Dale, as others have commented, its some great shots here!

I particularly liked the way you followed the falconer during the hike. But sound seem a bit off, when he was walking and talking. Maybe it´s something with the vimeo compression, but you should check the lip sync in the timeline?

You also got some dark scenes in the beginning of the film.

You might also speed up the editing phase when they are preparing for rappelling down the sloop.

Also as Mike mention there is some wind noise, when they´re talking. How did you wire them? I often use a wireless mic, when I have to capture conversations in windy areas. Hiding it inside the jacket and let the person stand with the wind from behind often helps.

Overall, your footage is very nice, good compositions, sharp focus and steady (even your handheld shoots!)

Looking forward to your finished film, Dale.

Here is a some added footage for the following 10 minutes, still a bit rough.

It is called the eyas, and will be nested against the search.

The Eyas on Vimeo


I have really appreciated all the help!!!



I done some correction on the search: Intalled several peoples suggestions.

http://www.vimeo.com/6181320

Dale...some ideas for music in Sonic Fire:

Wise traveller
Red Skies
Vigilant Stance
Cinematic Action 2
Time Bomb
Trial by Fire

You can preview these with an online connection.Best of luck...

Chris

ps. I think there are places in your VO narration where you have wind noise when there is no speaker onscreen... you might consider redoing those as a "studio" VO... you could lay in a more natural background and I think the overall effect will be improved.

Hi Dale

Well I have to say I think out of all the long form entries you have the basis of a documentry that I could see being broadcast. It has a lot of different elements to the story and you are already doing well to pull these out in the sections posted on vimeo. A lot of your footage is sharp and well exposed with nice composition and settings. - I think with the right edit and overall story you could really have something here.

However and I have to voice this opinion. I don't believe you should be taking these birds from the wild like this. I'm not going to get into my reasoning as I think it should be obvious but while I respect the love and devotion you have to your craft and these birds I don't think they should be removed from nests where the parents are perfectly capeable, given the chance of bringing up the bird themselves.

Mat

Good evening,

Thank you for the comentary and suggestions, I will weigh them heavily and make adjustments.


Mat, I wont discuss politics here, not the place. I will point out that the south sask river where we filmed the repelling is about a 150 mile stetch of which there are only two natural occuring prairie falcon eyries. the cliffs are there but no pot holes.

so back in 1972 we started a hole digging project along this river and have continued up to today. we have over twenty nesting pairs on this stretch presently ( we dug and rejuvinated a few more holes this summer.

Biologically and conservatively we can fully justify the taking of no less than 10 progeny from these known eyries that we created in prime habitat that never existed due to a lack of nesting habitat. this year in our province, bigger than texas and great britin, we had one youngster taken for falconry. Needless to say impact on population is zero. there were 5 babies in the nest site covered with ticks, we cleaned them up and left four, the burden on the parents being less and a better chance for those remaining. this has nothing to do with a political statement, just the facts here as they occur.


dale

Dale.... I think you can relax. With you, as is often the case, folks deeply involved with wildlife in any fashion are it's best defenders.

In an interesting sidebar, my separate tale about Glacier Park will show that hunting interests may have, in that case, played a very important role in preserving the habitat and making it a national park.

I appreciated your reply, and also understand Mat's expressed concerns, which I am sure you have allayed.

In UWOL land, we are all conservationists - and are doing a great public service in showing our wild heritage.

Carry on.

Chris

Hi Dale and thanks for your response. As I said I can tell you love dearly the birds you work with. My main concern is however if many people were to start doing this and theres no legality to state otherwise you'd have a problem on your hands. - All I'd ask is you cover what you've said in your response in your documentry, if you weren't going to already. I think then that people will immediately see that your actions are carefully measured and your net effect on the population is a positive one.

Cheers
Mat

Dale,
There are a lot of people out there that question the wisdom or "right" to take birds out of the wild for human purposes. Many are conservationists, as are most of us UWOLers. I have seen, however, people change their attitude 180 degrees when they go to a wildlife festival where a falconer has brought some of his birds and they get to see these magnificent creatures close up for the first time. After seeing, and hearing the falconer's talk they generally agree that it isn't so bad.
If you know what happened to raptors at Hawk Mountain and other places in the early 1900s, and what happens to them now as they migrate in places like the Mideast, you tend to be happy that there is an active and vocal community for whom the welfare of these birds is important.

Good afternoon,


First, I take no offense in others opinions. I have spent my entire life defending and protecting raptors, have participated in the reintroduction of the peregrine, done raptor surveys. When I started at this in 1961 raptors were not protected. Falconers in Canada and the United states were the primary movers and shakers to get them protected. As they becme protected proper regulations of the resources were established and continue to be so managed.

I should do a documentary of its own on the hole digging project. It is quite an experience to repel over a cliff, hang there and use a power Jackhammer to punch holes into a cliff. It is evern cooler years later to return and find them successfully nesting there. And in this year one of the resident falconers taking a youngster is frosting on the cake.

Hi Dale,
Well your documentary is really starting to take shape. It sounds like you're already working on the technical issues that others have commented on & i don't have anything constructive to add other than to say how much i enjoyed watching your latest installment! I love the way you are following the falconers in their search for the falcons and can't wait to see the training & then hunting with the bird they captured. I do agree with Mat that covering the issues with taking these birds from the wild would be a good thing. Your response to his initial comment was very reassuring & i think it would be great to add something to that affect in the film.
It certainly sounds like a rare day in the praries would be one that you can film outdoors without any form of wind protection on your mics!
Good luck for the run home!
Bryce

Dale, very interesting. I guess I never though about how you got the bird. I think that narration explaining why you needed a particular age bird was interesting and, educational. The shot of you falconer repelling down the cliff could be broken up with close ups and mor dialog. I will be waiting for the finished product. Bob

Hi Dale

I had been preparing my comments for your video when I read that you had lost your Falcon in such a sad way. I really feel for you.

