Hey uwol family!

You all know what this thread is for...
What goes well, what goes not so well and everything else... write and share.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!! :)

Now I'm off to the think tank to twist my brain trying to come up with an useful idea.

I've actually got an idea for once, hurrah! All I need now is some reasonably good weather (ha! this is Ireland!!) and I'm ready to go.

Good luck, chaps and chap-esses!

Well I have an idea, but had some trouble getting shots today.

Our dog Lucy used to be camera shy, but that seems to have changed with the new camera.
In fact, every time I tried to set up a shot, she had to jump into the frame...
These are suppose to be shots of flowers, not a dog and flowers. ;)


Some short clips of the dog shots...

http://www.vimeo.com/4443964

EDIT: Opps, I had the video set to "private" at vimeo. All fixed now.

Bob T.

Bob, that reminds me of my sister's dog Vera. (The star of 2 of my previous uwol films).
She's like a celebrity. If the camera is there, she always come running to be in front of the camera. Amazing!

I've got a bit of an idea. Need to let it simmer before I take off the lid to see if it's done or not.

If the camera is there, she always come running to be in front of the camera. Amazing!

My dog Violet was always happy to see the camera gear coming out because it usually meant that we were going on an adventure. Funny, though, last year, before she passed away, she lost an eye, and she would get very upset if I focused a camera on her. I had no idea that she had vanity...

Not to turn this into a dog discussion thread! But since y'all brought it up...

My tale of wonder is that, due to a sudden shift in my workload, I am actually going to try to shoot an entry for this round, ya ha. It has been a long time since I have been able to even attempt it. So I am really happy about that...

Gonna try to get out there tomorrow.

Hm, who's the joker who thought up this theme??

Good afternoon,

went into the city today and there is still snow on the ground in places, amazing. Makes me feel for tuff old Brian up north!!!

I have been trying to shoot the chrocus bloom which is so short in the prairies, only in limited spots and the wind held me back the first 5 days, then it snowed and was ugly. I suspect I may be straight out of luck for a year!!


I sorted out an idea, but then end is totally dependant on a prop I do not know if I can round up!!!! if I can, it will be fun!!

Looks like another nice day here.
Going to go out and experiment a little more...Without the dog...

(Sorry if anyone tried to look at my little Vimeo clip. I had it set to private. All fixed now.)

Bob

Don't have a clue for this one, but as soon as I've finished the long-form entry (second round) I will try to make up something. Long time since I've been working with macro footage, maybe something to think about...?

It's rained here constantly (heavily and with wind) all over the long weekend, and there's a limit to how much fun I can have on a cliff-top in a gale!

It's chaos of sorts, but not terribly interesting chaos. Fingers crossed for next weekend!

First day of filming, and already on my backup plan. Not the first time that happens...
Didn't find a single living creature while I was out in the woods. (Well, I heard a couple birds) But at least I got something on tape, and I strictly followed rule #11. :)

Still wet, wet, wet (and windy) here. At least my storyboard is going to be good this time....!

I had to complain about the good ol' wet Irish weather. A day trip today with the camera has left me surnburnt to within an inch of my life, but I've take in some magnificent natural vistas.

Lesson learnt #1: use the rucksack, not the shoulder bag for the camera.

Lesson learnt #2: just because the tripod has carbon fiber legs, don't think it will still feel light after 8 hours.

I think I actually glow in the dark. Nurse! Fetch the after-sun!

How is everyone doing so far?

I have filmed a few things, both chaos and order... So far I have the images, but a story? Well that's the missing link. My brain is empty... Maybe that's a sign of chaos?
But the weather today is beautiful. Maybe this can be the order in a chaotic world? haha.

To continue with Mike's lessons...
Lesson #3: When making the script, make sure your stars actually are alive and available!
(or have a backup plan ready!)

Lesson #4 (for me, anyway): just because your location was packed with sea birds last time you visited 20 years ago doesn't mean it will be the same today.

Still, there were lots of nice rocks and plants!

I am in trouble.
I am leaving my country and computer and will not be back until Mai 27.
The problem is that I came over some chaos in the beginning af Mai, and my chaos film is ready.

I did send an inquiry for uwol@comcast.net two days ago but I have not got any response yet. My time glass is shortly empty.

I have now uploaded the film, - status OK.
Now I am anxious for what is going to happen.
Will my film be within the UC#13 or will it be rejected?

Finn-Erik

Finn Erik, I tried to contact Meryem a couple of days ago without any reponse too!

If you don't get any response, I will help you out if you like?
You may send your file to me and I could upload it for you when we get the upload info?

Send me a PM if you like Finn Erik and we can arrange something. I do have a server you can use for uploading.

