My contribution for this round is about the Great Grey Owl or Lap Owl (strix nebulosa). This is not so very common in the Scandinavian countries, but it's not a threatened species. It breeds at the northern hemisphere, from northern part of Scandinavia, across Asia, North America and Canada.

It's one of the world's largest owls. First time I saw this bird, I was amazed about it's size and how silent it's flight is. It's very scary to sit in the forest looking around and in the next moment it sits just a couple of meters above you. And you haven't notice it's arrival!

It's a breeding pair of Great Grey in this area where I've made this film. For four days and nights particularly (without som much sleep) I was able to get enough footage to make this short film.

I was lucky to get some real nice footage of this owl. The male was the easiest to get footage of and in most of the footage you can view the male owl.

The best time of the day to make footage of the owl is during late evening and night. The owl is searching for food this time of day. The good thing is that this time of year, the light is so superb in Scandinavia. It's only a couple of hours around midnight when the light is too dark to film!


Tecnically this is shoot with Canon XLH1 20x HD lens in HDV 1080i50, for close-up I've used a 70-200mm f2.8 and a 300mm f4.0. Sound recording is made with a Sennheiser Me-67 shotgun. All sound used in the film is original sound from the location. And of course the steadyness in the footage is by help of my rock solid Miller Arrow HD tripod, which I never leave home without!

At my website I've provided a slightly bigger view (640x380) of the film. Appreciate any feedback to my film - strix nebulosa.
Link: http://www.video-film.no/snutter/uwol9.html

Enjoy!

Fabulous again, Per !!! How did you get that thing to fly straight into camera, and come to perch in center frame.....

Absolutely magnificent, Per. Crisp, finely detailed, yet extremely graceful footage. And the music selected enhanced the visual but without "taking over". Very well edited and "blended".

Per,

You have brought some beautiful footage of such an amazing bird to us.

I really enjoyed learning about this bird as I watched the wonderful variety of shots you captured. It must have been so exciting to have been there in what felt like such a remote area.

The footage was very sharp and very enjoyable to watch. Well done again on such a wonderful entry!

Per, I am in awe. Not just for the crisp visuals, superb follow panning and amazing action - but for the amount of time and patience it must have required to observe your quarry's habits, and on top of all that get into position to get those shots. Again, i'm finding your work a real inspiration. Keep it up fella, at this rate I can see a "As Per the Wild" Tv show on our screens ;-)

Per:

It's your best yet. And few can beat a Per film, except Per himself. Big cinema all the way, and what a stunning subject.

Thanks for it all,

Cat

Per Johan,

Some truly great images of a great predator!!! The last shot with the owl flying and you can see the broken tail feathers would have best been left out. I thouhgt everything else was wonderful, as always. I very much enjoyed it. The voice over was nice and informative, very appropriate. so much one can talk about cutting down to 3 minutes is extremely difficult!! Good Job.

Per lives in a different world than I do. He seems to know the wildlife areas like I know local freeways. You just have to love shots where the owl flies toward the camera and lands right in front of the camera on a rock like it was in a script.

That was unbelievable Per! I was absolutely captivated by the still-photo you posted, and now this... all I can say is WOW! Excellent footage, subject, voice-over, and music. I'm standing and applauding you right now. I'm looking forward to your next one already.

Sincerely,
Andrew

P.S. I should have posted something about mine before I watched yours... cause now I don't want anyone to see mine. But, considering this is my first time entering, and this event is an opportunity for us to learn from each other, I consider myself to have learned so much from your and everyone else's entries. So, I don't totally consider mine a failure (well, actually now I do... but I'm pretending that I don't). Take care, and thanks again.

Per,
You did it again. First the Capercaillie, now the Great Gray. I try and try to duplicate the lighting, clarity and ambiance in your footage, but can't even come close. There has to be a secret. But I know what it must be. It's one of those mountain gnomes of Norse legend who has given you the gift of the soul of the forest. Thanks for sharing with us all.

Per Johan, that was awesome, or should I say perfect! (I'll say both)
Your stories become better and better, and the footage... well, that has always been sharp and with great colors.
It is impressive how you always manage to have the camera in the right place at the right time.

