Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hi all,
Well i am very pleased to have avoided the shark tank for the first time in a long time.
For anyone who watched my last submission about a year ago, you may be thinking this latest film is about the same thing, well you'd be right. Way back when we did the UWOL long form round, i started a film about the mountain caribou. I never was able to finish it for the competition, but thought the story was an important one that needed to be told. I have therefor kept working on the project, & now almost 7 years down the road, i am still not quite finished. I have once again used this film challenge to work on a sequence for my long form film. While the sequence for "weather" for my main film will be a bit different i'm sure, i am very keen to get some "warts & all" feedback on how this all looks & sounds.
Thanks for watching & for the feedback.

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Bryce!

This is a stunner! Wow, I don't see any warts here. This is beautifully put together, informative and your footage is very impressive. I can't imagine what your long form will capture when it is finished and it is understandable why it has taken 7 years and still isn't finished.

I don't have any technical comments for this, but here is the impression that is overwhelming: you have managed to lay a foundation, explain the circumstance, bring in outside recourses to back up what you are saying and convince your audience to care about what is happening... all in a few minutes. That's exceptional. Also, it was just so beautifully shot and put together.

Very well done!

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hey Bryce

Only one thing that really made me sad about your film. I can sum it up in two words that you used. "Critically endangered". It's two words that I hear more and more when talking about plants and wildlife on this planet.

I really hope your film can shine some light on these wonderful souls and help bring about change.

As Cat said, no warts. You had me with the shot at :12! Pure magic! You put the caribou in a wonderland setting then yanked us out the fairytale and into reality where there is a very real possibility that there is no and they lived happily ever after ending.

Beautifully shot, well narrated, very educational, inspiring and sad. Yep, that pretty much sums up your film. :)

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Great work Bryce. Nice to hear an Aussie in the VO. You have created an informative and artistically accomplished film about a local subject that presents data in a clear and concise way.

The shooting was magnificent and shows your dedication to the subject.

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

You guys are too nice! Did i mention i would like feedback on a level 1?

Cat,
I feel that i could have made it a little longer to allow for some pauses between a few of the shots. That is probably an editing thing, as i did have another 10sec i could have used for that. I just didn't spend the time at the time to try it.

Kevin,
Yes it is sad to see so much of our biodiversity disappearing at such a rate. Who knows what this place will look like in another 20 or 30 years! I have to thank everyone here for all the feedback & drive to make this happen, you are all an inspiration to me. Making this film has convinced me that i need a sequence discussing the effect of climate change on the caribou in my long form project. I have always loved your work, & have aspired to making beautiful images such as yours. Thank you for the inspiration!

Tim,
Thank you. I kind of find my VO like listening to nails on a chalkboard, but i'm glad you liked it! I wish i had the voice of Bob Safay or Andrew Hood, but alas, i'm stuck with what i got! I thought i recognised your name as being one from Australia. How long have you been in Canada?

Regards,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hi Bryce I think your camera is good enough, nothing wrong with it with those shots. This really gives one a bit of food for thought. There is one thing, as I see you mentioned, that some shoots could have been a little longer. You got me thinking about what you are saying and the shots are whipping by. Some shots look like a remote camera, if so what are you using?
Thanks for sharing and well done.

Gordon

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hi Gordon,
Yes you picked it. There are a couple of shots that come from remote cameras i have placed at various spots in this area. I decided i would go this route in order to minimize my impact on the caribou. When i come across them, i film them, but i try to rely on the camera traps to get as much footage as possible without any disturbance to the animals. I have built these cameras myself. They use PIR sensors that trigger HD consumer type camcorders with a Lanc connection. At this time of the year i normally get a lot of action, but this whole year has been rather quiet, due partly i'm sure to the very long hot summer & fall, & also due to the fact that there are now so few of them left. It made for slim pickings for shots that i could use for this one.
As far as my camera goes, yes it is definitely good enough, it's the person behind it that keeps letting me down! :)
Regards,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Bryce yes remote cameras do have a place. I still have a couple of Trailmaster setups but it sound like they will not work with the newer camcorders which is to bad. Maybe I'll have to look into your setup as they were handy to have. Yes this last summer was a hot and dry one so I'm sure it has some effect on the animals this year and it sure doesn't help when the numbers are that low.