Have just realised that the deadline is the 25th, not the 30th which for some reason was in my head. I have planned my shoot for the 27th as it is the earliest date I can do it. So it looks like I'm out. But, I am still going to do the film anyway. If it's any good I'll post it up and comments, as usual, will be welcomed.

Good luck everyone else!

Per, you should have received an email from me...did it arrive.

Finn-Erik, you probably emailed me a few seconds after I had done my daily UWOL check...so you, too, should have received a response.

If, for some reason, you don't get an answer from me within 24 hours, try emailing Mat or Kevin.

There's 40 of you, right now, and one of me.

Per, you should have received an email from me...did it arrive.
Thanks a lot, it did arrive!

There's 40 of you, right now, and one of me. Meryem, you do a very great job running this challenge! I been into this since the beginning and I know you work very hard to serve us.

Thanks again for this great place!

So, how I'm doing. Well, I have some ideas how to develop the theme into a film. My idea is to basically to use a DSLR and do thousands and thousands of pics into a stop motion movie.
Tomorrow is Ascension Day and I'm off duty (hurra!). What can be more suitable than trying to do as much pics of flying clouds as possible on a day like that :)
Forecast is promising for tomorrow.
My idea is to combine stop motion and ordinary footage and doing som green screening (chroma keying) and put some eerie/hysterical tune into it.
I believe CHAOS is within the scope! But most of all, this gonna be most of all rule #11, thanks heaven!

I wish the weather would look at the forecast occasionally and do what it's supposed to be doing!!

My project depends on weather and tides. When I had the idea, I didn't have a camera with me - if I'm doing survey work the camera stays in the bag, and if I'm do photo/video, then I'm not concentrating on the survey. So I decided to do the survey, and then follow the route again afterwards with the camera. The first time I did this, I knew the tides were wrong, but at least I'd get something for cutaways, scenery etc. The second time, my notebook says it was thick mist. The third time, it was abandoned because of rain. Today, the forecast was sun and showers, but all I got was wall-to-wall drizzle driven in on a force 4 westerly. Not nice.

So I don't think I'm going to make it this time - yet again.

I am done with my video, but I am so unhappy with the result that it went straight to the big archive, never to be seen again. Didn't get enough variation of the shots, and the story was hiding somewhere...

So now I am in a desperate need to come up with a new idea, and shoot something this weekend. Dark clouds are over me at the moment... and not only litteraly, it's raining, haha.

But I strictly followed rule 11 and had much fun when I shot the original video.

Annie, I feel your pain!

I have had one day filming. Weather here has been downright awful, heavy rain every weekend, I had just one day at my location. It was supposed to be the "establishing shots" day, and I was going to return to get more bird life, but the weather has kept me away.

Plus the one cliff I did visit had next to no birds. Last time I visited (admittedly 15+ years ago!) the cliffs were festooned with sea birds. This time I saw a single bird, and didn't get a chance to return another day. Aaagh!

Now £115 poorer, I'm stressing my steam-powered PC with proDAD Mercalli stabilizer trying to rescue the few clips I did get.

Aaagh, again!

Still, I should have something to show come Monday, even if it wasn't quite as planned.

Bizarrely, rule #11 still applies to me! Fun!

I wonder if I win the "best dressed UWOL-er" competition? The hat was an emergency purchase and was three sizes too small...

Hi Mike, liked your hat very much!

Well, I realize that I have to go out to get some more footage. Or this one gonna be a very short one!
I'm experimenting with stop motion pics.
My findings is - this is veeeeery time consuming! And you don't know how the result are before you actually get it into your computer. It's like the "old days" when I was doing analog film and had to wait for the lab to process my masterpiece!
Anyway I got some cool results, which is very amusing to watch!

Annie, Mike, I hear ya....

Every chance I had to go out, the weather wasn't on my side...
When it was, work or family stopped me...

So I've got about 10 minutes of test footage I did 3 weekends ago that I'm going to try to make something with today...The theme may be a stretch.
Sunday and Monday are out, so this is it.

EDIT: Anyone know if upload instructions went out yet? Just making sure my spam filter didn't snag them or anything.

Bob

Well, had to show you my new dress for wildlifefilming. In front, my good old 20D, which I use for stop motion filming for my #13 entry.
Don't dare to tell what's in the viewfinder....


Mike, you got competition in the "best dressed UWOL-er"

Photo by: Ole Arne Schlytter

Per,

Now that is funny! Perfect camoufage for filming penguins! You sure went to a lot of effort for UWOL.

I am editing like crazy today. A combination of bad weather (preventing the filming I wanted) and the day job being too busy has made the edit a challenge. It won't be quite what I wanted to do, won't be colour-corrected, and may not be perfect, but I hope to get something completed on time.