Very well done!!

Very nice Per Johan. I especially love the closeup shot of the owel's face. Almost eerie. As if there was a human inside of that costume.

Also great job from the hides. Do you bait them to get them to fly towards you, or do you hire some type of owl whisperer? Because if you just sit there waiting for moments like that I can't understand how you can still be married. Must take miles of tapes to gather the special seconds..

That was fantastic Per Johan. I just took my camera and tossed it in the garbage....just kidding. What great cinema photography. How did you get the owl to fly right by you? Did you use any bait? Wow.

Oliver

Thanks all for your kind comments about my film! Some of you ask how to get this owl flying stright into the camcorder.
Well, this is not any easy task, even if it looks like in the film! There was very much try and errors to this. Countless hours of waiting.
This is a breeding pair, when I was there they where nesting. In this way they had to fly back to the nest with the food they was catching. By studying the flight path, they often stops on the same branch or stone to rest before they fly back to the nest.

Wow Per, your skill at videography always leaves me in awe. You must have the patience of a buddhist monk in order to get the shots you have! I really liked the shots of the owl taking flight. And the part where he is landing on the prey is intense.

Keep it up, you are a pro!

Oh Dear Per!

You really have got yourself in a tricky situation. Every single film you make is better than the last. The Musk Ox were great, the Eagles stunning and now this. I'm struggling to think where your going to go next to keep up this constant progression! ;-)

In all seriousness though this is a great film. It has all the ususal Per hall marks of a great subject brilliantly captured in sharp detail. Wonderfull Camerawork and a dedication to the task.

I'm going to be incredubly picky and say that for me there was just a little too much naration. The music and ambient sound described the owls silent flight for me perfectly without aditional voiceover reienforcing this fact. But as i say this is just my opinion and i am being very picky. The piece as a whole is very impressive and you should be very proud of the results.

Pete

I certainly can't add anything to what has been said already...Outstanding entry.

I'm happy if I get one thing right in my stuff...you get everything right.

Nice, very nice!

Bob

Wow… Per those shot are amazing. The shots when the Owl fly down and place it self right on the rock… brilliant. Some time I got problem with the narrating, some thing I think you know about and are working on, I don’t mind a dialect, I actually prefer a touch of “home” in the VO but sometime I don’t understand. Beautiful shot wide and close.

Per,

Excellent. This is what freaks me out - if I had access to the equipment and the environment that you have, I still couldn't produce anything near your quality. You inspire us all.

The opening sequences were very powerfully filmed, with the crane shots and that final tilt up to reveal the owl. What a handsome fellow he is. When you see him on that shot at 00:50, he really is superbly camouflaged. The close-ups are stunning. The shot of him landing at around 1:28 was superb, almost as if he was working to your script.

Your pans and tilts at those massive zoom levels (around 2:10, where you pan from the owl's talons to his face) are just perfect. And the silhouette at the end is stunning. The story, and your narration, flows well and is unobtusive.

Thank you so much for that.

Per-fection.

I’ve watched it several times – for the sheer enjoyment, and then for appreciation of the technical achievement in this piece. One clip that makes me smile because it would be so difficult to capture well happens near the end: The owl flies toward then unexpectedly away from the camera, causing you to zoom out and pan at the same time. Smooooooth. :)

Thank you for creating such beautiful films and sharing them with everyone here. That’s quite a bench mark you’ve set.

Your normal high quality work Per...You always have something new to show us,and filmed in such a great way...thank you

Great stuff Per. Your field skills and patience is so very apparent and something that we should all aspire to in our work.

The standard of the photography is almost flawless as 'PER' usual ;-)

Your music was good choice but I feel you should have opened with a more dramatic shot. A reveal, jib or pan. I think the pans and jib shots you used after the opener went hand in hand with the music but the opening shot not so much.

The way you brought in the character with a reveal was great and if you can do, always better than a straight cut...so good choice there!

With your positioning I was a bit dissapointed you didn't do many detail shots of the owl. When you talked about plumage for instance a plumage closeup or small pan would have worked really well and added a further dimension. Or a clip of the talens gripping a branch, although you did show these slightly. Anyway just more detailing shots would have be even better I guess.

