UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

The good, the bad and the ugly.
This is the place to share your experiences during the making of your UWOL35 films.

Bring the stories, and make sure to pay special attention to the extremely important Rule 11!

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I went out today to do some filming and got caught in a Podunk speed trap. Cost me $200.00 and the birds weren't even there. Bummer.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I managed to get some b roll footage shot yesterday for my main idea - the main event is in a couple of weeks, so time to get more planning done!
Bad luck with the fien, Steve :(

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Hopefully it will only get better from now, Steve, and that you find your birds. That fine sucks!

Only b-roll footage for me so far. I think my idea is still lost in space.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I am blown away. I spent a bit of time at the weekend considering different fun ideas for this topic. Most would need some effort.

I thought I would do a little research on the internet this morning for more ideas and found a load of information.The different angles one can take on this topic is almost limitless. Unfortunately time is definitely not limitless. It's also winter here - not many opportunities to find some of these things.

Just hope I don't end up with three minutes of aquarium scenes accompanied by relaxing music which at this point could be a real possibility!

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Hey, an aquarium video with relaxing music is fine by me. Music videos do work. I have seen it! ;) When I began keeping aquariums as a boy in the 1960’s an older gentleman gave me a large stack of old aquarium magazines, some dating back to the 1930’s. For many years one magazine printed their motto on every title page- “No man ever suffered a heart attack who simply sat and watched his aquarium.” There’s a lot of truth in that. (At least there was until people began keeping very expensive and delicate salt-water specimens!!!)

Hang in there, Steve! I don’t know a single serious birder (including me!) that hasn’t had that happen to them at some point.

Well, I have had the shortest Plan A in history. Just ten minutes after I posted in the other thread I realized it wouldn’t work. The life-cycle of the organism I wanted to work with was short enough but I figured out that the prep work and set-up for the one crucial shot would take me beyond the deadline. I cast about for a Plan B. Eventually I decided I would use a technique I’ve been using for a while but have not yet had a chance to share with UWOL. So far, so good, but what about a story? I have come up with one (and am trying to think of a better one) but it requires a good deal of “wrong side of the camera” work. You’ve all seen I’m not terribly comfortable with that. Alas, it is good to occasionally push the comfort envelope. I don’t have a clue what the ending might be because the story involves me doing an experiment I have not yet tried. What fun! Rule 11 and I haven’t even shot a frame yet…

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I'm thinking about doing a Yeti fluff piece like back in the old days. We'll see how it goes.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I am travelling for few days now, just managed to check mails and other topics now.

The first plan I had was to do this video with gopro only, this plan now has become hazy not sure if I will do it.

Now thinking of a new plan, don't be surprised if I still manage to get my plan A rejuvenate in time.

Currently shot nothing tomorrow I have to try a few things let's see what happens.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Marj, I'm sure you could turn an aquarium film into some exciting story. :)

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

How is everyone doing?
Ideas are flowing and busy days filming?

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I have an idea!!! Woohooo! Better find some time & get out and shoot some stuff.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Well I seem to be having some summertime problems - the daytime temperature here has been over 36º for the last 6 weeks or so - often up to 39-40, which is not so usual. This has led to the structure of my south facing office/ edit room heating up considerably, despite having the small window and shutters closed all day, and for the past three or four days has led me to have computer overheating issues - registering an ambient temperature of over 30º, and causing me some concern.

With luck the month will allow me some early hours of the morning editing - nighttime has started dropping below 25º!

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I understand that, Paul! I’m operating in the same temperature range myself right now. I had to add a liquid CPU cooler to the editing machine to keep from constant overheating. My issue for this video is that one component in the apparatus I am building is not rated for constant use without active cooling. I have added some small fans but I fear they may not be “active” enough at 40 degrees. I bought some spares but my big fear is that I will get the device working but still have to reschedule the shoot to cooler months. Even if I can get things working the subjects may not cooperate in this heat. August is brutal and with El Niño there is no sign of the monsoon.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Hi Mike and Paul, wish I could add heat as a problem! So far summer can be counted on the fingers of one hand and even those days are not consecutive. My idea so far has been compromised with winds. Hopefully I can try again later in the week.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

