Hi guys
Well this really is a rush for me to stay in the long form but I'm determined to stay in the running and ramp things up for the next Phase.


This film will explore what our modern gardens mean to our wildlife, ourselves and our children. It will visit many different types of garden, looking at both the positive and negative impact of how people keep their gardens, the species they attract and how they could help us to see the world differently and reconnect with the natural world.

My full outline/pitch is attached to this thread and the video link can be found below.

http://www.vimeo.com/3281452 - A lot of its padding but hey it keeps me in the race for the moment.


This is something I feel quite strongly about and I think there will be a lot in the film that everyone will be able to understand and connect too. At the same time I'm hoping it will inspire people to consider the true value of their gardens as a close connection to the natural world.

However I am feeling a little insecure about its potential scope with other folks fronting such amazing wildlife from such remote and amazing natural locations. SO my biggest area for feedback would be based around this. I do have a number of more unusual garden species that I plan to cover and I will attempt to really get intimate with some of our more usual suspects.......SO, what do you guys think ?

Many thanks
Mat

Hi Matt,
I love the idea, ever since you first started talking about it, i've thought it would be great. It's so close to home, & if you can show what can be done in a garden, then maybe people may change their gardens to attract wildlife too. This would be the best compliment you could get. I'm sure you will make a great film with this idea, & i hope you do stick with it, as i for one would love to watch it.
Regards,
Bryce

Hi Mat:

I think your topic choice is excellent, intriguing and topical. It is so easy (for me anyway) to focus on the large scale: the devastating effects of clearing the worlds tropical rain and Boreal forests for agriculture or wood product. I don't think it really occurred to me that the choices I make as an individual on how I keep a garden can have such an impact on the local natural community, for good or bad. I for one am interested in what you are able to point out in your documentary.

This is a challenging topic to pull off, but you certainly have the skills to do it and I'm looking forward to what's in store for us.

Reading your story board a thought came to mind. Ages ago when I was in school I remember reading that if for example, you have 4 adjacent tracks of land (draw a square with 4 quadrants) slated for development and each track will preserve a small portion as natural habitat. It is exponentially better for the native species to locate the preserved portions of natural habitat from each track so that they combine into one large plot, than if each preserved portion were isolated within each track.

Does this apply in some ways to what you are doing? It came to mind while reading the "oasis" part of your storyboard.

All the best in your endeavor.

Cat

Matt,

Some real nice shots, I particularly like the birds and the crane shots!!! Wish I had one of those!!!

I know it is all rough, but I hope you get some good bird sounds!!

What an excellent idea for an Uwol Long Form film, Mat.
Liked the shots very much.
Do you use a jib?

Best of luck.
Geir Inge

Mat,
I think your plan can be very nice and interesting to watch. There's a changing wildlife even in small gardens. I know your ability to do macro shots which I think you should include some of in your film. And of course human interaction with birds (birdfeeders) is nice too. And perhaps shots of fox and maybe a badger which often not so welcome, could be nice to watch.

Like everyone I liked the jib/crane "moving camera" shots. I'm still learning with mine and any camera movement now catches my eye as a learning experience. Jib OR dolly.

The birds were nice, and the dew on the grasses and the little bug was splendid.

If this is a placeholder I cannot wait to see what you bring us next.

Chris

Hi Mat!
I think it looks good. As I stated before, I really love this topic. I liked the part of the video where you contrast the manicured hedge and the untidy downed wood. Perhaps you could do a small series of these and overemphasize the contrast through soundtrack. Give the tidy bits the “Silent Spring” soundtrack and the untidy bits the Dawn Chorus of birds and insects soundtrack. It’s kind of a vulgar trick but I think it might work. Don’t feel insecure about your location! I think it’s going to turn out to be way more “exotic” than most viewers ever suspect. I also love the macro work.

Hi Matt,

Like you I feel that my piece lacks "the exotic" of some of the locations, however I am sure there is a lot of interesting wildlife in our gardens. I think your idea of getting the more unusual featured is good and there is plenty of potential for macro work. Your shots are good, as is the story.

