UWOL #8 "Butterflies" at DVinfo.net

Steven Gotz · April 22nd, 2008, 10:51 AM

http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...utterflies.mov

As soon as I saw the "Transformation" theme, I knew that Disney World's Epcot would once again supply me with a place to shoot my footage. There is a butterfly tent this time of year that generally has everything I would need.

I know that the announcement itself had referenced butterflies, but I kind of wish it had not. I really would have come up with this on my own. Really.

The voiceover was done in only a couple of tries, the piece practically edited itself, and the music only took minutes to find. All from a total of about 15 minutes of shooting. The real challenge was focusing on such small subjects. And they don't sit in one place all that long sometimes either.

I should tell you that some of the close up shots really were not all that close. I shoot HDV but scaled the footage in a SD project. So what looks zoomed in is really just less reduced in scale. I don't have a lens capable of shooting that close. My HD version to show friends on my 60" TV does not zoom in, but doesn't need to. At the small frame size we are restricted to here, it really helps to edit in a smaller frame size.

I have previously tried to stuff too much into three minutes on other challenges, but this time I realized that a two minute piece would do the trick. That meant that I encoded once and it was small enough and that was that.

I hope you enjoy my entry. I think it may very well be the best I have done, if only because it was the least complex.

Trond Saetre · April 23rd, 2008, 03:41 AM

Hi Steven,

I really enjoyed watching your video. Seeing those butterflies was very interesting.
Yes, this is some of the best I have seen from you.

I look forward to see more of your future videos.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you for sharing!

Bryce Comer · April 23rd, 2008, 06:22 AM

Hey Steven,
Wow, another great entry about butterflies! Beautiful colours in this one, & with so many different species of these beautiful insects! Your VO was excellent, i would only add, that maybe some more indepth information would have made it even better. I would have also liked to have seen some timelapse of the butterflies emerging from the pupa stage, that i think would have made this a killer film.
I can only imagine what would have happened had you & Marj got together for this one. I think BBC would have been on your doorsteps by now!
Well done,

Bryce

Dale Guthormsen · April 23rd, 2008, 10:57 AM

Steve,

What beautiful butterflies!!! I enjoyed the video immensely. there was one shot that was burnt out at 1:36 The last shot could have been toned down just a tad.

Truly some beautiful footage here!!

I like the idea of shooting HD and that allowing you to crop down!! kind of like using a zoom lens to better crop ones images!!! gotta save for an h1.

thanks steve

Bob Thieda · April 23rd, 2008, 04:35 PM

Steven....I'm afraid I don't have much to offer on the tech side as I'm fairly new at this myself...
But I will say I enjoyed it very much.

The first real video I ever made back in '05, (edited, titles, etc., not just a home movie), was at the butterfly conservatory in Niagara Falls with a little Panasonic GS-19.....

Your video reminded my of that trip and the good time my wife and I had there....

Thanks!
Bob T.

Meryem Ersoz · April 23rd, 2008, 09:08 PM

I love butterflies. I agree that this is one of your best entries. Or at least the very most UWOL-ish! I hardly even knew that I was in Disney World!

Seriously, though, you have some nice colors...a couple of shots with blown highlights, maybe some over-exposed, especially at 1:37...but overall, some nice work putting it together. You have a nice voice for VO--I think this is your first effort at doing your own VO, yes? The voice, musical selection, and topic holds together nicely.

Adrinn Chellton · April 24th, 2008, 10:19 AM

This one was good, quite informative and the colors were very pleasing. I too noticed the OE clip in there which was kind of distracting, not that much though. Was a good idea to crop down since the final project size doesn't make use of HD resolution. Nice solid entry here.

Ruth Happel · April 24th, 2008, 11:18 AM

I really enjoyed watching all the different butterflies- amazing how many you were able to film in such a short time. Your voiceover was excellent- really helped set the mood. And the music was great in helping the flow of the piece. It all went together very well, thanks for sharing!

Ruth

Steven Gotz · April 24th, 2008, 08:16 PM

Yes, I really should have stepped in front of the sun to shoot the all-white butterfly. It isn't actually as blown out as you might think. That thing was truly white. But a bit of shade probably would have done the trick.

Thanks for all of your comments. I enjoyed shooting and editing this one. Much less stress than usual. I just tried to provide some pretty pictures without worrying about trying to work too hard at it.

