UWOL 9, California Sea Lions

Bob Thieda · June 25th, 2008, 01:27 PM

Eric,
Really, really enjoyed this one. And it was informative, which I always appreciate.
Here in the midwest we don't see Sea Lions very often. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Siegel

Eric,
You may be dissatisfied with what your stuff looks like when compressed for the Web, but let me tell you, I have been playing all the videos on the Quicktime player at double screen size, and yours is the only one that doesn't pixellate. And it's only 43 MB. You must be doing something right.

Ditto!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Gulbransen

I can't take credit Steve. It was all Kevin. Somehow even while paddling his front porch down main street he found the time to help me.

And what is the secret he gave you? ;)

Eric Gulbransen · June 25th, 2008, 01:35 PM

Thank you Bob. Chances are what worked for me might not work so well for you. I expect there are a lot of different variables to consider. If I were you I'd ping Kevin because my knowledge on this subject extends about as far as the garden hose in my front yard. And that doesn't even reach the curb!

Kevin is only about the nicest guy I have ever, not even met yet.

Catherine Russell · June 25th, 2008, 08:01 PM

Hi Eric:

Wow, excellent footage and captivating. I saw the second version so I didn't find any of the initial problems. It was enjoyable and interesting to listen to. Incredible close up and clear footage. That was way cool. Nice to hear we are not in first place at over populating the planet. I also had a chuckle at the end when you were mentioning their agility, in the water no?, and the footage was of one lumbering heavily on land. Just a little comic relief for me. Beautiful entry.

Cat

Eric Gulbransen · June 25th, 2008, 08:44 PM

Glad you got that Cat. Also the part about having such keen senses in their whiskers - while the one lion is basically snoring himself to death while blowing bubbles he's so lazy? Honestly I was considering making it a comedy, but I figured I'd better learn to stand before I try to run..

David Gemmell · June 25th, 2008, 10:30 PM

Hi Eric,

Well what can I say!

I really enjoyed watching and learning about the California Sea Lions. I also enjoyed studying the way you put the whole piece together, with wonderful camera technique, composition, story and audio. In fact, your use of audio to match the antics of the sea lions was just perfect.

The establishing shots, the variety of sea lion footage, combined with the human association with these animals was very clever.

Excellent Eric - it has to be a contender.

Lorinda Norton · June 26th, 2008, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catherine Russell

I also had a chuckle at the end when you were mentioning their agility, in the water no?, and the footage was of one lumbering heavily on land. Just a little comic relief for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Gulbransen

Glad you got that Cat. Also the part about having such keen senses in their whiskers - while the one lion is basically snoring himself to death while blowing bubbles he's so lazy?

There were several spots where it seemed like you were speaking tongue-in-cheek. I’m not so sure I thought that roar sounded particularly sophisticated, either... :)

As everyone else has said, this is a near-flawless piece, Eric. You and Brian should be very proud of your work.

Peter Damerell · June 27th, 2008, 05:38 AM

Hi Eric and Brian

Some very nice footage here.

Good close ups and well put together.

If you had been able to get some underwater shots then this piece would have been out of this world (as it is its one of the best I've seen).

Congratulations on a great piece

Peter

Eric Gulbransen · June 27th, 2008, 09:01 AM

Thank you Lorinda. If I had more courage (confidence) I would have gone with my idea to actually make this piece a comedy. After all these beasts on land just beg for laughter. Especially the cubs using their "Rear facing hind flippers, which allow them to move 'functionally' over land." Those poor guys almost killed themselves falling off the rocks like that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Damerell

Hi Eric and Brian,
If you had been able to get some underwater shots then this piece would have been out of this world.
Peter

Peter it would be a dream come true for me to not only BE underwater again, but also to be filming underwater. Although I have to admit I am deathly afraid of sharks (but apparently have no problem with being repeatedly thrown to the ground from superbikes racing in excess of 175mph - I know, makes no sense at all..). I grew up in the water on the east coast of the US (where the water is relatively warm), but now that I live out here? Well, let's just say the water is SLIGHTLY colder! This proposition IS highly attractive to me though. On my final day of filming the Sea Lions I talked with a diver who had just come out of the water, from just underneath one of the Lion groups. I couldn't stop myself from asking him what it was like. How they reacted to him. He just smiled and said, "They are very curious, and quite playful with your flippers. In fact sometimes they drag me backwards through the water. Really, they're just like playful dogs.."