So far I've ventured into the target environment a couple of times, and taken a few photos. Lighting has been quite varied; weather and time of day will make a big difference fer getting what I'm after. I'd say I have a basic enough, but workable idea. Just need to get out a few times with the gear and make it happen. So not much to show for the first half of the month, but hopefully finish something by the end of it.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

This is truly a interesting one now, i just seem to have lost out on all ideas :)

Currently a blank slate

let me see if i can think of a executable idea, ( Shark tank Ohh No)

Man as i typed this i just got a idea for the Title :)

Let me see how to at least execute this, if title is done then i can think further once the pace is set.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Suddenly I got a cool idea in an exotic (for me) location.
But battled with overheating camera.
Off to square one.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

The results of my experiments have been quite disappointing. It is a signal to noise ratio problem. The ambient noise in the environment I need to work in is enough to swamp the sensor at only a third the distance I require. No amount of boosting the signal will overcome that. I am sure I can eventually solve the problem (with a better sensor) but can’t do it before the deadline. Now I need to think of another video to shoot…

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Nice to ser some of you have ideas to work on.
I myself also got an idea, but haven't got time for any shooting yet.
It so happens I came across an old american poet.
If time let me, it's my job to make something out of it.
Wish you all, best of luck.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

The biggest problem for everyone is always the weather. Seems like the south of England is being battered with torrential rain at the moment. Hope things will change for the better for all of you in the next week!

Thankfully temperatures round here have risen quite dramatically since the beginning of the month. (Our maximum daily temperature is now around 25 deg. C - up from 15 deg. C.)

I did quite a bit of thinking and planning around my story before I started filming yesterday. I have most of my footage now - even found some unexpected surprises along the way. Just need one or two important critters to show up and then I can piece it together.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Finally got a couple shots for my idea.
Need a lot more to make a film though. Still plenty of time to get them if I can find the right spots to film

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

This is turning on to be bad time, not shot a frame

been travelling shooting one of my subjects, getting nightmares of a Shark tank

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Well, I can report that at the end of last week the temperatures dropped to a more normal 30º, and nights down to 15º so at least that is a relief in all senses of the word.

Mike, As I work on mainly an iMac, and backup a MacBook Pro, liquid cooling is not a solution I'd like to try, although I have resorted to throwing a bucket of water over my badly performing Renault car electronics a few times (Evil Grin)

On the woes side, we seem to be having a lot of power cuts (2-3 per day) and one or more of them seems to have caused a problem with my work hard drive.

Still - I managed to get most of my main footage filmed over the weekend and today, so although I still need some B roll to cover, have worked out a draft VO story today!

Good luck and follow Rule 11 where possible to all!

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Ugh, trying to figure out how to transition from first golden light with ground fog to sunny later morning and have it flow.

Need a transition shot in between but the weather is going to be bad until possibly Monday. :(

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Things are not looking too good so far. I think I feel a shark nibbling on my toes!

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Keep the sharks away! Still many uwol hours until deadline.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I am in the shark tank now, this time i couldn't make it at all

was shooting something else then fell ill and now traveling again so guess i am swimming with the sharks this time.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I have a few clips from my one outing - intended more but weather didn't comply. Might just make a shorter entry with what I have, there's some nice colours in some of the shots. Won't be anywhere near what I intended, but my original plans rarely work out. There might still be some vague connection to the theme.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I got some footage yesterday for an entry of sorts...
I should be able to edit something by the end of the day.
It'll keep me out of the tank.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Bill, it seems like it isn't possible to email you through dvinfo.
Please send an email to uwol@dvinfo.net to receive the password for uploading your entry.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

Clock is ticking and soon we are past midnight everywhere in the world...

The films will be published within the next 8 hours.
Then you will have a week to submit your votes. Details will be written together with the links to the films.

Re: UWOL 35 - Tales of wonders and woes
 

I missed the deadline, sorry about that!
My computer broke down, I had to work late, AND the dog ate my homework!
I'll be ready for the next one!