

We are at work attempting to offer some modest prize packages for the winning entry.

This is a new effort to bring something a little different to DVinfo, and this thread is intended to:

1) ascertain interest--does this sound like something you "Under Water, Over Land"-ians (and others) might want to take on?
2) listen to suggestions for how to run the show, it's wide open for now
3) find out if there is anyone out there who would like to help with judging...i think the DVC method of having participants judge is nice, but we need to be sure that we have participants before we can institute anything similar....
4) solicit suggestions for other "Under Water, Over Land"-styled topix...and also a groovy name...

This sounds like a great idea Meryen! You have my promise to enter in it as much as I can! I am really excited about this... I sure hope that this all works out! You know me, I'll be out there with my little Elura 100 filming as much as I can! There is so many possibilities for this. You have next to an unlimited supply of things to base it around..

As for the name, I am not the best but I will try to throw some ideas out there. How about, Exotic Nature Challenge? Thats kinda got a ring to it.... Or maybe, Lands of Creatures: The DVINFO Challenge? I don't know, I am horrible at names. haha!

~Gabriel~

Just as long as it does not entail a trip to Africa, I'm in.... unless that is the prize....

As for title, how about "The Visual Challenge" or the "UWOL Challenge."

I think this is a very good idea Meryem!

I like your suggestions of topic. Maybe once a month is a little bit to much, every second months will suit me better.

Thanks Maryem and Chris for this proposal.

Great idea, Meryem. I agree with Per Johan, that once a month may be a bit too frequent. Please consider developing some posting guidelines, and explaining them in detail so everyone can download and watch everyone else's entries. Nothing is as frustrating on DV InfoNet as not being able to see someone's video because of file size or incompatibilities.

Steve Siegel
Miami, FL US

I'm in, just no mountains tho', living in Florida would make that tough.

How about "Lord of the Things?

Jim

yes, i thought that you flatlanders might be vertically challenged by the "mountains" theme, that's why i tossed out "peaks and valleys" as an alternative....

good ideas, guys. i agree that once a month is maybe too taxing, and that dylan's model of leaving the masses begging to please please please torture us with another challenge is working out great!

this thread is to help us formulate ideas for how to make this work well and be fun, so keep 'em coming! definitely getting some posting guidelines is a very good idea....

Meryem,

Great idea, I always liked the dv challange but I do not fit into that genra.

How "The ooutdoor challange" "The Natural challange" "DV Nature"

Sense we all live in different environments perhaps guys like us who live in the flatlands could judge those partici-pating in "mountain sceenes, etc."

I would have no problem of judging any that I personally can't compete in.

As qualifications: I do teach photography, graphics arts, modules on vidography and Art (emphesizing sculpture mind you)

One topic I would like to see "The Living skies"

Dale

Hey Meryem,

I'm in... I like the idea of mixing the theme subjects up. To push us into places we maybe wouldn't go. (macro, timelapse etc.). I think the topics have to be general enough to allow all to compete; otherwise we may only get a few entrants. You could call one theme - SKY - and it could be night sky, timelapse clouds, sunsets/rises, moonshots. Or, WATER - could be underwater, waterfalls, rivers, rain, boats on water etc.

As far as delivery... there's always youtube. It doesn't get more more universally available than that.

I like the UWOL Challenge... sounds kinda like a southern 'y'all challenge'

Great idea, count me in.

Good idea. I need to practice editing as well as shooting. It really is a delight and inspiration to view Per Johan's musk-ox and Don's bird clips not only because they allow us observe nature that we never saw before but their clips are so cleverly edited that they are easy to view and enjoy ... I gasp every time I see Musk-ox relaxing and settling down to enjoy the pleasures and comfort of -20 centigrade + windchill of -15c. It's how Per Johan captures and illustrates this enjoyment as a social event or whatever that I'd like to be able to do. A competition would help me to learn, Meryem. Win-win-win.

Great idea Meryem, I will be in whenever I can.
Bob

Meryem
This does sound interesting. So time permitting I'm in. Living on the east side of the Rockies there is alot of subjects to video.

Gordon

When is the 1st one ?

oooo, timelapse! nice addition!

UWOL isn't bad either. i've always been fond of chris' naming of this forum because it's very inclusive and pretty effectively covers the planet....

i'm glad to see there's some interest and some contenders out there.

regarding the date--i'm going to let this thread run for about a week, maybe ten days, to be sure it gets exposure to interested parties.

this gives us (UWOL forum aficionados) about a week to kick around ideas and formulate with the collective brain. i'll gather it together and put up a sign-up thread for a formal head count of participants. i'll post more formal rules n regs at that point as well.

the DV Challenge usually runs for a week. for this one, i'm thinking more like a 3-week window, because that would give participants a chance to travel with their cameras over two weekends. i know that, for me, even to get my camera up a single big peak means allocating at least one weekend day just for that one panoramic shot from the summit. we need to make a little extra room for day travel.

or do you think that's too much time?

for something like this, it may even be advantageous to run it over the holiday break, when many of us get new gear and want an excuse to test-drive it....

we can certainly put it together before the holiday week, or we can kick it off for the new year.

thoughts? opinions?

if anyone wants to serve as judge and jury with me, shoot me an e-mail....