Tales of Wonder and Woe: UWOL #2
 

here's the thread where we share our stories of our successes and failures, the shot that got away, the happy surprise, the uncooperative weather. etc.

by now, we're almost a weekend into our contest, and surely you're exhausted, grumpy, delighted, cold, wet. or else...you're merely procrastinating and feeling the slow grip of panic settling in.

tell us all about it!

Well, I'm going with the first thought that popped into my head.

Filmed some of the footage for the opening scene yesterday and this morning.
The way the weather has been I'll have to film the body of it in a short time period.
We vary from single digit temps to near 50 by mid week next week.
So, I could have snow on the ground one day and mud the next.

Should be interesting. :)

Weather Forcast-Rankin Inlet
 

A strengthening ridge of high pressure to the west will produce northwest winds of up to 50 gusting 70 km/h today through Monday causing blizzard conditions in most areas.

Wind chill values will be bitterly cold during the blizzard..The expected winds combined with temperatures around minus 40 will result in wind chill values around minus 60.

In other words same old same old....Recreation....staying warm!!!!

Brian

Ok Brian, I have to ask. What keeps you living in a climate that harsh? At least you have internet service but man, that forecast is not fit for man nor beast.

-gb-

Greg, I think the only known species to me that will fit for this is my friends the Muskoxen :-)

Brian, I know how you feel there in the cold, keep yourself warm!

Well, I have made up a story for my contribution, and finished a part of the filming. I think this gonna be a real nice one!
Keywords: birdwatching, ravens, beautiful scenery etc. Say no more... ;-)

Hello Greg:

To be honest on days like this I ask myself the same question.

It's one of those deals in that we have to make a living somewhere so it may as well be a place where crime is almost non existant and rush hour lasts 2 minutes. I came here for 2 years 15 years ago, but I keep saying I'm out of here in two years.

If one loves the outdoors, wildlife and fishing this is the place to be, the land is still unspoiled and it's still possible to stand where no man has ever stood before.

However on a day like this I still say " damn It McKay your out of your mind".

Brian

PS: I shot the indoor portion of my entry on Friday night and with this weather I have lots of time to cut and trim.

B

Well here is my two bits for how things are going with the challenge. Put the concept and storyline to a 26 shot storyboard. Lots of fun making doodles and then trying to interpet them. I haven't decided yet if the film may or may not contain a narrative. After the storyboard I got a 3 minute (exactly with the reverb on the drum) piece recorded from scratch. It's a fairly moderate tempo at about 130 bpm and very editable as most edits can be done on multiples of the 3.5 sec/bar tempo. Used my 88 note keyboard and sampler for several of the bed tracks. Also added several Roland V drum tracks and finally some extra guitar work. Mixed with automation using a 16ch remote and checked the music file within vegas with some test footage. It's epic.....mabey too epic but I'm sure it will work for the final short.

So if all goes well...and the forecast delivers then I should be dangling from a tree tommorow morning getting the first shot and some needed outdoor recreation!!

my wish list: anchors for the tripod to prevent the strong wind I had this weekend from blowing the tripod away all the time. Or maybe an extra hand to operate the camera while holding the tripod with my 2 other hands?

Anyways, I think I got a few shots I can use.
So far it has been more challenge than recreation for me, but that's what half the fun is. I'm excited.

Finding something, anything at all, is my greatest wall. I have 30 minutes of sun after work and not a whole lot of time this weekend. Last weekend was fruitless. Everything I want to shoot is going on while I'm at work or around an area that is not desirable visually OR too far away for me to have time to go to... I spent an hour chasing hot air balloons yesterday but couldn't get a shot that was nice, (power lines, freeway, sun in wrong position, me in the wrong position, etc.) I think I have about 20 seconds of usable footage so far, hopefully something will manifest during the week and weekend....

Well, I should be able to start shooting tomorrow. It was no fun around here much of last week and over the weekend. Kids and I were sick and I was busy getting caught up from that. I still don't have any concepts for this little project, but I guess I'll see what comes of it as I try to shoot something over the next few days. My idea for UWOL #1 isn't a real good fit for this theme, so I'll save it for yet another day....

So just like last time, I'm off to a late start, but so far it looks like the weather is going to cooperate a bit more.

I shot mine today. The audio is not everything I wish it could have been, but the talent didn't have any time to come in for a voiceover as originally planned. So I will clean it up as best I can. How quiet should a tennis court be when all of the surrounding courts are in use anyway.

The sun was cooperative, and the talent didn't have to squint too noticeably. It was a very balmy 76 degrees during shooting. It is warmer now though.

The poor audio is going to drive me to finally buy wireless mics. I knew this contest was going to cost me something!

I think I'll pick up a nice dramatic SmartSound for the intro and the credits as long as I am spending money.

I have quite a bit of motion graphics work to do to replace the drawings he was pointing to in order to explain some of the concepts. But at least it looks like I will have an entry. A winner? Probably not. Someone will have something more artistic than mine. Mine is functional and educational, not artistic.