Exploring the garden is a good idea. You are good at words: "...see the world differently and reconnect with the natural world". That is a strength for the film!

Your garden looks to be a good habitat for many wild animals.

Finn-Erik

Hi Mat, finally I have some time to check out a couple of the long-form videos, starting with yours. :)
Nice footage you have. And I think your project can turn out really interesting, and different from what most of the others have. Nice to see that someone is actually focusing on what is close to us all the time... our own back yard.
Go for it!

Mat, very nice. I especially liked the macro at the end. Also some good shots of birds. There was one clip where you showed the old house and some hedges, it immediately reminded me of the TV show that is on now in the USA called "Treasures of the Trust". It looks like a garden that was turned over to the Trust for the enjoyment of all. Good job. Bob

Your topic is both interesting and relevant and has a lot of potential. You have some nice footage -even if it was rushed together, but at this stage, nothing really concrete to comment on, especially without the story line.

Something that I feel is missing from your outline is the solution to the problem. It’s good to expose the problem - even better to present an equally attractive alternative.

(I’m not sure people are going to be persuaded very easily to rip up their expensive paving/decking simply to accommodate wildlife - which would be first prize of course. I’m also not sure, even if people are made aware of the issue, if wildlife will outweigh fashion and ease of upkeep in importance when it comes to choosing a garden design, unless equally attractive and easy-to-maintain alternatives are presented. Fortunately there are a number of very attractive, yet simple, solutions for much of this without having to destroy the look of the garden design . . . just getting folk to make the effort before they start - that’s the real issue.)

I am looking forward to seeing your next submission.

Hi everyone.

Ok, well I've started to gather some pace now through Phase 2 and I'm really starting to think I can pull this off :-) !!! I have some solid sequences beginning to take shape, interviews organised for the next few weeks and a much clearer overall view of the plot/script/story. I have updated my document (see below), although I'm in progress of writing more into it, so its still incomplete.

My footage is narrated, so it should give you a better flavour of my ideas and how they are going to relate into my story.

Please read the document before watching the footage, or the video isn't going to make as much sense out of context.

As always, PULL IT TO BITS....be as harsh as you like, thats what helps us to improve afterall! - Oh and sorry for my ramblling narration (1st take with no notes) , I hope its at least a little bit informative :-/

Phase 2 - Uwol LongForm on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/4650093)

Many thanks
Mat

Hey Mat:

The concept and theme of your piece is fascinating, and I think a topic only someone with your caliber of film making can pull off. I have read your word doc, which most definitely clues us in as to where you are going with this. Your cinematography is masterful, from infra-red-to slow mo-to time-lapse, you are working yourself into a nature photographer at its best. Well done. If you can clue me in, how can you keep a video going for 48 hours for a time lapse, and keep the lighting perfect as well as have a sense of THE 48 hours the prim roses will open. I would love to know things like this.

We live in very different climates and terrain than you, but I can't help but bring all this into my own backyard with a heightened sense of what I might be doing for our wildlife. We live in a dry climate in rugged terrain. Ponds only exist during the spring runoff, where wildlife does explode (the ever-evasive frogs and salamanders!). We have a small garden we have planted in an abandoned ex-dog pen that was fenced. The fencing helped keep the bunnies and the deer out, although the grass hoppers can come through and strip everything in one night. I've never thought of our garden in terms of helping wildlife. I've only thought of it as a healthy, low budget attempt at sustainable living. I think your video is going to turn the way I see my little garden upside down.

As far as pulling this apart? This is way to early in the game for that! All we have to "work on" is snippets of state-of-the-art and masterfully crafted cinematography that have yet to take shape into the documentary this work is destined for!

All the best,

Cat

Hi Matt,
Wow you have some really great sequences under way there. I'm really looking forward to watching your final film on this subject. You picked a really good one, & there's no one better to put this together than you. I wish i could give you some constructive feedback, but i'm afraid there's nothing in this that i could add to.
Regards,
Bryce

Mat... I was blown away by the images dancing on my screen. I found myself asking "How'd he do that?" or "I wonder what he shot THAT with?"or "What IR lighting source did he use and what IR capable camera?"...