So glad to hear you have decided to turn it around and make something good come out of it.

Marj

Yard Manning
 

In spite of the disaster things will go on just fine. I still have "Chip" who I will now have to step backwards with (in training) to get some footage that was to be covered with "Drako" (the one killed).

The following link is or may be my October submission and a portion of this will be selected to go into part 1 of the program. It actually is an essential bit of information.


Yard Manning on Vimeo

Good to hear you are still in the game, Dale!
I look forward to your finished film.

Hey Dale,
We were all worried about you. It's good to see that things have settled down for you and Chip. Can't wait to see that hunting footage.

Dale... I really enjoyed your piece. Nice saturation and good narration. I like seeing the film-makers "in the flesh" so to speak. I too am glad you are hanging in there!

Chris

October submission
 

Good Afternoon,


I am having to use this for this submission, I had other plans actually.


There is some important information in this piece, some of which will be used.

I had hoped to have more, but things have been out of bounds for me for the last month.
I am off crutches and on to using a cane at present but still in constant pain even though I am much better after a scant two weeks.

Dale:

This is a heartwarming video, especially since this beautiful bird is no longer with us. Your piece is fascinating. Your guitar playing is superb, and the humor of which way to face and where to poop was gratifying. Was it my imagination, but it looked like he was keeping time to the music? Your cat is enjoying the time as well.

I don't think I have ever seen your home when everything is green instead of a frozen ice box. This was enjoyable.

Hope you are healing well.

Cato

Dale, I had looked at this piece earlier and enjoyed it just as much as last time. I thought of you the other day. I came to Montana to acquire some more footage and a couple of headshot interviews hopefully, and as luck would have it I arrived during record low temperatures (I think the lowest was around 8 degrees F. My outdoor shooting was tough, especially since I was coming from much warmer temperatures and really hadn't time to acclimate.

Every time I thought it was too much, a little voice said "Dale up in Saskatchewan does this routinely and with a LOT MORE WIND - buck up!"

Very enjoyable piece.

Chris

Dale- I really enjoyed your submission this round, although I know you originally intended to show us something else. When you are finished I hope you will give us a link to all three parts as we won’t all be able to see it over the air and you have one of the most interesting storylines. Being able to produce your own music is a tremendous asset and a huge tool in your toolbox! Congratulations.

I hope that you are now feeling better.

Dale,
You have made the most enjoyable film in this round, I think. As a guitar-player I really love this. Your animals like the music as much as I do. It is no fight between cat and bird.

Good afternoon to you Dale.
Although you originally intended to show us something else in this round, I love this video. It shows (at least I feel it this way when I watch it) a strong bond between man and bird. Yes, and the cat too :) Hope you're getting better and looking forward to see your final ULF video.

Regards
Geir Inge

As I said previously Dale, get this right and I think this is a saleable piece. You have a big story and with the recent sad events I can see this thing in a broadcastdocumentary more than ever. Make sure you get your sound clean, this could cause you a problem further down the line if it goes further.

This stage has a lovely relaxed warmth to it...and was it me or was that bird dancing to your guitar playing! - I think this section juxtaposed against the death of the falcon would make very emotivedocumentary.

Keep at it fella....very, very promising!

Hi Dale

Like everyone else I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. You obviously have a very good rapport with animals - I definitely couldn't have sat as calmly as you did with a couple of falcon talons in my hand like that - eina (S.A. for ouch) that must have been sore!

Certainly a good strong introductory sequence to your film that will warm the audience and set them up for some interesting insights into Falconry. Looking forward to viewing this film. Really well done Dale.

Marj

Good Afternoon,


Well, with the dead line over I thought I would place the two links to my video on Vimeo. I broke the 40 minute video down into two parts as it was larger than the 500 mgb limit for downloads.

Considering I could not get the fall footage I had originally planned upon we had to use footage I shot last January which was supposed to be in the second or third part of the series.

With the challenge over, I will carry on with the project injecting early season footage shot in prior years and it looks like the finished series will likly be two parts rather than the original three. That, of course, will depend on the shoots I can orchestrate in the following three months.

Anyway, for those that take the time to download this nicer version I hope you enjoy it and have some constructive criticism that will be helpful as I carry this out to completion.

Dale.... what a fascinating story. I've finished part 1. You have some wonderful footage there. The music competed with your narration a bit, but the story was able to be understood. You are a natural on camera!

Bravo. Well done.

Chris S.

ps. Later, after I view it a second time, I will PM you with constructive observations on places that stand out in my eye, ear or mind either positively or negatively, but on a first viewing, I have nothing but compliments at this time!

we are still sorting out uploads...please don't link to your final film until we are sure that we have all the entries - you will know this when they are all linked to the UWOL website, then you can have at it.

sorry, folks, but we have made this request repeatedly...it isn't fair to start the contest until we have this sorted out.

Here are the nicer versions of my video:



Hunting the Hard Way part 1




Hunting the Hard way part 2



This video was to be three parts, and ultimately it will be. However I could not get the fall footage so the 16 minutes of footage that would have let me break it down as the original plan will be taken from footage shot in prior years, which of course we can't do in the challenge.

For those that take the time to watch this version I look forward to you constructive criticisms of a useful nature!!! you all have been so helpful for the last year!!

Dale, there may be some things that weren't technically perfected, but your heart for these magnificent birds really came through...there's something about your way with them that really gets to the heart of the transcendant bond between humans and animals...