Amazing Nature Film at DVinfo.net

Imran Zaidi · February 15th, 2003, 01:49 PM

I have no idea how they got some of the angles they did in this film, but it's just unbelievable.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/w...migration.html

Alex Taylor · February 15th, 2003, 05:42 PM

Those are some amazing shots.. I love the close-up of the birds flying through the snowstorm!!

A lot of it looks like it was shot from gliders.. I'm amazed at how smooth some of the shots are, though. Looks like a flying steadicam!

The official site, http://www.wingedmigration.com, has a few production photos that detail how they got the shots.

Dan Holly · February 15th, 2003, 11:38 PM

....on their website, it said that it took 5 crews 3 years to get that footage.....

John Locke · February 16th, 2003, 12:25 AM

I just saw the trailer in a theater (one of the old-fashioned huge screens). It's really striking to see them up so close in flight.

Wayne Orr · February 16th, 2003, 11:03 AM

Footage looks similar to a feature from a couple years back called, I believe, "I'll Fly Away." Hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong on this. It is a wonderful film for the whole family. They used ultra lites for their shots among the birds, and I would imagine these folks did also. Great stuff.

Rob Lohman · February 16th, 2003, 03:14 PM

This looked amazing! Very nice footage. They should be very
proud off this piece.

Alexander McLeod · February 16th, 2003, 03:48 PM

Very nice. I just finished Carl Safina's "Eye of the Albatross." What a film that would make from the albatross's point of view.
Sandy

Henrik Bengtsson · February 18th, 2003, 01:58 AM

Totally amazing. Anyone know if its going to be out on DVD (or already is). This looks like a must-have in any wildlife photographers collection.

/Henrik

Imran Zaidi · March 17th, 2003, 10:33 AM

I just saw this last night in the theater - it ended up being an entry in the Florida Film Festival.

Only 1 minute into the film and I was so inspired, awed and amazed by it that I found myself getting choked up at how beautiful, systematic, and perfect nature can be. The fact that these filmmakers spent 4 years and 400 hours of footage putting this film together is, to me, a favor to humankind. It was almost like a privilege to be able to see what these filmmakers were able to capture - birds in their natural environment.

I rated it a 5 out of 5 in the festival voting sheet. I think I've only done that maybe once before.

Just amazing.

Wayne Orr · March 17th, 2003, 03:07 PM

As a side note, this film is now at the center of a controversary concerning Michael Moore, who's film, "Bowling for Columbine," is in competition with "Winged Migration" for the best documentary Oscar. Moore charges the distributor, Sony Pictures Classics, of witholding screenings of "Winged Migration," from Academy members. His theory is that this will work to the advantage of "Winged Migration" in the voting, leading to an Academy Award for "Winged Migration," which translates to greater box office potential. Members of the Academy can only vote in the "best documentary" category if they have seen all the nominated films, and Moore contends that someone who has seen "Winged Migration" must have gone out of their way to find it, and therefore will probably vote for that film, rather than his film.

I know, this all sounds very confusing, and if you want more information, go to the L.A. Times website and look in the Calendar section for Michael Moore.

Ivan Hedley Enger · March 18th, 2003, 02:43 AM

I am very impressed by this film, and I would love to have it in my DVD collection.

Ivan

Robert Knecht Schmidt · March 18th, 2003, 11:35 AM

Don't academy voters get consideration VHS copies of all the nominated films in their appropriate categories?

Wayne Orr · March 18th, 2003, 01:29 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Robert Knecht Schmidt : Don't academy voters get consideration VHS copies of all the nominated films in their appropriate categories? -->>>

Not in the "best documentary" category. Each voting member of this group must see each nominated film on a big screen at a movie theatre, or, at a screening provided by the distributor. They are not permitted to vote if they have not seen all the films.

Other categories still provide copies for home viewing, but the vhs has largely been replaced by dvd's.

Where do you live in Cleveland, Robert? I am an ex-Eastsider.

Marc Young · November 18th, 2003, 10:59 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Henrik Bengtsson : Totally amazing. Anyone know if its going to be out on DVD (or already is). This looks like a must-have in any wildlife photographers collection.

/Henrik -->>>

It came out on dvd in the US today (Nov. 19,2003). Absolutely a must buy for nature lovers, film fans, or anyone involved in the making of film or video. The directors explain in the commentary how the cameramen were able to get so close to the birds, on land and in flight. I won't reveal the secret to those who haven't seen the movie yet. It came as quite a surprise to me.