For me the ultimate was the extreme closeup/macro pan across the flower stamens (or were they pistils? or should that matter to anyone except a plant?) and as you panned in that macro mode you pull focused.... I had to watch that a few times. WOW. The time lapses... double WOW.

I like the concept, I like the images you are creating to tell that story, and well, heck, I can only say that I am hoping we will see the early beginnings of the "pull together" next time. You have a winner going here. I even greatly enjoyed the VO of what you had been doing over the images captured this time around.

Oh, the newts..I couldn't help but remember the piece from Monty Python where a crowd are claiming a woman is a witch and one fellow says "She turned me into a Newt!"... and they all turn and look at him, obviously NOT a Newt... and he says "Well.. I got better!".

It doesn't get better cinetographically than this. Keep it up. Staying true to your story and getting your point across will, I think, be your biggest challenge.

Chris Swanberg

Wonderful work Mat! You have some totally amazing and rare footage there - the newts particularly I found amazing, alongside that stunning shot of the dragonfly and the timelapse.
Didn't really find the slomo as effective in comparison, I always feel you need to get over 100fps to really work up a WOW effect, but I know how difficult that is to achieve in HD with the kit that most of us have available.... anyone got a spare RED knocking about? ;-)
You've weaved a lot of great techniques together, but managed to master them well - and I'm really looking forward to seeing the result....
If I can suggest a good bird to look out for, a good sequence might be to look for the relationship between gardeners and robins/blackbirds - who ALWAYS know when there's some mowing/digging going on to be on hand for some tasty morsels. Or if you want something different, I've always been amazed by green woodpeckers eating ants on lawns!!

Cheers!

Mat,
I really love the way you get down into the mould that is Nature. Your shots all exude the secrets that are hidden under leaves and behind fallen branches. Great stuff. Can you answer one question? I thought that to create an image, infrared took advantage of the temperature differences in a scene. If that is so, then how do the newt's spots show up? Surely the skin is all the same temperature.

Cat - Many thanks for your kind words. Yes I have to say this is going to have a more UK/N.European focus, but hopefully some of the ideas and features will translate to any garden or privately managed land.

Bryce - Many thanks.

Chris - lol, I don't remember the Newts from Monty Python, but I may have to go and look at youtube now :-) . Many thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you like and understand the concept and yes my plan is to start pulling these sequences into the correct running order along with the relevant interviews for the next stage! IR cam is a little Sony HC1 - great little camera I picked up for this and underwater use.

Rob - Thanks, I agree with your view on frame rates, and hopefully I will be doing something 'extra' lets say on this point! - I think you are right about the Robin, it has a great back story and should be easy to get footage of. I have a pair that usual knock around but I think are off bringing up young at the moment. I would love to feature the Green woodpecker and I did get one visiting to eat the ants under the Apple trees during the Winter. Its a very difficult bird to shoot though, very shy and flighty. I guess because its a ground feeder and vulnerable.

Steve - Many thanks Steve, yes I can spend hours looking at the simplest of creatures...always have done. IR - No you are thinking of thermal imaging. IR is simply a light spectrum that we cannot see. All our cameras have the capacity to 'see' this light but are shielded to improve normal light performance. A few cameras allow you to remove this shield and then by lighting a scene in IR you can see the creatures through the camera but they are unaware you are there. I use an LED security floodlight powered by a 12v motorbike battery to light the scene.

Well, what shall I say - I'm speechless Mat! This is so fantastic well made. How on earth are you getting those camcorders - the IR and the slow motion...
...I'm very jealous what you have done so far Mat... ...did I say I'm very jealous...

Ok, as Cat says, I think it a bit too early to pick it to pieces, the concept you're showing us here is very strong and with your capability you certainly have a winner piece here Mat!

BTW, did I say I'm very jealous what you got so far, Mat!

Mat
Beautiful footage so far. The variety is wonderful - night shots, slow mo, time lapse, jib - you have a good collection of different equipment for your video crafting and you use it all with expertise.

Your time-lapses worked out really nicely with the use of an SLR. and your night shots of the newts are both clear and interesting.

