Hood - Wildfire - UWOL Long Form
 

I've chosen to go with Wildfire. I have a long history with fire, being introduced to it early - as my Dad was involved with the local fire brigade for years. And we had our own bonfire about once a year. The last one I helped make was 8m tall with 20m flames or so.

We had some of the worst bushfires in history on the 7th Feb. You've probably seen mention of it on the news: 200 or more dead and hundreds of houses destroyed. They were beyond imagination, and ripped through whole towns is a short space of time.

Having been in the Country Fire Authority (CFA) for years I've got some idea of what to expect. Most people don't, however. It's very important that people have some idea of what a BIG bushfire will be like, and what to expect. Also, how to prepare for one in order to stay safe. The CFA has tried to get the message across. Maybe now people will be more receptive.
I want to try and convey the fierce nature of these fires, and the destruction they can cause. There will be more. There will always be more. We are one of the driest countries (Australia), and it's part of the bush lifecycle. But that doesn't mean we are powerless, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves.

I want to demonstrate the dangers; the factors that make fires more dangerous - heat, low humidity, wind, amount and type of fuel, etc... And what things we can do to minimise the risks of living in and around the bush.

A lot of this doubles up with the video, but it's stated here for completeness.

To do:
- get footage of the devastated environment and property that has been destroyed
- get footage of injured wildlife recovering from the fires
- get some fire footage that resembles a large bushfire out of control (easier said than done) - it will have to be fudged somewhat. I would like to film a controlled burn of training exercise, but this may be hard, depending on if they do any in the next months
- film areas further along in the recovery process - around the state. Some places have been burned several years ago and are still largely barren.
- Consider some interviews further down the track when people are willing to talk a little about the fires and their experiences. I'll wait for these though as there's a lot of strong emotion still present as the fires were so recent.

UWOL video link: http://www.uwolchallenge.com/longfor...OLLongForm.mov
Youtube: YouTube - Wildfire - UWOLLongForm

Hi Andrew:

Wow, what a great topic and you got some amazing footage. Even way over here in Colorado, we have been getting news of the devastating wildfires in Australia. We too just had a serious wildfire less than 24 km from our home. We had the same conditions, well not as hot as where you are, but dry and extremely windy. The wind downed a power line and that's all it took. We were more fortunate with this one in that only 2 structures were lost and people, horses, cattle, llamas, etc all seemed to make it okay. A big difference is that in this area, home owners have been working hard at protecting their homes by clearing trees around their house, modifying structures with fire-resistant materials etc and it made a huge difference. I've heard that the burn area shows it had encircled homes but stopped there.

Good luck with your project, and if there is anything I can share with you about the recent wildfire here, let me know.

Also, you have a nice narration voice.

Cat

Andrew...

I agree with Cat. This should be an interesting and valuable film. You might want to think about how you will get it shown on regional media outlets when finished, and keep their time guidelines in mind as you produce this film.

And Cat is also right, your voice is a good VO voice and pleasing to my ear.

Chris S.

Great idea,

will you have the opportunity over the next 9 months to get enough actual footage?? Are they that common?

Here in North america the lodge pole pine and chapperal both are fire based plants requiring that for the seeds to geminate. amazing stuff!!

Also, 2 years after a fire the abounding changing in wildlife is staggering!!

Great plan, will be nice to see the finished product.

Excellent topic...I am wearing a yellow ribbon in memorial of those who have died in the fires even as I write this. Stay safe out there…

I am looking forward to seeing what angles you can come up with for this film with the interviews and the educational aspect.

Am I right in understanding that these fires were cause by arson? That is word of mouth here in the states.

Fire seems to be inherently interesting to people...I get mesmerized just by looking into a camp fire. I can't wait to see you final product.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Catherine, one of the problems we have here is local councils restrict felling trees, with hefty fines. One person had actually copped a $50,000 fine for removing trees from his yard - yet he was the only house to survive in the street. One of the things I'll try to demonstrate in the video is the inverse square law - if you double your distance to the fire, you quarter the intensity of heat you receive. Fire breaks, they're a great defense - but something lacking in many towns.

Chris, the thought has gone through my head. But now I'm considering it more. My best chance would either be ABC - if it's good enough, or maybe a local station (there's 2) - which normally mirror the Melbourne programming, but with a few differences - and local ads (And you can tell the difference!). They sometimes run local content.
Maybe if I put forward a proposal to work closely with the CFA (which might give me better access to the fire ground without having to squirt water) they might have an avenue for it - as public education.

