Finally we arrive. It seemed to take forever to get to the due date.

So! Welcome to this little adventure! My hopes are twofold: 1) that it captivates you to the end and 2) that you find yourself laughing, chuckling or rolling your eyes at least once. Meryem I hope you are amused because it is per your request and off the farm!

I am giving myself an E for effort on this one because I shot this with both a concussion and the flu. Completely on the mend now however!

Just a bit of background so all are in on the joke. Not far from where I live there is a famous 14,256 ft peak called Longs Peak. Its east face is a 1,000 ft vertical rock face called The Diamond because that is its shape. This peak, rock face and next door neighbor, Meeker Peak (13,911 ft), are a draw for hikers and climbers from around the world. It is here where our little adventure takes place. To keep it in the fictional realm (since we do not actually climb on The Diamond) the name of the fourteener in our adventure is not Longs but Shorts Peak and its east face is not The Diamond but The Cubic Zirconia which is a fake diamond. Dead Man's Pass is all in fun and fictional. Below is a link to a photo of the actual Longs and Meeker peaks with The Diamond.

The cast of characters who didn't make it into the credits (since it's just us and there was no time) is listed as follows:

Mr. Quest, climber 1: Ed Russell
Ms. Sally Slick, climber 2: Cat Russell
Bob the goat: Bob the goat
Alien killer duck: Mabel the duck
Cameo Appearance of wayward goat herd: Emily, Meagan, Vera Zoe, Zach, A.J. and Abe

the film is 33_UC7_operationkillerduck.mov

That should do it! Have fun and looking forward to all of your creations! One final note is that this will be the last film I submit in standard format. I've purchased a new HD camera and am waiting excitedly to receive it in the mail!

All the best and have fun,

Cat

OK:

So while we are waiting for the actual UWOL versions, here is a link to a 720 x 480 58 mb file of Operation Killer Duck. Have fun!

http://www.spikeproductions.com/uwol7S3_1Mb_Stream.mov

Cat

Cat,

Once again you create a film that doesn't fail to bring a smile to my face.

That was one freaky alien duck to be able to make it snow in it's surroundings without a cloud in the sky! :)

It's pretty clear you took the theme and had a lot of fun with it.

And you're rock climbing with a concussion! What's up with that? :)

I'd say the same thing to you as I said in my comments about Vision Quest, a couple cutaways to things like some rocks tumbling down the side of the mountain or the toe of a shoe looking for that miniscule hold to take the agents closer to their goal would have helped round the film out.

The film still works without knowing the local names for the peaks etc. It can stand on it's own. Having the inside joke for the locals though brings out an extra laugh.

I think you accomplished what you set out to do. I certainly did get a good laugh out of it and it did keep me entertained all the way to the end.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can do with your new camera!

I loved it, gave me a chuckle too. Why aren't there more comedy/action adventure wildlife films? Johnny Quest was a favorite of mine when I was growing up, I liked the way you integrated it into the theme. Also, the super on the mountain worked nicely.

LOL… this was a fun film, good job Cat. Maybe some quicker shots and close-ups (Kevin, you are one step in front of me…).

Markus

Cat, that was a killer! I really liked it!

Looks like you and your husband had a good time doing the piece! And of course both Bob and Mabel was acting perfectly!

And it looks like you are capable of doing some serious mountain climbing with that kind of equipment, are you doing that kind of stuff?

Thanks for giving me a good time watching your film!

Well Cat, that was fun! And it looked fun to make....

A question....what did you use to create the computer text and cursor at the start of the film?
I need that effect once and had a hard time finding something...

Bob

Hi everyone!

Oh thanks for the great feedback and comments! Keep them coming!

Kevin and Marcus, excellent feedback about cut aways to rocks tumbling and the close up of a toe searching for that elusive hold! And Kevin... darn, you noticed the blue sky and snow thing? My, how observant we are ;-).

Per, I am thrilled you enjoyed this little adventure! There is something about a fun compliment coming from a master film maker....

Oh, and the climbing? Yea, we do that... like Norway, it tough to live in Colorado and not be in them hills whether on skis or a rope!

Adrinn, thanks for the watch friend. And that was the goal, a chuckle or two from you guys and it all was worth it.

Hi Bob: the text on the computer screen was done in After Effects. I'll check, but I think the font is Impact and you can use a text animation to make it scroll on and off. The cursor was simply a rectangle that I manually made it flash off and on.... I'm glad it looked real!

Thanks again everyone for the watch. I just love this stuff!