The extras are worth the price of the dvd. So much had to be improvised to create the uniquely wonderful shots and perspectives you see in this movie. Next time you tell your dp or director it can't be done, watch this film. Because it can be done. Flying in an open ultralight several hundred feet up in the air, or crawling up a makeshift scaffold 40 feet high- that takes extraordinary guts. There's even a 3-story drop off a very steep cliff. You'll get vertigo watching it on a big screen. This was near Antarctica or S. America, where the King penguins raise their chicks.

Some of the footage was shot pre 9-11, and shows the twin towers standing majestically over lower Manhattan. The birds fly by on a beautiful sunny day. Awesome.

I still haven't figured out how they stabilized a tripod in sand, but that's probably simple compared to some of the other great tricks they pulled off in making the film. It's even more incredible that the Steadicam, ubiquitous tool of American filmmakers, was not used in many shots. How about that, Charles?

Steve Nunez · November 19th, 2003, 08:45 AM

Actually It's playing now on Cablevision as a PPV event- I paid $4.95 to watch it and recorded it onto DVD (set-top dvd recorder).....

...I went to a Manhattan movie theatre to see it with my family and we all loved it- very mature movie audience and it was fantastic onscreen....

...Barnes & Nobles has the companion book called "Winged Migration".....it's a very large and colorful book with tremendously beautiful photography.....it's expensive at around $80 or so- but it's an awesome companion to the movie. The book is very thick with allot of pages and is "museum" quality- if anyone's serious about the movie or this sort of project- I urge you to go and check out this book as well (and by the way- B&N sells the DVD!!)

February 15th, 2003, 01:49 PM	#1
Imran Zaidi Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,315	Amazing Nature Film I have no idea how they got some of the angles they did in this film, but it's just unbelievable. http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/w...migration.html

February 15th, 2003, 05:42 PM	#2
Alex Taylor Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 390	Wow Those are some amazing shots.. I love the close-up of the birds flying through the snowstorm!! A lot of it looks like it was shot from gliders.. I'm amazed at how smooth some of the shots are, though. Looks like a flying steadicam! The official site, http://www.wingedmigration.com, has a few production photos that detail how they got the shots. __________________ alextaylor.org

February 15th, 2003, 11:38 PM	#3
Dan Holly Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Anchorage, Alaska Posts: 336	nice trailer ....on their website, it said that it took 5 crews 3 years to get that footage..... __________________ Dan Holly Anchorage, Alaska

February 16th, 2003, 12:25 AM	#4
John Locke Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX USA Posts: 2,882	I just saw the trailer in a theater (one of the old-fashioned huge screens). It's really striking to see them up so close in flight. __________________ John Locke SursumFilms.com

February 16th, 2003, 11:03 AM	#5
Wayne Orr Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Northridge Ca Posts: 734	Footage looks similar to a feature from a couple years back called, I believe, "I'll Fly Away." Hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong on this. It is a wonderful film for the whole family. They used ultra lites for their shots among the birds, and I would imagine these folks did also. Great stuff. __________________ Wayne If it was easy, they'd get a relative to do it.

February 16th, 2003, 03:14 PM	#6
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	This looked amazing! Very nice footage. They should be very proud off this piece. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 16th, 2003, 03:48 PM	#7
Alexander McLeod Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 90	Very nice. I just finished Carl Safina's "Eye of the Albatross." What a film that would make from the albatross's point of view. Sandy

February 18th, 2003, 01:58 AM	#8
Henrik Bengtsson Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Borås, Sweden Posts: 167	Totally amazing. Anyone know if its going to be out on DVD (or already is). This looks like a must-have in any wildlife photographers collection. /Henrik __________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Henrik "HuBBa" Bengtsson, Imaginara Fotographia,http://www.imaginara.se

March 17th, 2003, 10:33 AM	#9
Imran Zaidi Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,315	I just saw this last night in the theater - it ended up being an entry in the Florida Film Festival. Only 1 minute into the film and I was so inspired, awed and amazed by it that I found myself getting choked up at how beautiful, systematic, and perfect nature can be. The fact that these filmmakers spent 4 years and 400 hours of footage putting this film together is, to me, a favor to humankind. It was almost like a privilege to be able to see what these filmmakers were able to capture - birds in their natural environment. I rated it a 5 out of 5 in the festival voting sheet. I think I've only done that maybe once before. Just amazing.