Dale, I won't get much chance to get more fire footage. I might get lucky. I plan to get involved with some training exercises or sanctioned burns (CFA helping landowners, or just private people burning off) and get creative to insinuate a bushfire scenario. This is one of my concerns. I'm sure we will have more fires, but location and access will be my main issues. There's plenty of footage I could possibly use with permission, but that's not part of the challenge.
The bush's recovery has varied greatly, from what I've seen, depending on fire intensity. A really hot raging fire will simply kill all the trees, and inhibit regrowth. A tame burn on a cold, calm, day will just blacken the bark and clear the ground fuel. Very different outcomes. I'll do more research, and film that aspect though. I know of a few sites locally and some further around the state.

Jeff, some of the fires were caused by arson. The one I filmed definitely was. But others were from lightning or accidental ignition from various sources. The effect is the same, blaming people doesn't make up for it, and witch hunting / lynch mobs don't stop it happening next time. Prevention (reduce fuel loads) and preparation is the key.
I plan to follow up at a different time, as a result of having a number of arsonists, on mental health in Australia. Looking at why it's only after a tragic event we discover that someone had mental/behavioural problems, when there was usually evidence there years before. And that would apply to mass murderers, shootings, etc... but is a whole different topic from UWOL, and not within the scope of this project.

I'll have to sit down and refine some more ideas, and start getting in touch with people and organisations that will be useful resources. But this is probably the most driven I've been in making a video for a long time. As you'll see by how ravaged I was in the UWOL shark tank last year ;-) ... and probably nailed to wall of shame.

Andrew, as the others already said, amazing footage you got there! And I think this is a interesting topic too!
Technically, your footage was rock steady, the way you did hide the jump-cuts with red flashes was nice! And you have a very nice narrating voice!

Can't wait to see more in the next chapter of the long-form!

Hi Andrew.
I have seen about your fires in the news.
It's all terrible to watch.
Like your topic very much, and I wonder.
Will you be spending a lot of time travelling around to get your shots, or stay in one area?

All the best.
Geir Inge

You have a very strong and interesting project.
I like your descriptive footage.
In fact, my local newspaper had today a two pages article written by a Norwegian staying in the disaster area.

Finn-Erik

Per, you didn't see the footage I cut out, and at full SD resolution you can see a bit of jitter - maybe I'm just fussy. Took over 30 minutes footage, and those 4 minutes I used was nearly all the footage I could use. Some is sped up though, and a few omitted shots were just repeats.
The jump cuts were because both bits of the fire burning (in the plantation, and burning down the paddock against the wind) were happening at the same time, and I was alternating back and forth amidst the other action, plus I moved the tripod a couple of times. I just arranged it that way for easy progress rather than back and forth all the time. Don't know how much I'll use in the final version - depends on what other fire footage I can get before then.

Geir, most of the shots will be close to home. Shots of the local fire will be within 20km. Shots of local sites recovering from past fires will be within 40-50km. If I go further north to the Alpine areas where it burned 6 years ago, that's over 300km away.

Now I'm starting to look up information and begin some research before I write anything specific for the video content. I want to get my facts straight.

Andrew,
We have been following the fires in the news and did see that wonderful shot of the firefighter sharing his water with the koala. Your footage gives a good impression of how big these fires are. The helicopter carrying that puny bucket of water was especially effective.
I visited Yellowstone National Park 8 years after the devastating fire they had there, and the ground was still black...no regeneration had begun. I hope you guys have better luck.

