I've downloaded all your videos today but won't be opening any until Friday. Your comments on each other were informative.

Your opinions and advice on mine would be most welcome, scathing or otherwise ...

Link: http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challenge1/BM_BirdlifeOverCreteSm_Prog.mov

Very peaceful and beautiful footage Brendan. There was some spectacular footage in there.

Nice job on keeping them in frame and panning! I loved the music.
The only thing I would recommend is to put some transitions in there, and maybe use a different color on the font in the opening.

Other then that, nice job!
~Gabriel

Hello Brendan:

Over all I enjoyed the video but would agree with the color of the font at the beginning...no way could I make it out. The only other thing would be to suggest some quick chang ups to hold the attention of the viewer...some of the clips were very long.

But with that being said I truly enjoyed it.

Brian

Some truly fantastic follows on the amazing birds.

What sort of gear are you using?

YES Brendan, there you are! You told me once that your editing skill wasn't good! Well, from what I see here you must have taken a crash course with the Master himself!
I think your video was stunning, though some rough cuts here and there could be improved. But my overall impression is STUNNING!
Some of the text in the start was impossible to read, cause the color was the same as the background, but I think the same tekst was shown at the end too?
You also master the Sorenson Squeeze compression very well.

Best;

This was a great film. I too had problems with the intro screen that made me rewind 3 times before I gave up trying to read it.

Like Gabriel said great panning. I hope I don't offend when I ask, did you process anything in post to smooth it out? If not you have some great skills!

Randy

Very nicely done, Brendan. Wish I could pan on birds like that...any birds. I also wish I had a place where I could shoot down on my vultures instead of always up...gives a whole different feel. Thanks.

Rick

As everyone said, the font was hard to read at the start. Although I know the general rule is to do fast paced cuts, I actually really liked the long pans. At a few points, I really felt as if I was gliding with them, it was so smooth. The long slow pans seemed to match the movement of the birds, which for me accentuated their graceful flight. Thanks for sharing.

Ruth

What a relaxing presentation. I really enjoyed the long swooping glides.

Bruce Foreman

I'm with the others. Really liked your pan ability and following the flight of the birds was very cool. There were a couple of shots that looked a little hot (washed) but one never knows if that is compression or not. Just thought I'd mention it. The piano music was very nice and complimented your film too.

That looked like a type of Vulture or Chicken Buzzard. Can you tell us what that was? Thanks!

Best wishes~
Bradley

Hi Brendan.
I'm in with the others 'bout the text in the beginning, hard to read the two lower sentence, and the ending text should stay a little bit longer, I'm a slow reader :)
You give us some beautifull scenes, the landscape, the glides of the birds - we dont see that kind of bird in Norway, is it a vulture?
I'm planning to film some eagles this year (spring/summer) together with my friend Per Johan, and you gave me a tip on how to folloow the birds in the air. What kind of tripod do you use?

Brendan I think you choice of music fit the pace of your video very well. You have some nice pans following the birds nicely. One suggestion would be to cut in some of you close ups in the longer clip of the bird farther away to break it up a little. I find it nice a relaxing. Well done.

Gordon Hoffman

All comments gratefully received. My opening was impractical ... I was trying to be subtle and use understatement but it came out raw rather than medium rare.
Gabriel & Brian, thank you for your thoughts & glad you liked it
Cody, I use XM2 (Canon GL2) handheld except for closing "landing" & moon shots when it was on a cushion. I do sit on a swivelling stool & brace feet against the needle rocks, like playing pedals on an organ!
Per, You are being too generous but I treasure your opinion too much to say No, NO.. I would love to know how to smooth out the "rough cuts" without showing too much "dissolve". I had tried dissolve but I just could not tie the sequences without showing 2 birds in same frames. What should I do?
Randall, In filming parlance, my floor is littered with shredded yardage and yes, I did a slight slow down on the short clips (to hide the shakes that came before and after)
Rick, If you're in Crete look for Farangi Rosas and you'll see the rocky cliff-top up on your right. The landing shot came from Selinari Gorge 6 miles away.
Ruth & Bruce, Glad you liked the presentation
Bradley & Geir, The main cast members were Griffon Vultures, with a bad name for their table-manners. I think they spend a lot of time flying, gliding & soaring just because they enjoy doing it, and not, as other raptors do, only to check out the source of the next meal. No tripod.
Gordon, Glad you liked it. My only other close ups were "landings" but I'll be thinking about other close-up possibilities next time.

Hand held, heh ? Maybe thats the answer. Don't think I could stay that steady. Nice job Brendan.

...
Per, You are being too generous but I treasure your opinion too much to say No, NO.. I would love to know how to smooth out the "rough cuts" without showing too much "dissolve". I had tried dissolve but I just could not tie the sequences without showing 2 birds in same frames. What should I do?....
The trick could be if you don't want to show the transition and two birds in the same frame, to have some "cut ins" - clips from another angel or from a different distance.
Just make sure that you get a fluish "look".

Brendan,

Your footage on the vultures was stupendious, I really appreciated the overhead view, something you have to really work to get. I liked the gentle music too.

Curiously, was this a pair doing courtship, or perhaps hanging about a nesting territory?

It must have been great to get to some warm climate this time of year too!!!

What did you shoot the footage with and what presets did you use?? 30P ?

Hello Dale,


Curiously, was this a pair doing courtship, or perhaps hanging about a nesting territory?

They may have been courting and scouting for a nest site. More usually Griffon vultures, adult and juvenile, are seen in pairs because the juvenile has so much to learn by practising flight in the company of an adult; flying lessons are crucial to a vulture's ability to climb high, up to 3 miles. They don't kill prey, they only scavange at the carcases killed by others or by nature. To arrive early at such feeding opportunities they survey as wide an area as possible. That's why climbing high is a matter of survival.

It must have been great to get to some warm climate this time of year too!!!

This footage was shot in Crete in November, pleasantly warm then.

What did you shoot the footage with and what presets did you use?? 30P ?

Canon XM2 (GL2) using factory presets; 3 weeks, shooting every day. I don't know yet what 30p means?

i can't comment on quality, specifically, but i'm blown away by how much your shooting technique has developed! really and truly!

This is the time to acknowledge how much your encouragement and advice over recent years has pushed a cheerful old man along towards better things, big and small.

The user-friendly organisation and layout of UWOL #1 is also greatly to your credit. In Randy's language you deserve a bombardment of Thanks.

thanks, brendan, but kevin and mat get the props for the website! i'm merely the conductor, they're the ones playing the pretty notes....

just seeing how much you've developed through your participation on the UWOL forum gives me high hopes for how much we can all grow our skills witht regular UWOL Challenges...which is, of course, the point. besides the having fun part!

thanks, brendan, but kevin and mat get the props for the website! i'm merely the conductor, they're the ones playing the pretty notes....

just seeing how much you've developed through your participation on the UWOL forum gives me high hopes for how much we can all grow our skills witht regular UWOL Challenges...which is, of course, the point. besides the having fun part!

and i must say, i'm having a grand ol' time, so far.