Well, it's my first competition so it's great to mix it up. The underwater filming was a trip. Here's a link to the HD version.

YouTube - Monk Dreams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHS4-gBHEkk)

Cute.... The black sun is a dream I had when I was a kid. My brother, a brainiac about 4 years older than me, said the sun was going to burn out some day. (10 billion years) I would dream of it from that day on. Looked like your shot there....

sorry, double post

Bill.. this was one of the most unusual pieces I have seen to date... and I say that in a good way.

As it started out, it was beautiful and interesting, but then started to get a little slow, and then you went into the part about what they dream... and the slow zoom into the brain was effective... THAT's when it started to get really fun...

Beautiful underwater footage. A pleasure to watch... and then....yet again... it started to get a little slow and suddenly ...WHOA... the record scratch and the seal scratching its head.. the VO was hysterical.

A really really fun piece. Thanks

Chris S.

ps. redfish does that to me too.

Bill,

Your first first entry in UWOL challange is funny and pretty good.
The pictures tell the story. Your way of filming the monk in different scales from the same direction is well done. Sometimes the best way to make a good result is to brake some rules.
I like your first UWOL video.

Thank you for the kind comments.
That black sun was weird, my kids remarked on it also. I was filming with a very cheap underwater rig in the afternoon, and laid it on the sand with the waves rushing over it pointed towards the sunset. No CC there. The chip must have blocked out the sun.
3 things I learned.
1. Always use the (in this instance) 3 minutes alloted.
2. Voice over is preferred vs. printed material as printed takes the viewer's attention from the visual.
3. Trying to hold a cam steady on a fast moving fish while a wave is crashing on you, and the current is dragging you onto the reef, is... fun.

Bill- I liked the use of titles in the first part. It made for a great contrast with the VO at the end. I would recommend making them much larger next time. Remember the judging is done on the small size files and the small titles can be impossible to read. I think the level of the second piece of music (the Pachelbel) is too loud. It should more closely match the level of the first piece. Very entertaining. A great first entry. Congratulations!

Bill,
Nice first entry. I am a relative noobie too (this is my second). I hope you continue gracing us with your entries.

Mixing in a bit of humor is always difficult, you did a great job. The sequencing, sound and imagery were very nicely done to end the dream sequence.

I would have preferred a voice over, rather than the use of graphics. But you did a nice job with the graphics.

Bill,

Seals. Seals! I was hoping for seals in my film, and went to a place that was allegedly renowned for them year-round... and, er, all I could see was a couple of seagulls. Ah well.

Great film, lovely colors and I liked the close-ups. Your "victim" did seem to be very convenient lying on the beach there, you lucky man. Seals really are the most beautiful beasties.

I liked the dream sequence, and the interruption made me laugh. All I would like to have seen was a voiceover for the introduction rather than captions, but that doesn't detract from the quality of your piece.

All in all, a truly excellent first effort for UWOL, and you've made me jealous!

Bill,

You totally suckered me in with this one. :)

Was not expecting that ending. :)

Really liked that shot at 01:21. Certainly looked like from a seals perspective.

A very solid first entry. I certainly enjoyed it!

Bill,
Welcome to the UWOL family! I expect to see more videos from you in future challenges.

This was interesting to watch. Great transition into the seal's dreams. And I enjoyed your video very much.

Some of the underwater shots were a little shaky, but I guess keeping the camera still is difficult. The partly submerged shots were fun! And the transition from the dream back to the beach again, priceless!!

As it already has been mentioned, I suggest making the text bigger for easier reading.

Well done!
Thank you for sharing.

Bill,

First Challenge?? I think you must have been practicing...

At first I was wondering where you would go with this, as the seal sure wasn't doing much...LOL..

But the dream worked and the wake up....funny stuff...

I would have also preferred voice over instead of text, but it still worked.
The audio levels didn't seem even for me....the record scratch effect was very loud...

Nice work...make sure you do more.

Bill,

I was watching your entry at work (shame on me) and I had the volume turned up a little. Needles to say when the scratch occured it was very loud LOL. Continully learning myself I can say "don't be afraid of the VO". Overall I think you did a great job including the underwater shots.

Good evening,

this was a real delight to watch. I had a good chuckle when the seal woke up, so to speak.


Perhaps the audio could me more easily blended, but then perhaps your wanted it more abrupt.

Very creative and a pleasure to watch. Good job!!

gets my vote for Most Psychedelic wildlife video...

Ahh, the secret life of animals. What do they dream? And do they dream in color? I know I do. These monk seals are cool. They'll show up out of nowhere, swim right next snorkeler's and scare the heck out them, then haul out on the beach full of tourists. There is a legion of protection for them with ropes and warning signs to keep people away so they are not disturbed while they rest. One time I saw a young man walk up to try to pet one as a joke, the seal reared up and barked and the guy just about jumped out of his skin. Like having a 400 pound dog trying to bite you. And you know you should let sleeping dogs lie...

Interesting concept, and well executed. Though the tripod wobble at 00:45 was a bit obvious. I think it might have been better to have ended with the same kind of music as at the beginning. But what do I know.