Marj Atkins · April 25th, 2008, 01:13 PM

What a delightful video you have created here Steven - The treatment of your subject is very simple in concept and therefore so easy to watch. There is a light-hearted air about it and your well-chosen music complements the beautiful colours and images of the butterflies and flowers. I think your colourful titles suit the theme well. I like the way you blurred the last frame and placed your text over that - beautiful colours. Your VO is excellent.
I enjoyed your butterfly video very much - a subject - as you will have gathered - very close to my heart!

Mike Beckett · April 26th, 2008, 12:12 PM

Steven,

You do a great voiceover, boyo! The music matched the piece really well. You did well for just 15 minutes of shooting, and probably ended up a bit less stressed than I did with three whole days!

Keeping it short was a good idea too, just keep it simple and get the message across.

I think it might've been a bit better with more use of a tripod, some of the close ups were a little bit wobbly. But what a colorful selection of butterflies, the brown one at the end with the "eyes" was especially pretty.

Nice one.

I see uou used the same trick as me, scaling up the HD shots in a SD project, I used that a couple of times. I'll have to get a good telephoto lens some day soon.

Steven Gotz · April 26th, 2008, 01:04 PM

Mike,

It was 100% tripod. I carry it in a sling strapped to my back.

The plants moved in the breeze. And that was made worse by the zooms.

The brown one with the eyes is a Buckeye Butterfly.

Bruce Foreman · April 27th, 2008, 10:26 PM

Very smooth flow, excellent portrayal of the subject material. As others have noted very well done VO.

And the music complemented the subject material quite well. I liked this one very much.

John Dennis Robertson · April 28th, 2008, 07:34 AM

Hi Steven
I am sure you are pretty pleased with this one.I loved this voiceover.The subject was perfect for the Transformation theme.I shot for about 4 days,so to find out you did this in about 15 min sort of deflates my bubble a little.I enjoyed watching your video.

Catherine Russell · April 28th, 2008, 10:50 AM

Steve:

This is a fabulous piece! Rich colors, beautiful subjects, well narrated, lovely to watch. It's your best.

Here's to uwol 9

Cat

April 22nd, 2008, 10:51 AM	#1
Steven Gotz Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,520	UWOL #8 "Butterflies" http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...utterflies.mov As soon as I saw the "Transformation" theme, I knew that Disney World's Epcot would once again supply me with a place to shoot my footage. There is a butterfly tent this time of year that generally has everything I would need. I know that the announcement itself had referenced butterflies, but I kind of wish it had not. I really would have come up with this on my own. Really. The voiceover was done in only a couple of tries, the piece practically edited itself, and the music only took minutes to find. All from a total of about 15 minutes of shooting. The real challenge was focusing on such small subjects. And they don't sit in one place all that long sometimes either. I should tell you that some of the close up shots really were not all that close. I shoot HDV but scaled the footage in a SD project. So what looks zoomed in is really just less reduced in scale. I don't have a lens capable of shooting that close. My HD version to show friends on my 60" TV does not zoom in, but doesn't need to. At the small frame size we are restricted to here, it really helps to edit in a smaller frame size. I have previously tried to stuff too much into three minutes on other challenges, but this time I realized that a two minute piece would do the trick. That meant that I encoded once and it was small enough and that was that. I hope you enjoy my entry. I think it may very well be the best I have done, if only because it was the least complex. __________________ Steven Gotz http://www.stevengotz.com

April 23rd, 2008, 06:22 AM	#3
Bryce Comer Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rossland, British Columbia Posts: 1,024	Hey Steven, Wow, another great entry about butterflies! Beautiful colours in this one, & with so many different species of these beautiful insects! Your VO was excellent, i would only add, that maybe some more indepth information would have made it even better. I would have also liked to have seen some timelapse of the butterflies emerging from the pupa stage, that i think would have made this a killer film. I can only imagine what would have happened had you & Marj got together for this one. I think BBC would have been on your doorsteps by now! Well done, Bryce __________________ There's never enough hours in the day!

April 23rd, 2008, 10:57 AM	#4
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Steve, What beautiful butterflies!!! I enjoyed the video immensely. there was one shot that was burnt out at 1:36 The last shot could have been toned down just a tad. Truly some beautiful footage here!! I like the idea of shooting HD and that allowing you to crop down!! kind of like using a zoom lens to better crop ones images!!! gotta save for an h1. thanks steve __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

April 23rd, 2008, 04:35 PM	#5
Bob Thieda Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 541	Steven....I'm afraid I don't have much to offer on the tech side as I'm fairly new at this myself... But I will say I enjoyed it very much. The first real video I ever made back in '05, (edited, titles, etc., not just a home movie), was at the butterfly conservatory in Niagara Falls with a little Panasonic GS-19..... Your video reminded my of that trip and the good time my wife and I had there.... Thanks! Bob T. __________________ Bob T. Last edited by Bob Thieda; April 24th, 2008 at 10:21 AM.

