First of all, it is great to finally be back after swimming with the sharks the last 2 rounds.

The theme was really interesting, and several ideas passed by. Some better than others.
And now, over to my video:
I shot it in Trondheim, Norway.
There I found a small park with a little lake in the middle. Everything surrounded by houses, roads and other "man made features".
Every morning, a couple of ducks came to the lake to have their morning bath, so this ended up as my habitat.

For all my other uwol videos, I have always used a tripod.
But this time I did not have access to any tripods, so it is all handheld.

I know the video probably lack a little motion/action and a couple more camera angles would have been better, but no matter what I did, the ducks didn´t seem to care. At least they were not interested in flying away when I was there.

Hope you enjoy, and I look forward to the feedback.

Link to the video:
The oasis and the ducks (http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challenge11/03_UC11_theoasisandtheducks.mov)

Trond

Hey Trond:

You are really getting very good! If these shots were all hand held, I'm impressed! And it is nice to hear your voice as well! Nicely done. Music choice, voice over, nice filming. You have it all Trond. In your thread intro you pointed out all that could have been better... you are your own best critic, I wouldn't be able to suggest anything beyond your own insights.

It's nice to be back, eh?

This was pleasing and enjoyable to watch.

Cat

Hi Catherine,
Thank you for the nice comments.
The hardest part was the music choice, as always for me.
So I'm glad you liked that score.

Tronde,

Some very nice water shots! The clearity on the mallards was impressive, and at compressed resolution as well, I am impressed. The shot of the hen was my favorite.

I liked the concept of following the water to the oasis, the pond.


Nice Job!!!

Glad to have you back in the game, Trond!

Your hand holding is getting pretty good! I missed the tripod on some shots, but not on others, to my surprise, since I'm always a big stickler for stabilization.

A nice mix of shots, considering the simplicity of the subject.

We are always thrilled to see Team Norway come through -- I don't know what UWOL would be without my little glimpse of Norway every other month, it just wouldn't feel right....

What a pretty place....

Dale,
I'm glad you like the video.
As for the compression, I try to keep the bitrate as high as possible within the file size limit.

Meryem,
Yes, the tripod would have helped with a couple shots as you mention. No doubt about that.
One of my deleted scenes included an attempt (just for fun) to simulate a jib or crane. I think we both know how that ended. :)
Team Norway is here to stay!
Hopefully I have had my share of computer trouble, so I can participate in every single challenge from now on.

Thank you both for the feedback.

Link to the youtube version (lower quality) of the video:
YouTube - The oasis and the ducks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r55exQMFGlg)

Trond,

Very impressive handheld work. The close up images of the ducks was lovely. As you said in your post, some more angles would have been nice, but on the whole a well made film.

First of all, thanks for help in the beginning. I have now the pleasure to be a participant.
You have made a fine film. Good shots of the Mallards, and the neighborhood mirrored in the water. These few pictures tell more than words about this small habitat. I think this duck pond has a great value for the people living around it.

Mihali:
Thanks for the feedback. Handheld is pretty easy with wide shots. The real tough part is to get the footage steady when zooming in, so I try to avoid that if possible. At most I think I zoomed in to around 400-500mm on my XM2, and this is where I definitely should have had access to a tripod.

Finn-Erik:
Welcome to uwol and Team Norway!
You are right, the lake and the small surrounding park is really popular for the locals.

Trond:

Nice soft mood and some relaxing footage to give us a peaceful feeling. I would like to have learned a bit more about the habitat, and how it was preserved in that built up area.

Hi Trond,

I like how you used establishing shots to show us where we were in relation to the ducks. The one that especially comes to mind is the shot of grass and then the bird hidden in the grass.

One of the fascinating things about ducks to me is the detail in their feathers and their eyes and features. Their greatest features lie in the simplest things and I would have like to have seen some real close shots. But I know that is nearly impossible hand held. Nice job and beautiful colors in you images.

Jeff

Chris:
Thank you for your comment. I agree that more information would have made the video better.

Jeff:
I tried some real close up shots of the ducks' heads, especially the males with their green "glossy like" heads. Those shots went straight to the "deleted scenes."
Too shaky to do hand held. Would maybe have been acceptable results for a home/family video.

Hi Trond,
You did well with the handheld shots, nice natural colours from the XM2.
I liked the open and closing shots of the shallow stream running over the
large cobbles reminded me of younger days when I was lived in Scotland.

Watching the Mallards and listening to the background music was very relaxing.
The oasis and the ducks Nice film Trond.

Trond, great job. As with the others I thought the closeups were wonderful. the reflexion of the buildings and apartments on the water showed how a little bit of nature can improve the quaility of life for those living around a small pond. A really fine story. Bob

Hej Trond

You got some nice shot there… I love the low angle on the creek. You have created a story about something that is really not much to say, but you did. Well done.

Markus

Ron:
Yes, the XM2 really deliver great colors. Hardly ever is any color correction needed.
I'm glad you like the video.

Bob:
I thought having the buildings reflected in the water instead of filming them directly would be a cool effect.
Good to hear you like it.

Markus:
You are right, telling a story about almost "nothing" is hard.


Thank you for the comments! I appreciate.

Trond,

I'm a flowing water junkie so anytime I see shots of flowing water, I'm a happy camper.
I'm also a 60fps junkie so I would have loved to seen some of these opening shots in slow motion.
Loved the low angles, makes you feel like you're right on the water.

It was a bit of a jarring cut when you had the hen mallard preening and then made another cut and then another. Not sure if you were trying to hold a preening shot to stay on screen until the VO about preening was done or not.

Really good job handholding. I was busy watching the ducks so it really doesn't even register on most shots.