Gordon

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hey Bryce

I am heading into my second winter here. I got here August last year. This winter has been a lot slower coming than last winter. I am glad of that.

Tim

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Bryce

I like the way the film is arranged, nicely done and very informative

Lovely techniques to get the shots.

Nicely done

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Bryce, Great story about the changing weather and its effect on the caribou - super photography especially of the caribou, and a nice use of graphics to illustrate the point Very enjoyable and excellent quality!

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Tim
Ok, so you already know what a Canadian winter is like then, & know what to expect! I hope it isn't as long & cold as last winter!

Vishal
Thanks for the kind words. I have been working very hard at telling a story with each of my films in the last couple of years. It is good practice for the long form film i am working on of the caribou. As you can see, i still have a long way to go before i get it right, but i feel i am improving a little with each attempt.

Paul
Thank you for your comments. Yes i am sure there are plenty of stories just like this one that could be told. It's pretty sad to think about it that way actually. I'm glad you liked the graphics. They are very basic compared to yours or Catherine's. Maybe some time i could pick your or her brain about how to do some of that stuff.

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hi Bryce,

UWOL long form turned into a "many years" form. Very cool that you never gave up that project and still work to finish it. Would be nice to see the finished film when you are all done with it. Please keep us updated, and it is an important topic you present.

At 1:20 there was a superfast panning. This was a bit jerky. Maybe replace this transition with something else more smooth, or just a short dissolve or a hard cut to the next shot of the caribou works better?

I noticed a couple differences in exposure from one shot to the next:
The clips at 2:18 and 2:20 was a little hot and lacked some contrasts compared to the next one at 2:22.

The clip of the valley at 2:07 could have lasted maybe a second longer?


Well done!

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hi Trond,
Thank you for taking the time to give me the feedback on my film. The first shot you mentioned i left how it was thinking that it looked ok being the rushed shot that it was & only a fleeting glimpse of the caribou that is so often the case. I have cut it down to where the movement it smooth, & slowed it down to fill the gap & it looks very nice thank you!!
I looked at the two shots you mentioned being a bit hot, & the exposure was pretty good, but they definitely benefitted greatly when i crushed the blacks & lifted the mid tones a little. More contrast now & they look way better for it, so thank you again!
I lengthened the shot of the cloud in the valley as you suggested. This was one of a couple of clips that i have adjusted that i felt were too short right from the beginning.
Thank you!!
Regards,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Good morning Bryce.

Well I have to say this is a great production.
I think you have covered it all.
Approach to the theme, spot on.
You have a great story and you spiece it up with foley and suitable music.
Editing & color, I think it's very good and you do a VO to tell your story.

In this moment meet leaders of the world's nations in France.
They will negotiate on climate.
Send your movie, maybe they for once in their lifes will think before they act.

I'm so glad you made this film, Bryce.
Thank you for sharing.
Cheers!

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hi Geir,
Thank you so much for your very kind words. Yes i agree about the world leaders not doing enough. Unfortunately i think money always comes first before the environment. At some point it will reach a critical tipping point & then we will be in a lot of trouble.
A lot more needs to be done. Our little community here helps to document what we have, & why we should keep it! Let's keep it up!
Regards,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Bryce, beautiful video. Not only did you have a great scenery and fantastic wildlife, but you told the story. It was very informative, I learned more about the Caribou in the last five minutes then I've ever known. I can see now why deep snow is essential for them. The use of the remote cameras was great. Also, your use of graphics was very effective. Even though they came on the screen at a rapid rate, it showed the amount of scientific evidence leaning toward warmer winters. I can see why you want to make this into a full-length feature. Please let us all see the final version. I think really followed the theme of this challenge. Take care, once again, beautiful footage. Bob

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Hi Bob,
Wow thanks for your encouragement.