Of course then he mentioned to be watchful of the alpha males!

I might have to go visit Markus Nord and get some diving lessons!

Markus Nord · June 27th, 2008, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric Gulbransen

Peter it would be a dream come true for me to not only BE underwater again, but also to be filming underwater. Although I have to admit I am deathly afraid of sharks (but apparently have no problem with being repeatedly thrown to the ground from superbikes racing in excess of 175mph - I know, makes no sense at all..). I grew up in the water on the east coast of the US (where the water is relatively warm), but now that I live out here? Well, let's just say the water is SLIGHTLY colder! This proposition IS highly attractive to me though. On my final day of filming the Sea Lions I talked with a diver who had just come out of the water, from just underneath one of the Lion groups. I couldn't stop myself from asking him what it was like. How they reacted to him. He just smiled and said, "They are very curious, and quite playful with your flippers. In fact sometimes they drag me backwards through the water. Really, they're just like playful dogs.."

Of course then he mentioned to be watchful of the alpha males!

I might have to go visit Markus Nord and get some diving lessons!

I did some diving and filming of Australian Sea lions last year and that was one of the coolest dives ever. First it two small one jumped in the water but they was a bit afraid of me, then I got a big fella to jump in with me and he hade no problem with interact with me... so cool!

Every time I sit down and download all the videos for a new challenge I say to my self, “That would be so cool if we all would work together, to produce a ‘planet earth’ ” We are some many talented filmmaker in this growing community that it shouldn’t be extremely hard or?

Eric you are always welcome and I will show you everything I know…

Rob Evans · June 27th, 2008, 09:36 AM

Fantastic range of well framed, bright shots, great subjects spot on editing, a great VO and a wonderful story with a great point to it. Quality stuff !!!

Marj Atkins · June 27th, 2008, 12:14 PM

Well done Eric and Brian - a beautiful video all round - well-constructed, interesting story, V.O. and beautiful footage of the subject.

Eric Gulbransen · June 27th, 2008, 01:09 PM

Thank you very much UWOLers, for taking the time to watch. I really put my heart into my UWOL#7 entry, which opened a huge door for learning. It also taught me there needs to be a lot more background work to tell a better story than I had (because I basically hadn't!). When I tried to put those lessons to work in UWOL#8 I failed miserably. This is why I got eaten by the sharks. Now for UWOL#9, thanks to Brian's help and the feedback from you all here, another huge door for learning has been opened. I am so glad I got the film in - even if it isn't the version we have now.

It was a great idea to enter these challenges. Thanks for the welcome.

Mike Beckett · June 28th, 2008, 01:00 PM

Eric,

What can I say? Beautifully shot, edited and narrated. The music fitted really well too.

Another theme of nature succeeding despite mankind, and it worked really well. The video flowed well from start to finish, and told a great story. The intro shots led us nicely into the story of the sealion, and some of the faster edits flowed really well.

Favorite shot? Has to be 01:15 - I'm forever blowing bubbles!

Well done to both you and Brian, that was really enjoyable.

Oliver Pahlow · June 28th, 2008, 07:49 PM

Eric,

I just got done watching your film and I have to say (great shots aside and I agree with everyone's comments) your voice-over is superb (something I need to work on). Your voice is very calm and clear. You tell a great story. It was interesting and also very pleasing to look at.

Oliver

Brian Luce · June 29th, 2008, 10:10 PM

Thanks for all the compliments guys (and girls). Eric did all the heavy lifting on this one. His passion for the subject clearly bleeds through to the images he captured. I don't think that's something you can teach. Anyone can point a camera at something and hit "record", but taking it to the next level is something else.

