Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

The good, the bad and everything in between about the production of your entries for UWOL22.

Good luck everyone!
Remember the most important Rule #11: Have Fun!

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Wow. Six days in and no one has anything to report? That’s unusual. I guess everyone is keeping all the “little” details to themselves!

So far, I’ve had only modest success. I have been concentrating on the more difficult shots though and things will pick up when I start shooting the easier stuff. I like the story I’m trying to tell and I think I should be able to finish it.

I hope everyone is off to a good start.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Agreed, it's been unusual quiet here.
I'm guilty myself.. Was out hiking and trying to come up with an idea. So far, I haven't shot a single frame.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

I think that thinking about it is the most important step. Usually it takes me a while to come up with a plan but I’m off to an earlier start for this round because I had thought about doing this story for an earlier round and the theme this time was good for it.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

We've had about 50 inches of rain over the past week, flooding, roads and schools closed, lightning bolts the size of buses. Hasn't quite been the setting I'm planning for a sunny day excursion in the wild, but the weather is clearing.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

I have several tasks at once.

1) The main thing is my studies and final exams are in June
2) my partnership with MRK (National TV) and filming otters
3) UWOL 22 and the little things :)

The weather forecast has announced a storm this night, and I'm hoping it will calm down to Thursday.
I travel to Kvamsøy and stay there on Thursday and Friday, trying to catch the little things and the otters.
Well, at least I look at this as a plan ;)

Best of luck to all of you.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

I have not had a chance to think about it.

I'm still traveling through Northern Finland at the moment with my family (including a 4 year old and a 1 year old - there never seems to be a quiet moment). I'll be in Uganda for the second 2 weeks catching up with work, and meanwhile I have a load of stuff to arrange before we leave here (including selling a car we bought for touring).

Not looking too good so far; I think I'm out...

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

My new director of time lapse filming,. trying to capture bees with an extreme cam !

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Nice picture, Mick! I look forward to see what your new director comes up with. :)

I think I might have an useful idea. Hopefully all the forecasted wind, rain and snow this weekend will cooperate a bit.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Wow, Mick. You’re so lucky to have a Dachshund that helps out! My two Dobermans are both critics…

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Good Morning,

I have been distilling my plans, I have two options and just holding one incase things fall apart for plan A. I to have 4 legged helpers and will post a picture later today.

We have not had the monsoons that bill has had!! but we have had a fair bit of snow!

Seeing the flick of mikes helper with the flowers in the background makes me a tad invious!!!

Sheila and I are going out about 5:30 this afternoon to shoot our first footage for #22.

Hope everyone is having some fun with this challenge.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Hi Dale,

Just to make you bit more envious these were filmed just before the the end of Feb


Filmed with jvc gy-hm700 14x canon lens

Mike

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Uggh! Remind me not to do this during Spring Break week again. I feel like a salmon that’s swum upstream from fighting the massive crowds. It’s easy to believe there are seven billion people on earth. I think I must have run into half of them today. At least the weather was nice and I might have got some useful footage.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

After yesterday’s woes this morning was a wonder. Viva rule eleven! I had a lot of fun trying a technique I’ve not done before- the “reverse UWOL shot”. It drew a crowd. They all politely clapped when I started breaking down the rig. (No, I did not take a bow.) It was much more fun than waiting for a replacement part I ordered delivered Second Day Delivery from California which just arrived nine days late (“Uhhh, like, I dunnow. Like, mebbe we sent it to the wrong dude.” Actual quote.)

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Good to hear some wonder stories too.

Rule 11 has been stricktly followed at all times by me too, but the plan to film my entry got drowned in loads of rain, very wet snow, hail and a storm this last weekend. Didn't even dare taking the camera out of my backpack. Who knew an underwater housing would have been a good idea far up in the mountains.
Better luck next time. Still plenty time until deadline. :)

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

What's the 'reverse UWOL shot? LOWU shot? :) - Sounds interesting - please explain?

Mick - nice footage and clear sound.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Hi Marj, that’s quite close! ;) Actually it’s OLUW (starts OL ends UW). I hope it will be interesting but since it is the first time I’ve tried it may just be a flop. It’s really just B-roll anyway. I’m scheduled to begin principal photography tomorrow.

With this theme I imagine you may be putting your macro station, which you spoke of earlier, to some good use. I have been thinking lately of setting up something like that so any thoughts on the subject would be much appreciated. What lights, camera, lens are you using presently? Are the lights attached to the Lazy-Susan?