Rule #11! Rule #11! Rule #11! Rule #11!

Per Johan,
I see you show the world how the vikings are dressed while filming the wildlife. So that's the secret behind your success.
Way to go!!! :)


I'm getting dangerously close to the sharks this time. Not a good feeling.
Only thing that might save me if I come up with a new idea which I can shoot and edit tomorrow.
5 hours out in my boat today didn't produce anything... at least not what I was hoping for. Filmed something... but that would not even last for a 30sec film. The sea was chaotic for sure, but only watching the seas... well, you get the idea. It's called boring.
At least I didn't met any sharks out there, but it was close, very close.

EDIT: Anyone know if upload instructions went out yet? Just making sure my spam filter didn't snag them or anything.

Bob
The uploading instructions has been sent out. I'll forward it to you here as well.
EDIT: I would forward if I could, seems like it isn't possible to email you through this site.

The uploading instructions has been sent out. I'll forward it to you here as well.
EDIT: I would forward if I could, seems like it isn't possible to email you through this site.

Fixed. Thanks for trying.
I actually got the instructions, but not the user name and password.

Bob, username and password has not been sent yet, only the general upload information like: filenaming, size etc....

I think they're the same as last time.

This happens every time...

Final render (of many), just about as happy as I can be given the time limit, everything is good to go.

...and there's a dang typo in the captions. Murphy's Law!

Bob, username and password has not been sent yet, only the general upload information like: filenaming, size etc....

OK, thanks...hope to see them tomorrow...

I think they're the same as last time.

Don't have them from last time...didn't play...

I'll be looking for the email soon....

I am also flying blind with no uploading instructions.... still trying to get a workable render anyways!

My plan was Cineform -> Powerbook G4 -> H.264.
Oops. Cineform Decoder requires Intel-based Macs. And I've never had any luck with H.264 or really Sor3 on windows. Get a crappy filesize to data rate ratio. I used my home machine to edit this, I really don't want to go to the office to transcode this on Memorial Day! The home machine is AspectHD/PPro2.0.

Yarr.

On a happier note, I finished it with 10 whole hours to go! New record for me :D We'll see when it manages to get uploaded though.... anyone care to help me with user/pass if not mailed out in the next few hours? I want to escape the screen, first sunny day in FL in a few weeks!

EDIT:
My first Sorenson3 experiment went well! Guessed at the data rate, and hit 59.4MB. Woot! Reexporting to remove the accidental 5sec of black at the beginning (silly Work Area v. Whole Composition setting!) and then I'll just need to upload!

Seeing as I've finished (well I am 5 hours ahead of Eastern time), I've sent you the login, Carl.

I never delete an email!

Mike, you are a lifesaver!

It's only 4, leaving me 3 hours to enjoy the sun before my next obligation! Wheeee! Upload is complete..... NOW! Champagne, anyone? :)

I was out in the middle of nowhere, tripped on a tree branch hidden under the undergrowth carrying all my film gear. Thought it was a tree branch that cracked but then I realized my finger shouldn't be pointing straight up like that. :)

Never dropped a piece of film gear though!!!! And I did get the shot of the glacial boulder I went huntin for. Didn't know it was down in a friggin canyon!!!!

Now to get it all assembled before the end of the night!

hey folks -- check your emails...i thought that i had sent 'round the password in the last email and did not realize, until i was flooded with requests for the password, that this was not the case...long story short, the email that i sent crashed the first time, and when i went to re-send it, i forgot to type in the crucial information the second time.

if my oversight has created a hideous nightmare for you, shoot me an email at uwol@comcast.net, and we'll get it worked out...

my apologies.

AFternoon (notice i didn't say good!),


Was going to wrap up filming this morning and the last bit of post this afternoon.

How was I to know I was goign to have to drive 100 miles one way to take my sone to the hospital, again!! turns out he has phnemonia farely badly and previous doctor gave him the wrong medicine that made it worse!

anyway, got hme around 4:00, no time to shoot last shots and I am working on the post right now (rendering particular scenes to different frame rates)

It amazes me how things can get in the way!!

I told ryan, my adult son, he could at least pick better time to get really sick.


now my excaliber software is not working!! Ug \\


Dale may make the shark tank for the first time sense we began!!! I have 5 hours!!

WE CAn DO IT! WE HOPE!

The most complex portion is rendering, Ahhh!! hope it goes through, says it is going to take 2 hours 20 minutes, Ug!!

Well, it's nothing great but I finally finished my entry and uploading as we speak.

Not sure if it was worth a fractured finger or not but I didn't want to take a swim on this one.