June 25th, 2008, 08:01 PM	#18
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Hi Eric: Wow, excellent footage and captivating. I saw the second version so I didn't find any of the initial problems. It was enjoyable and interesting to listen to. Incredible close up and clear footage. That was way cool. Nice to hear we are not in first place at over populating the planet. I also had a chuckle at the end when you were mentioning their agility, in the water no?, and the footage was of one lumbering heavily on land. Just a little comic relief for me. Beautiful entry. Cat Last edited by Catherine Russell; June 25th, 2008 at 09:28 PM.

June 28th, 2008, 01:00 PM	#28
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Eric, What can I say? Beautifully shot, edited and narrated. The music fitted really well too. Another theme of nature succeeding despite mankind, and it worked really well. The video flowed well from start to finish, and told a great story. The intro shots led us nicely into the story of the sealion, and some of the faster edits flowed really well. Favorite shot? Has to be 01:15 - I'm forever blowing bubbles! Well done to both you and Brian, that was really enjoyable. __________________ Irish Railway Videos on Youtube

June 25th, 2008, 01:35 PM	#17
Eric Gulbransen Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Palo Alto, California Posts: 520	Thank you Bob. Chances are what worked for me might not work so well for you. I expect there are a lot of different variables to consider. If I were you I'd ping Kevin because my knowledge on this subject extends about as far as the garden hose in my front yard. And that doesn't even reach the curb! Kevin is only about the nicest guy I have ever, not even met yet.

June 25th, 2008, 08:44 PM	#19
Eric Gulbransen Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Palo Alto, California Posts: 520	Glad you got that Cat. Also the part about having such keen senses in their whiskers - while the one lion is basically snoring himself to death while blowing bubbles he's so lazy? Honestly I was considering making it a comedy, but I figured I'd better learn to stand before I try to run..

June 25th, 2008, 10:30 PM	#20
David Gemmell Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bendigo, Australia Posts: 234	Hi Eric, Well what can I say! I really enjoyed watching and learning about the California Sea Lions. I also enjoyed studying the way you put the whole piece together, with wonderful camera technique, composition, story and audio. In fact, your use of audio to match the antics of the sea lions was just perfect. The establishing shots, the variety of sea lion footage, combined with the human association with these animals was very clever. Excellent Eric - it has to be a contender.

June 27th, 2008, 05:38 AM	#22
Peter Damerell Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Truro, Cornwall, UK Posts: 51	Hi Eric and Brian Some very nice footage here. Good close ups and well put together. If you had been able to get some underwater shots then this piece would have been out of this world (as it is its one of the best I've seen). Congratulations on a great piece Peter

June 27th, 2008, 09:36 AM	#25
Rob Evans Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 390	Fantastic range of well framed, bright shots, great subjects spot on editing, a great VO and a wonderful story with a great point to it. Quality stuff !!!

June 27th, 2008, 12:14 PM	#26
Marj Atkins Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Johannesburg South Africa Posts: 768	Well done Eric and Brian - a beautiful video all round - well-constructed, interesting story, V.O. and beautiful footage of the subject.

June 27th, 2008, 01:09 PM	#27
Eric Gulbransen Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Palo Alto, California Posts: 520	Thank you very much UWOLers, for taking the time to watch. I really put my heart into my UWOL#7 entry, which opened a huge door for learning. It also taught me there needs to be a lot more background work to tell a better story than I had (because I basically hadn't!). When I tried to put those lessons to work in UWOL#8 I failed miserably. This is why I got eaten by the sharks. Now for UWOL#9, thanks to Brian's help and the feedback from you all here, another huge door for learning has been opened. I am so glad I got the film in - even if it isn't the version we have now. It was a great idea to enter these challenges. Thanks for the welcome.

June 28th, 2008, 07:49 PM	#29
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Eric, I just got done watching your film and I have to say (great shots aside and I agree with everyone's comments) your voice-over is superb (something I need to work on). Your voice is very calm and clear. You tell a great story. It was interesting and also very pleasing to look at. Oliver

June 29th, 2008, 10:10 PM	#30
Brian Luce Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,290	Thanks for all the compliments guys (and girls). Eric did all the heavy lifting on this one. His passion for the subject clearly bleeds through to the images he captured. I don't think that's something you can teach. Anyone can point a camera at something and hit "record", but taking it to the next level is something else.