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Sounds horribly like you took a cold-water dip!

I wasn't going to use my 'macro station' this time - have a couple of ideas that don't need that - but then my niece brought me something really interesting that she found in her garden that I may just use. Not sure though.

Mike we swopped out the lazy susan for a bicycle wheel hub that has a machined ball race. It runs very smoothly now.

We made a couple of light boxes using energy saving bulbs - cost a fraction of the real thing but works well except that at times things happen so quickly with insects that I I have been known to forget to reset the white balance!!! They are on stands but can be moved onto the turntable if need be. I have never done that though. It was quite a while back that we put them together. I have subsequently invested in some small SIMA lights too.

Oh yes - I have one of those instant pop-up shower tents that I use - the inside is almost reflective silver grey. Serves well for a sound booth when draped with fleece blankets - cuts out most incidental sound. Also makes a good hide! Every time I use it I think of Bryce Comer's funny story - struggling to pack up his pop-up hide while having a wildlife audience looking on! :)

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Hello uwolers.

I have been filming for two days, a few minutes each day.
Some real bad weather on our side of the world and some scenes had to be filmed from inside the car.
Have an idea in mind, but I am not sure how to put together the story. Maybe something lyrical?
Leave you some pictures from the set.

Hope all is well with everyone.
Geir Inge

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Those are gorgeous flowers, what are they!!!!

Geir,

After warmest winter ever, this spring is carrying on!! snow almost gone, it was +14/60, amazzing to be sure!!! No grouse on the leks yet though.

I have been shootingl ittle creatures everyone loves, I am hoping I can get the rest of the footage to actually make a story, or least bit of a documentary.

If weather is good tomarrow morning |I will make another effort to get footage.

Rule 11 rules!

looking forward to the posts.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Epic photos Geir!
I have been time lapse filming one of the strangest critters on the planet.
Never would of thought of studying it in a million years if not for UWOL.
Took the camera to a tide pool with an open mind, not knowing what to film, but just needing to get out there, looked around a bit, picked a species and got to it. Funny how you can walk by little creatures for years without giving them a second thought, but if you really get down for a close look... what an amazing planet full of life.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Hi Dale,

The flowers are crocus, late winter early spring flowering here in the uk. Saffron comes the crocus sativus.

Mick

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Bill - you echo my experience and sentiments exactly - most of the time we walk past some of the most fascinating things on this planet earth without so much as a second glance. I had my eyes opened when studying plants for my long-form film. I never ever thought I would film plants!! However when it is important to verify facts and you are forced to start reading you discover just what you don't know and can only stand back in amazement. I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Beautiful photos from Norway as usual Geir!

Mike: I wasn't sure if I should put this here or simply edit my older post but as that is old news now better add it here: I forgot to mention that I don't use the pop-up shower tent every time I do macro work, but I set it up if I know I am going to be dealing with flying insects or insects that move fast. If you don't contain them then they can disappear very quickly. You can use one of those umbrella food nets with a hole in it for your lens but that doesn't work when using a turntable unless you can make a plan to keep the net and turn table separate but sealed.
Insects also tend to gravitate towards the lights. Fortunately these days we have cool lights so they don't get fried. To settle an insect I turn off the lights before taking them out of the container. Where possible I have my camera and settings prepared before letting them out because often you don't have long before they are up and off. It helps to know what they eat - holds them a while longer.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

What a wonderful world! :)
I managed to get an impressive 5 seconds worth of useful footage of some small living creature yesterday!
(It isn't supposed to be easy, is it)

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Hi everyone... I got an idea and I think it may turn out ok... I have writen a script, is it any one that could help with reading it and maybe put some change in it if my wordings is a bit wrong?

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

I'll help if you don't come up with another solution, Markus.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Wow! thanks everyone for sending me all the email... and thans Lorinda, you did a super job last time... so I let you go for this time ;)

I love our group!