Hi Andrew,
You certainly do have some good shots of the fires. That Saturday was certainly the worst conditions that have been recorded as far as fires go. I lived in Upper Beaconsfield during the Ash Wednesday fires. It was certainly the most terrified i have ever been. The fires were so intense the bronze bell in the church melted. That's around 1300 degrees C, & the conditions on the Saturday of the fires in your film were even worse! My parents now live in Neerim South so they're not far from you, & since i have just spoken to them on Skype it sounds like they're not out of the woods yet with fires still burning in the area. With that in mind, it sounds like you may well have the opportunity to get some more footage even though it would be a nicer thought if it were only controlled burning by the CFA. After the Ash Wednesday fires, due to the intensity of those fires, the bush took about 2 years to really start growing back. Of course once the weather cools off a bit you will be able to get into some of the affected areas to film the damage that the fire has done, but i would suggest you might have to look at other areas where fires have gone through in previous years to get some shots of the regeneration. One area you might want to look at is out the back of Neerim North. There was a fire there last summer that was certainly not as intense as the fires you have experienced recently, so there may well be some regeneration going on there already. Another website that may be of interest would be this one from the CFA as it shows all the current & recent fires. Statewide Current Incident Summary - Country Fire Authority
I wish you luck for your project, & really look forward to seeing your final film. Just remember, no footage is worth dying for. I'm sure as you have seen, fire can be so unpredictable & the only sure way to stay safe is to keep well clear.
Bryce

This is a great idea for a film. You have a good knowledge of what your film will contain and I believe it is all of great interest and importance. Not only is this theme at the forefront of peoples minds a the moment, but it is a topic not greatly covered (at least not here in the UK). Excellent footage too.

Andrew,
I like the change in topic- not that the original idea wasn’t a good one too. I read yesterday that there were still four fires burning. Did you manage to get more fire footage? What you’ve shown us so far really hit the mark. I saw some satellite photos on NASA’s WorldWind site that are public domain. Also, around here you can often get permission from small local television stations to use some of their unaired footage for little more than a credit. It might be worth a try. I know it is outside the scope of UWOL, but it could really add to the story- especially for local viewers that lived through it. Maybe in future we should have a rule change allowing 3 minutes of footage from other credited sources as long as it is in addition to the minimum 20 minutes of your own. In the late 8o’s the area my video is set in, in the Chihuahuan Desert, had a devastating burn. We had crews from Canada, Mexico and half the states fighting it. It started by heat lightning in the desert and winds pushed it up into the mountains. Twenty years later some areas look like they burned last month. It’s a pity (and not just for your project) that dry areas recover so slowly. I’d like to see a time-lapse of green grass sprouting from the ash or maybe a cross dissolve before and after. Your idea to use older recovering areas is very good. This story has such depth. How do you deal with the loss of life, property and habitat on such a scale?

Hi Andrew
Interesting concept, lively commentary and some exciting footage - all add up to a film with lots of potential. This is a story that most of us can relate to in one way or another. Looking forward to seeing how it develops.

I'm starting to think the challenge is not in the production and filming, but in getting technology to work. Multritrack recorder won't talk to computer. I can't even capture video on this computer - won't recognise the camera - have to capture on laptop and transfer. Well twice actually, since it won't recognise the memory stick I used either. Sees the files, can't read it. Need to reinstall Windows. And then uploading that failed a couple of times, and ZoneAlarm hogged the CPU dragging it out by over an hour.

On the somewhat better side:
So I have some aerial footage and ground footage of some of the burnt area. Still more filming to go, along with visiting past burnt areas. There's a huge area that was burnt out. The initial video shows the tip of the ice berg - from the air I saw the rest of the burnt area. Hill after hill after hill. Some brown (light to moderate burns), some black (nothing but the charred tree trunks left). A barren landscape - feels like you're standing at the gates of Hell. So I'd like to show how different intensities of burns affect recovery by filming other areas at various stages of recovery.

I'm yet to get some wildlife being rehabilitated . Also, I'd like to talk to people (willing of course) who were there. Residents who experienced the fires, and fire fighters on the ground and I know someone who was flying a firespotter on the day. I'd like to get their experiences, what they saw, heard, felt.

There's also the educational element. I may need some animation to demonstrate the key principles of fire behaviour and prevention. But if I can include practical examples that would also help.

So the updated video:
UWOL link: will update when it's moved

HQ version: http://www.innervatepro.com.au/films/

Andrew.... the scope and breadth of what information you have available to convey is daunting. As you capture all this incredible footage and information, I suspect how you weave it into your final story will start to become clear.

I liked the idea of aerials...maybe perhaps sparingingly dotted through your final piece... as a pilot and a photographer I replied to a thread on here about shooting aerials from a light plane you may find useful.

For deshaking I suggest you download the trial of Mercalli ProDad and see how you like it. It is a free trial.

I think the concept for your long form is fascinating and you appear to be well on your way to a wonderful and enthralling story about fire in nature. Keep it coming my friend.