Closing shot was stunning!

Were you using AF when the owls were flying towards you by the way?

Fab stuff fella.

Hallo Per Johan.



The most have allredy been sayed,You are a great wildlife-photograf
Gratis whid youre best film,amaising!!!



VJV.

______________

Dear Per:

My husband and I were watching your film again.... and oh the wonders and miracles of it all. All of it is so amazing, there is not one frame out of place. We honed in on one small detail and were wondering how you did this. Incredibly, it doesn't even include the owl yet, it is exactly the 3rd scene and immediately before you show your first sighting of this majestic bird. How did you pan the scenery in such a way as to look like you are raising up but also something else. It's truly a remarkable shot of the forest floor but sort of in 3 D space. I would love to have a hint on how you did that.

Thank you for such remarkable work. We are all truly blessed to have your contributions with us.

Cat

How did you pan the scenery in such a way as to look like you are raising up but also something else. It's truly a remarkable shot of the forest floor but sort of in 3 D space. I would love to have a hint on how you did that.Cat, in this shoot I used a jib/crane. It's remarkable piece of equipment, which gives you this stunning effect. Look at the picture to view the setup. I've used it in uwol-7 in a couple of shots too.

Edit: and here I found an old footage example of the jib. This clip is from last year uwol-3!
http://www.video-film.no/snutter/UWOL/jib.mov (2.8MB)

Were you using AF when the owls were flying towards you by the way?I'm not quite sure if I used AF or manual in this particular shot. I was using both modes during these days. I do mostly manual focus, as I've found the AF-function on the H1 to be very slow and if the subject moves out of the center, AF starts to hunt!

Per,

I have watched your entry a few times now (about 30 times give or take...) and keep thinking/wondering how you managed to set up for these sort of shots.

Could you give us budding nature filmers some insight into the thoughts that went through your mind on how you would capture this sort of footage - once you were told about the breeding pair. I mean, to get into the positions you got into to film waht I assume is a very shy bird... did you sit near the nest for hours/days on end waiting for the male to get used to you? Did you use baits at all, play owl calls, etc.

It is such stunning footage, I would just love to hear (and I'm sure I'm one of many) you talk about the planning that went into capturing this.

Congratulations once again Per - you really do set the standard.

Thanks Per!

The film clip was especially helpful to understand how you did this. I am thrilled, as such a master at this, that you share your experience in this way. How much weight do you end up packing into your shooting sites? It looks like a lot of equipment, you must be in great shape!

Cat

Stunning footage Per. I can't add to what has been said already. Very inspiring. Your approach to the subject always seems to draw out a grandiose and majestic beauty.

Per,
Having watched the owl several times, I went back to your website and viewed some clips never seen on UWOL. I was stunned. You have gone from good, to very good, to flawless in a two year period. It's a progression we can all learn from. I am especially impressed by your repeated ability to follow flying birds as smoothly as you do. What tripod and head do you use? Are they heavy?
One thing you may want to know, however. In the scientific binomial nomenclature of any creature the generic name is capitalized, the specific name is not, eg. it's Strix nebulosa. Right from the pen of your Swedish neighbor Karl Linne.

Hi PJ

Great film of the owl (lappugle).
I have plans for some owl filming myself, maybe next year or later this year, the mighty eagle owl is breeding not far from where I live :)
Great pick of music and you show us a bird we dont see very often. Colours and editing are fine and your VO works for me. After all I think the english speaking uwolers are getting used to our scandinavian accent by now :) A personal feeling is that I wish you had used another background sound then the little birds. I would have liked a sound clip from the owl it self?
Even a pre-recorded would do.
There is a sound at 2.45 is it a natural sound from the take or just noice?
Just wonder :)

All the best.
Geir Inge

PS
I will go to Runde maybe on friday. I'll send you a text message about the puffin.
But you have to buy yourself a new cell phone PJ, so I can send you a photo too :)

A personal feeling is that I wish you had used another background sound then the little birds. I would have liked a sound clip from the owl it self?
Even a pre-recorded would do.
There is a sound at 2.45 is it a natural sound from the take or just noice?
Just wonder :)
....
PS
I will go to Runde maybe on friday. I'll send you a text message about the puffin.
But you have to buy yourself a new cell phone PJ, so I can send you a photo too :)
The sound at 2:45 is ambient and original sound when the owl hit the ground. I've used a Sennheiser Me-67 to collect ambient sound through this film.
And the bird song that you hear in the film is actual ambient sound from the footage, nothing is removed or added! I have just adjusted levels.
The owl is very silent this time of year. You could sometimes hear the female calling for the male, but I didn't get any sound from this.