Sincerely,

Cat

Catherine, you have done it again! This was really fun to watch!
I have done a little rock climbing myself, only a little outdoors, but lots indoors. And your film made me remember how fun it was.
You made a great story, told in a fantastic way! Even more impressive is that you did rock climbing shortly after having a concussion! Talking about passion for making uwol films, right? :)

i was hoping somebody would post a climber film...leave it to colorado!

the size restrictions made the titles a little tough for me to read...i found that i was missing the underlying action a bit trying to keep up. i'm sure the big screen version is much easier to track!

fun film--i'm amazed that you still managed to incorporate a barnyard animal into the theme so elegantly.

i think i'm the only person who got all the goofy Colorado allusions - the Cubic Zirconia, haw haw....one of my climber friends is the Longs Peak historian, he has catalogued all of the history and major routes...

Catherine,

After watching them all I got the two duck ones mixed up and put a comment on the other one I ment to have here.

great story, I love climbing, did a lot in my younger years; now we have no rocks where I live, so it was nice to see, brings back memories.

You told a great story and saved the world too!!!

Hi Dale:

LOL, don't you hate it when you get the threads mixed up and spend time and energy commenting the wrong film? Thanks friend for taking the time to re-comment on mine, I appreciate it!

Hi Trond and Meryem.... I've commented twice and have lost edits both times! No time to re-enter again, so I'll just say thanks for the comments and support. I so appreciate the watch!

Cat

Hey Cat! (or should I say "Ms. Slick") that was pure fun. A good balanced use of live shots and CG made it work very well. I think like a few others have mentioned I feel it needs a little more "pace" injected. It was silly in a cool way. Thanks! ;-)

This was really fun. I liked when you superimposed the Killer Duck on top- making it look genuinely threatening. And the music was perfect to set the right tone :)

It looked like you and Mr. Quest, along with assorted goats, had a real adventure! Hopefully your concussion wasn't from this video shoot. (Not that there's any good way to get one)!

Thanks for making such a funny and entertaining film.

Ruth

Hi Ruth:

You crack me up! No, the concussion didn't happen on the climb (yikes that would have been really bad news for planet earth!), that little adventure was down home on the farm when high winds blew a very heavy door onto my head. On the mend!

OK Rob, "pace" meaning???? Ms. Slick would know what you are talking about, but outside the film, she turns back into Cat who might need clarification on a point or two ;-).

Glad you guys simply had fun.

Cat

...Catherine! Great story. And fun!

Espen

OK Rob, "pace" meaning???? Ms. Slick would know what you are talking about, but outside the film, she turns back into Cat who might need clarification on a point or two ;-).


Hey Cat, no probs, it's a bit of a drama term I guess (I run a theatre co. with some friends in my spare time too!!) to describe the speed at which the action proceeds. Too much pace and the audience gets confused, too little and they want things to happen faster. I just felt it needed a smidgen more of the latter ;-) But again, thanks for a thoroughly enjoyable film ;-)

Holy Moses!
You are some Lady, Catherine :)
I have to show this to my wife as soon as she's back from work today.
Your story is as usually great and so is your way of editing together a ful time movie in just 3 min :)
The plot is like drawn out of Hollywood, but you can always tell this is a Catherine film. You put your own mark on it, and that my friend, I hope you will continue to do in the future as well. The climbing scenes are fantastic.
Maybe the text is a bit difficult to read alongside, but not necessary to understand your story. I'm sitting here in Norway, smiling a little bit, thinking of you. Sitting there in USA, maybe by the kitchen or livingroom table, planning these stories of yours. I'll bet you have a great time :)

Congratulation on yet another good film.

All the best
Geir Inge

Hi Cat,

Well, our friendly judge is gonna like this one - being a rock climber and all!
I just love how the farm animals end up in your films - using those wonderful After Effects skills of yours.

You certainly looked like you were enjoying yourself - although this may have detracted from the exhaustive mission of saving the world from the killer duck! Maybe some facial expressions that conveyed the gravity of the situation - rather than those beautiful smiles as you "cruised" up the mountain! Like others, I too would have liked to have seen the sweat, the falling rocks, the terror on your face, the tears running down your face at the thought of loosing your loved ones to the killer duck!

On a less dramatic note, the whole adventure was a lot of fun and a pleasure as always to watch.

You and your husband are a very talented (and mad) couple - much like Markus with his cave diving adventures.

I ALWAYS enjoy the wonderful spirit you convey in your movies, and this was no exception. Well done.

Brilliant! Cat
Dont know where you found time to do this,Im sure working with James Bond, Johnny Quest and Batman take up most of your time.As always your video always entertains me.What you needed for this was a platform a bit longer than 3 min......Cant fault anything on this video,I know you like to get feedback critical or not,but if this was my work I would be more than happy with it.

Hey Cat....Well you certainly always bring us something different and creative, ask for adventure and Cat will bring it in bucket loads and make you smile at the same time! Great stuff and nice pacing throughout, although I'd have liked a bit more of the climb itself, and some climb it looked too!....difficult filming I guess.