This is exactly what i would like to achieve with this film, & of course the full length one when i finally do get it all finished! Very encouraging!!

I will certainly be showing you all the full length version, especially if you wouldn't mind giving me some critique on it!

Regards,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

After this challenge, i think i am going to call the full length film "Weathering the change" as it really does fit with the story i am trying to tell. As i think i have already mentioned, after making this short film i am now keen to add a sequence covering the effect of climate change on the caribou in my long form project.
Any more critique on this film would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking this might even work as a sort of trailer to the full length version with a bit of tweaking??
Thanks in advance,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

nice job!!

curiously, was that a boreal owl or an elf owl? I would liked that clip to stay a little longer.


Great script well delivered

the videography is great as always.

thank you for such a nice film!!

you need to now make a full length one on that same theme!!!

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Thanks Dale,
Yes i agree that shot of the owl needs to be longer. I am going to try to tweak the whole film with the feedback that i receive here. It was a northern pygmy owl. First time i have ever seen one, so when i saw it when i shot the scene of the lake in the rain, i had to use it. Really lovely little bird, only about 6-7" tall.
I will definitely be making the longer version of this. I hope to be done some time next year.
Regards,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

A great film you produced Bryce.
Things that worked in particular were that it revolved around the theme, which you linked together with the narrative / VO. The shots supported what you were saying, and they formed a cohesive story. It was an interesting and informative film, and this should help build the longer form version of the story.

If I'm being picky, one shot seemed technically less well executed than the others - at 1:20 where the camera had to be reframed and focused on the caribou walking off through the trees. It's still better having the shot to add to the story, it just stood out as less smooth than the others. Sometime I just shorten the clip and slow it down to fill the right amount of time - occasionally works. It would have also been nice to linger on a little more footage after the VO stopped before the credits came up - maybe just a slow fade. But these were minor things.

Thanks for sharing, and it will be great if you can complete the long form project.

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Excellent feedback thanks Andrew. I think Trond too may have commented on that shot. I have done just as you have suggested & cut to the more steady part of the clip & slowed it down.
Ok, i don't mean to take up too much of your time, but if you could be so kind as to give me some feedback on my VO in particular, it would be very much appreciated. No holds barred, i'll hear anything you have to say!
TIA,
Bryce

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Just listening to it this time around, you have spoken clearly throughout and the pace works well. The Australian tendency to have an upward inflection at the end of sentences has crept in a couple of times but not too much (it works for a question, just not when trying to be informative). This is different from the final word of the sentence being at an elevated (compared to the previous couple of words) but level pitch.

To grab the viewer that little bit more I think it's just adding that extra spark of energy in there. At times it is relaxed which works for soothing, but not 'enlisting' the viewer. Urgency might not be the right word, but maybe directness. If you imagine you are explaining it so someone. Picture someone from the intended audience, someone interested who you are trying to explain it to them - keeping that vision in your mind as you deliver the lines. This gives the words specific purpose and meaning as you say them. Tell that person about the caribou, and how the environment/weather is changing. Can you convince them of the need to do something about the situation? It makes the delivery more immediate and takes the engagement to a new level. Without even trying to control the end result the delivery changes and you should be able to hear the difference when you play it back. If not, try imagining a different person you are talking to (eg. talking to a child should be very different to talking to your boss). I probably need to remember this more often, but I usually end up rushed and going on autopilot, relying on habit.

Re: Weathering the change Bryce Comer UWOL 36
 

Andrew,
Thank you so much for taking the time to give me such great advice on my VO. I am sure many others here will also find your advice very valuable. As for me, i now need to go away & practice what you have suggested. I will re-do my VO for this film along with the changes to the visuals & post a link to it here.
Again, thank you for your time, it is very much appreciated.
Regards,
Bryce