I love your little field mouse -when I saw it I couldn’t help wondering how many dear ladies wouldn’t run for the mouse trap on seeing that “vermin” rather than see it as part of the natural environment they are meant to conserve. (I almost think that insecticides and rat poison are more of a threat to these poor, little creatures than the new trends in garden designs. You are certainly dealing with very set perceptions in this arena.)

Very nice so far Mat - look forward to seeing how you put it all together with the story now.

Lovely shots here Mat. You are indeed very luck to have those newts and that sequence was my favourite. Loved the time lapses too.

I liked your narration over it and along with you notes, your aim for this film is very clear to me. It really seems to have gathered pace and I think you have a great story here.

Am looking forward to seeing what else you come up with. Not sure if you can get hold of a mini-cam or lipstick cam, but you would get some very cool shots. Would work well for invertebrates?

Great work.

Mihali

Mat,

Though I couldn't participate in the long form since I am in the middle of a cross country move, I am peeking in on progress, and am really impressed with what you have done. Your use of such a variety of techniques really brings the garden to life, and makes it feel like the exotic place it really is if only you truly take the time to look. The newt footage was amazing, a glimpse of a hidden world. The mouse was amazing- really felt like you were right there with him. The time lapse and slow motion were well done, tilting perspective and adding an air of mystery. I am looking forward to seeing more. This makes me feel I should get out and discover the hidden secrets just waiting all around me. Thanks for sharing these amazing views of your garden.

Ruth

Matt,

You are the master of the "trick" shots. The low light shooting in infrared, the time lapse stuff...I admire your work. Thanks for coming up with such an interesting subject, even though I live in a much drier and different climate than yours I will still take the information and use it in my own garden (actually I will share the information to my wife because she is the real gardener around my house). Nice close-up photography, I found the Newts to be particularly interesting and I liked the short shot of the spider too...


Looking forward to learning more from you

Jeff

Hi Mat.

Most have been said, so I'll just pop in and say I've seen your film and I love it all ready.
Great salamander shots :)

All the best.
Geir Inge

Hey guys

Well heres my third stage long form footage (A couple of days over as agreed by Master Jedi Ersoz) - I was planning on a rough out edit of the doc at this point but other things have meant its just sequence material again. That said I'm quite pleased with a lot of the material I have. Now most of what I need is establishing and location stuff as well as illustrative shots for my sections on - What is the countryside ? and Childhood connections with wildlife. - I have these planned for the next 2-3 weeks hopefully. I am hoping for 3 interviews at least in this piece and I have to cover 2 more main species in detail and then quite a few on a more general level.

http://www.uwolchallenge.com/longform/thompson_ULF_phase3.mpg

http://www.vimeo.com/6100929

Cheers
Mat

Mat- Nice macro indeed! Beautiful hawk moth. I can’t wait to see the high speed stuff. Over here that family is often called hummingbird moths because people mistake them for the birds when they hover and drink nectar. I’m sorry to hear that the hedgehogs are so endangered- I’ve always liked them. What gear do you use for the infra-red work?

I apologize that in dealing with my hectic schedule earlier, I neglected to comment on your round two submission. Two shots still stand out in my mind. The infra-red newt sequence (superb!) and the moving macro of the terrestrial isopods (wood louse?).

It looks to me as though you may have two WildScreen entries next time…

Mat,

It is a pleasure to watch your clear and almost perfect exposed images.
The macro footages are impressing. The beetle is frightening. The shot of the beetle in backlight is fantastic.

Mat:

Congratulations on your filming excellence and future WildScreen entries. I am looking forward to a more finished project so I can sink my teeth into where all this is going. There is no doubt a masterpiece is in the making, but for now the tease is simply exceptional technical filming and stunning macro work to keep us on our toes yet unsatisfied!

Here's to round 4.

Cat

Mat, wow your really raise the bar here! Fantastic macro footage.

You inspire me to try out more macro work myself.

I have a comment to the interview at the end - you might not plan to use it in this way in your end piece? I would have seen both close-up and wide shot of the lady, instead of regular cross-dissolves between the cuts.