It's funny in a way, but when you look at BBC, Animal Planet or Discovery nature films, there's alway a lot of sound from the different animals/birds seen. This is often "fake" sound done in a studio afterwards. The reality is often much more silent than you could think of watcing the films. I was laughing when I watched BBC's Planet earth and watched the scene about the musk ox. They had put on a roar as it was from a Lion, it has nothing to do with any musk-ox that I have heard anyway!
I think they do this "fake sounds" to make the film more interesting for the viewers to watch. But for me this is being to good to be true and it often reduce the quality of the film!

...
I will be at Runde next week (hopefully). Will try to carry the Panasonic AJ-HPX3000 all the way to the puffin... ... nice if you could report about the puffin status!

All the best;
Per Johan

Hi Per,
A lot of fake sound is use for example the famous sequence of the Polar bear emerging from her snow-birthing hole
in the Kingdom of the ice Bear the sound that was supposed to be the cubs was Mike Salisbury making the sound
Also the sound of the mother walking over the frozen snow they used cloth money bags from a
bank, filled with custard powder, convincing ah.

Pre,
Your film well from the opening scene music very planet earth, then the use of the crane what a tool they are, I used one on Sunday morning.
The first close ups of the GGO it looks forward as if looking over a pair of glasses
A magic piece of video the low sun striking the owl and trees giving that evening setting sun feel.
It’s the comb like primary feathers that give owls their silent flight,
I kept eagles owls for some years back in the 1980s lovely bird.
Thanks for showing your hard work Per.
When you get time I would love to hear (as many have said) the way you set your self out to get this great footage.

It's funny in a way, but when you look at BBC, Animal Planet or Discovery nature films, there's alway a lot of sound from the different animals/birds seen. This is often "fake" sound done in a studio afterwards. The reality is often much more silent than you could think of watcing the films. I was laughing when I watched BBC's Planet earth and watched the scene about the musk ox. They had put on a roar as it was from a Lion, it has nothing to do with any musk-ox that I have heard anyway!
I think they do this "fake sounds" to make the film more interesting for the viewers to watch. But for me this is being to good to be true and it often reduce the quality of the film!

Sorry to steal you thread Per but I would like to put a comment on this issue.
I got the same problem when I'm viewing UW films. Fish don't make any sound when they swim, but in every BBC/AP/DC they got this "force sound" when a fish passes. I tried to make up sounds during a production but I don't have the technique to produce them. It’s a tough nut to crack, fake sound for the viewer or as natural as possible?

I will post this in the UWOL forum so we can continue this there if any one would like…

Markus

Goddag Per Johan, gratulerer! Not only your entry it's stunning but it shows your dedication to get the right shots, just great stuff :) Almost makes me interested in UWOL challenge!

Tusen takk :)

Some absolutely stunning shots there, I am envious.

Two mild criticisms. First that there is almost too much of the owl, and perhaps a couple of cutaways to other things in the habitat would have helped break it up a little. Second, there were some shots with yellow sunlight, and some with no sunlight, but they were a little mixed up, and I found that distracting. Also a sequence of flight shots where he had no prey, then was carrying prey, and then didn't have it when he was landing.

But maybe I'm just being picky because I am envious.

Per,

Another stunning film. Of course, by now I expect that, so it was no surprise. Well, a little. Because the way you captured the owls in flight, coming right toward the camera, made this film even more immediate than any of your others. It had a feeling to make the viewer feel in the middle of the forest with you, without a camera. And the way you used the crane contributed even more to this magic. I think the ultimate good film is one where you forget you are watching one, and for me you achieved this. I felt like I was just watching the owl, almost flying with it. Thanks so much for sharing this amazing experience- I am looking forward to the next one!