But maybe the judge will learn something useful and I will get an honorable mention?

okay, whose bright idea was it to change this whole daylight savings time thingie right in the middle of the UWOL Challenge?? got up at 5 am to shoot some sunrise footage and the dang sun started peeking out at 5:30am, before i even sucked down my coffee and made it out the door. now i'm too sleepy to shoot the rest of it.

but hey, it looks like i'm staying out of the tank with an entry! woo hoo!

coyote made an appearance. i was shooting on a monopod at full wide, so i hope i can find a few seconds free of shake.

the one that got away was a beautiful golden eagle that flew over my head after i put my camera away. it was all gold with pink sunlight lighting its underbelly. it circled me three times, but i was never able to lock focus. fumbling too much to re-mount the camera. i had to give up and enjoy the moment. no footage, just a magnificent sight to behold. thanks, eagle.

Good morning sunshine (Meryem) but you did get up, thats the issue ;)
I'm almost done with my video myself, but I'm not sure how it will end up.
I've been filming in a city, I've been by the sea and on the mountains, then the rain set in, so I'm glad this is called a challenge.
I have to take a trip to the woods and shot my last scenes, then there is something called editing.... I use Avid Liquid Pro.

At least, this time I had a plan on paper.

Next weekend Per Johan is coming to town, so I have to finish my UWOL#2 by then, we're gonna put a lot of wildlife and nature on tape :)
It'll be great!

I've had some good luck on both weather and subjects for my entry so far. I got some more pretty good Bufflehead footage and this morning got little bit of a female Cooper's Hawk building a nest in a small woodlot in a local cemetery. Hopefully I can put it all together into something watchable. Not sure whether to use music or just natural sounds...spring has arrived in northeast Tennessee and the birds are in full song. Wanted to put a few wildflowers into this too, but I think we're about a week or too early for the species I wanted to include. Can't have everything! Hope everyone is having fun with this. I will attach a video capture of the Cooper's Hawk at the nest.

Rick

Sounds like everyone else is having good luck. I have yet to capture anything thats wild other then me! lol.

Today I am heading out to local park that you may have seen on my old test footage from last year.

My idea is failing me, and I have no idea what I am going to do... And oh yeah, I found out that carrying ten pounds on a mile walk turns really heavy and tiring fast!

The good news is today is the last day of clouds! The rest of this week is supposed to be sunny and warm (65* Fahrenheit high).

Good luck everyone!
~Gabriel

I am trying to figure out how those artistic sounding shots are in any way related to "recreation", this contest's theme.

well, i live in a running/hiking/biking/climbing/kayaking mecca, so, without giving away my choice of topic, recreation among coyotes and golden eagles at sunrise is fairly common....and the runners in these parts, ha, you don't even want to know. at 5 am, i ran into several packs of runners and dogs....

Sure. Recreational birding is a multi-million (if not billion) dollar industry. Actually, just getting out and taking video is prime recreation for some...me included!

Rick

i kinda figured we'd get a few "video as recreation" entries....mine is partly in that category....i like self-reflexivity in movies. cinema about cinema.

Good afternoon,

I am in the midst of rendering some video, so I thought I would say hello and talk a bit about the challange so far. I made my shot list, wote some dialog, was all jazzed up and went hunting for my establishing shot. where I thought I would shoot from turned out a flop. I kept hunting driving all the back roads and a couple hundrred miles later got my shot of what we call the barrenlands. the crash hit the next day and in the period of three days new rivers formed, ponds everywhere and lots of courting Partidge. One of our cooler shots was of a moose, yes here in the prairies. When we previewed the footage at home you can see coyotes out on the distant ice. they dig upfrozen ducks and geese that did not make it.
this also had me have to make a change to my overall theme. The great thing about this stuff is that it is all a work in progress and sometimes other things dictate changes to "the Plan". We saw the first returning geese too. I have spent a lot of time out working on this and it is really a pleasure to have an excuse to be oout there. I have to have it done by friday, hope I can do that!!
Can't wait to see the clips.

That's the problem I have in regards to contests. I am too literal. Not imaginative enough. Sigh! I am technically competent, but far from being a real artist.

Oh well, I will finish my functional video and let it be judged with the others.

Steve, my first thought upon seeing the theme was "sports"...like skiing, snowboarding, biking...etc. Then the more I thought about it...the more things popped into my head as being recreational. It's actually a very clever choice and it's sortof wide open. Good job guys.

Rick

You're near Orlando aren't you Steven? I could think of a 1000 things going on around you -lucky dog!
Murphy's law is dominating my opportunites. Luckily though we've made huge headway in another festival type project. The trouble with Phoenix this time of year is that everything tends to look one color, brownish-green (ok that's most of the year). I couldn't get away to the high country or snow and I couldn't get away to the ocean. I may be able to get away to the lake or river this coming weekend though -high hopes! Sure -I can find loads of recreation going on but the beautiful outdoor/nature portion of it is missing, lol. Anyone for basketball in the ghetto?