Hey Mat, you really out did yourself with this one. As a former entomologist the macro of the moth and the stag beetle had me rivited to the screen. Can you send me some info on the doc your doing on the stag? One comment, the interview in the end could use a retake. The heavy shadowes on her face was a bit distracting (actually, I have to go reshoot an interview I did for another project because of the same reason). This time I am going to use a reflector and small fill light. You must have one heck of a garden. Bob

Mat,


What fantastic Macro work!! what are you shooting with????!!!

I can't wait to see the finished product in November.

Not much to say other than fabulous starts!

Mike - Just a little Sony HC1 fella. A great little camera that is basically the same as the A1. I light with a battery powered 130LED cluster security light I rigged two a little tripod. It works well....but unfortunately started to die towards the end of the hedgehogs sequence.

Finn Erik - The stags are pussy cats really. Well mannered and there mandibles are not really capeable of anything more than a slight nip.

Cat - Many thanks

Per and Bob - Yes I do plan to re-shoot that interview. The sun was in and out every couple of miuntes and it was very tricky to shoot! Per - I think I may zoom in on some questions to add some variation. Thanks

Bob - What info would you like fella ? - The film is mostly shot now but mostly uncaptured. Its 80% written and my plan is to finish by February time. I'm trying to film eggs hatching and timelapse of Larvae > Pupal shed - Then larval feeding and the lifecycle is more or less there.

Dale - Many thanks - JVC hd110 + an 30 year old nikkor ! - it cost £50 and its dynamite!

Hi Mat. I'm in late as usual :)
But better late than never, huh? I just can't wait to see your final version.
One question about your timeschedule:
... my plan is to finish by February time, you say. Am I reading you right when you say you will work on this project after the UFL deadline? Because my change of plan has to do with the shots I'm missing :) I wont be able to shoot'em untill next season.
Still I can see the shape of your final film and I think it's worth waiting for, my friend.
About the interview, my opinion is that it's almost always a good thing to mix in with some cutaways from the area (garden). The disolve in the middle of the interview gave it a sense of "time passing" if you know what I meen. Nothing wrong with it, it just show like there is a jump in time. I kind of like those things.

All the best.
Geir Inge

Geir, many thanks for you response - This text refers to my film on the stag beetle, not the Gardens doc. > Its 80% written and my plan is to finish by February time. I'm trying to film eggs hatching and timelapse of Larvae > Pupal shed - Then larval feeding and the lifecycle is more or less there.

I agree though there is stuff now I'm planning as an extension of my Gardens film (into the following year) but I will still aim to get a finish cut done for uwol !

Wow Mat,
You have some incredible footage indeed! As soon as i stared watching it i wanted to start writing my praise for what i was watching.
I'm sure by now that your worries about whether or not this would be a good topic for this long form challenge are now laid to rest, as i see this film as being very important to the endangered species you are covering, & what people can do in their own backyards to help.
I can't wait to see your final film, i'm sure it will be absolutely incredible!
Bryce

Hi Mat

Have to agree with Per - you are certainly raising the bar for all of us this round! Beautiful work. Really appreciated the rich light and colours in the details of the different species Your blacks are pretty pressed. This enhances the colour although you are losing quite a bit of detail in your shadows. Your Hawk moth macro work is stunning - can't wait to see the slow mo.

Your interviewee is very collected, co-herent and easy to listen to. If you are going to redo your interview perhaps she could also vary her hand positions slightly during the interview instead of maintaining the same fairly tight pose throughout. The hint of a smile every so often wouldn't go amiss either. Although this is purely my own personal feeling I would also suggest that she tone down her outfit a notch - this outfit is very feminine and attractive but somehow a little out of place in this context where we are meant to be listening to her more than looking at her if you understand my meaning.

Your film is beginning to take shape really nicely - looks like we are in for a real treat with this one!

Hey guys.

Well I thought I'd post a quick message and let know why I've not posted an update. - The day before the deadline my computer OS build corrupted and I had to fully re-build it. Following that I had mucho codec issues and its taken me until now to fully resolve. - (Something about Vista 64bit and mpeg2) causing freezes and crashes in Premiere. Highly annoying!!