April 24th, 2008, 08:16 PM	#9
Steven Gotz Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,520	Yes, I really should have stepped in front of the sun to shoot the all-white butterfly. It isn't actually as blown out as you might think. That thing was truly white. But a bit of shade probably would have done the trick. Thanks for all of your comments. I enjoyed shooting and editing this one. Much less stress than usual. I just tried to provide some pretty pictures without worrying about trying to work too hard at it. __________________ Steven Gotz http://www.stevengotz.com

April 23rd, 2008, 03:41 AM	#2
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Hi Steven, I really enjoyed watching your video. Seeing those butterflies was very interesting. Yes, this is some of the best I have seen from you. I look forward to see more of your future videos. Keep up the good work! Thank you for sharing!

April 23rd, 2008, 09:08 PM	#6
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	I love butterflies. I agree that this is one of your best entries. Or at least the very most UWOL-ish! I hardly even knew that I was in Disney World! Seriously, though, you have some nice colors...a couple of shots with blown highlights, maybe some over-exposed, especially at 1:37...but overall, some nice work putting it together. You have a nice voice for VO--I think this is your first effort at doing your own VO, yes? The voice, musical selection, and topic holds together nicely.

April 24th, 2008, 10:19 AM	#7
Adrinn Chellton Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Carlsbad, CA Posts: 195	This one was good, quite informative and the colors were very pleasing. I too noticed the OE clip in there which was kind of distracting, not that much though. Was a good idea to crop down since the final project size doesn't make use of HD resolution. Nice solid entry here.

April 24th, 2008, 11:18 AM	#8
Ruth Happel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Black Mountain, NC Posts: 488	I really enjoyed watching all the different butterflies- amazing how many you were able to film in such a short time. Your voiceover was excellent- really helped set the mood. And the music was great in helping the flow of the piece. It all went together very well, thanks for sharing! Ruth __________________ http://rockfowl.com/

April 25th, 2008, 01:13 PM	#10
Marj Atkins Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Johannesburg South Africa Posts: 768	What a delightful video you have created here Steven - The treatment of your subject is very simple in concept and therefore so easy to watch. There is a light-hearted air about it and your well-chosen music complements the beautiful colours and images of the butterflies and flowers. I think your colourful titles suit the theme well. I like the way you blurred the last frame and placed your text over that - beautiful colours. Your VO is excellent. I enjoyed your butterfly video very much - a subject - as you will have gathered - very close to my heart!

April 26th, 2008, 12:12 PM	#11
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Steven, You do a great voiceover, boyo! The music matched the piece really well. You did well for just 15 minutes of shooting, and probably ended up a bit less stressed than I did with three whole days! Keeping it short was a good idea too, just keep it simple and get the message across. I think it might've been a bit better with more use of a tripod, some of the close ups were a little bit wobbly. But what a colorful selection of butterflies, the brown one at the end with the "eyes" was especially pretty. Nice one. I see uou used the same trick as me, scaling up the HD shots in a SD project, I used that a couple of times. I'll have to get a good telephoto lens some day soon. __________________ Irish Railway Videos on Youtube

April 26th, 2008, 01:04 PM	#12
Steven Gotz Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,520	Mike, It was 100% tripod. I carry it in a sling strapped to my back. The plants moved in the breeze. And that was made worse by the zooms. The brown one with the eyes is a Buckeye Butterfly. __________________ Steven Gotz http://www.stevengotz.com

April 27th, 2008, 10:26 PM	#13
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	Very smooth flow, excellent portrayal of the subject material. As others have noted very well done VO. And the music complemented the subject material quite well. I liked this one very much.

April 28th, 2008, 07:34 AM	#14
John Dennis Robertson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Johanesburg South Africa Posts: 217	Hi Steven I am sure you are pretty pleased with this one.I loved this voiceover.The subject was perfect for the Transformation theme.I shot for about 4 days,so to find out you did this in about 15 min sort of deflates my bubble a little.I enjoyed watching your video.

April 28th, 2008, 10:50 AM	#15
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Steve: This is a fabulous piece! Rich colors, beautiful subjects, well narrated, lovely to watch. It's your best. Here's to uwol 9 Cat