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

“I love our group!“ Agreed! The real “prize” around here is the privilege of associating with such a talented group. The best thing is that everyone that participates wins the prize.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Woe-
I hiked to the tide pool with a plan to film my creature from the underside to see how it moves itself.
I have a lot of footage from above, but we need to see it from below.
I rigged a super secret, high tech contraption to catch the action.
Unfortunately the tide was high and the waves were surging. Not wanting to admit defeat and hike back with zero footage, I filled my invention with water and weighed it down with rocks to keep it from moving. A sudden rush of waves swept through, the contraption was swept away and I almost lost the camera. Luckily I'm still quick on my feet and tackled it before it could get away.
I'll try again tomorrow at a 'low tide'.
Here's a picture of the rig, $1.99 clear plastic box, and some duck tape.....Footage hopefully to follow with my entry.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

I'm sorry, Bill, but the story is pretty funny. I'm picturing the whole thing now and still chuckling to myself--only because you saved the camera, of course. Best of luck at low tide!

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

It was a close call as these pictures can attest.
No one said filming wildlife was going to be easy.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Great story and great pictures.
It's not easy - but sure it's a lot of fun ;)

All the best.
Geir Inge

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Great pictures, Bill, and an interesting concept you have there!
Good luck!

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

for the story I'm writing, I would need for some shots of a boat wash. But the Local boat wash is not in the water yet, so I can only get shots of it on land. I got some archive shots of it from last summer when it is in the water and a boat is getting washed. Those shots was not taken for UWOL, and the rules say 10% old material, but only if it original for UWOL. It's 10-15 sec, 3-4 shots...

Yes or No?

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

I think there is a grey area with some room for maneuver here. When you took the boat wash footage last summer you obviously had some purpose in mind. If that purpose was to eventually use it in a story like the one you are doing for UWOL then no problem for me. If it was for a commercial for the local boat wash then perhaps not (in a strict interpretation of the rules- I still don‘t object if it helps you tell your story.) In the end we are all our own Jininey Cricket and we have certainly seen this rule stretched considerably in the past.

Personally, I would like to see this rule relaxed a bit to something like-” Most of the footage should be shot during the contest period. Some older footage is allowed.” No percentage or counting of seconds. I feel this would give us more latitude to tell better stories and make better videos. Lorinda is the final arbiter, however, we are all allowed to express our opinions around here. What do you guys think?


Bill- I love to see those purpose built rigs! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I have that information about building a borescope that you asked about last round but I haven’t been able to find your e-mail address. E-mail me through the forum and I’ll send it to you. (Or anyone else interested.)


We have a little over a week left. I hope everyone is doing well. I have a rough edit with still lots of work to finish. Let’s hear from some of the folks that haven’t posted recently. Did Dale’s “Plan A” come off? Has the weather cleared in Norway?…

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

I'm out for this one. (Although if we're allowed to start using archive footage then I'm reasonably sure I can scrape a video together *ha-ha*)!

I arrived back in Uganda late last night, though all my bags are in Turkey allegedly (including my beloved new audio recorder, and a number of new toys I bought for future videos including a camera slider).

I had a reasonably good idea, but I was simply unable to find time to capture even 1 shot that was UWOL related.

I really have respect for you guys in the colder parts of the world after doing some family video stuff in Lapland, its a real mission to get enthusiastic about using equipment when its -20*c and the gloves are too big to work the buttons......

However, I look forward to watching everyones videos!

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Okay by me, Markus!

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Well I guess it's the shark tank for me. I just couldn't get it together for the "Little Things" concept. I'll be interested to see what everyone does with this theme. The silver lining to this cloud is that in trying to shoot some little things, I learned about the photo technique of focus stacking, and have found that it can be adapted to video with some lovely results. Now I have something new to play with for the May-June challenge.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

My first attempt at the tide pool was no good with the waves at high tide.
The second attempt was at low tide but the sun was directly above and the subject was a little too dark and the sun was glaring in the background.
For the third attempt I went at 9AM this morning with the sun at the quarter mark, and tilted my box a little away from it. I also modified the contraption with tin foil to give it some bounce lighting up towards the subject. The foil worked great, bouncing light up and illuminating the underside of the creature. The footage is epic, however there were a couple of very tiny specks on top of the lens, maybe bits of sand, that takes away from the amazing shot.
I'll either have to go back again tomorrow, or try to garbage matte the specks out.

Re: Tales of Wonders and Woes - UWOL22
 

Steve, sorry to hear you're swimming! Be gentle with the sharks, please.


I have had my filming opportunities, and a very rough edit is done.
Even managed to film some living creatures. (or did I... that's the mystery)
Lesson learned: Filming creatures smaller than small is very difficult!