March 17th, 2003, 03:07 PM	#10
Wayne Orr Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Northridge Ca Posts: 734	As a side note, this film is now at the center of a controversary concerning Michael Moore, who's film, "Bowling for Columbine," is in competition with "Winged Migration" for the best documentary Oscar. Moore charges the distributor, Sony Pictures Classics, of witholding screenings of "Winged Migration," from Academy members. His theory is that this will work to the advantage of "Winged Migration" in the voting, leading to an Academy Award for "Winged Migration," which translates to greater box office potential. Members of the Academy can only vote in the "best documentary" category if they have seen all the nominated films, and Moore contends that someone who has seen "Winged Migration" must have gone out of their way to find it, and therefore will probably vote for that film, rather than his film. I know, this all sounds very confusing, and if you want more information, go to the L.A. Times website and look in the Calendar section for Michael Moore. __________________ Wayne If it was easy, they'd get a relative to do it.

March 18th, 2003, 02:43 AM	#11
Ivan Hedley Enger Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Vestfold in Norway Posts: 103	I am very impressed by this film, and I would love to have it in my DVD collection. Ivan

March 18th, 2003, 11:35 AM	#12
Robert Knecht Schmidt Wrangler Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,933	Don't academy voters get consideration VHS copies of all the nominated films in their appropriate categories? __________________ All the best, Robert K S Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| The best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 18th, 2003, 01:29 PM	#13
Wayne Orr Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Northridge Ca Posts: 734	<<<-- Originally posted by Robert Knecht Schmidt : Don't academy voters get consideration VHS copies of all the nominated films in their appropriate categories? -->>> Not in the "best documentary" category. Each voting member of this group must see each nominated film on a big screen at a movie theatre, or, at a screening provided by the distributor. They are not permitted to vote if they have not seen all the films. Other categories still provide copies for home viewing, but the vhs has largely been replaced by dvd's. Where do you live in Cleveland, Robert? I am an ex-Eastsider. __________________ Wayne If it was easy, they'd get a relative to do it.

November 18th, 2003, 10:59 PM	#14
Marc Young Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 112	<<<-- Originally posted by Henrik Bengtsson : Totally amazing. Anyone know if its going to be out on DVD (or already is). This looks like a must-have in any wildlife photographers collection. /Henrik -->>> It came out on dvd in the US today (Nov. 19,2003). Absolutely a must buy for nature lovers, film fans, or anyone involved in the making of film or video. The directors explain in the commentary how the cameramen were able to get so close to the birds, on land and in flight. I won't reveal the secret to those who haven't seen the movie yet. It came as quite a surprise to me. The extras are worth the price of the dvd. So much had to be improvised to create the uniquely wonderful shots and perspectives you see in this movie. Next time you tell your dp or director it can't be done, watch this film. Because it can be done. Flying in an open ultralight several hundred feet up in the air, or crawling up a makeshift scaffold 40 feet high- that takes extraordinary guts. There's even a 3-story drop off a very steep cliff. You'll get vertigo watching it on a big screen. This was near Antarctica or S. America, where the King penguins raise their chicks. Some of the footage was shot pre 9-11, and shows the twin towers standing majestically over lower Manhattan. The birds fly by on a beautiful sunny day. Awesome. I still haven't figured out how they stabilized a tripod in sand, but that's probably simple compared to some of the other great tricks they pulled off in making the film. It's even more incredible that the Steadicam, ubiquitous tool of American filmmakers, was not used in many shots. How about that, Charles?

November 19th, 2003, 08:45 AM	#15
Steve Nunez Trustee Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Pembroke Pines, Florida Posts: 1,418	Actually It's playing now on Cablevision as a PPV event- I paid $4.95 to watch it and recorded it onto DVD (set-top dvd recorder)..... ...I went to a Manhattan movie theatre to see it with my family and we all loved it- very mature movie audience and it was fantastic onscreen.... ...Barnes & Nobles has the companion book called "Winged Migration".....it's a very large and colorful book with tremendously beautiful photography.....it's expensive at around $80 or so- but it's an awesome companion to the movie. The book is very thick with allot of pages and is "museum" quality- if anyone's serious about the movie or this sort of project- I urge you to go and check out this book as well (and by the way- B&N sells the DVD!!) __________________ Steve Nunez-New York City www.stevenunez.com