Great stuff!

Hi everyone:

Thank you all so much for the time and energy to watch and give feedback. I respect you all so very much I'm always listening to what you have to say.

Rob: Thanks for explaining :). May I say that you honestly seem to be one of those rare kinds of people that can do many things extremely well! And to add to it all, you are just so up beat and good natured about it all! I'm so glad to brush up against you Rob... even though you are an ocean away!

David: Friend, I often feel like you are gently pushing me to push the envelop just like you would do with your own sons. Thank you! You have a great point! Smiling may not have been the most appropriate thing to be doing saving planet earth! Not only are you coaching me on film, now it's acting too ;-). Problem is, I don't even realize I'm doing that... it just sort of is there!

Geir: Thanks guy! I'm thrilled you enjoyed this. But I must say that the beginning text is really important to the story. I hate these small formats that make text difficult to read! Meryem had trouble too. Just for kicks, if you happen to see it again view the larger version given with the link above so you catch the text.... and if you really want to be in on all the inside jokes read the opening to my thread. It explains all the play on words that only the locals (like Meryem) would pick up on. Thanks for the input Geir!

Mat: I am honored that you enjoyed this. That means everything!

Thanks again everyone.... I'm still plugging away at these awesome films, one by one!

Cat

Hi Catherine,

Really enjoyed your film and was very impressed with all the graphics. Was fun and put together well. Great end shot with the egg too!

Mihali

Hi Cat

You must bee a a real adventure women,you is great in this mointan.
And your film was realy nice,special the the intro I like.Nice to
see your work Cat.


VJV.


__________________

Hi Espen, Vidar, John Dennis and Mihali:

You all have really neat sounding names! Thanks for the kind words and feedback. I sincerely appreciate the watch and your take on this silly little clip.

John Dennis: You made me laugh with the comment about having my time filled up with working along side Johny Quest, Bat Man and James Bond. Bless you! You could read the typing! I long for those clear, sharp close ups!

Mihali: I thought you would be the type of person to key into the map graphics. Your film about the black panther makes you look quite studious and knowledgeable about scientific things. My husband works in GIS and creates those kind of graphics. I'll let him know you picked up on that!

Vidar: Your English is very much improved! I have noticed that all of the Viking group has honed their second language quite well over the course of the last year. Still, don't improve too much, I find your "accent" wonderful! ;-).

Cat

Great show, Cat. Only you could make a mallard look sinister!

Cat, for sheer enjoyment this has to be at the top of the heap! The energetic pace of the music, fast-flowing action and imaginative interpretation of the theme just left me shaking my head and chuckling throughout the day. You are very talented when it comes to throwing together a story. This was such a fun movie. Thanks for putting it together. Good for the soul.

Oh Yes . . . An Oscar nomination for Mabel the duck for her very convincing portrayal of the killer duck’s mum. !!!

Thanks Marj!

Coming from you that means a lot. I'll tell Mabel... she will be so pleased you approved of her performance ;-).

Cato

Catherine, this week I have JUST the flu and I can barely reach up from the floor to this keyboard. It also feels like someone stuffed a football in my ear. No idea how you guys did what you did feeling well, never mind not.

Nice work, entertaining. Congrats

Wow Cat, what a great story line, and filled with great memories. Who could ever forget "Mission Impossible", even if you left out the self destruct. Also, I knew that was Long's Peak. Lived in Denver for years in the 1970's and worked at Rocky Mt. summer of '75. Was it really that long ago. Anyway, thanks for great video and thanks for the memories. Bob

Bob:

Where would the world be without people like you? Thanks for the fun comment and the watch. Next time you visit back in Colorado, look us up! We aren't too far from Denver, or Longs Peak!

P.S. The self destruct would have been interesting!

Cato

Eric: I hope you are on the mend... that flu bug is really a nasty thing! Most certainly, we filmed as I was not fully recovered but on the mend from both concussion and flu... Here is to health, for both you and me, (and all of us in UWOL), friend!

Cat

Forgive me for taking so long to watch your movie and writing.
I enjoyed it more then the movie version. I like the way you have fun with your themes.
It was well written and thought out. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next time.

Wow Catherine,
What an adventure! I loved the way you put it all together with the mission impossible theme, very well done! It was great to see you up there on top of that mountain saving the world. News can travel slow here in Australia, i didn't even know we were under threat! :)
This was so different from your last entry, it really shows the depth of your talent for film making!

Bryce

Hi Warren and Bryce:

I apologize for not getting to this until almost a month after your responses! Both of you are very gracious in your comments, thank you!

But now the focus is on uwol 8, so here's to both of your entries!

Cat