Chris

Hey Andrew:

This is starting to take shape! I thought the intro of the burning paper was clever and perhaps could be used in transitions throughout your film.

A few things came to mind as I was watching this. First, in the narrative it would have been nice if you reminded us about a bit of background information concerning the fire events. I know that they were recent, your summer season a few months ago but I wasn't sure and the narrative didn't remind us.

Then I thought as we were viewing the aerials that once or twice it would have been helpful to freeze frame a scene and an arrow pointer depict the visuals that backed up your narrative.

This is a "cool" (or should I say hot?) topic and you are off to a great start.

All the best,

Cat

I meant to comment on your fire transition... I liked it.... you might speed it up a tad though.

I am lazy and often use Digital Juice stuff to do that. They have a bunch of transitions called SWIPES (short for sound effected wipes) and the volume entitled "You"re Fired" (it is number 14 in the SWIPES series) would be perfect...you might check that out...(Digital Juice - The Leader in Royalty Free Professional Animations, Stock Footage, Music, Layered Graphics, Clip Art and Templates) it adds a little pizazz and wow factor when they can be woven in seamlessly. Seeing how they did it might be useful in tweaking yours.

Thanks Chris: Checked out the thread about filming from planes. I didn't even think in advance about taking anything to clean the window - till I saw it, and went - oh well, make do. Yeah door off would be nice - my friend does do some sky diving flying, but it would probably depend who else is in the plane - sharing fuel/hire costs. I'll check out the software and transitions - thanks for the advice.

This update was a bit of padding - using a lot of what I got. When I get more footage I'll cull a larger percentage. If I actually start writing something on paper I'll get a better idea of the specific shots I want. What I need to aim for.

I'm surprised the 'commentary' matched even some of the time - it barely even ended up in there with all the tech problems. And I recorded several times till I got something less scatter brained - you think you know what to say... then you hit record. Running out of time I never sat down and tried to mesh the 2 together, but I need to start doing that as I get closer to the final piece. In that sense - the audio (Script) needs to come first, and fit the visuals around it. I'm working back to front and sideways at the moment.


Couldn't edit the previous post. UWOL website link for the film is: http://www.uwolchallenge.com/longfor...ldfire_pt2.mov
But a better quality one is at the other address, at only 14MB more - 61MB total - the index function only lists filenames, no file stats, but "HQ61mb" is in the filename.

Hey Andrew,
It looks like this is all starting to come together for you. Your arial footage is not that bad at all. Maybe you could look at Mercalli to try to stabilize it a bit?? It really is a devastating sight to see all that bush gone, like you said, some will recover fairly quickly, but in other areas it will take a lot longer. Eventually though, the bush will grow back, even trees that look completely dead may well survive but will take a year or two to start to reshoot. Have you seen any wildlife in any of the areas where you have been filming? I would expect any wildlife that did survive in the areas so badly affected, would have moved on to "greener pastures". Maybe that could be something you could cover too. Where do the survivors go when so much is so devastated? Your interviews will certainly add lots to your film & i think will give it a real personal feel. It sounds too like you have some great ideas brewing for showing us how the fire works so i am interested in how you go about that. I can't wait to see your next installment & i think this will be a very interesting documentary. We all know what the fires do, but after the newspapers & tv drop the story, very few people other than the ones who live there, actually see how things regenerate, & how long that can take.
Regards,
Bryce

Hey Andrew,

I admire your willingness to create a piece that is going to touch on such a devastating event and how it affected the land, the wildlife and the people.

I liked the beginning with the burning paper, I found it to be a very unique style of titling the film...are you going to do the same with the opening credits for the final product?

The footage from the airplane was interesting, if you are thinking of stabilizing it (which I don't think it needs too much of personally) you might try After Effects which I have used on occasion and seems to work fairly well.

I had a thought…seeing that the colors in the film are grey, brown and so lacking in life due to the fires… I thought how interesting it would be to see a counterpoint where the landscape of a previous fire is now so full of color and life...

Great work!

Jeff

Hi Andrew, nice opening with the burning title!
I liked your aerial footage, think you've a good start. And I can see the shape of the final film in the distance!
Like Bryce, I could be interesting in how the area develop after the fire, could be interesting to know!
Looking forward to your next installment!