Anyway....i now seem to have resolved my codec gremlins and will be uploading shortly. Sorry for the delay

phew :-/

Hi Mat! I’m glad you made it. Those problems sound terribly frustrating. Good job you got them sorted. I’m looking forward to watching your entry.

Hey guys

Ok then - Heres a link to my Phase 4 footage.

www.uwolchallenge.com/longform/phase4/thompson_ULF_phase4.wmv - I will be uploading an mp4 or other 'legal' format once I get all my software back up and running!

I was hoping to have started cutting full sequences by this point but I havent managed it unfortunately. That said I'm pleased with what I have down. I have also now written 90% of the script so editing and structure should be much easier. It has made me realise however that I have holes that I probably will struggle to fill by the deadline. I now have bigger plans for the piece so how I tackle this for the longform I'm yet to decide!

My final piece is looking more like 40mins + rather than the 20mins I was aiming for :-/ !

Mat- This is well worth waiting for. I can’t offer any constructive criticism, so I hope you don’t mind me using it as an opportunity to learn. If I may ask a couple of questions- How was the honey bee sequence lit? Also, were the underwater scenes shot in aquaria or underwater and how were they lit? Thank-you. Best of luck getting your remaining shots and fingers crossed for no more computer problems!

Mat,

Your footage is amazing!!! Is it posted as 1280x720?? It looks like uncompressed hdv to me. if so how do you do that?

the underwater footage is amazing!!! so clear. when it is warm here everything has algea and that makes it almost impossible.

finished should be fantastic.

Hey Mat:

No question you have mastered micro and macro filming to its best. Under water or Over Land, you are equipped to spell bind us all with your abilities. Your use and manipulation of light in all shots is exceptional.

Unfortunately, your works in progress entries give us nothing to go on as to storyboard, content, organization and the like so it's impossible to give feedback. I'm thrilled you are nearly complete with the script writing and I expect that in a month the Mat Thompson 40 minute documentary will stun us all. I'm just sorry we couldn't have been a part of the process!

A few months ago, I received an e-newsletter from a local nursery and the writer described that planting a specific flower in her garden this year brought in humming birds for the first time. The letter seemed to follow the track you are on as to how we can invite wildlife into our backyards by planting various different things. I thought of you when I read this.

Remember your first entry shots? It showed a cold, gray and wet wintry backyard. What a difference a few months make! English gardens are so vibrant and wildly beautiful. I do wish I lived in an environment that supports that kind of splendor.

All the best for your continued plans for this documentary. Even by viewing disconnected snippets here and there, you have significantly raised my awareness as to what I can be doing to live with a positive impact on my natural surroundings.

Cat

Hi Mat,
I certainly can't make any suggestions. Your technique is just too good. I was surprised to see the same Red Admiral and Painted Lady that we have here in a British Garden. I hope that your final film encourages people to plant gardens where ever they can. It's work, but so worth it.

Mat - the images you have captured escape simple words. VERY impressive. I'm anxious to see your finished piece - it already has a distinctly BBC look to it!

You set a high standard, and keep me working ever harder to try and improve my work as a result of your high standard. Thanks !

Hi Mat.
I have downloaded your video and though the VO is "just" telling us what you're going to do, it's awesome. The pictures are great and I know for sure this must be a doc you can sell to a TV company. Also that you are thinking like me, to work more on the film after the final ULF deadline.
As this is just a brief look into what to come I can't give you any helping advice other than say it will be great :)
Well, the tilts and pans (using a jib/flowers and apples) maybe just a little bit too fast?

Thank you for bringing it to us :)

All the best
Geir Inge

Matt, your footage is beautiful. You are the master of the close up. Color was very well balanced and you camera movement was soooo smooooth. A wonderful journey into th world of macro. Great entry. Bob

Wow Mat - really outstanding stuff again! Beautiful colours and textures.

I have only one complaint! you are keeping us all hanging till the very last moment before letting us in on the story!!! :)

Look forward to watching your film.

Marj