One foot in the Shark Tank of Shame...
 

Well,

I'm ashamed to admit that 4 hours ago I had nothing... Oh, sure I had ideas. All of which have gone awry; either by weather or time spent dealing with sick children.

And now I find myself having just completed a 3-minute piece which I actually quite like.

I'm not sure where the inspiration came from. But a note to anyone floundering like I was... Fear not failure, fear the shark tank of shame!

Yeah, I've got one shot so far.
I know what I want to do for a subject and I know what I want to do for the oprning but it goes downhill fast from there.

Trying to figure out how to transition from the opening to the guts of the flick.

I'll figure out something. :)

what's with all these sick kids sabotaging our UWOL Challenge?? my beloved daughter had strep throat for four days last week. i think jeff had sick kids, too. no consideration, the little monsters....

the big problem i'm having, now that i'm getting out there, is i want to get out there more. and more.

i don't want to prepare for the accountant, i don't want to work on the clients' script, i just want to run around with my camera shooting frozen worms....

New Toy
 

I just unpacked a nice new manfrotto 501HDV video head. It finally arrived (we only get post twice a week over here). Just out to see if I can get some footage for plan A, B, or C.

I agree with you Meryem, I would love to be out in the nature shooting something, instead of just being at work all day.

I'm done with about half of my original plan. The rest kinda require good weather (as in no rain), but that probably won't happen this week either.
So hopefully I can make something "good" out of what I have so far.

The UWOL Upload Challenge
 

Is it just me...

I've had both mpeg1 and mpeg4 versions rejected, with the message that the extensions aren't allowed. I've tried to squeeze the sorenson3 version, but hesitate to go below 1800 bps. At 1800, I end up somewhere in the 80mb range.

Any help out there. I'm using Vegas 6d and QT7.

Thanks.

Hmmmmm. Sitting here twirling my thumbs. I went out last two days in did some "recreational" shooting, but can't develop a theme... hmmmmm. What to do, what to do......blank stare.....beginning to get nervous....

Well it's been a very good learning experience thus far I must say. Here are just a few of the things I have learned from this UWOL #2 experience.

1. I need a good tripod!! The XH-A1 on a flimsy little camera tripod is enough to bring you to tears. A good deal of the shots I had planned could have gone over much easier with a good strudy tripod and a fluid video head. I have picked the least shaky and suitable footage but so much ended up being unsuable that the lesson is hammered home! A good tripod is essential.

2. Past experience with planning paid off. In general I was able to shot with purpose and come away with a good amount of footage without feeling like I cannot work with it. Making a storyboard and planning the shooting schedule helped to make sure I got what I needed!

3. Don't be the talent AND the camera operator. Several of the ideas I planned would include a bit more action follow and that was impossible without being behind the lens. This also paid it's own rewards however as I am the type to not use many static shots and it taught me a great deal about how to work with well framed and camera movement free shots.

4. Your learning curve accelerates the more that you do things. The ideas were always there but implementing them takes practice and experiencing the logistics of getting that perfect shot. It's by no means second nature to me yet but things are easier than they were.

5. DV info has great resources, informative forums and excellent links to examples of videography techniques. Kudos!

OK,

I'm officially bowing out of this competition... Bummer. I actually shot some stuff last week and today. Anyway, my little girl is sick with strep and apparently she gave it to me too. Ah, the things kids bring home from school. Anyway, that combined with a huge project I need to wrap up by monday just doesn't leave me enough time.

Why couldn't the competition go for another week? Hehe.... I pretty well have all next week to screw around and do what I want from Tuesday on. Guess I'll go build me a new web site.

Woe, woe, and thrice woe
 

See attached photo :(

Ouch! That doesn't look good!

On the positive side, it'll give me more time for editing my footage.

I tried this too. Cut everything away and didn't use it. Found it hard to set correct exposure.
But the UWOL2 has been really fun anyway. Nice to try new things, even though some of them didn't work out as planned.



Grant:
Hope you get your lense fixed soon.

Grant, how did you manage to do that, it must have been a real knock?
Did you finished your recording before this happend?

Well, my film is almost finished, just some small adjustments to do. Almost hit the time limit of 3:00.
For the first time I've tried to do some narrating, this gonna be real fun for you to listen to....to me it has been a real challenge....!

yes, tell us what happened to your poor misbegotten lens...must be a tale in there.

i know we're doing a good job if we're managing to challenge you, per!

Than I've finished my UWOL#2 and it feels good.
This time I've tried to be a little peotical, but again, at the end of my filming the rain set in, and I had no time left to use on this project. Thats life.

Wish everyone all the best in their work.

To you Per Johan:
Don't worry about your Norwegian accent, I think it's beautiful, but than again, I might be incompetent in this matter :)

To you Grant:
I'm really sorry about your lince, hope you'll work it out, some how.

Grant, There, but for the grace of God (and a good shoulder strap) go I. If it were mine I would still be crying. How did that ever happen? Did you drop it? Bob