Hi Andrew.
Great areal shots :)
Most have been said about your film, so maybe I'll just ask a couple of questions.

1) Do you intend to make some interviews, (locals, firemen, etc)?
2) You mention the wildlife, I think it is at 4:30. Can you tell a bit more about this? Plans?
3) Will you be showing how the trees and "stuff" is taking back their space? Starting to grow again?

All the best.
Geir Inge

I'm a bit late on this one - a mixture of leaving the filming till later on, weather and injury just at the wrong time. I'll have to check if the upload has been moved to the proper directory, but there are other copies:

A decent quality file, about 54MB
http://innervatepro.com.au/films/Hoo...fire_part3.mp4

Or on youtube:
YouTube - Wildfire part3

Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone.
Well I haven't seen much wildlife during other than the odd bird, but they probably have the easiest time escaping the fires, and moving on. And I do plan to look at the animals and how they've been affected. My best option might to inquire with the lecturers at the local uni who study environmental sciences - I know a couple, they might have some insight. And also to get in touch with Wildlife Victoria who coordinate animal shelters for caring for and rehabilitating injured animals.

The burning title I want to redo - was a quick thing I did, but I want to print up the title and try to tweak the lighting a little.

This update has some of the trees coming back in one area, I need to visit a few spots around the edges, and varying degrees of damage to show some variety. And I plan to find places where fires have burned several years ago and you can barely tell anymore. And ones where you clearly can tell it was burned.

As for interviews - yes I still plan to do those. I suppose I've been holding off on those so that it's not too fresh for those affected by it. But I'd like to know what people experienced, and from a few points of view - literally. I'm still trying to figure out how structured I want the interviews. Brief might be better, and do I try and do them in a relevant location, or the typical 'studio' setup?

Time to get more organised I think - and start scripting it so I know I what I need to get still. I've got outlines and various parts of the plan, but it's not consolidated yet.

Hi Andrew,

Hope you don't mind a non-participant popping in with a few comments. This is the first I've seen of your work so I scanned the other two, as well. It's going to be an interesting study; I'm looking forward to the final.

One thing; as a farm person I'm always interested in the soil, so during part three I kept hoping the camera would go to ground level and show any damage to the soil itself from the most deeply affected areas. I'm guessing that intense heat sterilizes the ground; just wondering what that may look like. Also figuring it might make an interesting contrast once regeneration begins. I would cheer to see the first signs of life poking out of the ground!

I don't mind at all Lorinda. Anyone who is willing to watch can give their thoughts, ask questions, etc... There's already a few things I haven't thought about (or at least not much) that others have brought up. I've been focusing on the obvious, the tall things we call trees. So it might be time to get down and dirty... and get some macro shots, or just low level ones and explore the ground.

I think most species of seed would be destroyed in a fire this intense. If it killed the trees, it will likely have left little in the top layer(s) of the soil. Eucalypt seeds are quite robust and generally require fire to germinate, but even those may have suffered in places. The less intense areas will probably be sprouting new plants as time goes on. I suspect the soil pH where the pines have been will be too low for a lot of species to begin growing there. Something else to inquire about at uni. I really just need to spend more in each spot, and make a few trips. Might check Google maps to see if there's a feasible shortcut.

You are so right about the focus. I just checked the rules and realize your entire documentary is due in November! Can't focus on too many things or it won't get done.

It's too bad, though, because I found even the explanations you gave here on the soil conditions, the Eucalypt seeds, etc. interesting. Perhaps on your next outing you could grab a bit of ground-level footage in case this project turns into a longer-form doc that goes beyond the challenge.

Andrew,

I hope you get something together for the long form challenge. However, what you arre covering is a biger job than that asthe rejuvination process which takes a few years will also be needed to be covered. In North america the chaperal based folage is a fire based. After a fire the following spring all kinds of animals are now on hand to eat the freshend fauna of all sorts, nuerous species populations sky rocket. Deer in particular come to mind. this is a great project and I see that in a few years you could have a full and complete documentary on your hands!!!!

I agree you need to explore every nook and cranny and investigate with your with your camera! what are the first bugs back on the soil after a major fire, etc!!

Dig in there partner, an awesome topic to explore!!

Hi Andrew,
I just watched your third round. Wow. it’s really shaping up nicely. I especially liked the way you did the shot of things “greening up”. Very well done. I’m looking forward to more!